Regional Mitsubishi road racing sucess

[lethal_vr4]

I figured I would post this for those that do not know, as we always do not hear about regional Mitsubishi's succeeding on the track.


This year Slow old poop, aka Rich Merritt (my crazy old man neighbor) won the NASA TTR (Time Trial Race) class this year in the Midwest region. Last years winner was AMS Evo VIII that has been winning races since it was built AMSPerformance.com. The AMS Evo went on to dominate the Redline Time Attack series. This is Rich's last year racing.

Rich Merritt Racing is made up entirely of Mitsubishi enthusiasts.
Rich (Old time 3/S road racer)
Brent (DSM fanatic)
Jon (myself lethal from 3SI/3ST)
Mike (Distrubedkorn for 3SI/3ST)

NOTE not pictured are:
The lovely Jessica T (Mirai_Strife from 3SI): photographer and late supervisor/party pooper.
Dan Dillion (Maddog from 3SI/3ST): part time wrench-monkey and part time sun bather.

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EDIT: What the heck did DSMtuners do to my linked pic? Click on the image to see it in it's native (non-crappy) format.

 

[WatchItExplode]

Congradulations! That's awesome to see you guys proving that our old cars can still kick ass

 

[Phil1320]

Very nice.......good job guys......at least he goes out on top! Also, that car is very nice as well. Gotta love the CCW wheels against the blue. Congrats!

Phil Beers

 

[tsiboosted]

Great job Rich !!! I always follow what he (Slow old poop) was doing in his 1G. I love seeing DSM's doing well at road racing events. Keep up the good work guys.

 

[zatomz]

If you don't mind my asking, What does it take to get started racing. Do they say here's a sheet of requirements and you fulfill or do you just get recognized and then have to know someone? It's something I want to do in my future so I thought I could ask someone who's been there. Good job at the track though, Hopefully they'll put your car in a magazine like the AMS Evo.

 

[tsiboosted]

If you don't mind my asking, What does it take to get started racing. Do they say here's a sheet of requirements and you fulfill or do you just get recognized and then have to know someone? It's something I want to do in my future so I thought I could ask someone who's been there. Good job at the track though, Hopefully they'll put your car in a magazine like the AMS Evo.

Well I wrote this thread on it. It is basically what it took to get myself and my car into shape for a road racing series. Give it a look and see what all I did. Some items will apply to you, others may not. Like I said, it is what I did to get myself and the car ready to road race. Let me know if you have any questions on what you have to do for yourself, your car or anything for that matter.

What it Takes to Road Race

I see you live in Louisiana as well. I race in a road race series near Baton Rouge Louisiana called the Grand Bayou Race Series. We race there the 1st weekend of every month through March of '08. The day before there is always a practice/lapping day event. You should come and check it out. For the lapping day, all that is really required is that your car be in good running order and you have an approved helmet. If you do not have an approved helmet, there are loners there for you to use. Below is another link explaining a little more about the lapping day event. The cost of this event is usually right around $115. But that is for quite a bit of track time. It runs from 9 am till 4 pm.

Lapping Day Information

 

[mavisky]

Congrats Rich.

Oh and sorry about the pic, but any linked pic larger than 700x700 is automatically reduced.

 

[lethal_vr4]

Very nice.......good job guys......at least he goes out on top! Also, that car is very nice as well. Gotta love the CCW wheels against the blue. Congrats!

Phil Beers

Thanks! They were actually loaned to Rich from my race car (3000GT VR-4). Rich is one bad ass driver. I hate to see him go (but at least now I don't have to keep his DSM together!) I wish I had 1/4 the skill/balls he has.... Rich always refers to me as his protoge....Let's hope I live up to the name. I have my eyes on the midwest TTR champ for 2008.


mavisky: No worries mate, I will resize/rehost.

