Teddy98Z28M6

Despite having a car issue, it was another great Viper Days track event for my 1st ever trip down to Sebring, FL. Let me first say that Sebring is a very rough track. I got my first virgin run, Saturday morning, trying many different lines and being more confused then before I went out.

On my second session on Saturday, I let Chris Ingle (T1 racer) drive my car. It was a privilege to have a very knowledgeable racer/instructor behind the wheel of my car. We used a communication unit in our helmets, and I learned so much from him in that 2nd session. Chris didn’t push my car too hard and was smooth. Towards the end of the session my car decided to not hold together. It started to make a loud exhaust leak. After pulling in, it was obvious my LG Pro Long Tube Headers finally broke near the air tube weld on the driver’s side. I have the older 1st design, which many have had the same issue.



So, I spent the rest of the day trying to fix the leak. Archer Racing at the track didn’t really want to touch it due to the big hole and thin stainless steel design. I decided to drive to a local muffler place, and the guy didn’t have the right mig welder or experience. So, I drove up and down the main strip to many auto parts stores looking for header leak kit. I did eventually get an exhaust leak kit and put it on before my last session on Saturday. It only lasted about one full lap around the track. But it didn’t matter as a Viper tagged a wall, and everyone was black flagged to come in. Afterwards, Chris Ingle helped me some more and found a couple of worm clamps for me from the Archer Racing guys. The last attempt of the evening was folding 8 layers of a drink can while using JB weld between the layers and a worm clamp. I let the solution set over night.

The next morning, I tested the car in the infield parking lot. The fix only lasted a couple of 0-70 mph runs before the worm clamp fell down and the thing came apart. The hole was near a curved section of the header tube, so it was hard to clamp down tight. I eventually went back to Archer Racing to get some more worm clamps and a big fender washer. This solution last long enough to give 2 sessions on Sunday. I had one session by myself and then one session with a passenger. The rough track eventually worked the work clamp off again, and I was done for the day. I was very surprised to find out at the end of the day that I got a nice trophy for having the 3rd fastest corvette time all weekend. No, they didn’t count Chris’ time when he drove my car. I was only 0.6 second off from Gump’s 2nd place time. No, I don't want your trophy Eric.

Thank You Chris Ingle and the Peachstate Posse group for another nice track weekend!





Here’s the video of Chris driving my car and passing a few vipers including a Comp Coupe Viper during the second session on Saturday.

injuner

Glad to hear you had a good time over the weekend at Sebring! Chris is a great guy and it had to be fun to let him sling your car around the track.

Have you gotten in touch with LG about the header issue?

wtknght1

No sweat bud!!! Glad you had a good time, and thanks for letting me drive your car - it handled and drove great!!!!! Kumho tires, Carbotech brakes and you are obviously a potent combination. Keep getting seat time and come into T1 with us!!!!!!

Teddy98Z28M6

I decided to just dropped them off at a local speed shop to have them re-enforce both air tubes, fix the hole and re-weld a couple of places by the tabs where a couple of stress cracks have developed.

LG Motorsports

Sorry to hear about the header. We would be glad to fix them for you. As you said, that is a very early design and we brace them now.

As for your video, I heard you say in the video to your T1 driver, "Your line is completely different than mine". Well I am glad to hear that. Because his line is completely different than every front running car in the World Challenge series.

Glad you had a good time.
LG

AU N EGL

hmmm time to get the videos out and watch the different lines.

cgh1

Also keep in mind that school lines are often different from race lines.

I've known Chris for a long time and ridden with him. Gr8 driver and he understands when in a school - teach the school line.

It's nice to hear you stand behind your product Lou. Too many times these days, mfg's and distributors use a "stamp & release" philosophy putting the customer on their own from the get-go. Also sorry I've not been in touch this year. Been a busy, busy 18 mo. Glad the team is doing well!

LG Motorsports

Thanks, I appreciate that. We do try to stand behind our products always.

As for the "school line" verses the "racing line"; if you will notice that the school line teaches straight line braking to the corner then turning in to the corner. This results in a "Squared" off corner which does not allow for the best radius through a corner.

In addition, it does not take into consideration what the configuration of the track is ahead or behind. Are you entering or leaving a long straight or esses? Did you just come off a straight or esses? All these things matter when it comes to the best line around a race track.

And, there is only one line around a race track that will produce the best lap times. Unless we are speaking of high downforce formula one cars that I have seen deviate from the classic approach at a couple of tracks.

The dark rubber path on the Sebring track is from the ALMS 12 hour and the World Challenge weekend. You can be sure that they didn't put that rubber down in the wrong places, and the school line is the right path.

If there were a 10' wide white line drawn around a track on the perfect line, then the driver that can keep the car at the limit the entire way around without ever leaving the perfect line, will be doing it right.

Now you just have to figure out where that 10' line is.

Just my .02

Thanks.

