04-08-2008, 02:17 AM
Hi,
The 968 Racer I have been working to complete, with much help from Pete and Max at RS Barn, is finally battle ready. It has been a hard six months. From the day I removed the first door panel screw, to the many weekends of carpet glue and insulation removal, to now as I write this, much effort has yielded what I trust to be a competitive 968 racecar. While targeting NASA GTS Challenge, the car should see some action in EMRA races as well. Maybe PCA if the opportunity is right.
The first outing was a week ago on Sunday at a Pocono North NASA Open Track day. The car was simply great out of the box. Truly an outstanding setup by Pete that shined from the first lap of the first session (in 17 degree temps). Neutral, easy to drive fast, forgiving, and quite honestly, faster than I thought given the totally stock engine with only an RS Barn chip, airbox mod, and RS Barn cat-back. The folks at NASA were super, and everyone sicerely liked the car with nothing but great feedback all day.
This weekend I took the opportunity to go back to Pocono North, but this time for a regular DE with our friendly NNJR PCA peeps. 7 sessions total with the car again running flawlessly. I had a little problem with my HotLap timer so I do not have official times but from the videos I just started to download, and to my el grande surprise, I actually think I am running 1:01s when I get a clean lap! I initially thought 1:04s to 1:05s would have been a great time for the car in current trim, so I am still in shock. Definitely an absolute uncontested testament to Pete as the mastermind builder/tuner behind it. And I am certain, it is the car, not the driver <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> .
Dyno and weight specs should come soon. We (with a little help from budget restraints) have focused on suspension, safety, and durability first. Additional weight saving mods, brake upgrades, and engine tricks are forthcoming. As you all know, and I am quickly learning (the hard way), a race car is, and will always be, a work in progress. And don't even mention the slippery slope. It does not exists. It is not a slope. It is a %$#@*$ CLIFF.
I find it difficult to post multiple pictures and videos in forum platforms so I have setup a cardomain.com profile. Please visit [color="#000099"]Pablo's 968 Racer in CarDomain.com[/color] and check it out. When I figure out how to reduce the videos from 500 to 100 meg, I will post some in-car vids.
I am a little compulsive sometimes, and actually signed the car up as a candidate for the Grassroots/NASA/Hankook 2008 2nd Annual Ultimate Track Car Challenge to take place at Buttonwillow sometime in the beginning of June. We'll see, but IMHO, it would be absolutely awesome to have a 968 representing in the GRM UTCC. I am still trying to convince Pete to sponsor an additional 50 HP and ride west with me if surprisingly the car was selected from the pool of so many ultra trick Evos and S2000s in the 4-cyl categories.
All in all, I sincerely hope you like the car. Thank you in advance for taking the time to check it out. As always, and especially from this 968forums.com crowd, all feedback is very much welcomed and valued.
Lastly, my most sincere public thank you to Pete for everything he has done. To me he is a friend, driving instructor/coach, car builder, tuner, and reality check extraordinaire. Patient and with my best interest always in the forefront. Also, thank you Max for spending many Saturdays and Sundays helping me when I needed.
The 968 Racer I have been working to complete, with much help from Pete and Max at RS Barn, is finally battle ready. It has been a hard six months. From the day I removed the first door panel screw, to the many weekends of carpet glue and insulation removal, to now as I write this, much effort has yielded what I trust to be a competitive 968 racecar. While targeting NASA GTS Challenge, the car should see some action in EMRA races as well. Maybe PCA if the opportunity is right.
The first outing was a week ago on Sunday at a Pocono North NASA Open Track day. The car was simply great out of the box. Truly an outstanding setup by Pete that shined from the first lap of the first session (in 17 degree temps). Neutral, easy to drive fast, forgiving, and quite honestly, faster than I thought given the totally stock engine with only an RS Barn chip, airbox mod, and RS Barn cat-back. The folks at NASA were super, and everyone sicerely liked the car with nothing but great feedback all day.
This weekend I took the opportunity to go back to Pocono North, but this time for a regular DE with our friendly NNJR PCA peeps. 7 sessions total with the car again running flawlessly. I had a little problem with my HotLap timer so I do not have official times but from the videos I just started to download, and to my el grande surprise, I actually think I am running 1:01s when I get a clean lap! I initially thought 1:04s to 1:05s would have been a great time for the car in current trim, so I am still in shock. Definitely an absolute uncontested testament to Pete as the mastermind builder/tuner behind it. And I am certain, it is the car, not the driver <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/laugh.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> .
Dyno and weight specs should come soon. We (with a little help from budget restraints) have focused on suspension, safety, and durability first. Additional weight saving mods, brake upgrades, and engine tricks are forthcoming. As you all know, and I am quickly learning (the hard way), a race car is, and will always be, a work in progress. And don't even mention the slippery slope. It does not exists. It is not a slope. It is a %$#@*$ CLIFF.
I find it difficult to post multiple pictures and videos in forum platforms so I have setup a cardomain.com profile. Please visit [color="#000099"]Pablo's 968 Racer in CarDomain.com[/color] and check it out. When I figure out how to reduce the videos from 500 to 100 meg, I will post some in-car vids.
I am a little compulsive sometimes, and actually signed the car up as a candidate for the Grassroots/NASA/Hankook 2008 2nd Annual Ultimate Track Car Challenge to take place at Buttonwillow sometime in the beginning of June. We'll see, but IMHO, it would be absolutely awesome to have a 968 representing in the GRM UTCC. I am still trying to convince Pete to sponsor an additional 50 HP and ride west with me if surprisingly the car was selected from the pool of so many ultra trick Evos and S2000s in the 4-cyl categories.
All in all, I sincerely hope you like the car. Thank you in advance for taking the time to check it out. As always, and especially from this 968forums.com crowd, all feedback is very much welcomed and valued.
Lastly, my most sincere public thank you to Pete for everything he has done. To me he is a friend, driving instructor/coach, car builder, tuner, and reality check extraordinaire. Patient and with my best interest always in the forefront. Also, thank you Max for spending many Saturdays and Sundays helping me when I needed.
