General Chat
Q:
This past weekend i was in Ely, NV to work the timing lights for the silver state classic. For those who don't know, it's an open road challenge run twice a year there. they close down a 90 mile section of hwy 318 so a lot of really cool cars can run balls out on a public road. chuck schafer holds the public hwy land speed record from there with an average of 207.78 mph. there is a good 10 miles of turns on the course with maybe a 140 max speed so he was well over 200 on some straight parts. i've known about the race for a long time but this is the first year i actually went. there are no spectators allowed so if you want to watch it you have to volunteer to help work.
It's actually a 4 day event with testing on thurs. at LVMS. A 0-200-0 contest in Ely Fri. A car show and 1 mile shootout sat. And the race on Sun. I didn't get up there until late fri so i missed the 0-200-0. i heard last year no one made it to 200 but a handfull of cars were supposed to this year. the car show was great. every participant has to show there cars so i got to talk to alot of the drivers and check out the cars. the shootout was good but quite a few cars were having problems. a camero with 1,100 hp most likey won it. i was sitting about 100 yards to the side of the start and it was actually noticable faster than most others (for the first half mile at least) At the race of course i didn't get to see vary much. i was at i timing check point at mile 57. but it was cool to hear radio traffic from the radar guys and when and how cars broke down. and it's always cool to see an F40 fly by at 200 mph only 30 ft away.
i'm sure alot of people remember the option magazine 350Z that went of the road at 180 mph from a flat tire a few years ago. the video of it was on here for a while. the car was back and ran the shootout but had some serious problems for both runs they did. the first run the engine was missing really bad, the second sounded like it wouldn't go in gear. turns out they cracked the block and weren't able to run the race. out of the 5 years that team has been out there to run they only finished the race once. and that time they had oil problems and only ran a 170 mph average. luckily they were the only ones to finish in the unlimited class so they still won. it sucks they have to come all the way from japan and have never had a good run. there were only two cameros running unlimited with the Z. on broke down after about75 miles. he was smoking really bad when he passed me. at around mile 40 he was radared at 197. the other camero was the 1,100 hp one. he finished so he won the class. i don't know his speed but he said he excpected to average over 200.
Here's a video of a crash the Z had a couple of years ago
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/167574/z350_crash/
The official site for the race - check the RESULTS link on the left to see the cars that ran the event. They should be up in a few days.
http://sscc.us/
Sorry for the long post. I'm so glad i got to go finally. i will definately be back in may working the lights agian.
oh and john schnieder (bo duke from the dukes of hazard) was there running and old orange charger (number 01). He has a racing movie COLLIER & CO. coming out in Oct. he was showing previews for it and it looks pretty cool.
kabel
1978 280Z 3.1 stroker
A:
I have "pre-run" the course on 318, and was considering the 125mph class for an S30. I think that's doable. Anything faster would be a big stretch in an early car IMO.
Neat to be part of something like that, instead of just watching. You get so much more insight than simply showing up with beers in a cooler and whooping for a couple of hours and going home...
People Are Idiots, Just look around here and you will see!
Tony D: "Knowledgeable but Caustic"... rationull
My brother from another mother calls himself "Willie D"
A:
gonna try and make it this year in my Z06. suspension is finished now so i should keep the speeds way up there through the turns.
Post Edited (Sep 19, 1:46pm)
A:
Tony, here's an early car that is a legend at the Silver State, and they don't run in the 125 class.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/racing/more/04/04/camaro/index.html
Now that I look at Darius's 240Z project I wonder if that is what he is building it for? It's starting to make sense...
1972 240Z always in progress
***WARNING*** MY POSTS MAY CONTAIN SARCASM
Post Edited (Sep 19, 1:57pm)
A:
That Camaro just hauls azz top end..
Post Edited (Sep 19, 2:45pm)
A:
..
120 comes out real clean when you calculate the check points. Vid the recon run, then run it back at x2 speed on your VCR to prep for the event. Worked out really well for Don and I when we ran Big Bend.
Ken
'82ZX n/a 2+2
'02 Sportster XL1200C
A:
Who cares about the Option 350Z - they wreck, they blow up, they show up completely unprepared for 5 years and then get a win by default.
A guy out of Phoenix running a mostly stock 350Z in the 145mph class won by .25 seconds over some tough competition! That's who we should cheer for!
http://www.my350z.com/forum/showthread.php?t=217936
- John
EDIT: Sorry, it wasn't a "mostly stock" 350Z...
Post Edited (Sep 19, 3:30pm)
A:
"My mods are too many to list completely. The big ones are: JWT twin turbo kit, PWR radiator and oil cooler, Crawford plenum, Nismo cams, Stillen exhaust, Hothckis sways, Rotora 14" brakes (6-pot front/4-pot rear), Tokico D-Spec shocks, Tom Motorsport springs, Kirk roll bar, Corbeau seats, SSR wheels and many more."
Still he won with class.....the 'other guys' like you said, crash, blow up and win by default.... na not impressed either.
Ken
'82ZX n/a 2+2
'02 Sportster XL1200C
A:
Tony would you give consideration of running the SCC in 07?
If all were equal, none would be strong.
Ballistic,Ruler of Interstates
Stage XX+ 1993 Z32 NA
"SoulTaker"
A:
Last time I checked the class, the breakdown was 125mph class.
There was not a 120 class available when I checked.
I figured that was the highest an S30 would be consistently competitive.
If they had 10mph increments, then 120 might be a better alternative, but for that speed, running a bone-stocker is possible.
People Are Idiots, Just look around here and you will see!
Tony D: "Knowledgeable but Caustic"... rationull
My brother from another mother calls himself "Willie D"
A:
Need a different set of timing machinery for that.
Besides, that is the year I got to
1)Go to Clas Reunion
2)Be at Bonneville
3)Make a Z-Con Trip to Florida
4)Watch one of my chassis compete in Le Classic Lemans
5)Watch one of my chassis compete in the Kenyan East African Safari Ralleye...
Full plate for 2007. The problem is not which one I WANT to do, it's which ones I have to DROP!
>:^(
People Are Idiots, Just look around here and you will see!
Tony D: "Knowledgeable but Caustic"... rationull
My brother from another mother calls himself "Willie D"
A:
1.) can you post some Bonneville video?
2.) see you at Z-CONN
3.) any info of the Le Classic LeMans? where is it held?
If all were equal, none would be strong.
Ballistic,Ruler of Interstates
Stage XX+ 1993 Z32 NA
"SoulTaker"
A:
"3.) any info of the Le Classic LeMans? where is it held?
(Beldar Conehead Voice)
France, it is held in France
Same course as the real LeMans. Between feature races....You know: LeMans!!!
"1.) can you post some Bonneville video?"
Working on that! When the video converter is up and running, I got the ElMirage aborted run ready to convert and get posted online.
Yeah, see you at Zcon! May have to fly in to conserve vacation days!!!
People Are Idiots, Just look around here and you will see!
Tony D: "Knowledgeable but Caustic"... rationull
My brother from another mother calls himself "Willie D"
Post Edited (Sep 19, 10:13pm)
A:
We left a bit more margin for Big Bend since it is suppose to be a tighter course. The Corrado could run ~145, so 120 class left us some wiggle room and didn't require us to run flat out.
I'd be curious to see what you do at 125 though......if I hang onto the Z I'd like to run it at Big Bend in the 120 Class. Spring 07 would prob be too early but the fall race may be doable. Just depends though, thinking seriously about selling the Z and getting back into drag racing.
Ken
'82ZX n/a 2+2
'02 Sportster XL1200C