DomesticDrift ver. 2.0
In American drifting, there are a lot of competitors but only two consistent winners: Rhys Millen and Samuel Hubinette. In just two seasons, Millen's Pontiac GTO and Hubinette's Viper became almost iconic in the young sport - what Richard Petty's #43 Plymouth and David Pearson's #21 were to NASCAR back in the '70s (that's for the three guys reading this who remember back that far). But even icons can't avoid change, and for 2006 both Millen and Hubinette are campaigning new cars.
With Pontiac scuttling the GTO, it was inevitable that GM's "excitement" division would port Millen over to a new machine. The only other rear-driver in the Poncho stable is the new Solstice roadster, so that's what will be on the track - wearing fresh blue, silver, and red paint to promote newfound corporate benefactor, Red Bull.
Unlike the V-8-powered GTO, which was built at Rhys Millen Racing in California, the drift Solstice GXP was assembled by GM Racing and Roush Industries in Michigan and then shipped to Millen's shop. And much of the production Solstice remains intact on the slipping machine, including the basic suspension design. The big difference lies in the engine bay where the turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec four has been fortified to the tune of over 500 horsepower thanks largely to parts developed for drag racing versions of the Ecotec culled from GM's Ecotec build book. In fact, since drag Ecotecs have run consistently at 1,400 horsepower, the Ecotec in Millen's missile should be seriously - and reliably - under-stressed. The engine is backed by a six-speed manual transmission from the Chevy SSR. For Millen, the big challenge won't be adjusting to the four-cylinder powerplant but the Solstice's 95.1-inch wheelbase. That's a full 14.7 inches shorter than the space between the GTO's front and rear axle lines.
Hubinette's move into the Dodge Charger SRT-8 should be just as challenging. The Charger is an absolute behemoth compared to twerps like the AE86 Toyota Corolla that have been the backbone of competitive drifting. The stock Charger SRT-8 stretches out 200.1 inches long on a 120.0-inch wheelbase and weighs in at a staggering 4,160 pounds. Fortunately, it has a 6.1-liter Hemi V-8 aboard to move all that mass around, whomping out 425 hp in stock form.
To get the Charger into fighting shape, Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division gutted the interior and replaced the glass with lightweight polycarbonate. Then they ripped off most of the sheetmetal and replaced it with carbon-fiber replica pieces. Total weight should drop down to a manageable 3,200 or 3,300 pounds by the time the car enters its first event.
Fortunately, the Charger has a Mercedes-derived, all-independent suspension that should work well in drifting. The geometry remains stock in the drifter but incorporates coilover shocks to bring mass down that much further. The Hemi engine has been thumped up to over 600 horsepower in this brute, and the SRT-8's standard five-speed automatic transmission has been dumped in favor of a Tremec six-speed manual. As this was written, Shaun Carlson's NuFormz Racing was still in the midst of pre-competition testing and tuning.
When the Formula D season opened in April at the Long Beach Grand Prix, neither Millen's nor Hubinette's new rides were ready for prime time. But both should be running the summer Formula D events now. When they inevitably meet in some final round, it will be a battle between the Pontiac Peanut and Dodge Leviathan.
Acura's Realracing Ambitions
While automakers like to present themselves as rational businesses with clear-cut goals for profitability based on a solid consumer product line, they're subject to fits of whimsy just like human beings. So every once in a while, they each go nuts and decide they want to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The latest victim of the disease is Acura, which announced at April's New York Auto Show that it would begin a full-throttle, full-factory effort in the American Le Mans Series during 2007 in anticipation of being "invited" to the 24 Hours of Le Mans some time after that.
The Acura ALMS effort will initially be based around a DOHC V-8 entirely designed and developed in the United States by Honda Performance Development (HPD). Though the cam covers are painted blue in the photos and wear Acura logos, this engine looks much like the Indy V-8 Honda is currently supplying to all the teams running in the Indy Racing League (IRL). But Acura says that its endurance engine is the "first racing engine completely designed and developed in-house" by HPD and it will "mark the first time HPD has taken on multiple concurrent motorsports programs" in the ALMS and IRL
For 2007 at least, the new engine will be fitted to both Lola and Courage chassis for the "LMP2" division with a full-on Acura-built chassis appearing during the 2008 season to run in "LMP1." Some time after that, it's off to France to throw money at a Le Mans effort.
The Acura ALMS effort will debut next year and run the entire ALMS schedule.