Sterling Doc Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 At NASA's Iowa Speedway event, we got the new (to me) spec 944 on the track. Had a blast - car was fun, reliable, and fast, especially considering it was 170 + lbs overweight. If I had run it in GTS-1, it would have won. To those of you thinking about spec 944, go for it. My sponsor, VFC Engineering, is very interested in building this class - Doug at VFC plans to build a spec 944 for his son, and will build cost-effective turn key cars for those wanting this, or any job involved in a build (eg.g doing the cage for you). We'll have 6+ spec 944's at our crossover event with the RM region at Mid-America Motorplex - that means Toyo bucks! Our Road America event will have a crowd of paying spectators, along with a band, drift competition, and much fun! VFC and I are actively seeking out sponsors for this class. We aim to develop the seires to Spec Miata levels in the midwest - only less cost, and less Miata. Come join us! http://www.vfc-engineering.com/ 130 pics here: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=40911178077192251/l=254049272/g=93988901/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB Video here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8378650012312894128 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
944-Spec#94 Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 That is great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck T. Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Eric did a great job in comp school ! I can not wait for mam ! chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pixrken Posted May 2, 2007 Share Posted May 2, 2007 Great job Eric! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling Doc Posted May 2, 2007 Author Share Posted May 2, 2007 Eric did a great job in comp school ! I can not wait for MAM ! chuck We be racing then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling Doc Posted May 3, 2007 Author Share Posted May 3, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmdirks Posted May 3, 2007 Share Posted May 3, 2007 Eric did a great job in comp school ! I can not wait for MAM ! chuck We be racing then! I can't wait either!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
944 cup Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 From the times on Sunday, looks like the 944 Spec and Cup cars were fairly close matched. Was it actually that way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Comeau Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 Great job, you guys! Share the vision of equal cars with others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck T. Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 From the times on Sunday, looks like the 944 Spec and Cup cars were fairly close matched. Was it actually that way? On Sunday the 2 cars were real close ! Eric was able to run the banked oval FLAT OUT !!! The Cup car (sorry i forgot your name) was not the owner of the car and was not going quite as fast through the walled area. From my point of view the tires seemed to be the big difference. Cup car was on Hoosiers and fast in the slower section of the track ! Erics car was over weight by like 100 # and I do not know the build of the cup car. Erics old car the red 924S walked away / ran away from both of them ... I think. Bottom line it was a great race and the lead was swaped at least 3 times. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaje Posted May 4, 2007 Share Posted May 4, 2007 What is the major difference between a Spec 944 and 44Cup car? (8v n/a cars) Is Spec 944 a NASA owned series or just a group that normally runs within NASA events. I do know that the Cup series runs independently but often runs at NASA events and even has their national race at Mid Ohio with NASA's national championships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling Doc Posted May 5, 2007 Author Share Posted May 5, 2007 (edited) From the times on Sunday, looks like the 944 Spec and Cup cars were fairly close matched. Was it actually that way? On Sunday the 2 cars were real close ! Eric was able to run the banked oval FLAT OUT !!! The Cup car (sorry i forgot your name) was not the owner of the car and was not going quite as fast through the walled area. From my point of view the tires seemed to be the big difference. Cup car was on Hoosiers and fast in the slower section of the track ! Erics car was over weight by like 100 # and I do not know the build of the cup car. Erics old car the red 924S walked away / ran away from both of them ... I think. Bottom line it was a great race and the lead was swaped at least 3 times. Chuck I was driving the spec 944 Sunday, after I finished comp school the day before. The Cup driver goes by the screen name "AJBerb" and is part of Co-op racing. I found the car specs on their web site and pasted them below: Cars Of Co-op Racing Chassis Body: - 1983 Porsche 944 - 6 Point Roll cage Design: - Front Engine - Rear Wheel Drive Wheels & Tires: - Porsche S2 16" X 8" - 245/45-R16 Hoosier Statistics: - Curb Weight of 2779 lbs - 50/50 % Weight Distribution - 94.501 in | 2400.3 mm Wheelbase - 58.201 in | 1478.3 mm Front Track - 57.101 in | 1450.4 mm Rear Track - 68.301 in | 1734.8 mm Overall Width - 168.901 in | 4290.1 mm Overall Length - 50.201 in | 1275.1 mm Overall Height - Lowered to 5" Ride Height Front Suspension: - 1987 Porsche - Koni Double Adjustable Struts - 550lbs springs - 1-1/8" Weltmeister Roll Bar - Strut Tower Brace - Camber Plates - Solid Bushings - Disk Brakes - Rack & Pinion Steering Rear Suspension: - 1987 Porsche - Koni Double Adjustable Shocks - Helper Springs - 31mm Hollow torsion bars - 7/8" Weldmeister Roll Bar - Solid Bushings - Disk Brakes Powertrain Engine: - Stock Porsche 2.5L - 160HP (Eurosport Dyno Tuned) - 6300RPM Redline Transmission: - Stock Porsche 5 Speed - Limited Slip Differential Data Acquisition - Traqmate GPS - On Board Video It was very close, but the cars were very different. The in-car video I linked to in the post above tells the story. The 944 Cup car with its' 20mm wider & stickier Hoosiers, and more advanced suspension was able to run away from me in the infield, but I was able to make up 4+ car lengths on the banking and underbraking coming back into the infield. My car weighed around 2,750 at impound (too much gas, and about 100 lbs of stuff that needs to come out). I don't know what the race weight of the Cup car was. My car was very well set up for the oval, and