MOTOROLA CUP: Vette's R like Gore >> need an unfair advantage to win...>

[Matt M PA]

Re: MOTOROLA CUP: Vette\'s R like Gore >> need an unfair advantage to win...>

BamBam....you hit the nail on the head! Of course, I often think that many racing bodies are only there to make sure "nobody wins too often". Ya know, like wrestling..all a big show.

 

[racewheel]

Re: MOTOROLA CUP: Vette\'s R like Gore >> need an unfair advantage to win...>

some facts about this years motorola cup and the mid ohio race. for mid ohio, the viper was put back at the weight it started the season with, the weight reductions came at sebring (where it turned a race lap 2 seconds faster than the rest of the field and was faster than the fastest qualifying lap, even on a wet track), and another following the sebring race, where it was shown that the viper's performance didn't warrant the original weight break let alone another
(post race sebring note: even after readying an $8,000 cash bond the tech director would not allow an open teardown of the viper).
additional note: tech director rossi was finally FIRED last week for, among many things, keeping the vehichle technical specifcations (vts's), pretty much his own personal secret (as it relates to the viper, which was already given wider front wheels and tires, the front brakes from the gtsr (but w/ 14" rotors) and the gt2 wing (as agreed to at the start of the season), it turns out after the season was over that it also was allowed 10.6:1 compression and a 3:54 gear, a fact that was kept from everyone except rossi and vardes team)
another note about mid ohio, the 08 corvette, which was running a prototype (no vaccum) dry sump to help with the oiling problems the ls1's were having, was hit with a 150 lbs of weight for the dry sump, even though it added virtually no hp. tech director rossi called for a teardown of the top 3 cars in each class after the race (fairly standard, time permitting), and the 08 car (regardless of finishing position, hmmmn) after a thorough teardown, the 08 was disqualified for having an underweight (from numerous resurfacings)factory flywheel. even though most of the other corvette teams were allowed, and using, aftermarket flywheels.
wait it gets better, during the teardowns tech director rossi tells 08 corvette team owner that he would quit picking on them if he fires his engine builder (who rossi was looking to settle a score with from the sebring race)
it gets even better, but i dont feel like typing the whole saga
as i degress with tales of shenanagins from the m/cup 2000 season, keep in mind that the viper handily wins the championship (hope that doesnt spoil it for you), and that it's performance potential (even in near stock form)was greatly underestimated by GM raceshop and the race promoters. hopefully next season will have a level playing field (i know it's a pipe dream), and some good racing where the outcome of a season is not decided before it starts. jp

 

[racewheel]

Re: MOTOROLA CUP: Vette\'s R like Gore >> need an unfair advantage to win...>

i've been making the wheels for most of the teams in what is now called motorola cup (its been ****** challenge, firehawk, toyo street stock endurance, and speedvision cup, before speedvision switched it's sponsorship to scca world challenge and now toyo is the tire for that series, go figure) since the 1995 season. like the viper days, i get fairly involved with the teams i work with, and spend a lot (ask my wife, she says to much) time at the track. since tire and wheel packages have such a tremendous effect on the performance of a racecar, especailly in an endurance series(m/cup is on hoosiers, and sizes are specified
at the begining of the season and can be changed if deemed necessary by the tech director, but motorola cup doesn't specify rim width, only track width, which gives me the opportunity to work up wheel sizes/fittments that can give a team more performance and longevity out of the tire speced to them)

at the beginning of the season i was asked which tire packages would be best for the corvette and the viper and a few other cars. the viper was to weight 3400lbs (vette 3100 ish) and was to run a stock output engine the (vette had a package based on the asa engines, around 450hp), also both the viper and the vette were to have the same brake package (a 14" bear/alcon six piston or brembo monobloc front and front on the rear, the brembo had some significant advantages like it uses a much thicker pad, but is so large it would protrude past the fender on the vette, but gm approved it anyway) based on the weight the viper was to carry i recomended the 305 30 18 (dodge wanted the 18's, but it pretty much what we use on the viper days cars) to get the car to stop, i got hoosier to produce a 285 30 18 for the front of the vette (that about as big a tire as the bodywork can handle and you would need an 18 to get past the brakes that gm approved for the car) only to get shot down by gm, who wanted the car to run 275 40 17's, like they run in world challenge/t-1 (completely ignoring that in world challenge/t-1 the viper was limited to that size tire, but in m/cup it was going to be running a much larger front tire, and the fact that the tire, and necessary wheel, package wasn't going to clear the brakes they were planning on using). i screamed and yelled that they were going to get thier heads handed to them, but in reality, gm didnt realized how bad thier underestimation of the viper's potential was untill it was too late. this coupled with a tech director that was only to willing to give the viper team even more than what was originally spec'd, led to a situation where the viper could win any race it chose to. it's performance at mid ohio (close enought to the front to keep the points lead strong but not close enough to appear that the added weight was justified) was tanamount to playing possum in order to get the weight taked back off, and it was the next race. varde knows how to play the game as well any anybody, he couldn't have asked for a better set of circumstances.

 

[Paul Fischer]

Re: MOTOROLA CUP: Vette\'s R like Gore >> need an unfair advantage to win...>

Don't be slamming the Vettes like that, comparing them to Gore. The Vettes have won on their own merits, I've been at the track and seen it with my own eyes (at TMS, American Le Mans Series earlier this year). In comparison with every recount Gore loses again. Vette 3, Al 0

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