1/2 Mile Shootout: 165+mph all motor...Viper spins out !!!!!

[345s-bspinnin]

I participated in the wannGOFAST 1/2 Mile Shootout in Carrabelle, Florida this last weekend. It was a very nice day filled with great people and fast cars. The Viper community was well represented with 4 Vipers (Gen2, 2xGen3s, and a Gen IV). I knew gearing was critical as I had discovered during last year's Houston 1/2 mile event (best of 159.5mph). For this event I had a bit more power (+30 whp), armed myself with taller tires (27.5" v. 27") and had Todd from A&C Performance add a couple more hundred rpm (fuel cut-off is at 6500rpm!!!). Despite those changes, I was still hitting the rev limiter in 4th gear right before the 1/2 mile line; albeit at 165+mph this time. All my runs were rolling starts and ended up with a 165.x mph, and 3 x 163.x mph passes. I am guessing I had at least 1 or 2 more mph if would have done a dig and had an extra 100rpm. There was great competition at the event. A few cars were in 175+ range, with a TT Gallardo going a record fast 186+mph. My heads/cam Viper brought us top honors in the Naturally Aspirated division with 165.14mph pass. The stock Gen IV went 153mph, stock Gen III went 144mph, and I didn't get a chance to speak with the Gen II owner.

However, all was not without incident. The track (airstrip) has a very limited stopping distance (1/4 mile). A couple of cars, Viper and ZR1 included, went straight into the grass. Other cars, like a BMW 135i, severely smoked its brakes. I actuated my ABS on the first run, and subsequently started getting some awkward brake biasing. This brake biasing combined with soft walled drag radials upset the chassis enough to have me do a 360 and end up in the grass on my last run. There was no damage to the vehicle, but I do have some cleaning up to do.


Here is video of my runs against a Jaguar XJ, modded GTR, TT Gallardo, and a modded GT500.

http://youtu.be/CWgKHWn362o

Direct link: http://youtu.be/CWgKHWn362o


Pics from the event:

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[FrgMstr]

Very Cool! Thanks for sharing and making it through without any damage!

 

[Bobpantax]

Thanks for posting. Great runs. Did you buy the Mustang driver a new pair of underwear after that run? LOL.

 

[rpm9000]

You have a PM.

 

[TrackAire]

Nice runs, looks like a cool venue.

I did a half mile shootout last month in Shafter, Ca. I was hitting 160 mph at the half mile mark. Best speeds came with a 50 mph start at the roll. (drivers agreed before each run either 40 or 50 mph start) I ran the stock PS2's. My 3.55's slowed me down just a bit since I had to shift into 5th....but man, the lowered 5th gear pulls hard. My car has headers, BBG ported intake, BBG clutch, Mopar PCM, 3.55's and lower 5th & 6th gear ratios. Traction was an issue at the start and the awd cars (Porsches and GTRs) would get a leap at the start. Our runway had some white painted lines (about 20 feet wide) at the start, so rwd cars had to ease into it a little to keep from spinning.

Even though the organizers had street sweepers on the runway before the event, I was still surprised how dusty it was. My cars underside and fender liners look like I had gone off roading in the desert. The amount of dust our cars kicked up after 100 mph was impressive....just like yours, hard to see it from the starting line since the cloud was so thick.

Is it an illusion or are the emergency vehicles just off the runway before the end? Seems you'd want to be a little further off the runway just in case somebody has a tire issue, etc and goes into the grass before the end.

Thanks for posting.

Cheers,
George

 

[ACRucrazy]

Time for some aero and brake mods?

 

[Red Snake]

Sweet. I trailered my Roe car down there from St Louis last year and had a blast.

The stopping area is rather short. Great event.

 

[345s-bspinnin]

Nice runs, looks like a cool venue.

Is it an illusion or are the emergency vehicles just off the runway before the end? Seems you'd want to be a little further off the runway just in case somebody has a tire issue, etc and goes into the grass before the end.

Cheers,
George

George, thanks for sharing your experiences. You are absolutely right, those emergency vehicles were just off the runway at the 1/2 mile mark!!!. I did the math on your gearing, and in my opinion, is perfect. On OEM sized rears and 3.55 final with .80 5th gear land you at 5900rpm on your 160mph pass. That sounds like just the right combination, and better than stretching out fourth to 6500 like me.

