This Saturday night at 8p Speed Channel will be broadcasting the show room stock races from Road America. Acura is in the hunt for the Drivers championship as well as the manufacturers championship. Some of the weight penalty Acura has encurred for winning comes off at this race. Also, it may be the debute of RSX-R in touring class. In Grand sports Acura is sticking with the Vortech supercharged NSX. The Audi's have been winning of late and they'll be fast at Road America with all those long straights and uphill sections. No matter who wins it'll be a great race in both classes. That's touring at 8p and Grand sports at 9p

 

i'd love to see a CL-S stripped of everything and entered in 1 of these races just to see how it would fare...granted, it's not light, nor does it turn on a dime, but it's powerful like the BMW in straightaways...the classic matchup between the Integra-R and bimmers could b spiced up by a CL-S

keep dreaming, right???

 

I talked to Peter Cunningham of REALTIME racing last year at Sebring about doing that very same thing. Peter told me they had tried to develope the CLS for racing, but they never could overcome the lousy weight distribution. The nose heavy CLS just ate up the front tires during development. Plus there was some political issues with the sanctioning body on how to police dual stage induction plus VTEC. The sanctioning body was saying you can have 1 or the other, but not both in trouring class. Or, if you want both you have to race in Grand Sports class versus the Porsches, Vettes, and M3's. Since the Integra R's were winning so often in touring class REALTIME just decided to stay with them and stop development on the CLS.

 

Hey bone_stock,

Since you sound like your really into this thought I would ask...

Is Realtime racing here in Orlando? The reason I ask is, I was driving up OBT one day and saw what appeared to be a racing car trailer that had "Acura Racing" on it... I figured it was just some auto cross guy or something.

Anyway, just wondering if you knew who this was, since your in the Orlando area..

Thanks!

 

NO, REALTIME racing is actually out of Wisconsin. I just know them from talking to them frequently at Daytona and Sebring. Peter Cunningham as well as the other drivers and crew chiefs make themselves very accesable when in the pits. They are more than happy to answer anyones questions. Show room stock races are very cool in that you can just walk right up to a crew chief or a driver and start up a conversation. One time I even had a crew chief ask me to help him out with a jack. Anyway . . ... on the highways and at the track REALTIME racing is very easy to identify. Their cars and Haulers are dayglo orange on the front and rear clips. Odds are if you saw them in Orlando they were just passing through, or maybe doing a promotion for Acura/Honda.

 

how are the C5's doing? I haven't been watching much lately?

 

I can tell by your question you missed one of the best races of the year. A Z06 knocked Peter Cunningham in the NSX out of the way to win Lime Rock. I might be wrong on the track, but a Z06 definitly did win a race this year. It was the first win for Corvette in 2 years. It seems the Vettes always start well, but then fade. They seem to hang around 5th through 10th at the finish. It's difficult for the Vettes because the competition that is winning is boosted. The Audi's are twin turbos, NSX is supercharged, and the Mustangs are supercharged (but they don't ever win). It's the Porsche 911's that are amazing to me. That Porsche flat six in normally aspirated from just kicks the snot out of the Vette's pushrod 350. You would think the Vette would pull the Porsche out of a corner with all that torque, but no way the Porsche is right there and will even pass the Vette on the straight! Amazing! Anyway . . ... don't get me started I love this form of racing!

 

yea, the porsches are amazing, i'm a porsche nut like you wouldn't believe, know anything and almost everything about them. It's amazing what those little things can do. Since when are the mustangs SC'd? I never knew that.


Did the z06 literally knock the realtime car out of the way?

 

The Mustangs are of Saleen decent. Huge power, zero longevity. There's only one and it rarely finishes or keeps tires underneath it. The car is butt ugly with huge fender flares and a front clip that looks nothing like a Mustang. Last but not least the sponsor paints the car in feminine pastels! Yuk!
The Z06, with David Farmer driving, didn't really knock the NSX out of the way on purpose. A back marker went the wrong way and blocked the NSX coming out of a corner. That 1 second loss of the NSX having to dodge the back marker was all the Vette needed to bump its way by and go on to win. The pass happened with 3 laps to go. In all honesty I don't think the NSX would have held the Vette off for the final 3 even if the back marker hadn't of got in the way. David Farmer and the Vette camp was very hungry to win and would have bumped his way by even without the back marker opportunity. It was one of those the NSX wins all the time and the Vette doesn't so LOOK OUT! Fun race to watch much like the upcoming Road America should be!

 

yea road america is a fun track to watch!


and you are right the saleen machine is fuckin ugly. There is actually a car out here that drives on the street w/ that body kit on it!