 

[Phil1320]

No prob. I bet he is. I too have been amazed at the skills behind the wheel of some people I know. It reminds me that I'm still a novice! I'm starting to ease my way back into road racing. It's been more than 10 years since my last track day in my Talon. I ran Lime Rock and Pocono with PDA this year in my EVO. Had a blast. Lime Rock I was in White, for Pocono they jumped me up to Blue, where I would like to stay for a while. I don't know if I have the finances to compete in NASA, but, if I did it would be the TT classes. I sold the EVO and now still have my 90 Talon that I would like to transition from drag racing to road racing in '08. Maybe you guys can give me some pointers some day.

I don't think I'd be able to assemble a team like yours as most guys around here are ONLY into straight line.

I'd like to see a pic of your 3000, that's a large car to road race, how is it?

Sorry to hijack this thread. I'll post elsewhere about my set-up and hopefully you and others will embrace and send me in the right direction.

Last thing, are you taking over the Eclipse, or are you going to run the 3000 for TT next year.

Again, congrats, it's stuff like you guys are doing that inspires me to stop drag racing 100% and get involved in road racing, even if at a very low level I can afford.

Phil Beers

 

[lethal_vr4]

I'd like to see a pic of your 3000, that's a large car to road race, how is it?


Last thing, are you taking over the Eclipse, or are you going to run the 3000 for TT next year.

Phil, Below are some pics of my track VR-4. It ways about the same weight as Rich's car ~3000lbs but puts down about twice the HP, bigger tires, wheels. better gearing. I always like to think of the Eclipses as baby 3000GT's, they are pretty similar.

Rich is selling the Eclipse to one of the previous owners that competed in One Lap of America. Owning three TT 3/S I have no room in my garage or wallet for yet another diversion... I've spent way to much time (lots of fabrication time) on my VR-4 to start over with Rich's

Enjoy
PS you can See Rich and Brent in some of the pics below:

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[Phil1320]

All I can say is HOLY SHIT. Killer looking machine! Looks like the same color of my '05 EVO. I love CCW Wheels. I actually stopped in at CCW last year when in Daytona for the Rolex 24(My Aunt&Uncle live there.)

I remember driving a friends 520 AWHP 3000 with, I think it was twin 20G's back then, and to this day that is still one of the fastest machines I've ever driven. It was stock weight though.......3799.

Looks like you've got a formidable machine that may get you to your goal for '08. Good Luck!

What type of power is/was Rich's GSX? Turbo size? I'm still on the 14b....granted, I don't have a cage or any of the road racing safety equip, but, my Talon is just under 2400lbs. right now....


Phil

 

[Defiant]

EDIT: What the heck did DSMtuners do to my linked pic? Click on the image to see it in it's native (non-crappy) format.

After years of begging users to post pictures that won't explode our page tables, and use links for those that do, we finally found a script that does it for them.

Kind of like a rookie two laps down who won't get out of the way, you know?

 

[gsx roadracer]

Congrats Rich and team members for a successful season!

I hope to see you guys out this upcoming year at some of the midwest events. That 3000 looks pretty mean and I am anxious to see what it can do.

I will most likely be running NASA TT this upcoming season, but am unsure exactly which class I will be running in. I am having a new engine built and should have quite a few options for classing, all depending upon how far I want to crank the boost up.

 

[underradar92]

Mad props Rich! I do hope you will still be attending the usual spring and fall track days.

Also cannot wait to see all the work, in person, on the pair of 3s's. I suppose that implies that I expect y'all to show up also.

Good on all that!

 

[lethal_vr4]

Phil: I'll let Rich let the cat out of the bag on his HP/TQ numbers if he wants.

Thanks Jim,

The first shake down run on my VR-4 I'm planning on is this spring at Road America... should be a good time.

BTW: You still up to try and make me some tubular LCA's for my VR-4? Let me know and I will pull and ship um to you. How's "blackcar" coming?

 

[absolute_DSM]

Hey congrats guys and nice pic

Glad you guys let me tag along that day at MAM, really opened my eyes to what I needed to get done.

And Mike, you never told me that VR4 was that sexy.. damn..