 

[ninjakris]

I'm glad there was no damage to your car with the spin. Its the shortest runway we use, so braking can be a little tricky with the 160+ cars. The events in Georgia and Chicago have much longer runways and braking shouldn't be a problem. As for the emergency vehicles, they were about 50' from the cars, they just look much closer on camera. Congrats again on a new N/A record and hope to see you at future events.

Also, the one guy had two vipers there, the gen III mamba and the gen II. So you probably did talk to him. Nice guy.

 

[ViperSmith]

Fitting username

 

[JAY]

Nice save !

 

[98intrigue]

Awesome MPH! This makes me even more excited to get my car back... maybe I'll see you up there one time.

 

[Timnineside]

Wow. Great recovery! Lucky that was the outcome. Great numbers btw!

-Tim

 

[TrackAire]

For those on the West Coast, another 1/2 mile roll race is taking place on May 4th. I was impressed by the organization of the last event. They had porta potties with water to wash up, 3 different food vendors and a good crew to keep everything moving. Also had full EMT staff, ambulance, etc.

-NO FLY ZONE II-
May 4th, 2013
1/2 mile roll race event
Minter Field
201 Aviation St
Shafter, CA

Contact: Tony
Omega Motorsport Events
(661) 301-4688
[email protected]

Cheers,
George

 

[Viper Grenade]

Great Kills! Try some tire warmers, looks like you are having a hard time getting hooked up even from a roll. I assume you can't do a burnout to get some heat into them. I used to use them all the time back in the day doing AutoX, they really helped out. What tire are you running? Looks like a MT ET Street.

 

[Greg Good Cylinder Heads]

Cool vid! Congrats on the N/A win.

Cant' believe the rods are still where they're supposed to be. One good shortblock from Dodge.

 

[HyperViper]

Cool video. Congrats on your win.

 

[Nine Ball]

Spinning out like that is scary stuff. The event organizers may need to shorten the run distance if the safety concerns exist for faster cars.

 

[canadian venom]

v10 power

 

[mbccenter]

Nice run. Can't wait to try the Chicago event

 

[345s-bspinnin]

Time for some aero and brake mods?

I do have upgraded brakes. I am using the StopTech (ACR) rotors with a fairly aggressive CarboTech pad. The braking power wasn't an issue, its the fact that I was getting some bad biasing after my first run. My front right was wanting to lock well before any other corner. I felt that the rear was getting light, and well it was.

 

[SRT09]

Why the roll thought most mile and half mile racing is from a dig? Great runs!

 

[snakem04]

Nice runs! And your car sounds great! Glad you didn't damage

 

[ninjakris]

Why the roll thought most mile and half mile racing is from a dig? Great runs!

The wannagofast events gives the drivers the choice. In Carrabelle, the cars are not allowed to warm up the tires/burn out (airport rules). So most RWD cars prefer a roll. Chicago and Georgia events are private owned runways and car are allowed to warm up the tires.

 

[Red Snake]

I ran that airport from a dig and while the stopping area seemed short, I was easily able to stop. No run offs the day I was there.

Looks like they moved the start line out and used up some of the stopping area this time.

 

[345s-bspinnin]

Cool vid! Congrats on the N/A win.

Cant' believe the rods are still where they're supposed to be. One good shortblock from Dodge.

So I buttoned up the engine and piloted the car, but this N/A speed belongs all to you. This is the proof of your phenomenal job with these heads. I have driven 5,000+ hard miles since the build. I have done drag racing, road racing, road rallies, and half/standing mile events. As for rods, they better stay in there. I don't wind it up to 6500 too much, but I should start considering that wanted/needed build just to wind up this bad boy up to a screaming 7000rpm. Thanks again for doing an outstanding job. You sir are a winner.

 

[viper04]

Nice, Congrats on being the winner in the N/A class. Car still doing well.

 

[BAD BOYZZ GARAGE]

345s-bspinning,

Great footage of your runs with the Go-Pros.. Your Viper's running strong and sounded good!! Congrats on 1st place in class..

BAD BOYZZ GARAGE
Toddy

=DISTRIBUTORS OF POWER=

 

[msp282]

i love the sound of the viper.. cammed = awesome sound! ..... nice video!

 

[pathoguy]

Really enjoyable video. Nice sound and great lens angles. I would write more, but cannot wait to watch it again.