cobra's, road america

[coyled]

I just returned from the 3 day northwoods cobra club event at road america. If you guys get a chance, it is a very well run event. Nelson G and I brought our cobras, his is an FFR, mine is a hi tech. We pitted with Greg Lapoint, Rich Dain(FFR) and John guyan(sp) with a gt350 replica. I think John won run and gun last year. He ran a 2:30 at road america this year before he crashed in the kink. Not his fault as a spindle broke first. He is fine as is the car, a few bent fenders. On friday, I ran a 2.32, while Nelson ran a 2.34. My last time out friday, I came in with the rear brakes smoking. I took the rears out and the r4 pads were melted. We called baer racing and they overnighted there best pads and I put them on saturday morning. On saturday, Nelson ran a 2:34:41 and I ran a 2:34:47. John ran a 2:30:70 and a guy in a full tilt late model race mustang ran a 2:30:50. There were a few others in the 2:35 range and one cobra at 2:39. Greg Lapoint was fighting blower belt problems all weekend or he would have been in the low 2:30's also. After my last run on saturday, I checked the rear slicks and found cords on the left rear. Luckily, I had brought another set. With new slicks on sunday, I ran a 2:30.85, my fastest lap. The brakes were sponge but I could pump them once and get a better pedal. I definately need more brake in the car at this track. Handleing wise I am pretty happy with the cobra. I also love the jerrico and the aluminum flywheel. Its like a knife in butter, up or down. I was turning between 7500 and 8000 rpm on a few straights. I am happy the motor did not fly apart. Maybe next year with better brakes and better driving, I can run in the high 2:20's. I know that a good driver would be in the 2:20's with my cobra. I know that nelson will be in the 2:20's next year. We had a blast. I have an in car video of the 2:30 lap and will post it when I figure out how to do it. The video gives you an idea of how fast these jerrico's shift and a good look at road america. Scott

[TimG427]

Those are some quick times, 2.30 is moving at Road America. The winner of the Vintage races last July turned a best lap of 2.24 and that was cooking. I was a passenger in my Hi-tech Cobra a few years ago and we hit nearly 160 on the front portion of the track. Get the video loaded and I will be glued to the computer.
To put this into perspective, I have a 1964 Corvette vintage race car that won the 1967 and 1968 June Sprints at Road America in B production. Its fastest lap was 2.43 and that was cooking for 1967. That would be like walking the track today.

[coyled]

Tim, was that a cobra that ran 2:24 ? Maybe with better brakes, more time(better driver) and some stones thru the kink to canada corner, I could shave a few more seconds but I don't know about 2:24's. There no speedo with the jerrico but the tach is close to 8000 rpm on the front straight, 3.89 gear, 27 inch tires, whatever that speed is? I ran 2:44 last year and I still think that is moving. Scott

[TimG427]

That was Mike Donahue in a 1964 Corvette that did 2.24. It is a serious race car and he is a good driver. The 67 Z28 Camaros were dipping below 2.30, they were turning 8400 RPM at the end of the front section of the course with 4:11 gears.

[jayscobras]

WE TOO HAD A GREAT TIME THERE. YOUR CAR WAS RUNNING GREAT AND WE ENJOYED WATCHING YOU GUYS RUN WE WERE TOWARDS THE FALSE GRID ABOUT 50 YEARS FROM YOU. LEWIS PAYNE LOST A TRANNY AND BOUGHT ONE FROM GREG. LEWIS ENDED UP WINNING 1ST IN AS CLASS.

YOU ARE RIGHT. THIS IS A FIRST CLASS EVENT AND FOR SURE WE WILL BE THERE NEXT YEAR. IF NOTHING ELSE TO SEE WHAT JOHN GAYAN DOES NEXT YEAR.

I DIDN'T GET TOO MUCH TIME TO SPEND WITH YOU GUYS SINCE THIS WAS MY FIRST YEAR THERE AND WE WERE PITTED WITH FRIENDS. NEXT YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE KNOW NOW WHAT TO EXPECT

NEXT YEAR WE BRING THE GT40 AND THE DAYTONA COUPE AND A WHOLE LOT OF BRAKE PADS

SEE YOU AT RUN AND GUN I HOPE.

OH ALSO YOU MIGHT WANT TO SEARCH THE NET FOR CARBOTECH BRAKE PADS. WE JUST INSTALLED THOSE AND THEY WERE WONDERFUL, EVEN ON A STOCK BRAKING SYSTEM. IF YOU CAN'T FIND THEM EMAIL ME AND I WILL GET YOU THE NUMBERS. ROTOR FRIENDLY AND MORE STOPPING POWER. THEY WILL CUSTOM PAD YOUR OLD IRONS.

JAY (THE ONLY GUY TO BE PULLED OFF OF THE TRACK BECAUSE HIS ROLL BAR WAS TOO SHORT OR HE WAS TOOO TALL LOL)

[Richard Hudgins]

Scott,

They are some quite good times in a Cobra.

On August 29-30-31 there was a major PCA event at RA and Kevin Buckler in his 911 GT3 RS ran 2:15 qualifying (fastest guy there) and Mark Anderson in his Speedvision 928GT 6.5 liter (500rwhp) car ran 2:18 in qualifying. During the races they were both in the 2:21 area.

