Kumho Tires Grassroots Motorsports $2008 Challenge
Oct. 2-Oct. 4 – Gainesville Raceway – Gainesville, FL
In an automotive world where sameness and spec rules seem to dominate the landscape, this past weekend’s Kumho Tires Grassroots Motorsports $2008 Challenge attracted a field as varied as the people who drove the cars: turbocharged Hondas, a World War II-themed BMW and a V8-powered Volkwagen Bug that ripped off a succession of 10-second quarter-mile passes. Here’s the kicker: All were built for less than $2008.
Brothers Matt and Mike White brought home a one-two finish in their turbo Hong Norr Honda Civics, narrowly edging out Andy Nelson’s V8-powered VW Bug. Matt set fastest time of the day in his yellow CRX to clinch the win, with his brother close behind him.
As in past years, competitors in the ninth annual $200X Challenge found a slew of intriguing ways to spend their tiny budgets. Sixteen-year-old Aaron DeVine’s Judson-supercharged Karmann Ghia proved to be a favorite, taking home both the Editors’ Choice and People’s Choice awards. DeVine actually got his learner’s permit on the way down to the Challenge.
And that’s a good example of what makes the Challenge such a great event. While all the cars are fascinating, the people who build them are every bit as interesting themselves. Challenge competitors go beyond mere motorhead mortals to achieve some superhuman level of commitment. They’re also pretty good at utlitasking, combining late-night revelry and last-minute wrenching with ease.
Watch for full details on the $2008 Challenge and all the competitors in the April 2009 issue of Grassroots Motorsports. In the meantime, we’ve got results and blow-by-blow updates from the $2008 Challenge posted here. Also, make sure to check out our info on the Kumho Tires Grassroots Motorsports $2009 Challenge and our new series for West Coast Challengers, the Grassroots Motorsports Grand Challenge 2009.
Of course, an event as large and complex as the Challenge requires a little help from our friends. The GRM staff would like to thank everyone involved for making the ninth annual $200X Challenge such a success: our generous sponsors, Kumho Tire, Superchips, CDOC, eBay and CRC Motorsports; the always friendly Gainesville Raceway staff; the Martin Sports Car Club; our friends at CarDomain.com; Greg Walker and Scalextric; the Best Western Gateway Grand staff; our pro autocross drivers; and, of course, the competitors.
, 'collapse_board_posts': 1, 'country': u'USA', 'send_emails': 0, 'partner_share': 0, 'avatar': u'img/avatars/mx1.5.JPG', 'signature': u'', 'send_newsletter': 0}/){kind=link}