that helped, but I would have had a much harder time keeping up on a road course. If the cup car was at min weight, then it might nearly even *if* I could get the car to 2550 lbs (that would be hard). Otherwise the grip of the Hoosiers would be hard to overcome. BTW, we passed the red 924S in the 1st lap and ran away, not the other way around - he was on a stock suspension, and Toyo's running in GTS-1. In any case, it was a blast Edited May 5, 2007 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck T. Posted May 5, 2007 Share Posted May 5, 2007 sorry about the red 924S Side note about 3 laps into the race Eric was walking away from the Cup car and I was afraid He was going to leave me so I passed them both and raced with Eric for a few laps (comp school final exam) this slowed him down some... When I saw the Cup car gaining on us I moved out of there way. I look forward to Nationals I hope to have a LSD on my full built to the rules 1988 924S (944-spec). All we need to do is fly Norm in so the car can have a driver... Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling Doc Posted May 5, 2007 Author Share Posted May 5, 2007 What is the major difference between a Spec 944 and 44Cup car? (8v n/a cars) Is Spec 944 a NASA owned series or just a group that normally runs within NASA events. I do know that the Cup series runs independently but often runs at NASA events and even has their national race at Mid Ohio with NASA's national championships. Spec 944 is a NASA - specific series, where 944 cup is run by DD, and has joined with NASA this year in the 944 Challenge series. 944 spec vs. Cup rules are spelled out on NASA web page. 944 spec rules are more simple/restrcitive, and mandate a spec tire, vs. 944 Cup rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJBerb Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Hey guys, sorry I haven't been on lately, but I see some really good discussion. The specs from the web site for my Cup car are really close, but not exact. I'll just leave it at that because the guessing game is part of the fun of Cup racing. Obviously not the case for spec. My fastest lap time on Saturday was a 54.4, which was third fastest behind a GTS3 and GTS5 car. Based on my dyno results, I would have been in GTS1. This was my first race with NASA and my first race with the car built to Cup specs. I believe I was about 50 pounds over weight for the class at about 2700 pounds. The car isn't fully developed since I redid the entire suspension over the winter. Sunday's driver was Bryan White who usually races an American Iron Firebird. This year we are co-driving each other's cars in order to improve ourselves as drivers. I am learning horsepower management and Bryan is learning momentum driving. Sunday was the first time we ever raced each other's cars. So, Sunday was not a good representation of what either Bryan or the car is capable of. I must say though that Sunday's race between the three 944s was awesome. It was also really cool to see my car in Eric's video. My next race will be Gingerman, Autobahn, Road America and then Nationals. Hopefully I'll see more cup cars and I am sure I'll start seeing more spec cars. Actually, if I find the right donor car, I am going to build a spec car as well. Andy Berberich http://www.co-opracing.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling Doc Posted May 9, 2007 Author Share Posted May 9, 2007 Hey guys, sorry I haven't been on lately, but I see some really good discussion. The specs from the web site for my Cup car are really close, but not exact. I'll just leave it at that because the guessing game is part of the fun of Cup racing. Obviously not the case for spec. My fastest lap time on Saturday was a 54.4, which was third fastest behind a GTS3 and GTS5 car. Based on my dyno results, I would have been in GTS1. This was my first race with NASA and my first race with the car built to Cup specs. I believe I was about 50 pounds over weight for the class at about 2700 pounds. The car isn't fully developed since I redid the entire suspension over the winter. Sunday's driver was Bryan White who usually races an American Iron Firebird. This year we are co-driving each other's cars in order to improve ourselves as drivers. I am learning horsepower management and Bryan is learning momentum driving. Sunday was the first time we ever raced each other's cars. So, Sunday was not a good representation of what either Bryan or the car is capable of. I must say though that Sunday's race between the three 944s was awesome. It was also really cool to see my car in Eric's video. My next race will be Gingerman, Autobahn, Road America and then Nationals. Hopefully I'll see more cup cars and I am sure I'll start seeing more spec cars. Actually, if I find the right donor car, I am going to build a spec car as well. Andy Berberich http://www.co-opracing.com Agreed - good racing all around. Bryan did get quite a bit faster as the race went on - makes sense as he was learning the car. The Cup Car looked to be about 3 sec/lap faster than my spec car then. I am working to get the car down to wegiht, but this is proving diffuclt on the heavier later chassis. Good thing I'm not overweight! I look forward to a great season! Both VFC and a buddy of mine are also looking for a donor car as well. Hopefully we'll see grids full of 944's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
944 cup Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 Andy/Eric/Chuck: Headed to Putnam next weekend? Have 2 other 944 Cup cars signed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck T. Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Andy/Eric/Chuck: Headed to Putnam next weekend? Have 2 other 944 Cup cars signed up. Not me... I have 2 races in June so taking May off. Nationals is looking good though. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
944 cup Posted May 13, 2007 Share Posted May 13, 2007 Nationals is looking good though. Chuck That's good news! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sterling Doc Posted May 13, 2007 Author Share Posted May 13, 2007 Andy/Eric/Chuck: Headed to Putnam next weekend? Have 2 other 944 Cup cars signed up. It looks like I may be able to make Sunday, pending a few last-minute details. I can't make Saturday, but at least one day is no a possibilty. I signed up for nationals - going to go looking for hotel rooms now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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