Sebring GT race - Caddy passes Porsche

[kach22i]

SCCA

I saw the race on Speed Channel TV over the weekend, one of the most dynamic moments was near the end (last five laps) when the two Porsches were fighting it out for 2nd and 3rd. The blue Porsche passes the gold & black Porsche on the inside and inside of him was the Caddy CTS passing them both going from 4th to second place. Three abreast side by side craming into a turn.

Such action, just like I-94 on a Friday at 5:00PM.

The announcer said every track will favor one maker or the other, or at least one design layout over the other. The next track would favor Porsche as it's bumpy with lots of turns and no long straightaways.

Which is worse getting beat by a Viper or passed by the CTS? Hey it was great action...........we will get them next time.

Sebring GT race results.

Fn St # Driver/Hometown Sponsor/Car Pts Purse Lps Gap/ Fst Time Fst Spd
Ps Ps Status
1 2 1 Tommy Archer/Duluth/MN c3controls/3R-Racing/Dodge Viper 32 15000 20 2:14.043 99.37
2 4 8 Andy Pilgrim/Del Ray Beach/FL XM/Mobil 1/Motorola/Bose/Cadillac CTS-V 27 4500 20 -0.49 2:13.471 99.80
3 6 66 Robin Liddell/Edinburgh/SL AXAFinancial/PFAFF/Porsche 911 Cup 25 3000 20 -1.406 2:13.851 99.51
4 1 55 Wolf Henzler/Wuertingen/GR Applied Mtrls/Jongbloed Wheels/Porsche 911 Cup 23 1800 20 -1.832 2:13.429 99.83
5 5 16 Max Papis/Miami/FL XM/Mobil 1/Motorola/Bose/Cadillac CTS-V 21 1700 20 -10.903 2:14.610 98.95
6 3 2 Phil McClure/Floris/IA 1st Interstate Inna/3R-Racing/Dodge Viper 20 2400 20 -11.35 2:14.106 99.32
7 9 82 Mike McCann/N. Canton/OH McCann Plastics/K&N Filters/Dodge Viper 19 2800 20 -13.366 2:14.367 99.13
8 10 6 Leighton Reese/Minnetonka/MN Banner Engineering/Corvette C6 18 1200 20 -25.928 2:15.404 98.37
9 11 3 Tim Wiens/Westminster/CO 1st Interstate Inna/3R-Racing/Dodge Viper 17 2100 20 -33.973 2:15.788 98.09
10 17 99 Tom Oates/Chester Sprgs/PA Karauan Trlrs/BadgerComponents/Corvette Z06 16 1000 20 -34.135 2:15.089 98.60
11 12 31 Sonny Whelen(R)/Old Saybrook/CT Whelen Engineering/Corvette Z06 15 800 20 -38.038 2:13.932 99.45
12 14 83 Jim McCann/N. Canton/OH McCann Plastics/K&N Filters/Dodge Viper 14 700 20 -38.312 2:15.608 98.22
13 8 67 Alex Penfold(R)//CN AXAFinancial/PFAFF/Porsche 911 Cup 13 600 20 -40.018 2:15.808 98.08
14 13 13 Bob Woodhouse/Blair/NE Woodhouse Auto Family/Dodge Viper 12 550 20 -53.791 2:14.852 98.78
15 18 30 Mike Davis/Huntington Beach/CA ACS Express/Telstar Group Inc./Saleen SR 11 500 20 -1:06.962 2:16.999 97.23
16 16 51 Lenny Diller/Garden City/NY King Cole Audio Visual Service/Dodge Viper 10 450 20 -1:31.433 2:16.007 97.94
17 27 26 Jameson Riley(R)/Wilton/CT Volvo Cars of North America/Volvo S60 R 9 600 20 -1:38.344 2:16.630 97.49
18 15 53 Mike Hartley/Cherry Hill/NJ Dezigns Const/West Coast Viper/Dodge Viper GTS 8 375 20 -1:38.912 2:15.145 98.56
19 23 76 John Bourassa/Jupiter Island/FL IndecoInc.com/E-Monee.com/Porsche 911 T 7 350 19 -1 lap 2:20.059 95.10
20 20 58 Kenny Hawkins(R)/Raleigh/NC Kenny Hawkins Automotive Inc./Dodge Viper 6 300 19 -18.732 2:19.446 95.52
21 24 94 Philip DiPippo(R)/Garden City/NY Reenie Rcg/Rock Health&Fitness/Corvette Z06 5 19 -24.055 2:21.664 94.03
22 19 77 Brett Pearson(R)/Orlando/FL Ventex Corp/Pearson Motorsport/Dodge Viper 4 19 -54.816 2:16.617 97.50
23 22 02 Adel Elsayed/Boonton Twp/NJ Brisar Delvco/V10 Motorsports/Dodge Viper 3 18 -2 laps 2:18.158 96.41
24 21 41 Warren Diller(R)/Garden City/NY King Cole Audio Visual Service/Dodge Viper 2 18 -8.033 2:17.844 96.63
25 30 34 Tony Gaples/Libertyville/IL Kleinschmidt Inc./Blackdog Rcg/Corvette C6 1 13 Susp. 2:17.108 97.15
26 25 32 Ed Braswell(R)/Key West/FL EG Braswell Construction/Corvette Z06 10 Mech. 2:19.850 95.25
27 7 28 Lou Gigliotti/Dallas/TX LG Pro Long Tube Headers/Corvette C6 6 Engine 2:14.535 99.01
28 26 24 Derek Bell/Boca Raton/FL Volvo Cars of North America/Volvo S60 R 4 Trans. 2:39.321 83.60
29 31 5 Stu Hayner/Yorba Linda/CA GMAC Commercial Finance/Pontiac GTO 2 Engine 2:21.254 94.30
30 29 65 Jon Groom/Boonton/NJ AXAFinancial/PFAFF/Porsche 911 Cup 2 Engine 2:50.067 78.32
31 28 4 Randy Hale/Haddam/CT Hole In The Wall Gang/Hale Prp/Ford Mustang 1 Mech. no time

