Me being a **** at the 2016 SORC

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UNGN

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Sep 6, 2016
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Background of this video:

In Open Road Racing the cars leave at one minute intervals. In theory, if you average the speed you are supposed to average, you never pass the guy in front of you and you never get passed.

Everyone in the 120 mph average class is supposed to average 120mph. The 115mph class starts 1 minute behind the last 120mph car and in theory should never even see that car.

At the 2016 Sandhills Open Road Challenge, I'm pulling up to my grid spot as the first car in the 115mph class and a stock looking 2006 Subaru STI pulls in front of me. Confused, I got out and asked the driver how fast he had run the course because I had never seen the car before.

He said "I ran the 95 mph class a couple years ago".

I said, "dude, you are ******. You have no idea what is about to happen to you. Hope you have clean underwear". he looked at me like he didn't understand and I got back in my car.


After I passed him and he couldn't keep up with me, he put on his emergency flashers and 2 other cars passed him (he was at least 4 minutes slow). I think he understands what I meant, now.

Too bad my forward facing camera shut off at the start. It really would have showed us passing him like he was standing still and he had no idea we were coming.

The 120 mph class at the SORC is the equivalent of the 150 mph class at the Big Bend Open Road Race or 160 mph class at Silver State. 2006 STI's with less than 500hp to the wheels have no business attempting it.
 
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Mikej89

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Apr 1, 2014
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Background of this video:

In Open Road Racing the cars leave at one minute intervals. In theory, if you average the speed you are supposed to average, you never pass the guy in front of you and you never get passed.

Everyone in the 120 mph average class is supposed to average 120mph. The 115mph class starts 1 minute behind the last 120mph car and in theory should never even see that car.

At the 2016 Sandhills Open Road Challenge, I'm pulling up to my grid spot as the first car in the 115mph class and a stock looking 2006 Subaru STI pulls in front of me. Confused, I got out and asked the driver how fast he had run the course because I had never seen the car before.

He said "I ran the 95 mph class a couple years ago".

I said, "dude, you are ******. You have no idea what is about to happen to you. Hope you have clean underwear". he looked at me like he didn't understand and I got back in my car.


After I passed him and he couldn't keep up with me, he put on his emergency flashers and 2 other cars passed him (he was at least 4 minutes slow). I think he understands what I meant, now.

Too bad my forward facing camera shut off at the start. It really would have showed us passing him like he was standing still and he had no idea we were coming.

The 120 mph class at the SORC is the equivalent of the 150 mph class at the Big Bend Open Road Race or 160 mph class at Silver State. 2006 STI's with less than 500hp to the wheels have no business attempting it.

You didn't mention what car you were running?
 

Mikej89

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Apr 1, 2014
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Currently its a GMPP 502/502 with a T56 magnum and a 9" with 3.25 gears

We built in 1998 and refine it a little after each race, so its always changing.

Oh wow lol... Weren't the 502 crate motors new and really expensive in 1998? I'm not a real car guy like you but I'd think a big block in a G-body would just be for straight line... Obviously you use the car for auto cross type stuff so it must not be much of an issue if built right?
 

UNGN

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Sep 6, 2016
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Oh wow lol... Weren't the 502 crate motors new and really expensive in 1998? I'm not a real car guy like you but I'd think a big block in a G-body would just be for straight line... Obviously you use the car for auto cross type stuff so it must not be much of an issue if built right?

They were actually much cheaper in 1998 than they are now, which is surprising. If we were building it todsy we would go LS1, but LS1's didn"t really exist in 1998.

A big block with al heads, manifold and headers but with no AC weighs about the same as a std sbc.

With my 17 year old son driving the 2+2 and me following behind in my modded 2013 5.0L mustang, I couldn"t keep up with him on a 3rd gear/4th gear road course.

A lot of people think because a car is quick on an autocross course it can also take corners at 120 mph and quickly accelerate to 140. The guy in the 2006 STI in the video seems to have been one of those people.
 

Mikej89

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Apr 1, 2014
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They were actually much cheaper in 1998 than they are now, which is surprising. If we were building it todsy we would go LS1, but LS1's didn"t really exist in 1998.

A big block with al heads, manifold and headers but with no AC weighs about the same as a std sbc.

With my 17 year old son driving the 2+2 and me following behind in my modded 2013 5.0L mustang, I couldn"t keep up with him on a 3rd gear/4th gear road course.

A lot of people think because a car is quick on an autocross course it can also take corners at 120 mph and quickly accelerate to 140. The guy in the 2006 STI in the video seems to have been one of those people.

I must say though, I think the WRX is a great performance value. My buddy bought a new one for not much money for a new car and I can't think of many new cars in that price range that can beat it.
 

307 Regal

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Oct 21, 2009
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Chevy big blocks have a long history with road racing. You just have to prepare the platform accordingly, and like UNGN said, a good helping of aluminum parts will get you straightened out.

The WRXs kick *ss at most AutoX events I go to, but we're running much lower speeds (good advantage for their AWD initial acceleration) and changing direction far more rapidly. The high-speed events that UNGN does are where we can get the advantage back. As long as we're set-up for it. (I wouldn't do well at these events because I think my 200-4R trans might have a top-speed limiter. That and my 3.73:1 gears.)
 

UNGN

Comic Book Super Hero
Sep 6, 2016
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I must say though, I think the WRX is a great performance value. My buddy bought a new one for not much money for a new car and I can't think of many new cars in that price range that can beat it.

A new 5.0L mustang or SS camaro will kick the crap out of a STI WRX from 110 to 145 for about the same price. My 2+2 will kick the crap out of a new 5.0L or SS Camaro from 110 to 145mph so an STI will look like its standing still coming out of 110mph corners.

Cars have their strong points and weak points. High speed road racing is a week point for most 4 cylinders, including stockish STI's.

The Car in the video was a $40K STI, not a $27K WRX. My 2+2 would have passed a regular WRX in less than 3 minutes and not 4.5 minutes (with a 1 minute head start). I'm sure either WRX would destroy the 2+2 in a parking lot autocross, however... that's not what we built it for.
 
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