 

[Phil1320]

No prob. I don't exactly need the HP numbers, I was just trying to get an idea of the power only because I still run the stock 14b and will for a bit longer hopefully to recapture the 14b ET record for drag racing. I think it will be a great road race set up as well, but, will most likely jump to the EVO 3 16G. Better question maybe: Which turbo was the choice for TT?

Phil

 

[lethal_vr4]

Eric: You should come over. I'm having a bunch of Mitsu people over for the Iowa annual x-mas party. Looks like you are close to Mike in Des Moines, I'm sure you could bum a ride.

The details:
What: Winter Meet
Where: Jon's & Jess's Place (PM me if you need directions!)
When: Saturday, December 22nd starting at 3pm to whenever
Why: Because we can!

Phil: Rich's max horsepower in his NASA class he was planning on running was 8.7:1 (NOTE: not TTR). His car is approx 3000lbs.
Turbo choice is a bit like asking what's your favorite color.... everyone has an opinion. I'd look for quick spooling turbo that provides the most torque under the dyno plot, that can hold around 20PSI to redline (you won't need more boost then that). You don't need a massive "drag racing" turbo. The lag will kill you, and running a ton of boost is just not reliable enough for the road course in my opinion. There is nothing wrong with a 14b. I ran the tiny 9b's on my VR-4 for years and was usually the fastest guy on the track. I am now running twin GT28RS turbos that are still considered by most to be "small-ish" turbos for my platform. I choose them mainly on their boost response curves in relation to possible output.

 

[stealthTT]

Time Trials and Performance Tuning can be as complicated as you want to make it. You can scramble and fight for every last advantage, or you can go out and be at 90-95% of your potential with only a little bit of effort. For instance, don't run an 800hp drag strip turbo at 400hp. You want to make a basic estimate of what power level you want to have, with a wide powerband so you don't fight lag, while running the turbo efficiently to minimize heat. It gets a little more complicated when changing your turbo because you have to apply for reclassification.

This is based on your weight to hp ratio and car type (awd/fwd/rwd, 2 or 4 doors, etc.) But NASA makes it easy. They ask that you email what non-power mods you have so they can figure your points that you'll be using no matter what. They ask for the weight of the car like it's ready to race with you included. Then they run the algebra and say you could run x amount of horsepower for y class. Then you can pick a turbo that will make that power reliably and efficiently with little lag and then tune for that hp. You will need to submit a dyno sheet and your official weight to NASA before you can compete in that class.

For instance I emailed my info and was told the following info:

My 1992 AWD, 2-door, Dodge Stealth RT/TT with mods of:
coilovers (+3 for simple struts and +2 for springs)
adj. control arms (+4)
Toyo RA-1s (+5)
Tire size of 255 [points change with your base class] (TTC +5, TTB +4, or TTA -5)

Based on an AWD vehicle model at 3500 lbs competition weight:
268 awhp TTC
310 awhp TTB
347 awhp TTA

Based on an AWD vehicle model at 3650 lbs competition weight:
280 awhp TTC
324 awhp TTB
362 awhp TTA

If you want to research and tune for every last advantage then you have to work a big matrix of variables to build a 'class-beater'. This is where TT and PT gets complicated (if you want to make it that way). You need to decide what mods will make you the most competitive in a class. Then combine that with a hp you tune for and you should land at the top of the class with few or no points to spare. This maximizes the car for the class.

Now the loose nut behind the wheel is going to make the biggest difference in lap times. Your best bet is to spend time and money on driving. This is done by seat time, seat time, seat time, and more seat time coupled with good training. There are some great books out there about driving the road course. Such as Ross Bentley's Speed Secrets:
=http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Secret...chniques (Speed Secrets): Books: Ross Bentley

As well as there are some great websites such as:
http://racerpartswholesale.com/physics.htm
TurnFast : Intro to Racing

 

[Phil1320]

Thanks guys...I guess it can get complicated. I would definitely run the 14b and if not the 16g. I love the 14b. I thought the TT classes more resembled actual Time Attack stuff, that's why I thought cars were making big power.

