500 Horsepower Nissan Skyline GT-R to Make Speed World Challenge Debut

[BigTDawg]

i just read all of this and to me it seems like you guys gave you advice then went on what other ppl have said not what igor or anyone on his team have said they have made no predicitons on how they will do and they havnt said that the way they are doing is the smartest way. maybe he doesnt fully understand what it takes but sometimes you have to find out the hard way

maybe i'll see some of you at the ny show if i can find someone to go with

and best of luck to you igor i say prove them wrong and all you have to do to prove them wrong is do well

[blackcomet]

Finally someone that I kind of agree with lol..I myself will not make any predictions on how well they do but will just say that hopefully during their many hours of practice, they will be able to figure out more about the cars personality and ways to make it better. I think with the introduction of new rules and cars, it will be a very interresting season. I mean look at F1 this year, new cars, new rules and changing teh drivers around, now their are so many people who have chances of winning and now its not always sure that Michael Schumacher will win like last year. I hope most of you got my point and I wish the best of luck to Igor and the rest of his team!

[flylwsi]

just a note...
back on page 3 or 4 or so...

igor stated DIRECTLY that he is going to be competing in some touring car racing as well as karting in the next year.

it was in his statement about driver development...

you might want to go back and read it.
you keep telling him to get into saloons/sedans whatever.

and he said he was going to, which is why they're not racing until 2006.

there's quite a few ruffled feathers from guys with experience...

lots of put downs of a person they have no idea about.

no one in the world challenge really knew paul mumford either, and if he hadn't died, he'd have really opened peoples eyes.

hell, in what, 3 races, as an unknown, he did just that.

[Layla's Keeper]

Except Paul Mumford was very well known to Bobby Archer, Bob Woodhouse, and other veterans of the Viper Racing League and the Viper was a proven car in both Mumford's hands and the Speed World Challenge.

I'm not particularly concerned with Igor's competency as a driver because there's always room for growth with any driver. What I am concerned about is the Skyline GTR. I don't care what whizbang alpha-numeric code Nissan sticks on the tail end (GTR V-Spec II Nur, for example) the car is still neither Viper, nor Vette, nor 911 and remains unproven in balanced, unbiased production road racing against these cars.

In fact, the only situation I can think of when an R34 GTR has met a Dodge Viper in a competition setting is the Nurburgring classic and in that event the Falken Skyline is usually squaring off against ex-Oreca cars. Hardly a fair fight.

[Tiger Racing]

Originally Posted by flylwsi

you might want to go back and read it.
you keep telling him to get into saloons/sedans whatever.

To whom are you speaking?

there's quite a few ruffled feathers from guys with experience...

Again, you are rather vague. What do you see as indicating ruffled feathers?

lots of put downs of a person they have no idea about.

It would really help if you quoted. I don't have any idea what you have found insulting in people suggesting that beginning a racing career in the most competitive professional series in NA may not be the best plan.

no one in the world challenge really knew paul mumford either

Um... no. Mumford was well known to road racers, Viper drivers especially. He was also a very successful motorcycle racer. I had never met the guy or seen him drive, but even I had heard of him before he came to World Challenge. You picked a really bad example. PMUM gets all kinds of credit for being the amateur and privateer who kicked professional, factory backed butt. Lots of people think that he was an inexperienced, newbie to racing who trundled into town in an open trailer with nothing but a stock car and Nomex underwear. Not quite. His racing effort was very well funded and he had a LOT of experience under his belt in that Viper before he made his way to Laguna Seca for that first pro race. Comparing someone who self-admittedly has NEVER turned a wheel on track in competition to a man who kicked butt in Viper competition for quite some time before venturing into deep waters is ill-conceived at best.

C.

[flylwsi]

no real need to quote anyone, people can read for themselves that there are questions about igor's skill level as he is a rookie.

i know who pmum was, not exactly a bad example, but it's the same idea.
a relatively "unknown" who hasn't run against any of the "big names" comes in and shakes shit up.

octagon (layla's keeper)
you're worried about the skills of the skyline.
the numbers and names at the end of the name of the car do a lot of describing of what it is, and why it's above and beyond the normal gt-r... do some research (it's been done in this thread for you already)

also, the skylines have run against the vipers in the jgtc, though that's another bad example, b/c those are, wait, no... not at all unlike running in speed gt, because the cars are uber modified in both cases, but gt500 has a 500hp limit on the cars...

but i digress...

at any rate, i realize that there's alot of "open your eyes, you're going to get squashed" sentiment.
and i think that's to be expected.

and there's alot of "i'll help you out" as well...

just interesting that people are losing races with this car in their minds, with a car/driver combo they know nothing about...

the cts-v was the same way. no one knew what was going to happen with a brand new car. and it demolished the competition in the first race.

it could happen again, stranger things have.

