One Lap Of America

Thinking of doing One Lap any advice out there? Just saw my ride on the featured ride. Look it up and vote it up for me. I would live to see it in print:)
Thanks M427

Get a whole lot more national ink by doing decent in the 2009 challenge. GRM has already given your car more exposure than you'd ever get from that rag, C & D.

I ran in the One Lap in 2007. It's a lot of fun, a real overgrown auto-x, as you spend almost all of your time driving from track to track and very little time on the track itself.

To do well, you really need to have driven on every track they're going to. There are a lot of ringers, people who have pro racers driving their cars.

No need to spend a lot of money on the car, just make sure it's completely reliable before you leave. Don't change anything on the car without ample time to shake it down!

A 3 person team is really nice, as one person can be sleeping while the other two drive and navigate.

I was shooting for a top 20 finish, but some master cylinder troubles dropped us down into the mid 30's...

I have always wanted to do the One Lap myself. A few of my friends and I went to Roebling in 2006 to watch. We ended up helping out a fellow GTO buddy and got to personally see the GT500 that was running around before it was released to the public. Lot of comradity at that event; similar to what I would imagine the 200X challenge would have.

I remember the top five cars included a new (stock) civic type s and a SCCA Viper swapped with a 1,000 small block. So a wide variety.

Good luck if you do the event.

I have run 4 times. Go onto the One Lap website on the forum there and you can find alot of advice from participants.

Interesting. It would seem that the grassroots thing to do would be the '88 or older Classic American/Import classes. Maybe an early C4 Corvette (I've been looking for an excuse to buy one) or an RX7? An E30 would probably do okay too.

I ran a few times back when John Buffim was winning the overall, definetaly a memorable experience but you need some time and money to do it right. It is hard to pick a wringer for a class because they are based on the original purchase price of the vehicle. You can start with a Chevy Lumina and enter the under $30,000 sedan class, but drop a full cage and Nascar Motor into it!

My advice is to pick something fun on the track but liveable for 2-3 people for a week. A tricked-out Volvo Turbo Wagon was always what I wanted.

spec miata?

neon4891 wrote: spec miata?

Would you want to spend a week driving around the country in one? I'd need to be about half a foot shorter for my legs not to cramp up.

pinchvalve wrote: My advice is to pick something fun on the track but liveable for 2-3 people for a week. A tricked-out Volvo Turbo Wagon was always what I wanted.

You can pick up a V70R (Volvo turbo wagon) for rather cheap right now. Check out swedespeed.com for some pretty good deals. I had my S60R competitive with E46 M3's and FD RX-7's.

I'd go into classic american or import, as generally not that many people enter those classes. An friend of a friend has been dominating classic import in his old 930 for awhile now.

Realize this is NOT a grassroots event, people spend TONS of money on prepping their cars (or are factory supported) and get ringer drivers.

Go to have fun...

docwyte wrote: I'd go into classic american or import, as generally not that many people enter those classes. An friend of a friend has been dominating classic import in his old 930 for awhile now. Realize this is NOT a grassroots event, people spend TONS of money on prepping their cars (or are factory supported) and get ringer drivers. Go to have fun...

Yeah, it's probably not the best way to get the most track time for $2500. The experience off-track would have to be able to make it...

Canute wrote:

docwyte wrote: I'd go into classic american or import, as generally not that many people enter those classes. An friend of a friend has been dominating classic import in his old 930 for awhile now. Realize this is NOT a grassroots event, people spend TONS of money on prepping their cars (or are factory supported) and get ringer drivers. Go to have fun...

Yeah, it's probably not the best way to get the most track time for $2500. The experience off-track would have to be able to make it...

Except I may be running it in a Protege...

I have run it once in 2007 - I would do it again.

Thanks for the advice I would be doing it in my 1991 M5 with the 427 in it. not very confirtable but very reliable. On a good day it will turn a 1.09 min lap at Phoenix International so it is quick but will not run against a built ZO6 turining sub 1.07 laps. There is also no way to run a 3 person team and sleeping in the car would not be possible. This might be a good event for the rental car option:). Get a cheep set of wheels and some DOT R compound tires. Thanks for the advice.

If possible get someone who has run before to help a first timer on avoiding all those mistakes and the pace of the event.

You can't run R compound tires. You have to use street tires bought from the Tire Rack.

I'd seriously reconsider your car choice. You spend very little time on track. Lap times are based on your personal knowledge of the track. You get 1 recon lap, that's it. So the most powerful car won't make up for the lack of track knowledge.

Almost ALL your time is spent in the car doing the transits. You need a fairly comfortable car and while having a 3 person team isn't needed, it makes life much more pleasant.

docwyte wrote: You get 1 recon lap, that's it. So the most powerful car won't make up for the lack of track knowledge.

I'm not sure I could justify that kind of expense for two laps at each venue, if that's what you're saying.

It sounds like something to do when I retire in about 100 years. I thought you got a few sessions at each track not a chance for that little track time. Even the silverstate has a track day before the event and there event has nothing to do with race tracks.

You get 1 hot/recon lap, then 3 timed laps in the morning, same in the afternoon. So you really only get 6 laps per track.

That's why I liken it to an auto-x. You spend most of your time driving from track to track, and get very little seat time. Just like an auto-x where you're out there all damn day for maybe 5-6 minutes of seat time.