When excess is never enough
04-10-2012, 01:03 PM
#5
Melting Slicks
Now THAT is what a motor should sound like! Those cars and that track are made for each other; the four mile dyno!
I wonder what the old Can Am lap record is on that track - would those cars run with or beat a modern GT1 car (under 2:00)? I know they had lots more HP, but the chassis/aero was obviously older.
Thanks for posting.
EDIT - looks like a qualifying pole in 1967 was 2:12.
I wonder what the old Can Am lap record is on that track - would those cars run with or beat a modern GT1 car (under 2:00)? I know they had lots more HP, but the chassis/aero was obviously older.
Thanks for posting.
EDIT - looks like a qualifying pole in 1967 was 2:12.
Last edited by Everett Ogilvie; 04-10-2012 at 01:08 PM.
04-10-2012, 09:04 PM
#7
Drifting
I saw Mark Donahue in the Sunoco Penske 917 race at Road America many years ago... I'm getting old.
He just ran away from the McLarens that dominated CanAm for several years until that point in time.
We were sitting on the side of the hill at Hurry Downs. Every upshift slammed his head against the headrest.
Pretty much every car had a distinctive sound, so you could tell who was coming before they actually were in sight.
He just ran away from the McLarens that dominated CanAm for several years until that point in time.
We were sitting on the side of the hill at Hurry Downs. Every upshift slammed his head against the headrest.
Pretty much every car had a distinctive sound, so you could tell who was coming before they actually were in sight.
04-10-2012, 10:42 PM
#8
Drifting
Now THAT is what a motor should sound like! Those cars and that track are made for each other; the four mile dyno!
I wonder what the old Can Am lap record is on that track - would those cars run with or beat a modern GT1 car (under 2:00)? I know they had lots more HP, but the chassis/aero was obviously older.
Thanks for posting.
EDIT - looks like a qualifying pole in 1967 was 2:12.
I wonder what the old Can Am lap record is on that track - would those cars run with or beat a modern GT1 car (under 2:00)? I know they had lots more HP, but the chassis/aero was obviously older.
Thanks for posting.
EDIT - looks like a qualifying pole in 1967 was 2:12.
On the track map it shows that the track record was set by Denis Hulme in a McLaren in 1969. 114.014 MPH avg speed and a lap time of 2:06.3 seconds.
But in the "1973 Pro Recap" it says:
"Donahue wiped out everything on the books, speedwise. He qualified at a fantastic 122.534 mph (Hulme's former standard, remember was 115.605, doing the four miles in 2:04.734. And for the 200 miles he averaged 114.021 - a fraction under a full four miles an hour faster that George Follmer's race record. He hit the traps at 190-per.
Needless to say, he led all 50 laps."
122.534 would have been a 1:57.5 lap time using their method of calculating.
04-10-2012, 11:39 PM
#9
Race Director
Great video! Those Lola T70's, especially the coupe version, had to be among the prettiest race car ever conceived.
Imagine that Donohue, and the 1100 hp Porsche 917/30 "Turbo Panzer", accomplished that 39 years ago, and on 1973 tire compounds and with 73 aerodynamics!
In 75, he took that same 917/30 to Talladega and set a closed course speed record of 221+MPH.....in a light drizzle! Then, less than 2 weeks later, he was injured in a practice accident for the Austrian GP, and shortly after succumbed to his injuries.
Of course, the Porsche's turbo charged 12 cylinder engine; never sounded anything like those aluminum, big block, Hilborn injected, Can-Am Chevy engines.
"Donahue wiped out everything on the books, speedwise. He qualified at a fantastic 122.534 mph (Hulme's former standard, remember was 115.605, doing the four miles in 2:04.734. And for the 200 miles he averaged 114.021 - a fraction under a full four miles an hour faster that George Follmer's race record. He hit the traps at 190-per.
Needless to say, he led all 50 laps."
122.534 would have been a 1:57.5 lap time using their method of calculating.
Needless to say, he led all 50 laps."
122.534 would have been a 1:57.5 lap time using their method of calculating.
In 75, he took that same 917/30 to Talladega and set a closed course speed record of 221+MPH.....in a light drizzle! Then, less than 2 weeks later, he was injured in a practice accident for the Austrian GP, and shortly after succumbed to his injuries.
Of course, the Porsche's turbo charged 12 cylinder engine; never sounded anything like those aluminum, big block, Hilborn injected, Can-Am Chevy engines.
04-11-2012, 07:29 AM
#13
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Taken from my Official Program for the 1974 June Sprints:
On the track map it shows that the track record was set by Denis Hulme in a McLaren in 1969. 114.014 MPH avg speed and a lap time of 2:06.3 seconds.
But in the "1973 Pro Recap" it says:
"Donahue wiped out everything on the books, speedwise. He qualified at a fantastic 122.534 mph (Hulme's former standard, remember was 115.605, doing the four miles in 2:04.734. And for the 200 miles he averaged 114.021 - a fraction under a full four miles an hour faster that George Follmer's race record. He hit the traps at 190-per.
Needless to say, he led all 50 laps."
122.534 would have been a 1:57.5 lap time using their method of calculating.
On the track map it shows that the track record was set by Denis Hulme in a McLaren in 1969. 114.014 MPH avg speed and a lap time of 2:06.3 seconds.
But in the "1973 Pro Recap" it says:
"Donahue wiped out everything on the books, speedwise. He qualified at a fantastic 122.534 mph (Hulme's former standard, remember was 115.605, doing the four miles in 2:04.734. And for the 200 miles he averaged 114.021 - a fraction under a full four miles an hour faster that George Follmer's race record. He hit the traps at 190-per.
Needless to say, he led all 50 laps."
122.534 would have been a 1:57.5 lap time using their method of calculating.
190 into the speed traps, Then Braking for turn 5. Just WOW.
and I only did 172 into the traps with a C6ZR1, then almost could not slow down enough for T5 ie went a wee bit wide over the rumble strips.
Last edited by AU N EGL; 04-11-2012 at 09:05 AM.
04-11-2012, 08:32 PM
#16
Drifting
04-11-2012, 08:47 PM
#17
Safety Car
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Dang but that was good...as I always say: "There's no replacement for displacement"...and doing 190 in in those cars requires "grande cahones" for sure.
04-12-2012, 09:59 AM
#19
Melting Slicks
04-12-2012, 05:03 PM
#20
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did hit 178 on VIRs back straight with the ZR1 too.