One thing on our to-do list...
One thing on our to-do list was dropping in the K&N filter that had been hanging out in the trunk. Since we had a little downtime between events, Licata decided to grab some tools and put it in. Hey, every bit helps!
The 0-60-0 event is one that I had practiced, although never on the A6 tires. When the starter said "go," I dumped the clutched and put the throttle to the carpet. The Camaro squatted down, kicked a touch to the left and launched like a rocket (the iPod registered 1.10 g's on the launch). When the indicator light came on I mashed the brakes and the Hawk pads chomped down on the fresh Baer rotors. We had a tiny bit of brake lockup, but the Camaro stayed pretty straight, and our 0-60-0 time of 7.4 seconds was the second quickest of the day. We actually tied a GT-R that was in the exhibition class. He had ABS and all-wheel drive, but we had stickier tires. All in all, we had a great time at the event and we're very happy with the car and will keep making improvements to dial it in. Next year we plan on being back on the podium!
2010 SS Camaro Report:
After getting our '10 project Camaro some testing time a few weeks before the event, I was positive the car was sorted out to the upper edge of its ability. It was ... only one problem, so was every other '10 Camaro at the party.
The first order of business...
The first order of business for the day was getting all the cars though tech. Here, Tyler Beauregard makes sure that the brake lights are functioning on Bret Voelkel's Ridetech '68 Camaro. In addition to making sure the cars were street legal, the pit crew also made sure all the cars passed a thorough safety inspection.
Overall, the Camaro was ready for a fun day at the track, but "fun" wasn't enough, as it needed to be ready for "battle." We've upgraded the car with stiffer springs and sway bars, but I found out early on in the day that the car was going to need more stiffening. For starters, we'll have to add subframe connectors, strut tower bar, and aftermarket struts. The Baer brakes performed flawlessly. There was no noticeable fade, even on the road course where hard braking can really push the pads to their limit.
As for power, the car might have held up better had we not done the autocross first. It seemed like the intercooler to the supercharger was fine for hard street use, but after being thrashed on the track, heat soak can cause some loss in power. When you are going up against cars that are lighter and have more horsepower than yours, every bit counts.
I was extremely happy with the outcome of the event. The car finished in the upper half of the field, and I got a feel for what we'll need to do to make the car faster.
After tech there was a driver's...
After tech there was a driver's meeting where Jimi Day of FM3 Marketing and Cam Douglas of Optima Batteries laid down the rules for the day and explained how all the events were going to flow. The track we would be running was the one marked in red on the big map.
There's no doubt that with more track time and performance upgrades, the '10 Camaro will be able to keep up with the best of 'em.
And a special thanks to the sponsors
• Optima Batteries
• Ridetech
• K&N Filters
• Speed by Spectre
• BFGoodrich
• Baer Brakes
• Magnaflow
• Bowler Transmission
• MSD
• VP Racing Fuels
• The Roadster Shop
• Pfaff Designs
• Felser/Moss
• Anvil Auto
• Mr. Norm's Garage
• FM3 Performance Marketing
• Detroit Speed Inc.
• Vintage Air
• Eibach Springs
• Classic Instruments
• Goodguys Rod and Custom
• Shelby Automobiles
• Silver State Classic Challenge
Q Results
(*Indicates car was disqualified for not finishing all events)
| Fastest 2.2-Mile Lap Times |
| Name |
Vehicle |
Best Time |
| Jim McKamey |
'66 Cobra |
1:46.80 |
| Ryan Mathews |
'69 Camaro |
1:47.50 |
| Mark Stielow |
'69 Camaro |
1:49.30 |
| David Pozzi |
'68 Camaro |
1:52.70 |
| Kyle Tucker |
'70 Camaro |
1:53.00 |
| Brian Finch |
'71 Camaro |
1:54.50 |