“Leroy” the C5 Vette Kart Runs Same ET Four Times in a Row
They say consistency in racing is good. How about four 8.26 second runs in succession?
Street Car Takeover visited Charlotte’s zMAX Dragway recently and Cleetus McFarland was there with his trusty C5 Vette Kart, “Leroy.” However, McFarland had no idea how trusty Leroy would end up being throughout the night. More about that in a bit.
Street Car Takeover is mostly for street driven cars, so that might make you think about where McFarland’s car might fit in. Well, they do have a specific stick shift class and technically Leroy is still street legal. Other rules require the car to drive to and from the lanes without assistance, and of course have an H-pattern gearbox.
All fine and dandy then, but there are other cars in the class that are looking very competitive and McFarland is fresh from a trip to the wind tunnel, knowing his car’s biggest weak point is top end speed.
With faceplated gears installed and various sensors in the car replaced, the usually reliable C5 Vette was up to the task of some real competition. With money on the line, the C5 proved once again that it can take a beating and keep on going without any worry of being over loaded. In fact, something amazing happened during the elimination rounds of the stick shift class. Four runs in a row, McFarland ran four 8.26 second runs in a row. While that’s not so abnormal in a car with a consistent automatic, it’s absolutely remarkable to pull off in a stick shift car.
That speed counted in the very last run, where his time was good enough for a win by only 0.0212 or at those speeds between McFarland and his competitor, less than half a foot. While McFarland had been pushing for 7’s, 8.264 still became his personal best.
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