[Layla's Keeper]

Actually, fly, people were expecting the Caddy CTS-V's to be ultra competitive from the get go because they were being built and modified by Pratt & Miller - the same GM works team that builds the ALMS Corvettes.

The SCCA didn't believe the CTS-V would be as competitive a platform as the Corvettes already in the series, and so they (rather naively) allowed Pratt & Miller a ridiculous amount of modification (take a look at the Caddy VTS sheet if you don't believe this). One only needs to look at the side the racing Caddy versus the roadgoing version to see just how much Pratt & Miller did.



versus



Add to that the best road racing driver lineup money can buy (Max Angelelli, Mad Max Papis, Ron Fellows, Andy Pilgrim, John Heinricy) and have Cadillac footing the bill on all fronts and damn straight you'll have an out of the box win.

And do you recall that after Sebring the SCCA imposed heavy restrictions on the Cadillac once they found out just how far Pratt & Miller pushed the envelope? Here's a taste of what they did.

- rearward weight bias shift, no more than 49% allowed (revised to 48% after Mid-Ohio)
- +200 to base weight (minimum weight now 3200lbs)
- sequential gearbox disallowed even at +100 penalty, car must run Tremec syncromesh gearbox
- 63.6mm air inlet restrictor, down from 80.5mm
- rev limiter reset from 7900rpm to 7000rpm.
- P&M intake manifold developed for Sebring now only allowable intake manifold (Pratt & Miller were developing manifolds with different trumpet lengths for different races)

This is what the SCCA did just one week after the season opener at Sebring. Caddy could afford to work through these setbacks, though, and Ron Fellows won for Caddy later in the season at Mosport.

However, this is the Cadillac factory team. AF does not have their resources, we don't have their driver staff (ferchrissakes man, Mad Max Papis and Ron Fellows?!?!) we certainly don't have their political clout, and the SCCA certainly is not going to be as kind and merciful to us as they were to Cadillac.

GT500 is entirely different from Speed World Challenge. JGTC allows for total reconstruction of chassis, brand new engine packages, sequential gearboxes, carbon fiber monocoques, and the list goes on and on. Speed World Challenge demands different things of different cars depending on how competitive they are.

Cars like the Viper Competition Coupe have to run a spec sealed engine from Dodge with factory stock exhaust manifolds.

Cars like the Volvo S60R are allowed to re-engineer their AWD systems and are allowed wider bodies to compete with the Viper.

If one allowed modification proves to allow a car too much success, it's revised or taken away (as with the Caddy's dog engagement sequential, or the fact that the Champion Audi RS6's were restricted down from 10.3lbs of boost to 8.1lbs after Mid-Ohio).

Speed World Challenge is balanced production car racing. It's the pinnacle of production based racing in America. To assume that the sanctioning body (especially the SCCA) allows just anybody and just any car to waltz in and steal the show is naive. And just in case the SCCA does midjudge a car (as they did with the Cadillac) be prepared for the friggin' Sword of Damocles to fall down hard.

[Tiger Racing]

Originally Posted by flylwsi

no real need to quote anyone, people can read for themselves that there are questions about igor's skill level as he is a rookie.

The reason you need to quote is that you claimed that there were ruffled feathers and lots of put downs. I want to know who you are talking about.

i know who pmum was, not exactly a bad example, but it's the same idea.
a relatively "unknown" who hasn't run against any of the "big names" comes in and shakes shit up.

He is a very bad example because there is no comparison between Igor and PMUM. Igor has zero experience racing in this car or any other. PMUM had years worth of experience on bikes and in Vipers. You keep claiming he was unknown but that is flat out wrong. He was very well known to road racers around the country, especially Viper drivers. He was only a newcomer to the series, not to racing in general.

at any rate, i realize that there's alot of "open your eyes, you're going to get squashed" sentiment.
and i think that's to be expected.

