|
|
1967 Camaro Road Racing - Road Warriors
We Try Our Hand At Open Road Racing In A Badass '67 Camaro
July, 2009
By Steven Rupp
Photography by Steven Rupp
As newbies, our first stop... As newbies, our first stop was rookie school at Las Vegas International Speedway. Here James and his '67 were sent around their road course to make sure both driver and Camaro were sound. There were also many technical inspections and meetings regarding the perils and rules of the road. You're cruising in your Camaro out in the middle of nowhere. Just you, the thumping of your V-8, and mile after mile of sweet beckoning asphalt winding through nothing but desolation. That's about the time when you start to think, "Man, I would love to open her up and see what she can do." But then the buzz kill of reality kicks in and you consider all the bad things that can accompany a triple-digit speeding ticket. So there you are with all that power and clipping along at 65 mph, maybe 70 if you're so bold. If this sounds painfully familiar then we've found the solution to what ails you: It's called open road racing and it's a way for you to put the hammer down on genuine public highways. Best of all, it's perfectly legal and a whole lot safer. The Event
The Nevada Open Road Challenge (NORC) is held every May and is identical to its more famous cousin, the Silver State Classic Challenge, which has been taking place each September since 1988. The basic concept is simple. A 90-mile stretch of desert highway is closed to all traffic while racers are sent out at 1 minute increments to tackle the tarmac. For most racers it isn't about how fast you can go, instead it's about precision driving where time, not top speed, is the key to claiming one of the top spots. The cars are broken up into speed classes that range from as low at 95 mph to as high as 180 mph. For example, let's say that you're in the 120-mph class. Your goal is to average 120 mph over the entire 90-mile route.
Some math is done and a time is established for each class. In the case of the 120-mph class, the goal would be to cross the finish line with a time of exactly 45 minutes. Think of it as a 90-mile bracket race, but you're allowed to be over or under in regards to time. Of course, like any race, there are rules. In addition to your target speed there's also a "tech speed" assigned to each car. This speed is determined by the tech inspectors and factors in the car's safety equipment and the driver's skill level. During the run a driver can't go 30 mph slower than their target speed and never faster than their tech speed. Too fast or too slow will get you a big, fat DQ next to your name. So, for the 120-mph class where the car was tech'd up to 145 mph, that driver can't go below 90 mph or faster than 145. Simple? Well, not so much. After passing rookie school,... After passing rookie school, we headed off to Ely, Nevada. We followed open road veteran driver, and rookie mentor, Blue Offutt. Part of the route was on the actual 90-mile stretch we would eventually be running. Of course we were driving it in reverse, but it was still helpful. At several points Blue would pull over and give us much needed tips and guidance. He also gave us some dead-on accurate course notes. Since the race is started at a dead stop, a car is already all upside down on the whole "average speed" deal. Plus there are some areas, like the narrows, that generally require a slower speed. That's where the navigator comes in. It's the nav's job to use landmarks, typically mile markers, to make sure the driver crosses the finish line at the right time. To keep track of everything, the navigator employs a variety of tricks, including stopwatches, a GPS, and most importantly, course notes. Everybody seems to have their own team strategy. Some bank time so that they can slow down for the narrows. Others try to keep their average the whole distance. Some drivers don't even run with a navigator. Regardless of the tactics employed, the goal is still the same: To hit the magic number when the finish line beam is broken. Any car on four or more wheels can run the race provided they pass tech. Ferraris, Hondas, 'Vettes, and even trucks have run in the event. Cars are sent from the starting line beginning with the 150-mph class and work down to the 95-mph group. After that, the course is inspected for debris and then the unlimited, 180, and 160-mph classes are sent southbound.  Lincoln County 29, just one...  Lincoln County 29, just one of many markers used by the navigator to help the driver hit his or her targets. They are small, located way off the highway, and sometimes missing, or at best, hard to see. Here some thoughtful competitor took the time to make marker 29 a bit easier to spot. The 90-mile course winds through four counties, so the markers aren’t close to being in numerical order from start to finish. |  Once in Ely, we stickered...  Once in Ely, we stickered up the Camaro and went to get inspected. The process involved two guys, one who went over the car, and another who scrutinized the rubber. Any tires with damage, embedded nails, or other problems were not passed. Even something simple like not having valve stem caps could cause a car to fail tech. Since we were rookies, the max target we could run was 110 mph and the max tech speed was set at 124 mph. The car easily passed, and had we not been rookies, the car would have passed tech inspection up to 150 mph. |  The amount of safety gear...  The amount of safety gear required is dependant on the speed class you’re in. In our class the only real requirements were a SA2005-rated helmet, gloves, and cotton pants and shirt. We decided to play it a bit safer since, when you think about it, crashing at 120 isn’t a whole lot better than crashing at 140. After a call to Race Quip we had all the gear we needed including, helmet, gloves, boots, and a single-layer fire suit |
|
|