Competing to be the Best at the Ultimate Track Car Challenge

by Alan Cesar

Ultimate is unambiguous. It’s the pinnacle of achievement, the best there is. We put on the Ultimate Track Car Challenge to find the fastest car out there. Period. Lap times don’t lie, and if you’re not first, you might as well be last: Losers are not the ultimate.

We choose Virginia International Raceway because it has the best of everything: Its fast sweepers, long straights, tight sections, and plenty of elevation changes challenge even the best drivers.

Since the event happens mid-July, it’s also one hottest weekends of the year at VIR—further putting equipment and driver to the test. If you’re not disciplined enough to keep your body cool and hydrated, your lap times will suffer as much as if your car overheats. “Challenges are easy,” said no one, ever.

The top finishers this year were two purpose-built race cars: One was a Viper Stohr; the other, a Wolf GB08. These are tiny race cars with no similarity to what you’d see on the street. The Stohr is powered by a tiny, 1441cc Suzuki engine pushing 250 horsepower; the Wolf has a familiar Honda K20 drivetrain from a Civic Si.

Relax… I do this all the time on Forza

In third overall was a Chevy Monte Carlo formerly built to run oval tracks. Its owner, Jeff Hawkins, modified the aerodynamics and gave it a powerful V8. The man drove it himself to third place overall. Certainly an impressive feat in a field full of shop-backed racers.

Grassroots Motorsports Magazine handed out a number of awards to recognize incredible achievement throughout the field. The fastest car based on a production street machine was a Lamborghini Super Trofeo—a machine that looked as fast as it went.

Another impressive achievement was Doug Wind’s Dodge Neon SRT-4, which not only is the fastest front-wheel-drive car, but also pulled an incredible time of 2:05—a full 6 seconds better than Brian Vinson’s, which won Fastest Mustang. The full list of prize winners is below.

Fastest Overall
Victor Seaber #9 Viper Stohr 1:49.9

Viper Stohr – Fastest Overall, Victor Seaber

Fastest Track Star (based on a production passenger car)
Kevin Conway #99 Lamborghini Super Trofeo 1:58.8

Fastest Pro (built for a professional race series)
Kevin Conway #99 Super Trofeo 1:58.8

Fastest Track Star- Lamborghini Trofeo, Kevin Conway

Fastest Crapcan
Troy Truglio #381 Toyota MR-2 2:18.7

Toyota MR2 – Fastest Crapcan, Troy Truglio

Fastest Special (kit car)
John George #15 Factory Five 818 2:09.5

Fastest Forced Induction (turbo or supercharged)
James Clay #54 Porsche 911 1:54.9

Porsche 911 – Fastest Forced Induction, James Clay. BMW M3 #90

Fastest Front Driver (front-wheel drive car)
Douglas Wind #63 Dodge Neon SRT-4 2:05.6

Fastest One Lapper (One Lap of America competitor)
Douglas Wind #63 Dodge Neon SRT-4 2:05.6

Dodge Neon SRT-4 – Fastest Front Driver, Fastest One Lapper, Douglas Wind.

Fastest Street Car (actually street legal, not just wearing license plates)
Robert Grace #48 BMW 1-M 2:06.5 Car owned by Neil Simon

Fastest Privateer BMW; Presented by Bimmerworld
Robert Grace #48 BMW 1-M 2:06.5 owned by Neil Simon

Fastest Corvette
Mike Howard #0 Chevrolet Corvette 1:58.4

Fastest Mopar; Presented by Gerry Wood Auto Group
Eric Campbell #30 Dodge Viper 1:59.235

Dodge Viper ACR – Fastest Mopar, Eric Campbell.

Fastest Mustang; Presented by Driven Racing Oil
Brian Vinson of Air Lift Performance #49 Ford Mustang 2:11.9

Fastest Honda; Presented by Gerry Wood Auto Group
Brady Woodell #38 Honda S2000 2:11.3

Porsche Cayman ITC

Fastest Porsche
James Clay #54 Porsche 911 1:54.9

Fastest Subaru
Deren Ardinger #51 Subaru 2.5RSTi 2:14.3

Subaru 2.5RS STi – Fastest Subaru, Deren Ardinger

Fastest Mazda
Eric Campbell #30 Mazda RX-7 2:06.8

Fastest LS-Powered Car; Presented by Driven Racing Oil
Mike Howard #0 Corvette 1:58.4

Fastest Brick; Presented by Low Country Communications
Paul Patrick #357 Subaru Forester 2:20.9

Subaru Forester – Fastest Brick, Paul Patrick

Fastest Non-Aero Euro; Presented by GMP Performance
Matt Mcbride #99 BMW M3 2:13.2

Fastest Showroom Stock
Matt Mullins #6 BMW M6 2:14.5

Fastest Miata
Aaron Johnson #41 2:18.44

Mazda Miata – Fastest Miata, Aaron Johnson.

The full story will appear in the November 2013 issue of Grassroots Motorsports, click HERE to subscribe and make sure you don’t miss the issue.