|
|
|
|
Following all of the modifications that were made to the car over the past few months, none of which had been tested at this point (not even a trip to the dyno), this local event was a whole lot of fun with no pressure and nothing to prove. Without the big injectors I need for the new Gato Performance intake manifold, I decided to participate knowing I would not have the usual power by adding a lot of fuel to the map and turning down the boost. Additionally, it was good to see a bunch of guys (rotary gear heads) that I have not seen in a long time. All of whom were "amazed" at seeing the engine compartment of the RX8 up close and personal. A brief summary of the changes to the car since I last drove it in Pomona, 2007:
As you can see, it is almost like having a new car and when I went to run my first qualifying pass, it felt like it was as I was "very rusty". So much so, I "forgot" how to do a burn out! Eventually, I managed to get down the track in 13.2 seconds at 154.95 mph. How about a CRAZY 5.949 second 60-foot time! That just shows how bad myself and the car was! It was way rich, way too much clutch for the lower power/boost, bogged the motor and cold tires. However, once it got moving, it came alive and felt like a kick in the butt. It felt GOOD. Again, the powerful PCS D200 data acquisition would show me what was going on. the 15% more fuel was too much so I had to start pulling some out. For the second qualifying pass, I elected to adjust the clutch and with just the fuel map changes, the pass was an improvement but still way off the pace. ET 8.42 @ 159.95. Still too fat! Elimination round #1 was a big improvement after leaning it out a little more. ET 7.934 @ 169.78 mph. Now I started to feel the rear tires spinning past the 330' mark. Elimination round #2 was yet another improvement after leaning it out even more. ET 7.848 @ 172.30 mph. Again, the track was slick in fact, a little scary when the data shows just how much the tires were spinning. Following that pass, I had nothing to prove and the track was hot and slick so for the final elimination round against Kenny Tran in his Hot Rod, I made no changes and was content just to be in the final for the first time in 2008. One thing crossed my mind when Kenny & myself went up to the line. What would the sport compact community have to say if a Hot Rod car beat a Modified car? One can only imagine! Anyway, with the car weaving and spinning the tires the entire 1/4 mile, I managed to squeak out the win with a 7.978 ET @ 168.58 mph to Kenny's 8.241 ET @ 165.90 mph. That was a whole lot of fun and after all these years, we finally had a Hot Rod race a Modified in competition.
All of the results can be viewed at http://www.thespeedlounge.com/sl/ Finally, Thanks to all the folks who organized, the event sponsors and all the fans and drivers who sampled the Texas heat for fun day of drag racing. |
|
Send mail to
ken@kenscheepers.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|
Back in the saddle again!
