I was scanning the pages of GRM and C/D, last month, both magazines pulled some laps at Virginia International Raceway. Two things caught my eye:
1) Both magazines tested a stock Viper T/A. The shocking thing was the time difference between the two magazines, 40 seconds with GRM being faster!!!!
GRM 2:00.6 2015 SRT VIPER TA ( Garry Wood Auto Group)
C/D 2:49.9 2014 SRT VIPER TA
Now the only differences I could see were the model years were different and the GRM Viper had Hoosier R7 slicks, 5 pt harness, better brake fluid and sum ducting.
So the question is: Can slicks really improve your lap times by so much? Or was it the Different drivers and/or their familiarity with the course? Is it the year over year improvements to the Viper models? Or did weather play a part
2) Are Spec E46 BMW 330i fast enough to lap VIR close to 2 minutes? 2:09 was the time for Cameron Evans Spec racer. If so, I got to seriously consider building one.
There are many different configurations of the track at VIR. The two tests where almost certainly done on different layouts of the track. I think that's the only explanation for such dramatically different times.
C/D's Lightning Lap uses the Full Course and the Patriot Course. UTCC uses the full course. Professional courtesy and all.
2:00 is sort of the unofficial barrier between fast and FAST on the full course. On the Lightning Lap course, anything around 2:50:00 and below is moving pretty solid.
wbjones
MegaDork
10/29/15 6:35 a.m.
JohnyHachi6 wrote:
There are many different configurations of the track at VIR. The two tests where almost certainly done on different layouts of the track. I think that's the only explanation for such dramatically different times.
must be … my STS built CRX will beat that C&D time at VIR full track … they must have been running the Grand East … the Chump Golf I ran on that course turned <4… so it adds a lot of time to the lap
Mike Skeen pulled a lap of the Full Course at 2:11 in a Spec E30. Not in a race though, so it's not the course record for the E30.
Imagine what he would pull in a Spec E46, or a Viper.
JG Pasterjak wrote:
C/D's Lightning Lap uses the Full Course and the Patriot Course. UTCC uses the full course. Professional courtesy and all.
2:00 is sort of the unofficial barrier between fast and FAST on the full course. On the Lightning Lap course, anything around 2:50:00 and below is moving pretty solid.
Dude, you're supposed to tell them that we're really just that fast.
It wasn't lies...just bullE36 M3.
That's pretty much our M.O.
In reply to BEATO: Buy one instead of building it, you should save big $$.
jtower
New Reader
10/31/15 11:54 p.m.
a few weeks ago at the nasa race at vir, the spec e46 lap record was lowered to 2:09.2 (and i've seen 2:08s in practice). at the 13hr last weekend bimmerworld's james clay did a 2:07.7 in his se46 but that was on 245 hoosiers instead of the spec 235 toyo rr. not bad for a car with 220 hp and no aero. and they're fun as hell to drive!
in ten days i'll have my se46 at vir with trackdaze, very interested to see what kind of lap times it gets on grand course. sub three minute would be pretty cool :)
jtower
New Reader
10/31/15 11:59 p.m.
Jamey_from_Legal wrote:
Mike Skeen pulled a lap of the Full Course at 2:11 in a Spec E30. Not in a race though, so it's not the course record for the E30.
Imagine what he would pull in a Spec E46, or a Viper.
mike is a helluva driver but no way did he or anyone else run a 2:11 on vir full in a spec e30. the fastest se30 lap i've ever seen, race or otherwise, was in the mid 2:15s (which is still wicked fast).