LG

varkwso

I am willing to bet my 0.02 that I crossed that 10' line there two weeks ago when I was there .

I must admit the "black path" did help me a lot except in 17/18 - it was all black....I treated it like Turn 1/2 at Roebling.

Right or wrong I did quite a bit of trail braking at Sebring to get the car set up for the next straight (Turn 4 comes to mind).

Teddy98Z28M6

Thanks for the offer. I would have brought them to you if I still lived 20 minutes away. Rob at LWA has them currently. He enhanced and repaired a set last year.

A day at the track is always better then a day at work.

wtknght1

Well considering I was on the T1 pole for the January Sebring race ahead of John Heinricy, Phil Croyle, Andrew Aqualante (Viper), Dave Roush, Lance Knupp and a host of others, it couldn't have been too bad. And oh by the way, did I mention that my engine had 20 few horsepower than everybody else!

Red Gump

glad I could be a part of the psp racing team. can't say I'm glad you guys had mechanical difficulties but if you, woosch and glen/bryan had had more track time I don't think I'd have a trophy right now.

ingle and lou, I thought teh optimum line was unique for the particular car. no? how much difference is there between a wcgt vette and a t1 vette?

wtknght1

Different cars can run different lines and be just as fast...or faster. Mine works well for my car...but there may be a quicker one. Sebring is fairly straight forward as far as the line goes though. The only turn I can think of that would be significantly different would be 17/18.

My T1 car is pretty heavy (3280 min w/driver) with stock brake calipers so that turn is an adventure every time. It just doesn't stop or turn like a challenge car would. So I have to ensure to get my braking and shifting done in a straight line.

The line I drove with Teddy's car (with him in it) was a late apex line (slow in, fast out), and similar to the one I use when I race there. And his car is not set up to T1 specs...and I wasn't pushing 10/10ths or racing, so it was fairly conservative. I would have felt really awful had I crunched his machine.

At any rate, as I said before, that line was good enough for pole in T1...and 2d in the race (to Heinricy). Heinricy's best race lap was .5 better than my best. Considering I had (at least) 20 fewer HP than he did , I don't think that was too bad.

ghoffman

I have an idea that would make for a fun Speed Channel show. Get a sponsor like Home Depot to provide a stock C6Z with a data acquisition system and have a National class T1 driver, a Speed GT driver, C6R driver and a Nextel cup driver all drive the same car and simply do a time trial. Perhaps Tommy Kendal would host the show, and have a first rate crew chief do the evals. We get Home Depot to sponsor it and have Greg Zipadelli see how his driver Tony does against these guys at a neutral track that none of them has been to. If not that, maybe someone can loan their car to do it and have a shoot out. With a nice data acq system with video overlay, the correct line(s) could be evaluated in an objjective way. It would be at least instructive for everyone.

wtknght1

Dibbs. I'm in!!!!!!

Red Gump

that would ROCK but I wonder how chevy would feel about the possibility of one of their factory drivers being slower than wc or t1 guy.

gpm30236

that would be a fun show to watch and likely very instructive.

daveydc5

OR at least a great article for C&D, MOtor Trend, Racer, GRM, etc...

SoFlow1

I'm going to come to Chris's defense here...turn 17/18 at Sebring is arguably one of most open turns to interpretation in motor sports. There are any number of racing lines through that corner that will work. The fact turn 17/18 is so open to interpretation is what gives Sebring its character. In fact, I don’t believe there is necessarily any one best line through that corner.

If it weren’t for the extremely rough and aged concrete in that area of the track, it might make it easier to drive a truly aggressive racing line. The most aggressive line being the one that allows full use of the friction circle, that is braking while turning right into the corner (17) and then rolling into the throttle while continuing to turn right exiting the corner (18). What makes this turn interesting is that while all this braking, turning and accelerating is going on the car is slamming up and down against the broken concrete that makes up Sebring turn 17/18.

My driving line through turn 17/18 is different depending upon the car I’m driving. Driving my T1 Corvette through that corner with its fully independent rear suspension allows a more aggressive line than my Panoz GTS with its rear live axle trailing arms and Watts link rear suspension. A front wheel drive car like the Cobalt SS yet again offers another set of compromises.

I can vouch for Chris’s experience and talent behind the wheel, he’s a good driver! A student would not be misled taking his advice. I know that if Chris and I had been racing, and I had been on his six he would have definitely entered turn 17 one car width more the right. I also believe if I had been behind him he would not have drove as deep straight line braking into the corner (squaring it off) knowing full well that I would have attempted to slip underneath him mid-way through the turn. In the video Chris wasn't racing. It was a track day with a passenger/student in the car; he was driving the kind of line he was supposed to be driving.

BTW...hi Chris, hi Teddy!



Rod Strub
#17 T1 Red ZO6
#89 GT2 Panoz GTS
#48 ST Blue Cobalt SS Supercharged

varkwso