Buckler won LeMans last year in the same car. (It has been updated to current factory specs almost, you have to be Alex Job to get the current factory Porsche 911 GT3 RS bits.)

If you are only 10 seconds off these times, you are doing quite well.

(8k is 164 mph with your gearing and tyre sizing.)

Congrats,

[coyled]

Richard, the cobra is behaving pretty well now. I changed the front shock package, basically tons of rebound, which has stabilized the front end on corner entry and exit. I also taped off about 10 inches of the giant grill opening on each side. It seemed to turn better at high speed corners like turns 1, the carosel and the kink. It used to have a high speed push but not as much now thanks to the duct tape or maybe the rebound adjustment. I will find out if it really helps at willow springs next month. Scott

[Richard Hudgins]

Hi Scott,

Amazing what a little damper work will do to a chassis, isn't it?

I know that you probably thought that I was crazy when we spoke a few times and all that I could talk about or recommend were damper rebound changes. (Hey, it took me a number of years and lots of experimenting to find out that 90% of the chassis tuning is done with the dampers.)

Covering up part of the massive air inlet in the front is good as well.

One thing that is very important is to make sure that the radiator area is completely sealed to the body. You do not wish any leakage past this area at all. The reason for this is that with this area sealed, you will reach a speed point where there is no additional flow through the radiator and you produce a pressure boundry at the front of the nose. This will reduce your parasitic drag by a bunch. (There are some tricks that can be done in the opening to reduce drag even farther and at lower speeds.) If you wish to discuss, you know my number.

I bet you are going to be in the 20's at Willow next time. (That is if the track is not covered in sand as is normal this time of year.)

Those dog ring boxes are sweet aren't they?

[coyled]

Richard, I think the dampers are pretty good now at least for me. The brakes, need some help. I think that I am going to go with the willwood 1 3/8 4 pistons in back and trash the pbr's. I think the 4 piston 1 3/4 willwoods in front are fine. The top speed was higher than before. It might be because of the aluminum fly wheel or the tape, I don't know which one. I am interested in less front end lift more so at high speed corners than straight away speed. Some of the shelby spec racers are getting 1.5 seconds at willow with just the tape on the front end. I would be surprised if I get to the 20's at willow. Low 30's would be faster than the mid to high 30's last time and an improvement for me. In watching the video, I think the aluminum fly wheel makes it easier and quicker to burp the throttle on down shifts. The close ratio's of the jerrico, 1.94, 1.55, 1.22, 1.00, make shifting so fast its hard to believe it, up or down. It makes me realize what a stuggle the tremec was to shift let alone stay in one piece. Scott

[snakeeyes]

Scott, great times. I've never had the good fortune to drive RA but I've been there for probably 25 race weekends in the last two decades (everything from CART to IMSA to vintage stuff, to the SCCA June Sprints), and you've got some stones to turn those times in a Cobra. RA is not a place for the faint of heart.

[Clois Harlan]

Scott I knew you were hauling A$$ Satuday. 8400 RPM, Wow I can't imagine that in my FE but I was rev limiting out at 6500 on the front straight w/ top speed around 140 . Sunday I musterd up a few more stones to take the kinks at a higher speed (I stopped looking at the wall and all the skid marks and paint) and I managed to get into the Canada corner deeper but I only knocked about 3 seconds off my time.

This was my first time at Road America and to be honest I was intimidated by the track all day Friday. I settled in a little better Saturday and Sunday. I lost a lot of time getting out of the turns because my carbs were loading up. None of the speed shops around the track had the jets I needed so I made do. Next year will definitely be different. I don't think I can get anywhere near your time of 2.30 but I believe 2.45 is a possibility for me (I am sure a better driver could do more). My handling was fine but I intend some mods over the winter just after Run and Gun.

Good to meet you Scott! Don't sell yourself short ...You are a very good driver, I followed you for a while.

Clois

[TimG427]

I was at Road America when the Shelby club rented the track in 1999. At that time I was a passenger in my car, the car belonged to my friend that had the car built. He is a very talented amature racer and Road America is his home track. He let me know before we got on the track that he does not lift in the kink. All I saw coming out of the carousel was the concrete you spoke about. We zoomed through the kink at, I don't know how fast. The other part of the track that scared me was the front straight.
I am sure that the 427 was near or at redline and I just wanted the straight to end. It was intense, but fun. He baked the paint off the left front wheel from diving so hard into the right hand corners.

[coyled]

Tim, I shift into 4th gear as soon as I exit the carosel at 120mph and accelerate to the kink. I brake and then roll back into it, so do Nelson and John both in low 2:30 cars. If I didn't brake or only lifted, it would be 130 or better thru there, that is if I made it. As it was, I could barely get the car squared and the brakes on before canada corner. There are at least 3 seconds there but the price is high. One thing that you don't want to do is lift in the kink, even a little or touch the brake. The trick is, regardless of speed is to get the entry right. I lifted slightly once, and the rear end pitched enough to never lift there again.The guy that drives a 500hp+ cobra without lifting in the kink has big stones.

[750hp]

Fascinating reading! So.... did you ever work out a way to get your video onto the internet? If it's just a matter of hosting it, I'm sure you'd have someone offer you some spare space in a heartbeat.

I've seen Gordon Levy's video where he ran somewhere in the mid 2.40s. I'd love to see yours!