[CJFusco]

The Porsche Cup car is still 996-based, no? And isn't the Caddy CTS brand spankin new? Porsche will get another shot in the arm when they debut the 997-based car.

[Drago]

Those Caddy CTS's are nothing like the production version of the car in the way that the GT3 is based on a regular production 996. They take a section out of the body, thereby making for an overall more squat car while retaining the same basic profile. Caddy was given a lot of breaks in the rules to get those cars competitive.

[kach22i]

Interesting information, rules of racing are meant to be anything but fair, they are set up to allow competition at any price (or so it seams).

What do you fellas know about the Grand-Am cup?

I saw the first race (Daytona) on Speed Channel TV on Friday while going through a box of reciepts for taxes.

The article says:
http://www.grandamerican.com/News/Article.asp?ID=4035

Quote: The No. 05 Mustang and the No. 11 Cadillac weren't the only entries to move up in the official results.

I'm wondering why the corrected results were not posted in the re-broadcast?

Heck of a race - the hood of the gold Mustang came flying off when he was leading the race - he kept racing. He was making some of the best track times of the day witout a hood! So much for aerodynamics!

Heck the convertible BMW Z-4 had what could of been the best lap time of the race and the announcers brought up the aerodynamics of not having a roof for that car.

There were several Porsche 996's in contention for the lead..................but Dayton's long straight aways and the Mustangs HP kept Porsche and BMW at bay. Mazda was off the map - last years series winner (RX-8) was having a bad day.

It was cold an damp (not wet) for the race, several cars racing with ABS (Porsche included) had their brakes lock-up and went into the barrier.

After the race officials straddled the new Mustang with 75lbs for the next race........their reward for winning. From my perspective the Mustangs were not holding back, and had no clear advantage as the lead swaped hands many times with BMW at Daytona.

