Steve Rea

iTrader: (1)

Hi All,

For those LS engine enthusiasts, I thought you'd appreciate our accomplishment. Our PorVette, just logged our 2nd consecutive class win (Super Unlimited) and 1st Overall Race Win, at the July 7th Western Endurance Racing Championship 3 hour day into night enduro.

Basic car specs:
LS1 engine (2001 camaro)
lightened flywheel, Exedy dual disc clutch
custom headers with straight exhaust
Corvette C5 torque tube, transaxle, rear suspension
LG Motorsports rear coilovers
LG Motorsports tranny/differential pump with coolers
2500 lbs. without driver or gas

Big thanks to Jim Pierce (www.PierceMotorsports.com) for building the car, to my co-driver Doug Baron, for putting it on the pole and driving an awesome, strong race and prepped the car and carried out a clean/no mistake pitsop.

Also big thanks to our sponsors:
Stoptech Brakes
Exedy Clutches
GT-Racing bodywork
Endura Paint

Race conditions were very tough throughout the weekend with air temps up to 108+ degrees. You can imagine what the road/car temps were, yet the car never got over 215 degrees water temp, and ran without a hitch.

Some of the competition we topped:
Mazda Renesis powered Sports Racer (1500lbs!!)
Viper Competition Coupe
BMW M3 (2004)
various other BMW M3's (earlier models)
Grand-Am Honda Research Acura Integras
others...

So in our last two races, we were:
June Thunderhill enduro - 1st in Class, 2nd Overall (lost to Mazda sportsracer)
July Willow Springs enduro - 1st in Class, 1st Overall

The car is still far from its speed potential and we're looking forward to making some significant improvements to get it there.

If curious, some photos are here:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2640341

Sponsorship opportunities available for final 3 races plus 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Please contact Steve Rea at steven_rea@hotmail.com .

Thanks,

Steve
"Life is Good"

Chef

Well Done!!!

Killer_Bluebird

iTrader: (23)

Good Job! I bet that is a blast to drive. I've ridden in a 944 race car before and they are definitely down on power, but they handle really good. So the combination LS1 power and and lightweight 944 platforms sounds like a great match!

gnx7

iTrader: (28)

Congrats on the wins! I have always enjoyed following the buildup/development of it into a winning racecar.

What is the approx weight distribution front/rear? I really like the use of the Vette transaxle/suspension.

With all the mods done to the car.... couldn't you have started out with a non turbo 944 and gotten the same results? You replaced the brakes and bodywork... so there really isn't much of a difference between the 2 is there?

dailydriver

It almost looks like one of the old IMSA GT class cars (i.e.; Dekon Monzas, etc.)!

Steve Rea

iTrader: (1)

Interestingly, the bodywork is actually copied from what Porsche ran on their 944 turbo entry into LeMans when I believe they took 8th place overall, though I don't remember the year.

Steve Rea

iTrader: (1)

Yes, the combination of light weight and GM power was what I was shooting for, though it's turned out heavier than we planned. Since we will likely be running in rain for the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, and this car should be wicked fast once fully developed, we didn't want to save weight by sacrificing safety. So the cage is a thicker wall than needed. Extra bars are in the passenger side to protect the fuel cell that sits in the passenger seat area, etc..

Re: weight balance, we opted to put the fuel cell in the passenger area to keep the weight between the axles, and thus improve turn in and keep the CG as low as possible. Other options would have been to run it above the transaxle, making a higher CG, or running a custom cell which acted as saddle bags around the transaxle, which would have been pricey. So now our fr/rr weight balance is approximately:

52% front
48% rear
with excellent coner weights, since the fuel cell offsets the driver weight

We hoped that by not having the fuel cell/gas weight hanging off the tail of the car, that when we go through a 200lb. weight change as we run-off our fuel load, there will be less handling change in the chassis. So far so good, and tires seem to be wearing quite well.

Yes, you're right, that a non-turbo could have been used also, no problem. We are currently still using the Porsche brake and clutch master cylinders, so those could be different between the turbo/non-turbo. We will likely go to a Tilton pedal assembly in the future though.

Am I correct in understanding that to get a C5 Vette to 2500 lbs. takes a lot of money and carbon fiber body panels? Just curious, as it's an answer I can give when often asked "why not just build a Vette! :-)". Then again, part of the fun is going on the Road Less Travelled!