Driver makes all the difference

Alright me and my bro went out driving one day and a red WRX pulls up on us. It is one of my bro's friends and he wants to give it a go. Right so mind you me and my brohter are in a 91 3000GT SL, not too much of a match against a 2004 turbo WRX. So we sit there at the light and when it blinks green we are off. Funny thing is only one car made it off the line.....my bro's bud in the WRX stalled off the line. We were rollin' in laughter. They guy you could tell was embarressed, and admitted launching wasn't his strong suit (thank god or we would have gotten owned). Anyways he challenges us to a race on the freeway off a roll, this time it was an even battle till about 110 then we started walking away till he shut down at about 130. The second win was just thanks to the GTs good high speed gearing. But the first one goes to show you that sometimes it isn't always the car, it is the guy behind it. cause our car is FWD,weighs about 3200 lbs or so and has 220hp while the WRX is lighter I think and is AWD, and has about 230-250 if I am not mistaken. I don't think we could have taken one with a good driver though. I would try it with my GSX though, That car is fun to make kills in cause people always mistake it for an RS or GS.

Actually, you had an advantage over him on the freeway...there is another thread in here about the WRX's top-end, read it :P

I don't credit the second win to driver I think that was a clear advantage just like the WRx's one off the line. I gotta admit though, those WRx's are nice cars. those new STi's are sooo sick. If only I had 30k......but then I would probably rather get a 3000GT VR4 and mod it.

great minds think alike

I think too many people put credit to driver skill, I mean honestly it is not that hard to lauch a car. The main reason why people say they can't lauch their car is because they are afraid to abuse it a little. Your car makes the race, you just in the pilot seat making sure it goes the right way. Now im not saying that it takes no skill to race but, their is only so much you can do with 200HP, 400HP, 600HP...

depending on the car, some cars are whole lot harder to launch. if that were the case then i wouldn't be seeing supra's running 13.8 instead of 13.4
if thats the case i would not have seen the c5 vette run a 14.0
and i wouldn't see the civic vary at the track from 10.8 to 11.7
even the skyline's i seen were varying by about .5 sec

i think it has a lot to do with the driver

The skill of the driver can make a fraction of a second difference. The drivers ability to run a car makes seconds of difference. If he stalls off the start, he's got no driving skills period :D

I would say it is 70% driver skill 10% car performance and another 20% intimidation

I'd say it's more like 10% Driver skill, 5% mentality and 85% car

I'd say it's more like 10% Driver skill, 5% mentality and 85% car

Bingo. :iceslolan
And, come on, if you can't launch an AWD car without stalling, you need to hand the keys to someone else.

depending on the car, some cars are whole lot harder to launch. if that were the case then i wouldn't be seeing supra's running 13.8 instead of 13.4
if thats the case i would not have seen the c5 vette run a 14.0
and i wouldn't see the civic vary at the track from 10.8 to 11.7
even the skyline's i seen were varying by about .5 sec

i think it has a lot to do with the driver

I would have to agree.........cause if it doesnt have alot to do with the driver then all cars would be running the same times as each other....

Actually the fraction of a second that the driver skill seems to affect can also be due to environmental conditions
It's more like a combination

true there is alot of factors when it comes to racing weather, condition of the motor, driver, elevation, tires, street, track, ect........ but you cant have a fast car with out a good driver...cause the car needs you and you need the car.....

exactly. i'd say its more like 60% car and 40% driver. if a corvette can vary from 12.9 to 14.0. hehe thats a big differnce and that has to do with the driver. if he just gets in and punches it without timing and knowing his good points and bad points. or when his peak hp is. if he should shift at redline or before it or after it. what rpm to launch at etc...

that is all driver

True....it is about the driver

Driver skill matters a lot. If you don't know your car and can't hit shift points or launch, you will lose most of the time. A faster car is like a handicap. You can mess up and the car will pick up the slack. Then again, a car can only go so fast. The real skill is tuning skill.