Using wheel HP my power to weight right now is 8.8:1. Not sure what you're using...if it was crank HP it would be 7.3:1 If I ran the EVO 3 16G I'd be around 7.6:1. BUT, I have no cage in the car yet, so a bit higher.

I've been holding out on the cage as I didn't want a full road race cage weighing me down in the 1/4.

I did one track day at Lime Rock this year, one at Pocono North in my EVO. Before that the last one was back in '96. So, I know, more than combination and all that I need more seat time for sure. I ran in White at Lime Rock and was put in Blue for Pocono. So, it will take me some time to get the skill level up, especially in the Talon. EVO was basically stock with Hoosiers.

Anyway, thanks for the help. Gonna try to hit as many HPDE days as possible next year. I want to try out the new Thunderbolt/New Jersey Motorsports Park next year. I may actually run my '93 NA Talon rather than the AWD to hone my skills and learn momentum at a "safer" pace.

Definitely looking forward to getting more active on the road course....been missing it for a decade........

Phil

 

[tsiboosted]

Definitely looking forward to getting more active on the road course....been missing it for a decade........

Phil

Glad to see you coming back over to the road racing side Phil. Keep us up to date on what you are doing and where you are running. Good Luck !!!

 

[Ludachris]

Thanks guys...I guess it can get complicated. I would definitely run the 14b and if not the 16g. I love the 14b. I thought the TT classes more resembled actual Time Attack stuff, that's why I thought cars were making big power.

Using wheel HP my power to weight right now is 8.8:1. Not sure what you're using...if it was crank HP it would be 7.3:1 If I ran the EVO 3 16G I'd be around 7.6:1. BUT, I have no cage in the car yet, so a bit higher.

I've been holding out on the cage as I didn't want a full road race cage weighing me down in the 1/4.

I did one track day at Lime Rock this year, one at Pocono North in my EVO. Before that the last one was back in '96. So, I know, more than combination and all that I need more seat time for sure. I ran in White at Lime Rock and was put in Blue for Pocono. So, it will take me some time to get the skill level up, especially in the Talon. EVO was basically stock with Hoosiers.

Anyway, thanks for the help. Gonna try to hit as many HPDE days as possible next year. I want to try out the new Thunderbolt/New Jersey Motorsports Park next year. I may actually run my '93 NA Talon rather than the AWD to hone my skills and learn momentum at a "safer" pace.

Definitely looking forward to getting more active on the road course....been missing it for a decade........

Phil

Phil, will you post an Avatar and some gallery pics some day?

 

[Ludachris]

And Rich, you better tell the new owner of your car to login here and keep us up to date on his plans with the car!

 

[Slow old poop]

Holy mackeral! I just got back from a two week vacation, and spotted this thread. I see my Garage Elves have been hard at work in my absence. Not surprising. I went out to dinner and a play one night with my wife, and came home to find the three of them had pulled the motor and transmission while we were out, figured out that the nasty noise was loose flywheel bolts, and were getting ready to put everything back together. What a crew!

In answer to one question above, the car was tuned for 355 hp at the wheels, so it would fit into TTS class. AMS built the 2.3 stroker motor, and they tell me it is capable of 700 hp with a bigger turbo, bigger injectors, and so on.

One reason I am selling it is because my fabulous crew are all building their own track cars, and I can't do this without their help. I simply don't understand all that technology and don't have the wrench skills to keep it together myself. I'm just a shoe. All foot, no brain.

So, I will probably buy some kind of toy car that I can drive to the track with the a/c on, run all weekend, and drive home. Dunno what yet. Something basically stock that I don't have to wrench on much.

I ain't out of the picture yet.

Rich

 

[Phil1320]

Glad to see you coming back over to the road racing side Phil. Keep us up to date on what you are doing and where you are running. Good Luck !!!

I definitely will, and thanks!

Phil