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Let me get this straight. You want to race in One Lap, and you want to do it in your own car?”
That was the response of executive editor Steven Cole Smith, who didn’t seem to believe what he was hearing, although he kindly refrained from adding, “Are you nuts?”
But if he’d asked that question, my answer would have been, “Probably.”
A year and a half ago, when I was a newly hired Car and Driver road warrior, I went along on One Lap ’98 as a member of the timing crew. At some point during that grueling hike around the U.S., I decided I had to come back and compete. Although the Vipers and Porsches at the front of the pack were fun to watch, my personal inspiration came from observing the slower half of the field. Most of those entries were everyday cars driven by people with varying experience. I said to myself, “Hey! I can do this!”
Still shaking his head, Smith—who has done four Laps himself—said, “Sure, kid, knock yourself out.”
And so my One Lap of America ’99 campaign began, and although I didn’t know it, so did the betting as to whether I would make it out of Washtenaw County, let alone out of Michigan.
Skip ahead to early spring, two months before the race, when I began encountering the first cold realities of motorsports. My car, a 1991 Nissan Sentra SE-R, needed some work—for openers, a new clutch and fresh brakes. I thought it would be a breeze to get sponsors who would donate parts.
I imagined a performance exhaust, headers, maybe some suspension mods, not to mention some nice big wheels and tires.
I found myself inquiring—a lot—of potential sponsors: “What? You don’t think an old car driven by a college student with no track experience would be the best showcase for your merchandise?” In fact, sponsors proved to be scarce. With six weeks to go, I forgot about turning the car into a speed demon and concentrated on making sure I wouldn’t be driving home in a U-Haul rental. The fundamentals included new front brake rotors, fresh stock pads all around, and fresh brake fluid. The clutch would have to wait. Finding a set of Michelin tires for the 14-inch stock wheels was a challenge, but The Tire Rack eventually came through with the right size—that’ll be $360, and have a nice day.
Now I had a fairly decent entry for One Lap. The old SE-R was formidable right off the showroom floor, thanks to a well-balanced sport suspension and the largest engine Nissan could shoehorn into the car. Since it cost less than 15 grand new, I would be competing in the Economy Class.
The car was ready. All I needed was to learn how to drive.
I spoke to Tom Reese, director of operations at Track-Time Driving Schools. A One Lap veteran with two overall victories, Reese invited me to Michigan Speedway for a oneday school designed specifically for One Lap hopefuls.
Instruction included quite a bit of practice on the track and rigorous classroom instruction from Reese, and by day’s end, I felt comfortable with the car and also confident that, although I might not be fast, I would know how to keep the rubber side down.
To help me complete the 4180 miles of highway driving, I recruited my friend Andy McKenzie to be my co-driver. Andy
has no interest in cars, but I was able to trick him into believing he would have a good time.
The racing began at Michigan. While waiting in line to do my laps, I had a chance to meet my competition. Apart from a welldriven
nitrous-boosted Neon that proved to be untouchable, the Economy Car Class seemed pretty well matched. There were a
couple of fast Honda Civics, another ’91 Sentra SE-R, and an Acura Integra.
My first impression of the drivers of these cars was reinforced throughout the competition. These guys don’t do this just to race. They do it to race and tinker and break down and blow up and keep going. It’s all about adventure—the more havoc the better. For example, Mike Roberts went through parts so fast in his 1989 Honda Civic hatchback—he calls it the “death car,” and it’s a multiple One Lap veteran—that he had to make a detour for a new cylinder head.
My rivals also turned out to be incredibly generous with advice and help. The guys in the other Sentra—Ed, Mark, and Eric Macanga—supplied me with an heir and a spare half-shaft when I lost a CV joint.
The racing went well, and I had a blast. With some concentration, a fast car, and a great deal of luck, I snagged fourth place in the class and 69th overall. That was fine with me, because for one week I was a race-car driver.
That’s what makes One Lap unique. Ever dreamed of racing? Got a car? Some spare cash? (About $3000, including the $2000 entry fee, for a modest effort like mine.) Up for an adventure? If so, Brock Yates has a fantasy for sale.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/archive/road_warrior_s_big_thrill_on_a_little_budget-feature
Ford have released a set of pictures of their two new Boss Mustangs, both of which have drawn inspiration from the original 1969 Mustang Boss. Although the old vehicle didn’t prove quite as popular as the Shelby Mustang GT500 there are numerous American performance car enthusiasts who will attest to its racing prowess.
Both the Mustang Boss 302 and the Boss 302 Laguna Seca are going to be powerful beasts with impressive cornering ability. The leading manufacturer envisaged the 302 as an ultra-rapid, beefed up vehicle, and the 302 Laguna Seca as a road-legal racing car.
Each motor comes complete with a 5.0 litre V8 engine, previously used by the standard Mustang GT. An improved air intake and modified camshafts have been added to increase the power from 406bhp to 434bhp. The rear wheels acquire their power from the six-speed close-ratio manual gearbox. Motorists who have previously been used to the manual shift of the standard Mustang GT will find that the new ‘race inspired’ clutch greatly improves their driving experience.
