jbl vs. gt1

[vector1]

hello richard

figured you could answer this question somewhat.

was at hpt today watching the runoffs and eyeballing the gt1 cars. couldn't help but imagine a jbl in a fight to the finish with one of these cars and was looking at deficiencies that would hinder the jbl or hold it back.

i could see right off aerodynamics, and of course horsepower, which could be fixed, wheelbase probably, and then i came to track width which is my question.

the gcr limits the gt1 to 70", and i think the jbl is 65ish" or so. how much does track width play a part taking into account this difference only of a cars capability in the twisties, in general, kind of, best explanation available understandable type thing, if you know what i mean.

i know this is general but maybe you could give us some type of comparison.

cheers

mark

btw, it was a tough fight but the jbl was right there at the end!

[Richard Hudgins]

Mark,

Just a quick answer here as the depth of your question is greater than one might think.

Aerodynamics are the only advantage that GT1 class cars would have over the JBL.

Track width of the JBL is 60 inches in the rear. (Note: track is measured tire center-line to tire center-line). I think the specification in the GCR is 70 overall width and the JBL is 72.

The wheelbase to track ratio is not quite as high as most of the GT1 cars but this would only show itself on very high speed turns. (The JBL would not be quite as stable)

However, the JBL W/T ratio would be superior on a tight course such as Blackhawk Farms or Mid-Ohio as turn in would be better.

Horsepower would not be the issue but rather power to weight ratio. The JBL in GT1 trim (Cage etc.) would weigh about 2250 lbs. I do not know what the weights are for GT1 cars nor do I know what the engine restrictions are so I cannot make any comparison's without that data.

Hope this little bit of info somewhat answers your question.

[vector1]

thanks richard, that's understandable.

we did notice on the walkaround the similarities in the jbl structure and the race cars, this was probably the best part of the day, looking at the cars since the race was somewhat difficult to watch except a portion at a time.

on a side note:

the ferrari semi showed up with a couple challenge cars and raced in t1. i believe one of them did well or won and was instructed to tear the engine down. the guy we talked to said that is about a 25g teardown, so you ask yourself, what is a trophy worth?

formula atlantic guys--damn they're fast! they had the gt1 cars by 6 sec. a lap.