First factory SLC race of 2012

[Will Campbell]

The reigning NASA Super Unlimited National Champion Superlite SLC will make its 2012 race debut starting April 20 at Autobahn (in Joliet, IL), running both the regular NASA race schedule of Saturday and Sunday races, and a 3-hour enduro on Friday to help shake out some of the cobwebs from the winter.

Everyone is welcome to come by and get a close-up look at the car in the pits. This is a great opportunity for our Chicago-area friends to see what we’ve done to the car in the off-season, and judge whether or not it will be even more competitive in 2012!

Autobahn Country Club is the host of the event, which will be run on the 2.7 mile South Course.

Come by and visit- you may even see a lap record being set!

 

[Randy V]

Will it be run uncontested again? Or will there be other SL-C's or cars with a similar power to weight ratio like it in the class? Then you'd have a race..

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Randy

we were racing with cars of similar weight and many with much higher HP last year....all season long actually.

There was very worthy competition at every event we attended....I would call a factory IMSA twin turbo all carbon fibre Porsche driven by an ex Pro. pretty worthy , wouldn't you.

We will have a DP or two to race with this season too....if we beat that level of car would you say we are still unchallenged?

Dont forget we are building two SL race packages for guys that raced with the GTM-r crew for the last few seasons and we will be running with them too....

 

[Will Campbell]

Will it be run uncontested again? Or will there be other SL-C's or cars with a similar power to weight ratio like it in the class? Then you'd have a race..

The SLC has always raced against other cars in NASA, some of which have had much better power/weight ratios.

It has never "won" a race as the only SU car in the event- we have always had competitors, many of which should, on paper, be killing us. The SLC, despite it's appearance, is really a sort of underdog to the rest of the field in some ways- it has less power (as much as 500 less, compared to a turbo Mustang we've raced against) and more weight than any of the sports racers, including Radicals.

For example, there is a C Sports Racer type of car that holds lap records all over the Midwest registered for the event. That car weighs under 1000 lbs, I'd guess, has pretty advanced aero to boot, and by most accounts, should be the class of the field.

This year one of the drivers we beat last year in SU bought a Daytona Prototype, complete with Lexus engine and an array of TRD engine specialists providing on-track assistance. We've heard there is another DP car on the West coast as well. So I think the 01 car will have an uphill battle defending the National Championship it won last year.

But that's why we have races- to find that sort of thing out. We don't know if our street-car-based SLC can run with a DP car that originally cost $500-600K, but I'm guessing it will be an interesting fight.

BTW, to put things in perspective, IIRC no car at the Nationals last year- and there were over 400 cars, including Formula cars- ran faster than the SLC on any day the SLC raced that weekend.

 

[Randy V]

I meant to take nothing away from the SL-C and the wins...

Dont forget we are building two SL race packages for guys that raced with the GTM-r crew for the last few seasons and we will be running with them too....

That was what I was hoping to hear... More SL-C's on the track in wheel-to-wheel competition.

I'm keenly aware of many of the other cars in SU. The Griswold Mustang is very fast, but the aero is abysmal in compared to the SL-C..

I'd love to see more Prototype'ish cars such as the SL-C race in a series with a set of rules that lay out the class, powertrain capability, Aero, etc..

SU - to this point - is much like SCCA's SPO class is - basically unlimited run-what-you-brung class that could (and has in some cases) been turned into what some would call "wallet racing"...

 

[Will Campbell]

That was what I was hoping to hear... More SL-C's on the track in wheel-to-wheel competition.

The idea of more SLCs is cool and all, but the real challenge is to beat other cars, otherwise it's just another spec series. Sort of like NASCAR, or Indycar...fun for the drivers, but not really pushing the technology envelope, is it?

SU - to this point - is much like SCCA's SPO class is - basically unlimited run-what-you-brung class that could (and has in some cases) been turned into what some would call "wallet racing"...

Racing is expensive, no matter how you look at it. But if SU were a wallet class as you suggest, then you'd expect people who spent the most to win, right? Somehow, that approach didn't yield fruit for the 850 HP Beck Lister that had many hundreds of thousands of dollars poured into it last year- and a hired LeMans-winning driver. Or the Porsche racer that told us he had more in his drivetrain than we had in our whole car, or the Ferrari Challenge car that started at over $250K or... well I could go on, but the point is clear- the fastest car in SU last year was probably in the lower half of the total investment cost of the rest of the class.

I don't know about SCCA, but our experience in NASA surely doesn't validate the idea that winning in SU is about money.

In our case. it has much more to do with a platform, that though created for a street car, has shown itself to be capable of dominating on the track. It has more to do with a small team of dedicated people who worked very hard on a small budget to get the car done and on track, despite tremendous obstacles. It has to do with a committed driver. And it has more to do with a team that doesn't give up.

That's what won the Super Unlimited National Championship last year.

