2012 World Challenge and the 370Z

Dwnshift

The big thing is budget.
That series is getting back to what killed it off in the first place.
KIA has a large budget and so does Acura ... And when one of the series owners and rule makers.... Also fields a factory team... Is a good indication of where it's going to be expensive to out spend them.
The GTS class was originally intended to be a cost effective ... one step above SCCA T2 ...class ....but it's not that way.
Again the Boss 302 mustangs for instance are allowed a different airbox and restrictor in WC GTS config... Which is about 45 more HP.... Than they are allowed in Grand Am.
And our Z isn't something tht we can just take the restrictor out of ...
Unfortunately in GTS the way it sits... the Zs are going to have to go to ecu , dry sump, full headers, etc. which is $$$$$$ and not a little step above SCCA T2.

chris410

I went up this past weekend for the races. Ran into Randy Probst and chatted with him for a bit about the GT500, he certainly likes the 500. The 370's looked solid out there, the Volvo's cleaned up with Randy leading both of his races beginning to end and he made it look easy. The mustangs looked surprisingly solid out there, what was funny is watching the camaros struggle...they were all over the place in turns 4 and 5. That surprised me since they are supposed to be such a great handling car.

The track looks like a lot of fun, I was going to race it a few years ago but things came up last minute and I was not able to make it up there. If I start racing again, I will make it a point to make it out there, the elevation changes look like a lot of fun and I really like the layout. I am sure it is fun in a car but for me...on a motorcycle those elevation changes would really make for some serious fun!

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Chris
Current: 2014 WRX Stage I + SPT / 2013 Hayabusa 202HP
Former:09 370Z 7-AT PW/Ark Type 2 exhaust/Evo R lip/TSW Nurburgring carbon

DR_

I raced at Mid Ohio at the NASA Championships back in 2006 and it was a fun track. We used the chicane so there was only one good passing corner on the track. I would love to go back and try it without the chicane.

sig11

It's my favorite track. After watching the second WC race of the weekend I noticed that it didn't seem like many of the folks knew the wet line.

BTW, Happy birthday, BJ. :P

chris410

...Well Randy did...he won the wet race pretty easily. It was entertaining watching the race between 4 and 5. A few cars ended up kissing the tires though but most were able to continue. One of the cars leaked oil which caused all sorts of issues...at least they were in cars, on bikes those issues turn into some nasty offs!

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Chris
Current: 2014 WRX Stage I + SPT / 2013 Hayabusa 202HP
Former:09 370Z 7-AT PW/Ark Type 2 exhaust/Evo R lip/TSW Nurburgring carbon

DR_

It looks like SCCA pissed off a whole lot of people this weekend.
Mustang Boycott
Also, the TC winning Jetta was DQ'ed

Shamu

I was wondering how the 370z was doing so well against Boss 302s this season. Didn't realize they changed to big restrictor plate. That sucks.

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Grant

Dwnshift

Yes I don't think there is the proper structure behind the series that grand am has.
This has been an issue since SCCA pro racing was underfunded.
Not saying Grand am is the best at officiating but... They have a strong backing behind them and it's pretty darn solid.
The mustang protest is an absolute jooooooke If I have seen one.
Again they make 45+ more hp than the Conti cars.
Perhaps the biggest nut they (mustangs) could change to be more competitive .... Is the one behind the wheel.
Just sayin

Cmike2780

Seems silly. You gotta think that there's another solution though.

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[09][MB][6-Spd MT][Touring][Stillen Gen III][K&N][Borla CBE][Evo-R]

Dwnshift

They are running a different cam spec than stock/OEM.
They are missing Bosch engine mang, full headers, full intake , and dry sump system.
This all adds up to about $18-$20k worth of updates.
And that's just the beginning .... We are looking for more power as well

A far cry from 1 level above SCCA T2.

Dwnshift

Again.... It makes 45+ more hp in WC trim than it does in Conti trim.

Shamu

What have they done to slow them down in Conti series? As much as i want to see 370z platform do well I hate series that artificially limit power with restrictor plates. Didn't realize they were doing this to the cars. So besides huge weight penalty in Mustangs they have to run a restrictor plate? I bet you hope the Mustang protest is a joke! Lol!

The thing these series seem to keep secret from general public are all the specific rules for each car. I'd love to see clear set of rules for each model competing, weights, artificial power restrictions, weight distribution percents, etc. Some people have perception these cars are all competing on equal footing. ....Not really.

Wonder what the mustangs have to do now in Conti series to restrict power? What is their weight?

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Grant

bkleeman

World Challenge:
SCCA Pro Racing World Challenge
Appendix A is general weights, plates, tires sizes, etc
Click "Vehicle Technical Specifications" for details on each vehicle (approved part numbers, etc).

Grand-AM:
GRAND-AM Competitor Information presented by SunTr
Click the "Grand Sport & Street Tuner Specific Car Regulations ("SCR")" for details.

Note that sometimes they just say "restrictor" or "Grand Am provided restrictor" because they can change them event-to-event so there is no set size.

Basically in World Challenge, we'd have to develop the car further than Doran since WC GTS is a little faster (MidOhio pole was a 1:29 in WC GTS, 1:32 in Grand Am GS). I know Doran has done a ton of work on that car, so theoretically we need to be beyond that. Our budget is far more limited though and until we start having success, finding willing sponsors is going to be difficult. Budget/success = chicken/egg. I'll be honest, 2012 has been pretty frustrating. I think our results are not reflecting our talent.

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Brian Kleeman
Nissan 370Z - Pirelli World Challenge GTS #07
D.W.W. Motorsports | DXD Racing Clutches | SPL Parts | Aeromotions.com

Dwnshift

The Pirelli tires are worth some time vs the Conti / Hoosiers.
But knowing what you guys are up against we felt it was going to be an uphill battle and would rather focus on going to Laguna.
If the Mustangs in Conti had another 45 hp.... They would dominate every weekend ... I would be ugly.
Most pro series equalize cars with restricts and weight.
The mustangs in Conti run a restrictor and weigh 3300 lbs.
They are making (w the restrictor 420 at the wheels pulling 8000 rpm)

bkleeman

Yup BJ, I think the Pirellis make up the time that we're missing with power. I've compared in-car videos from Mid Ohio and we've got anywhere from 0 to +6 mph mid-corner on you guys depending on the corner, but you're up +6 mph from us at the end of the back straight (even with the same exit speed) and +3 mph at the end of the pit straight. Your motor seems to rev more freely than ours, especially below 6500 so you're making up the time right out of the corner. We're back on the dyno on Thursday... and motor #2 (which should have more goodies than motor #1 does) should be here by the end of the week.

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Brian Kleeman
Nissan 370Z - Pirelli World Challenge GTS #07
D.W.W. Motorsports | DXD Racing Clutches | SPL Parts | Aeromotions.com