On Jan 16 I took it to an OTR event. Dan Cragin has installed a roll bar, belts, fire extinguisher, stainless brake lines, shorter shifter, etc. No performance gear was added.
I had arranged for Terry R. to drive it for one session to get some benchmarks for the '08. Terry is a superb club racer, very consistent and safe. He drove his Gen 3 first session and laid down a 1:29. He got in mine and laid down a......1:29. Dan had put a street/track alignment on the car, which is quite appropriate for my use. Terry's Gen 3 has a Quaffe rear end in his car, a very aggressive alignment and every small tweak you can do on his suspension. He would be at least a second or two faster in the '08 if the setups were similar.. I went out with him driving and he showed how, at the limits, my car pushed and his didn't. On most places on the track there wasn't enough track to use the extra power. He loved the car and felt the improvements were vast. He said the engine brought the power with the revs like a sports car, a Ferrarri, instead of like a truck, low down, in the earlier cars. I'm glad my Gen 2 wasn't listening. On his first session in my car I watched him get it sideways after turn 3 a couple of times. That was unlike him and I found out why later.
Manny drove it on the street as well. Manny is a good racer and has owned all three previous generations. He and Terry had the typical reaction "I don't want to drive it in case I like it and have to get one." They both liked it. They both feel they have to get one eventually.
I drove it on the track. I haven't driven Willow for two years. I got out and was driving gently to warm it and me up. At turn 3 I fed it a little throttle up the hill. Oh shoot! On the turns, at neutral throttle at about 3-4k revs in a normal Viper, even my heads/cam Gen2, you get a good hit of power with throttle. This one was giving me way more. I put it sideways on many of the corners. Dan's description of the car had been when you give it gas at revs the two position camshaft shifts and it hits like a turbo. I have never been slower around Willow and I haven't been afraid of a car since my first Viper. This was going to take a lot of getting used to. The next session was a lot better, but I was still way off what I should be. It's going to take seat time in the new car. In '07 I spent about 40 days on the track, half in my Viper, the rest mainly in race prepped V8s. I don't claim to be good, but I do have some experience. The people that are whining for more power for this car are not road course guys. The power is not useable on the street in the lower two gears on stock tires either. It is an amazing car.
Terry also commented that a lot more of these cars are going to end up in the junk yard than the previous cars. The old typical accident was someone hitting the gas a bit early on a corner on a street and getting bit by the low torque, or backing off the gas on a corner. On this car the power buils steadily, instead of flattening. The accident will happen when someone is rolling along at 3k or higher and hits the gas.
I had arranged for Terry R. to drive it for one session to get some benchmarks for the '08. Terry is a superb club racer, very consistent and safe. He drove his Gen 3 first session and laid down a 1:29. He got in mine and laid down a......1:29. Dan had put a street/track alignment on the car, which is quite appropriate for my use. Terry's Gen 3 has a Quaffe rear end in his car, a very aggressive alignment and every small tweak you can do on his suspension. He would be at least a second or two faster in the '08 if the setups were similar.. I went out with him driving and he showed how, at the limits, my car pushed and his didn't. On most places on the track there wasn't enough track to use the extra power. He loved the car and felt the improvements were vast. He said the engine brought the power with the revs like a sports car, a Ferrarri, instead of like a truck, low down, in the earlier cars. I'm glad my Gen 2 wasn't listening. On his first session in my car I watched him get it sideways after turn 3 a couple of times. That was unlike him and I found out why later.
Manny drove it on the street as well. Manny is a good racer and has owned all three previous generations. He and Terry had the typical reaction "I don't want to drive it in case I like it and have to get one." They both liked it. They both feel they have to get one eventually.
I drove it on the track. I haven't driven Willow for two years. I got out and was driving gently to warm it and me up. At turn 3 I fed it a little throttle up the hill. Oh shoot! On the turns, at neutral throttle at about 3-4k revs in a normal Viper, even my heads/cam Gen2, you get a good hit of power with throttle. This one was giving me way more. I put it sideways on many of the corners. Dan's description of the car had been when you give it gas at revs the two position camshaft shifts and it hits like a turbo. I have never been slower around Willow and I haven't been afraid of a car since my first Viper. This was going to take a lot of getting used to. The next session was a lot better, but I was still way off what I should be. It's going to take seat time in the new car. In '07 I spent about 40 days on the track, half in my Viper, the rest mainly in race prepped V8s. I don't claim to be good, but I do have some experience. The people that are whining for more power for this car are not road course guys. The power is not useable on the street in the lower two gears on stock tires either. It is an amazing car.
Terry also commented that a lot more of these cars are going to end up in the junk yard than the previous cars. The old typical accident was someone hitting the gas a bit early on a corner on a street and getting bit by the low torque, or backing off the gas on a corner. On this car the power buils steadily, instead of flattening. The accident will happen when someone is rolling along at 3k or higher and hits the gas.
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My hats off to you sir!
