Sport Compact Car/Super Street Time Attack Challenge - Track Test

Judging by the rapid wear of Hoosiers we witnessed during the course of the day, Hoosiers, in terms of wear, are a considerably less realistic street tire than even the Japanese ringer rubber mounted on Tarzan's Skyline.

Plus the Hoosiers, which were used by the majority of competitors, turned out to be a bit stickier. The vulcanized equivalent of crack, Hoosiers were mounted on five out of the six top performers. That said, the seventh-place Supra was running perhaps the most streetable R-compound tire on the market, the Michelin Pilot Sport Cup.

ClosingThe solo performances of time attack are like automotive fireworks, burning fast and hot. Screaming laps are exciting, ephemeral and gone, relived only in memories of sonic assault and flashes of color.

Glen Kawano, who drove his Unlimited FWD Class ex-DC Sports World Challenge Type R, told a fellow competitor, "This is the coolest event ever, and we get to be a part of it." The coolness of the equipment on hand was undeniable, and everyone did a great job of keeping it safe, fast and impressive.

There were so many "if onlys" in the inaugural Time Attack that the competition next time will be better prepared, more heavily invested and almost certainly less rested than they were this time. Call us patriotic, but we'd like to see the next cup stay in the States. Start tweaking, brothers and sisters.

We thank Ryan Flaherty of NASA for his help and expertise handling timing and scoring for the event. In addition to wheel-to-wheel racing, NASA offers High-Performance Driving Events, which allow drivers to expand their driving prowess and push their street cars at tracks all around the country. For more information, go to www.drivenasa.com