We think we have a good shot at it again this year, with the same formula. You should come out to see the car run- it is an eye-opener.

 

[Randy V]

Will - When you have been around racing as many decades as I have - you will realize a couple of things from pure experience;

1) People have and will continue to "BUY" trophies if for no other reason than bragging rights.
2) Just because someone has the bucks to buy the best in performance for their car, does not mean that they can buy the talent for themselves to make use of all that performance.

Beating other cars is nothing. Beating other drivers in equally prepared cars - now THAT, my friend, is what real winning is all about.

Look into any other form of motorsports that has an unlimited category (note that they are fading) - and you will find that the biggest wallet does not always win - but it has been known to tip the scales on quite a regular basis..

I've watched drivers like Boris Said get out of a very high dollar - well prepared racecar that was sidelined in a crash not of his making - turn right around and get into a racecar that was easily 5 years old and of mediocre quality by the standard of the day and he put that car up front.
It was not the latest and greatest that got that car to the front of the pack. It was the talent of the driver in conjunction with the preparation level of the car.

Turn laps wheel to wheel with a group of drivers in equally prepared cars week after week for a couple of seasons or more. The most memorable victories you will have will be those where you actually had to work very hard and stay extremely sharp throughout the race. Those where you win by a half-lap may look very impressive to those sitting in the bleachers - but to you as the driver - it will feel almost like a shallow victory...

Now - all that said - I am a huge fan of the SL-C. I want to see these cars in a series. I want to see a dozen or more of them on the track at the same time with equally prepared drivelines and aero. I want to see the winner of that race with a smile so tight and hard that you couldn't wipe it off his face with a shovel...

 

[Kevin L]

I live close by (downtown) and would like to stop over to say hello. Do you have the schedule?

I will probably bring the 40 down if the weather is nice.

Kevin

 

[Mesa]

The most expensive race SLC yet built is so far seriously lacking in the results department. Our dear white SLC from Reno has all the needed money and on paper should destroy most cars it would ever face, but so far lacks the basic dedication to make it run the way it should.

Money does not buy commitment.

 

[Dean Lampe]

I really would like to make that trip. Maybe me and the boys could come up for a day. What day do you think would be the best from a spectator perspective?

 

[Kevin L]

Money does not buy commitment.

I disagree... I have seen many relationships where very attractive women are seriously "committed" to old rich men.

 

[Randy V]

I disagree... I have seen many relationships where very attractive women are seriously "committed" to old rich men.

Reminds me of the old saying:

Money can't buy love, but it can rent something that looks and feels just like it...
:laugh:

 

[Ron Earp]

The SLC did very well in the VIR 13 Hour. There it competed with some very fast ex-World Challenge cars, professional drivers with pro support, and strong amateur teams alike. And, in that race it is for 13 hours, not just a 25 minute sprint or 1.5 hour race - enduro racing isn't for the faint of heart.

I was quite impressed with the team's accomplishments and look forward to seeing the SLC again at the 13 Hour and hopefully at Thunderhill's enduro and other tracks around the country.

 

[Jeff Young]

The SLC is one nice race piece. Close to 2:00 flat laps at that power and development level (I'm sure there is more to go) is pretty damn awesome. I can't remember the DP times when ALMS was last at VIR (they are back this year) but I think the were low 1:50s, so the SLC is within striking range.

And given what the SLC costs compared to a full on Daytona Protoype? Wow.

NASA may have somethign going with this Super Unlimited class as a refuge for aged out ALMS cars, and other over the top home brew creations like the SLC.

 

[Will Campbell]

For Dean, Kevin and anyone else who wants to come to the track, Friday will feature an enduro of (we think) 3 hours. We will probably have another driver to share the joy, as Ryan looked askance at the prospect of running the car for 3 hours without a break! Look for an announcement soon as to the identity of the Mystery Co-driver. (hint: it isn't me, despite 4+ decades of being around racing. Or maybe it is because of all those decades of being around racing...)

Saturday and Sunday will feature the usual NASA weekend schedule which, broadly, is practice in the early morning, then qualifying, then a race in the afternoon.

NASA Midwest hasn't posted the schedule yet, so we don't have the actual times for these activities. However, the event details page is located here: NASA Midwest - National Auto Sport Association

Team Superlite Cars welcomes visits at the track, and unless there is a problem we are working at the moment, we generally have time to chat and explain the car, arrange pictures, etc.

We'll only be at Autobahn once this year, so if it is local to you (in the Chicagoland area), please stop by and check out the National Championship-winning car! This year we have a few changes to the car lined up, so we hope to make an impression!

 

[Kevin L]

Look for an announcement soon as to the identity of the Mystery Co-driver. (

Will,
Thanks for announcing that I will be co-driving this race, I have great experience with Gran Turismo and feel my video game experience will directly relate to "real" racing...

Looking forward to coming out. I will probably need to come on Saturday as I cannot skip out of the office Friday.

Kevin