I've never said that. I've asked why they are choosing to enter the most competitive road racing series in the US as their first taste of motorsport. It sounds like bad planning, so I'm asking what the rationale is.

just interesting that people are losing races with this car in their minds, with a car/driver combo they know nothing about...

I haven't said much about the car, but we do know that the driver isn't just an amateur, he's got zero experience. How do you not see that as significant?

the cts-v was the same way. no one knew what was going to happen with a brand new car. and it demolished the competition in the first race.

You really need to get your facts straight. I am a competitor in World Challenge. I was heavily involved in the discussion leading up to Cadillac's first race at Sebring last season. EVERYONE, but SCCA seemed to know that the CTS-V was going to kick butt. It was no surprise whatsoever, especially (as noted by another poster) since it was driven by some of the greatest road racers in competition today. I've had the privilege of driving against many of the best, but Andy Pilgrim and Max Angelelli can cut thru the field like a hot knife thru butter. I've never seen anyone smoother.

Don't make it sound like anyone is attacking Igor when they aren't. If you really believe it's happening, then quote someone directly. Otherwise, don't stir the pot.

C.

[jayxer]

Originally Posted by igor@af

As much experience as you, #98, and you, C., might have, I am also going to consider what the likes of Michael Krumm (JGTC), Divina Galica (F1), and Stu Hayner (you know him), had to say to me at Sebring. Not to mention Jorge Koechlin, Roland Linder, and Jim Hall....

I appreciate everything that anyone takes the time to input, as the more I know the better. So thank you all!

Divina Galica..... what a wonderful woman. I have worked with her a lot when I was with the Skip Barber organization. She is a credit to racing drivers everywhere.

Im new to this forum, and was surprised to read your announcement on entering the SPEED GT series in 2006. With that said, I wont knock your campaign as I wish you all the luck, however I do agree with a lot of the comments stated already. Having been in the business of racing myself, its not an easy task (which you already know im sure). The SPEED GT ranks are EXTREMELY competitive. Having guys with the names like Bell, Archer, McClure, Reese, Gigliotti, Angilleli, Papis, Henzler....etc etc etc. These guys all have pages written about them in sports car racing. Many have competed and won in the 24 Hours of LeMans. Jumping into this category is not something suggested for a rookie team. Competing against the likes of factory efforts by Porsche, Dodge, GM, Pratt & Miller, Audi (who will be back in 06 with the new S4) is going to be a tough road. All I have to say is use your better judgement...... and im not saying dont compete, im just saying dont get in over your head. Not only to save from humiliation, but for the sake of the safety of you, and every other driver that will be on track at the same time. Good luck, and god speed.

[BigTDawg]

tiger you say hes got zero experience. right now he does but when he starts he will have some and no matter how you look at that some is better then none. dont take this the wrong way casue you know a hell of alot more about this then i do.
i do agree with most of things you guys have said it defintly isnt the best plan but thats the one he has choosen so we might as well support him in his decsion.

some of the things you more experienced guys have said may have sounded a little negative but damn flywsi something tells me igor and whoever else is reading this knows its not ment to be negative

[cable43]

[R.S. Vlady]

Originally Posted by BigTDawg

tiger you say hes got zero experience. right now he does but when he starts he will have some and no matter how you look at that some is better then none.

to add, even now Igor has over a year of experience in amateur racing( which includes best times in time trials in his class with NASA) and training in three different racing schools. He has both substantial open wheel experience as well as racing supercharged 350Z and Mustang Cobra's. This year is going to be much more rigorous, as you know; April alone will include both carts and formula Dodge competitions.

And don't forget, Grand Tourismo 1 - 4 !!

[Tiger Racing]

Originally Posted by R.S. Vlady

even now Igor has over a year of experience in amateur racing( which includes best times in time trials in his class with NASA)

So why on Gaia's Green Earth didn't anyone mention this earlier? Would I have kept repeating that Igor has zero experience if someone had? Fer pity's sake, all we know is what is posted here. It's not much experience, but at least he's turned a wheel in anger against competition.

Good luck then.

C.

[Tiger Racing]

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[Super13]

where does one get those wheels / tires? (1 lug)