S2000 chasing down 2 360s

I guess I forgot to mention, they are on 18x9" and 18x10" wheels running full slicks. Typical actory cars don't really have the strength to hold those on while sustaining over 1.5g's in corners.

 

For the money the S2000 is quite a performer. And, on a road course the driver is over 1/2 of the formula for success. I can recall a few years back a very good driver at Road Atlanta with a race prepared Honda CRX. No one in the Ferrari club including 308s to 355s could hang with him.At first, on the back straight the CRX would be passed, but by turn 3 it would be on the bumper of the Ferrari and would pass between 5 and 6. Afetr a few laps the CRX would be so far ahead that the speed of the Ferrari in the straights wasn't enough to catch up with the little Honda by the time turn 1 came up..

 

Frank,

I will assume the car was a race prepped Honda with a great driver. But nonetheless Frank is correct it's the driver more than the car.

I did an FCA event this year in my ex-Grand Am Acura which has all of 134 wheel horsepower (as opposed to around 315 wheel hp in my old Challenge car). I was chasing down just about every street Ferrari in our group (308's to 360's) at Summit. Unless a Challenge car was being driven really poorly I couldn't catch it but street cars driven less than 9/10'ths were no match for my well driven ITA car. They would blow by me on the straight but I would catch them pretty easily in the talent section.

Two years ago at the annual Watkins Glen Labor day bash, the fastest car was an outdated Porsche 993 SuperCup car. The driver was just plain unbelievable in that car. It was pretty much stock (SuperCup spec) with about 340 hp from the factory. He was down on hp to all the other fast race cars in our red group (all Challenge cars, a few Trans Am cars, and some 333 SP's). He was faster than anyone out there by a few seconds.

My first track event many years ago I was passed in my 355 by some crazed idiot in a Miata. It was my first event but I couldn't believe this guy actually kept catching me. He would disappear in my mirrors on the straight but then be on my ass everywhere else. I finally was somewhat embarrased and pointed him by.

I approached him afterwards and asked what he had done to the car. He said he had done some repair work on the car for a customer and the only non-stock items on the car were the roll bar and some different springs (he was even on street tires). I was stunned. I introduced myself and he introduced himself and said he had been racing for a while.

At the end of the day I couldn't even remember his name, but low and behold I found out years later at the Mid Ohio Run Offs that this driver was quite good.

He had raced Honda Civics and Miatas. He won numerous SCCA Run Offs (5) and numberous Speed World Challenge titles (4 I think).

....Michael Galati of Champion Audi !!!!!! It was quite a thrill a few years later to be a passenger in my own Challenge car with Galati driving it at Summit Point.

Regards,

Jon P. Kofod
www.flatoutracing.net

 

Obviously, the Ferrari 360 guys were out for an easy run or to get used to the track where as the Honda guy pushed really hard try to pass and to proof something. On a streight, the Ferrari pulled away from the Honda easily. It wasn't a race, at least not to the Ferrari guys....

 

No way to tell ! For all we know the Ferrari drivers were sweating like mad trying to get away from that Honda. I find it odd that their apexes were all screwed up. Even when not trying or on a cool down lap (which they were not on) most seasoned and professional drivers still run the same line. It's simply a habit no matter what the speed.

Regards,

Jon

 

Exactly. The car can only go as fast as the driver and any idiot knows how to hold the loud pedal down when the course is straight.