New minimum weights:

BMW M3: 3000 lbs
Porsche 996: 3050 lbs
Cadillac CTS-V: 3150 lbs
Mustang GT '05: 3200 lbs

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Rather have a CTS-V than a 996.

[RickM]

Guy here at work has a CTS-V. Been in it a few times. Long/Short - It's a wolf in sheep's clothing. Goes like the dickens for such a large (looking) car. Torque, torque, torque.

[kach22i]

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
Rather have a CTS-V than a 996.

That’s heresy!

[BlueSkyJaunte]

So's a water-cooled rear-engined car!

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
So's a water-cooled rear-engined car!

[CJFusco]

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
So's a water-cooled rear-engined car!

... unless it's a 997

[Leland Pate]

You wanna hear the coolest part?
I actually touched that viper at 3R in their workshop two weeks ago while on tour with Grady Clay in Denver.

They were loading them on the trailers to head down to Sebring.
For some reason, from several angles the new viper bodies look like C5 corvettes to me.
Still cool though.

And I watched thet pass by the caddy on tv too. It appeared to me the two cup car drivers may have been paying too much attension to each other and not that american icon of bloated steel.

[dd74]

Originally posted by BlueSkyJaunte
Rather have a CTS-V than a 996.

Yes. Those CTS-Vs are monsters. I've seen a few here in L.A. They're a lot of things, but they ain't Cadillacs. I hear properly tuned (not factory) they're good for 0-60 in more like 4 seconds.

[bigbrotherjohn]

yeah leland, i think the 996's never saw it coming. Also the caddy came out of that last turn a little faster and was just able to get them at the end of the straight, very impressive. Anyone catch the other SCCA class at sebring before the GT class, the mazda 6 had an amazing last lap and a pass on the last turn, SCCA is very exciting racing. Anyone know what happened to the GT class Audi's? they were really good, are they just taking a season off?

[kaisen]

Tommy Archer rocks! (Had to say it....he's from Minnesota)

I've spent a great deal of time listening to the Caddy guys complain about the rules, so I don't think they are competitive because of an unfair rule advantage. They just have one hell of a motor..... and that motor costs pennies compared to a factory GT3 motor.

The only 'problems' I see with the production CTS-V are:

A base V6 CTS is available as rental/fleet and depreciation is STEEP, and the CTS-V will follow.

The car needs more tire, and there isn't room

The rear suspension suffers from horrible axle tramp accelerating from a standing stop, or over bumps.

Otherwise, it is worthy competitor to a 545i (and both are fugly IMO)

E

[dd74]

Originally posted by kaisen
The only 'problems' I see with the production CTS-V are:

A base V6 CTS is available as rental/fleet and depreciation is STEEP, and the CTS-V will follow.

The car needs more tire, and there isn't room

The rear suspension suffers from horrible axle tramp accelerating from a standing stop, or over bumps.

Otherwise, it is worthy competitor to a 545i (and both are fugly IMO)

E

The only problems you "see" or you have experienced?

[kaisen]

Ummm.... same thing?

I have had the opportunity to drive the CTS-V for 400-500 miles, and 'beat' one on a controlled small road course (more like an autocross course really).

But I don't own one. Living in Minnesota (snow) with kids (small back seats) doesn't put a 405hp rear-driver on my list ........ not one with four doors anyway. If I'm going to have a toy, I'm going to have a REAL TOY. All mine have 2 doors.

If I lived in a southern climate and had a small child or two, the CTS-V would make a great long-distance commuter: Cops don't notice (especially in Machine Silver) ..... great 'squirt'.... and awesome brakes.

E

[kaisen]

Also, Andy Pilgrim is also a kick-ass driver and has lots of experience with the C5R motor that also powers the racing CTS-V.

And I forgot to mention the 425hp Chrysler 300C SRT-8 as a must-drive if you can (or must) live with an automatic. Different beast than a CTS-V.... the 300 muscles its way around with brute force, and the CTS-V feels like a scalpel in comparison.