An element of control is provided by stiffer springs and a stronger rear stabiliser. Drivers will feel safe in the knowledge that the new Mustangs also come complete with the powerful Brembo brake package. No detail has been spared on the Boss, which also has adjustable shocks and a speed-sensitive, hi-tech steering system, with comfort, normal and sport modes. It is up to the Mustang customer whether they take the option of limited-slip differential.
The 2 vehicles have a bold, impressive look, which is complemented by a dipped front spoiler and huge lower grille on the Seca. The standard version has been given a stylish orange and black colour scheme, while the trackday Seca has been painted in cool black and red. The interior of each car has been kitted out with a revised instrument cluster and an Alacantra steering wheel. For a complete racing feel it is worth investing in the Recaro sports seats.
The Boss has been developed with speed in mind and is expected to do battle against the brand new Chevrolet Camaro. Anybody with a real interest in hitting the race track will be interested to hear that the Seca is expected to be two seconds a lap faster than the standard model. It is also worth noting that
silencers on these vehicles can be removed in order to create some extra performance when on the circuit.
Those interested will be happy to hear that the cost of these vehicles, including importation , is expected to be somewhere in the region of 35,000. This is a an extremely attractive price tag, especially when you consider what similar American power vehicles cost.
http://www.longlife.co.uk/blog/index.php/category/new-cars/page/3/
Source: http://www.eurocarblog.com/tag/bugatti+16c+galibier
The will make it to production, becoming the second model in the Bugatti line-up alongside the hypercar Veyron. The Galibier will be a luxury sedan model and should also get a hybrid version in addition to the W16 engine option to be borrowed from the Veyron. The model will have a larger production run but will sit firmly in the exclusive category, to be sold at a price of over one million pounds.
The news comes from who interviewed Bugatti president and CEO Wolfgang Durheimer. They say that two Bugatti Galibier models will be available, one of which will be the hybrid version, and a sales of about 3,000 models can be expected. Obviously factory expansion and design development (but with a “design freeze” in autumn) is being planned to make way for the new model and in addition to using the W16 engine, technical developments such as the reappearance of a dual-clutch gearbox should occur. It hasn’t been decided whether the Galibier will use a carbon fibre monocoque or aluminium spaceframe construction.
In terms of luxury the fact that porcelain trimmings are being considered for the interior is enough to convince us (not to mention the price tag). With final Veyron models being built, Bugatti is examining where it can take its brands, with a road-going sports car and this luxury limousine being considered at this stage.
Check these numbers: GM’s full-size pickup, combining Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra models, is the top-selling vehicle in the U.S., within rounding distance of a million units in a good year (which 2006 was not). And after an eight-year run of the previous version, this truck is all-new for 2007. Sixteen thousand salespeople are being trained to tell this story; billions of bucks are at stake here.
What’s GM bragging about? The same talking points you hear on new cars: stiffer frames and bodies, better safety that includes curtain airbags, plusher interiors, slicker aerodynamics, smoother rides, and higher fuel economy.
Manual transmissions are history, stability control is standard on four-door models and available on extended cabs.
The Silverado menu offers six different small-block V-8s slotted above the 4.3-liter V-6 that’s standard in regular and extended cabs. We grabbed a top-of-the-line 6.0-liter four-wheel-drive four-door crew cab for this drive. "VortecMAX" proclaims the logo on the door. Rated at 367 horsepower at 5500 rpm, the L76 V-8 has an iron block and aluminum heads, variable valve timing, and cylinder deactivation, allowing it to run on four cylinders in lightly loaded circumstances. You can’t feel the switch, but watching the info display tells you V-4 or V-8 whenever that screen is selected. Mostly, V-4 appears down hills and when coasting to slower speeds. The heavy-duty 4L70 four-speed automatic is the only transmission.
MAX sprints to 60 in 7.5 seconds, accompanied by a ferocious sucking sound from the tuned intake (two resonators bulge from the intake pipe). The brakes — four-wheel discs with ABS — stopped everything in 186 feet from 70 mph. Although most truckers aren’t venturesome in the twisties, our test truck carved around the skidpad at 0.74 g, enough to tip any untethered Frigidaire into the ditch.
The tester’s top-level LTZ trim includes the handsome dashboard from the Yukon SUV. Less-plush versions have a more utilitarian panel with upper and lower glove boxes and a center seat with below-cushion storage.
On the road, the Silverado is a greatly improved truck. The front suspension is new, with a front track wider by 3.1 inches and coil-over shocks instead of the traditional GM torsion bars. Finally, there’s rack-and-pinion steering, too, with the gear bolted directly to the cross member. Directional stability is excellent for a big pickup. The ride is first-rate, too, with better control of body shake and wheel bounce than in the Silverado’s competitors.
MAX, when equipped with the Enhanced Towing package, is rated for 10,500 pounds. A smoothie but not a softie, this new Silverado.
Article source: http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/07q1/2007_chevrolet_silverado_ltz_crew_cab_4x4-short_take_road_test