News: Leno sets speed record at Talladega in CGT

kstar · 09-02-2005, 05:14 PM

FYI:

Leno sets speed mark in Porsche at Talladega
Friday, September 02, 2005
MIKE BOLTON
News staff write

TALLADEGA - You knew Jay Leno was quick with a quip.

Thursday, the "Tonight Show" host set three world speed records for production cars at Talladega Superspeedway, but not before giving Porsche officials and himself quite a scare.

Leno, an avid car enthusiast, drove a stock Porsche Carrera GT to a speed of 156.603 to establish the world record for the fastest lap ever run from a standing start on a closed course by a production vehicle. He also set records for the fastest mile (128.14) and fastest kilometer (110.478) for a production car from a standing start.

The records runs were sanctioned by the Grand American Racing Series.

Two hours prior to the record runs, Leno was testing at speed when he lost control in the speedway's tri-oval. Leno had just passed the timing light at more than 182 mph when he drifted high in the tri-oval and got caught up in debris near the wall.

The 605-horsepower, $450,000 vehicle spun five times on Talladega's front stretch but never hit the wall. The car suffered only minor damage after hitting a cone located in the grass in the tri-oval. Leno was wearing a helmet and seat belts, but the car had no roll cage.

A shaken Leno managed to laugh off the incident.

"NBC thinks I'm at the go-kart track in Malibu," he quipped.

Asked if 182 mph was the fastest that he had ever been in a car, Leno managed a laugh. "No, he said, "but that's definitely the fastest I've ever been backwards."

Leno, who has a collection of 85 antique automobiles and race cars, loves to go fast. He has driven a jet car 278 mph on the dry lake bed at El Mirage, Calif., and once drove a pre-production race car more than 200 mph in Spain. He has also driven the pace car at the Indy 500 and Daytona 500.

Danny Donahue, the son of the late Mark Donahue, also set three world records Thursday. He did so on the track where his father set the world speed record of 221.160 for a closed course in 1975. Donahue died 10 days later after that record run in a crash in Australia.

Driving the same car as Leno, Donahue set records for the fastest lap ever in a production vehicle in a flying start (195.145) and records for the mile (198.971) and kilometer (195.755) in the same category.

Leno said the car, provided by Porsche but identical to the one he owns, was a little nerve-racking at such speeds.

"It was a little scary, actually very scary," Leno said. "Only an idiot wouldn't be a little afraid out there.

"I'm used to driving on the streets so it's amazing to me how at these speeds a quarter-pound or half-pound of tire pressure can make such a difference. You can run over a dime on this track and tell if it's heads or tails."

Leno received instructions and driving tips from Porsche officials and Donahue much of the morning before making the record runs in the afternoons.

"Danny tells me this morning to stay off the painted stripes in turns one and two because its turns are in the shade and there's still some dew on them," he said. "How would I know something like that? All I know how to do when I'm driving is to look out for black ice."

Leno arrived in Alabama late Wednesday and took a few quick laps around Barber Motorsports Park in a Porsche before visiting the Barber Vintage Museum.

"I believe it's the greatest museum in the United States," Leno said. "The focus is on the machinery and not anything else. I think every motor sports fan in the U.S. needs to come see it. Most museums I've been to are an ego thing to the owner but this one is all about the vehicles. It was nice, relaxing, fun place to go."

E-mail: mbolton@bhamnews.com

© 2005 The Birmingham News
© 2005 al.com All Rights Reserved.

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link: http://www.al.com/sports/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/1125653135142050.xml&coll=2

Regards,

Kurt

Zeke · 09-02-2005, 05:36 PM

I have spent many hours at Talladega and worked a safety crew in a wrecker for 2 events of 3 days each. One time it rained and all the wreckers, ambulances, etc. were out constantly running to try to keep the track dry. It didn't work very well as the rain was a little too heavy to keep up with. Needless to say, after 3 hours and 2 tanks of deisel, I had run quite a few laps at 70 MPH, as fast as the ol' wrecker would go. Of course, at 60 MPH, the thing just slid sideways down the banking. 70 is the min to stay up there and not dog track. The race car pace laps are at about 100 and they look like they are going half of that.

All of this is just to say that I have a LOT of respect for anyone who drives that sucker at speed. Coming off of 2 and downhill onto the back straight is awesome but kinda weird even at 70 in the rain. Anyone doing high up in the 100's has got to keep on their toes. The tri-oval didn't seem so tricky, but again, I was doing 70, not 170.

My hat is off to Jay. Outstanding.

Chuck Moreland · 09-02-2005, 05:39 PM

Wow! Leno does a tank slapper at 182. I'm just glad he didn't add to the growing CGT RIP list.

I sure hope he had more safety equipment than the article would suggest.

sammyg2 · 09-02-2005, 05:54 PM

Wow, even a CGT ends up going to the inside when spinning in a turn. I thought only 911s did that.

Sonic dB · Sonic dB's Garage

Quote:

You can run over a dime on this track and tell if it's heads or tails."

Zeke · 09-02-2005, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sammyg2
Wow, even a CGT ends up going to the inside when spinning in a turn. I thought only 911s did that.

The "banking" in the tri-oval is 18* or a little more than half of the turns. Turns are 33* whereas Daytona is 31* Both are 2.66 mi., depending on where you drive. That's why the record seekers go to Talladega.

