Quote:
Originally Posted by Vegas69
Amen I have to add, he is doing it in TRUE protouring fashion as well. His car weighs 3600lbs and it ain't no racecar with license plates. I'll leave it at that.
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I worked Tech this year.... and the auto cross.... and the StopTech stop box... so got to touch - see - and watch every single car there on a close up basis.
Remember that this is "THEIR" (sponsors) show... they get to run it anyway they want to. I'm just happy they allow all of us to be a part of it.
Having said that -- and having worked this event since day one.... I don't care what kind of a car it is -- the BIGGEST DIFFERENCE out there is the driver. I saw extreme quality (i.e., BIG MONEY) cars running - some low dollar (no slam here because there was nothing out there I didn't want to own!)....and everything in between. EVERYONE ran 'em hard, and often.
The lines have gotten blurred between "street" and "race"... and it's getting harder and harder to distinguish what IS and what ISN'T. The more rules you make - the more rules get bent or circumvented.
I personally would like to see a "fighting chance" given to the more "street car" vs the more "race car" as far as scoring/winning. Maybe have a group place cars in "A" and "B" group to distinguish them. A pro in a race car is certainly going to beat a home built/never been on a track before guy. END OF STORY. My guess is - if you asked the home/novice driver if he'd run again -- he'd be slathering at the chance!
BUT == There's always a big BUTT in the room isn't there? LOL ----- Watching the "race cars" run - and hearing them - and watching how these guys run the lines vs the other guys - is what we ALL learn from... and without them this event wouldn't be nearly as exciting.
Back in the day --- What the Mule/Red Devil are now --- they were race cars vs what the other stuff was. Think about it -- they had the biggest HP and biggest brakes and roll bars... the best suspensions....and drivers that had lots of experience. They pushed the envelope of what was street and what was nearly a race car.... EVERYONE RAISED THEIR GAME because of cars like this.
You go out there and watch Mary Pozzi -- Brian Hobaugh -- Mark Steilow -- Danny Popp - Kyle and Stacy Tucker - and a few others.... and you know you can put these people in ANY CAR OUT THERE and they'd be far higher on the leader board than the car/driver that ran. It's amazing to watch these truly talented people wheel a car around.
Every one of these cars had to drive out to the event... about 45 miles -- they did it in the rain and snow... from downtown Vegas.. over the mountain pass... in stop and go traffic... They're all running STREET tires... and then they got beat on like a judge beats his teenage daughter (had to get that in! HAHAHA). I just about s*** myself when I was up in my room and heard some badazz car ripping down LV Blvd -- I look out over the the lake and here goes Innovator! He was rattling my windows on the 18th floor. Gawd I loved that! AND it's raining.... Then to watch that bad boy ripping the back straight... looking and sounding like a real race car. EPIC!
I'm not defending or taking a side -- I'm just saying -- there is no separation any more - and nice paint and fit and finish or having a full roll cage and the widest tire on the planet or the biggest 400 piston caliper... or a full carbon fiber front end and carbon fiber wheel hoops.... WHAT IS or ISN'T a race car anymore?? Carbon fiber parts were -- catch word there -- the exclusive domain of the top Formula One teams! WTF.... there was more carbon fiber out at OUSCI.... and shocks with canisters... and big cube 1000 hp turbo whooptedoo....
The real separation ---- THE DRIVERS. OMG there where some drivers out there...