Ron Earp
Admin
We want to win the 13 Hour enduro. Not just in class, but overall. This year, in 2006, a ITS 2nd Generation RX7 came home with the win. Now, the car was well prepped and well driven, but a car like that works hard to turn 2:15 laptimes. A Daytona Coupe from 2005, that didn't finish due to failure in hour one, ran some 2:01s - over 15 seconds a lap faster, on average, than the next closest car that year.
I think a Lola Spider could run at least 2:01s and faster. It'll weigh less, and, we'll get some good handling out of it. The problem is going to be how much power to put in the car and balancing that with lap times and fuel stops.
Fuel stops are a killer. They average around 2:30 to 3:00 mins, and are mandated, I think, at a minimum of 1:30 mins. You can throw away all your hard earned progress with a fuel stop. Maximum amount of fuel you can carry is 25 gallons, so you can forget lugging 50 gallons out and staying out for four hours.
In the case of the Daytona Coupe that ran 2:00s in 2005 it needed to pit for fuel every 30 minutes I am told. So, every 30 minutes it uses around 3:00 to 5:00 minutes (taking on 25 gallons takes longer than taking on 10 gallons in the Miata) in the pits. A Miata can run for a good 1 hour 30 minutes before refueling, therefore, compared to a Miata the Daytona Coupe gives up six minutes of time every time the Miata pits.
Now, a Miata can comfortably run 2:25 all day long for one and a half hours. Basically every six laps the Coupe will lap the Miata, but, every twelve laps the Coupe had to pit to take on fuel - and when the car is fueled the driver must get out.
The advantage, or appeal, of running a car like the Coupe is diminished with the fuel stops - there are too many of them. I think the car was running a 408 Windsor thus had a lot of power, but, also consumed a lot of fuel.
If one assumes that the BSFC of a motor we might use for the enduro is 0.50 pounds of fuel per horsepower hour, and we have 25 gallons or 165 lbs of fuel, then we can calculate a rough idea of endurance based on engine horsepower.
Doesn't look too good, does it? More later......
I think a Lola Spider could run at least 2:01s and faster. It'll weigh less, and, we'll get some good handling out of it. The problem is going to be how much power to put in the car and balancing that with lap times and fuel stops.
Fuel stops are a killer. They average around 2:30 to 3:00 mins, and are mandated, I think, at a minimum of 1:30 mins. You can throw away all your hard earned progress with a fuel stop. Maximum amount of fuel you can carry is 25 gallons, so you can forget lugging 50 gallons out and staying out for four hours.
In the case of the Daytona Coupe that ran 2:00s in 2005 it needed to pit for fuel every 30 minutes I am told. So, every 30 minutes it uses around 3:00 to 5:00 minutes (taking on 25 gallons takes longer than taking on 10 gallons in the Miata) in the pits. A Miata can run for a good 1 hour 30 minutes before refueling, therefore, compared to a Miata the Daytona Coupe gives up six minutes of time every time the Miata pits.
Now, a Miata can comfortably run 2:25 all day long for one and a half hours. Basically every six laps the Coupe will lap the Miata, but, every twelve laps the Coupe had to pit to take on fuel - and when the car is fueled the driver must get out.
The advantage, or appeal, of running a car like the Coupe is diminished with the fuel stops - there are too many of them. I think the car was running a 408 Windsor thus had a lot of power, but, also consumed a lot of fuel.
If one assumes that the BSFC of a motor we might use for the enduro is 0.50 pounds of fuel per horsepower hour, and we have 25 gallons or 165 lbs of fuel, then we can calculate a rough idea of endurance based on engine horsepower.
Doesn't look too good, does it? More later......