Even the back straight is not level for drainage. It's about 6*, or the slope of a handicap ramp. Most cars go towards the center in a spin wherever they are on the track.

"You can run over a dime on this track and tell if it's heads or tails."

Cute racer talk.

Maltese Falcon · 07:29 PM

Reporter needs to do a continuity check: M. Donahue crashed in Austria not Australlia. His son's name is David not Danny (unless there's another son I'm not aware of).
Mad Props to Leno, he once did a burnout contest on his show , other contestant was Tim Allen

Marty

beamonk · 09-02-2005, 07:26 PM

I have been around the track at 160+ in a Mercedes C43 with a woman from Skip Barber driving. It was wild, flyong by that wall at those speeds is something else. That girl/woman/driver was awesome.

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

Yikes, I know that NBC doesn't like him to do stuff like that - we were at an event many years ago, where he supposedly couldn't go because his contract forbids things like that.

We'll have the TopGear review of the Carrera GT on our Plasma at the German Autofest - a very squirrelly car at high speeds...

In fact, I tend to think that this car reminds me of the early Porsche Turbos that were pulled off the market here in the US because they were too fast and too dangerous.

-Wayne

Dutchie · 09-03-2005, 03:26 AM

Quote:

Asked if 182 mph was the fastest that he had ever been in a car, Leno managed a laugh. "No, he said, "but that's definitely the fastest I've ever been backwards."

LMAO

Great article Kurt !

Cheers,

Par911 · 09-03-2005, 09:08 AM

Respect........

SLO-BOB · 09-03-2005, 09:35 AM

I'll go ahead and be the one bad guy on this. I think this is analogous to people who pay to have their a$$es dragged up Mount Everest. If you have the dough, you get to go. Same thing at Talledega. Car nut celeb risks himself and a 1/2 million dollar car to make the record books......backwards.

He may be a decent driver. Probably waay better than me, but he did admit he knew jack about the speedway and had to be tutored by Donahue about the fine points of driving Talledega. He proved my point, I think, by pushing the limits too far and very nearly losing everything.

I say leave the records to people who really earn them.

Or maybe I'm just jealous.

RussianBlue · 09-03-2005, 09:58 AM

I agree, it's sour grapes for me.......

Sometimes get tired of articles, TV shows, and the like showing "priveledged" people having fun....

Obviously I would do the same but I can still be bitter

Dan Mc Intyre · Dan Mc Intyre's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by RussianBlue
I agree, it's sour grapes for me.......

Sometimes get tired of articles, TV shows, and the like showing "priveledged" people having fun....

Obviously I would do the same but I can still be bitter

I tend to agree with this statement. But Leno appears to be a genuinely nice guy that seems to go out of his way to try and be an "average" guy. Gotta be tough to do with that kind of money, but he seems to do a decent job of it.

Dan

Zeke · 11:35 AM

The last 3 posts are very good. As I said, the place is special and no novice should think he can just go out there and wing it.

That having been said, I was standing out there doing nothing one day (I lived in Talladega for 1 year) and Brett Bodine and Kenny Schrader were doing some intake manifold development for Ernie Elliot. P.J. Jones was supposed to be on hand for a test, but he hadn't arrived.

Quite late in the day, a private plane with Jones in it landed at the airstrip there (the whole place used to be a WWII airfield) and he came over the the pits and hopped in a car just as soon as he could suit up. Now, I never liked this whiny, sniveling little squeaky voice POS. (We used to see him at the kart tracks as a youngster a lot, but not too much of his dad.) But PJ took off down the pit lane thru those extra tall gears and never lifted anywhere on his FIRST tour of the track. Granted, it was a restricted motor, but they are still very fast at 450 HP in what was then a 3500# car. And he continued to burn the place up until dark. A real racer is a real racer. A talk show comedian is not.

I still like it, though, even as you guys above (last 3) are right.

DaveE · 09-03-2005, 04:13 PM

I'll still watch Letterman...........

anthony · 09-03-2005, 04:37 PM

Personally, I think Leno is crazy for doing 180mph in any car without a full cage and safety gear. I know the record was for a stock car but I'd let someone else risk their life for that record.

89turbocabmike · 09-03-2005, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
In fact, I tend to think that this car reminds me of the early Porsche Turbos that were pulled off the market here in the US because they were too fast and too dangerous.

-Wayne

Ain't that coooool

masraum · 09-03-2005, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by anthony
Personally, I think Leno is crazy for doing 180mph in any car without a full cage and safety gear. I know the record was for a stock car but I'd let someone else risk their life for that record.

I think that given the opportunity I'd do it in a sec. I wouldn't even have to think twice.

Yep, it's dangerous, but you only live once. I'm not a daredevil type really, but hell yeah, I'd do it.

Hell, I did 150 in my '88 911 with no cage, no helmet, bad shocks (I didn't know that at the time), and street tires on I-10. (only 1 other car was around and he was following me) It was dumb, a bit scary, and a huge rush. I'm thinking that the CGT would be much, much smoother at 150. I'd take a bit of time to get the cojones to go 180 in the CGT on a circle track, but then again I don't own a McLaren F1 either, Leno does. I'm betting he's got a bit of high speed experience. It's just too bad they didn't tape his sessions.

Hugh R · 12:48 PM

I'm surprised that NBC let him do it (maybe they really didn't know). He's the most valuable asset that NBC owns.