Unusual Race Cars

"Justin Hughes" (justinhughes54) 01/09/2015 at 23:07 • Filed to: because race car, saturn, ford ranger

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You go to the track, you expect to see Miatas. You go to a rally, you expect to see Subarus. But it's the cars !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that interest me - for instance, this race winning Saturn SC.

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I first saw this car at the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . (Yes, there really was a Saturn Performance Club.) At the time it was owned by James Walker, Jr., who built it up from its meager beginnings as a sporty looking economy car into a plastic paneled track demon. It was quite successful at races around the Midwest for several years. He brought the race car to our lapping day at Gingerman Raceway. There was no way I could keep up with him in my nearly stock SL2 daily driver!

A couple of years later, James sold to #34 ITA to Jeff Lawton. Jeff was an experienced racer but was new to Saturns. Since he was local to me, I offered to help out, and I ended up crewing for him during his first couple of races. I helped reattach his side mirrors after he got collected at the tail end of a pileup at the start of one race. Another time I almost ended up loaning him my street car's alternator to get through the day, only to find that the car was set up for some sort of special one and mine wouldn't work. But Jeff kept at it, and got the car sorted and set up to his liking. He started winning races, took second place in the NARRC championship three years running, and finally won overall in 2010. Not bad for a car with such simple beginnings.

Speaking of simple beginnings, it doesn't get much more simple than an American pick-em-up truck . Gary DeMasi's Ford Ranger follows the classic formula of shoving a big engine into a small car - er, truck. I first met Gary at Black River Stages in 2012. He was still building up the Ranger at the time, and drove it as the Combo Car at that event (I was co-driving car 0). Gary had been volunteering at rallies since 2004, and finally made the jump to competition in 2013. It may not be the fastest car out there (of course not - it's a truck!) but it's fun to watch, fun to listen to that V8 roar, and a serious crowd pleaser.

What are some of your favorite race cars that shouldn't really be race cars?

(Photo credits: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Justin Hughes 01/09/2015 at 23:24

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Saw this at LSPR in 09. not that it shouldn't be a race car. but it shouldn't really be a rally car

well the pic isn't gonna work, but it was a foxbody with a 383 under the hood.

Justin Hughes > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles 01/09/2015 at 23:27

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I actually have a soft spot for V8 RWD rally cars. They're just so wrong. If it wasn't so heavy I think an ex-cop Crown Vic would be a really fun, very wrong rally car. It's already built tough for it.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Justin Hughes 01/09/2015 at 23:33

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sounds like fun to me. especially a snow rally.

RaggedMile > Justin Hughes 01/10/2015 at 09:46

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That would be fun to see, but I think the front and rear overhangs would be a problem.

Justin Hughes > RaggedMile 01/10/2015 at 10:02

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They are pretty huge, I agree. Oh well.

Dave Smith > Justin Hughes 01/10/2015 at 20:56

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If we wave the 'car' bit, the most unusual things I have seen racing are panel vans.

This is a one-make Ford Transit championship that I saw supporting the Le Mans Series at Estoril.

Problem is that they're just racing against other vans. This, however:

is a Volkswagen something that I saw at Rockingham once racing against Golfs, Corrados, all sorts of things. It wasn't very competitive.

Justin Hughes > Dave Smith 01/10/2015 at 21:46

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You reminded me of something I love because it's so wrong - semi truck racing.

Wheelerguy > Justin Hughes 01/11/2015 at 00:52

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Oh, yes. Motherfucking cab-over truck racing. With fenders that would make DTM and Super GT cars proud.

Rock Bottom > Justin Hughes 01/12/2015 at 15:24

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SPS! I bought some bits from them when I had my second Saturn. Coilovers and brakes, if I recall. That was a fun car. Then again, not sure how NOT to have fun in a 2001 Saturn with a turbo and methanol injection!

Justin Hughes > Rock Bottom 01/12/2015 at 15:32

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I had more than a few SPS parts myself. But I didn't have the turbo. Most of us just dreamed about such things back then. The big question is, did you weld your diff pin? Or get the unobtainium Quaife?

kyleshootscars, Eurotrash Tragic > Justin Hughes 01/12/2015 at 19:03

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Well that crash was suitably terrifying...

Justin Hughes > kyleshootscars, Eurotrash Tragic 01/12/2015 at 19:15

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Indeed. And look at the wall after the hit - or more precisely, that a chunk of it isn't there anymore. They weren't made for hits from trucks this big and heavy. But they kept racing anyway.

Rock Bottom > Justin Hughes 01/13/2015 at 08:35

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The turbo was a real Frankenstein setup. Home-made exhaust manifold, IHI turbo, methanol injection, mix-a-part clutch, about 200 zip ties...

And I left the dif pin alone and just didn't do burnouts. They break when you generate a large difference in wheel speed from left to right (like when doing a peg-leg burnout), so as long as I managed that, it lived. And live it did! For a couple years!!

Justin Hughes > Rock Bottom 01/13/2015 at 09:21

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Nice! Yeah, wheelspin is what kills the pins. It happened to some autocrossers I knew. As for the turbo, it would have to be a Frankenstein setup, because nobody made one! Nifty.

Maximum Ecoboost > Justin Hughes 01/14/2015 at 12:50

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Lemons, the awful circus that it is, attracts all sorts of awful things. This one stands out in my memory from Houston 2008-9 ish.

Justin Hughes > Maximum Ecoboost 01/14/2015 at 12:51

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Nearly anything in Lemons counts in my book.

Maximum Ecoboost > Justin Hughes 01/14/2015 at 12:58

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I see no problems with this setup.

Justin Hughes > Maximum Ecoboost 01/14/2015 at 14:01

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The thought has crossed my mind!