Big Bend Open Road Race 2016

[Thugboat]

We had another great time this year. Dave Rowan raced and Donnie McClure showed up to lend support. I took the new GT350 and ran in the same class as Dave. 140 avg. I hit 170mph in the car topped out in 5th. 8000 rpm. Have some photos that I will try to post here.

 

[fjpikul]

Nice Larry. See any dead animals?

 

[soroush]

wow 170 in a stang of course I'm thinking stang = fox body :lol

thats moving Larry.. I remember everytime I hit about 140 in my "stang" aka fox body it was as if the end of the world was near, the car shook violently (mainly because I had short gears and if you put short gears the slightly unbalanced drivesshaft would jolt the car into oblivion at 6000 rpms, the hood started rattling and you could see gaps popping up between the hood and the fenders where the air was getting under the hood and pushing it up the windshield wipers would start to creep up all by themselves, all the while the girls in back are screaming for their lives, haha great times.......:rofl

but I'm sure your experience was slightly different with a 20 year newer stang :wink

 

[Thugboat]

Doc, I did see some dead animals one being the bird in my grill that zigged when he should have zagged.
Soroush - It was better than the fox body but at over 160 the hood did move around alot more than I liked. It was amazing the acceleration from 155 to 170 when you shifted to 5th from 6th. Redline 8200 was 172 in 5th.

Thugboat

 

[texas mongrel]

Thanks to Wayne White for the photo.

There were three GT350s in our convoy (including Larry's flying banana). They all sounded totally bad-ass!

 

[Simon]

Thats awesome Dave!

 

[Thugboat]

I will throw mine out there also. Wish Donnie Mac had run with us this year!

 

[donnymac]

Yeah. What a wus!

 

[Awsum GT]

Love it! Thanks for posting.

 

[steved57]

Yeah. What a wus!

+ 1 Donny were gonna have to have a talk

 

[CJ428]

wow that's awesome. I would love to do that run. You guys have all the fun out west!

 

[Thugboat]

Gentlemen,

This is a great time. Some of us have done it for 7 years. I have entered the Cobra, Shelby GT350, Ford GT, Nascar and Cobra multiple times. This is limited to the first 160 entries. It fills up within an hour of opening. It has quite a cult following. Ben Beckert wanted to come play this year but sorta got screwed on his registration.
The BIG issue with this race is that you MUST work your way up to the higher speed classes. I heard a rumor that Ray tried to get in this once but they wouldn't let him start in anything over the 125 class. Ben B. had agreed to this and even considered bringing his Hyabusa powered Smart Car for fun. They will consider any experience you have but still will be somewhat limited.
It is an event.
This year they only started with 5-6 open class cars and only 2 finished. Mostly mechanical problems. Some of these hit 200+ on the straights but average only 170-180 overall. You are required to have more safety gear as you move up in speeds. This year for the 140 avg class we were required to add a roll bar and 5 point harnesses. As you progress you are required to have full roll cages, fire suppression systems etc. Of the 160 entries most, over 50%, are vettes! Also remember there are NO cash prizes. You get a trophy! It is a timed event. The 140 class was won this year by missing the perfect time by .003 seconds. YEP. I was off 2 seconds and finished 6th.
Again it is the people and not as much the cars that make this worthwhile.

 

[soroush]

sounds like a blast Larry, Im sure Ben would have fallen sleep at the wheel if he was limited to only 125mph

 

[598]

I haven't run this course, but it looks a lot more technical than a run like the silver state, where you can catch yourself looking out at the scenery at 160, which really isn't wise. At a buck 40, how much work was it? I noticed the different corner exit tracts between the two cars shown, so I'm assuming there is a fair amount of flexibility in most of the corners. Would you be comfortable running a 150 average in the GT 350?
Thanks,

Steve

 

[Thugboat]

Steve,

I ran 150 most of the time this year but keeping it as an average would require the GT350 to stay in 5th a lot of the time. That would keep the rpm's high. The car suspension could do it but not sure I would want to stress the engine that much. BUT, yes the car could do it, it would just not be my ideal. I have a glimmering thought of changing the final OD gear in the trans to a .80 instead of the .62 they come with. I do not know if this is even possible but I think it would surely help the power/torque in 6th.
This course is billed as the most challenging open road race in the country. The first leg is north to south and 59 miles each way. The first 40 miles there is only one turn that would require speeds of less than 130. BUT, the last 19 miles southbound you find yourself in the first rolling hills of the Big Bend. Not a ton of altitude changes but quite a bit more turns that require slower speeds. I entered the last part with an average built up to 146 mph and drained it off as i slowed the last 19 miles.
I am already thinking of next year, should it be the kit cobra where 125 feels like 160? The GT350 and maybe step up 5 mph to the 145 avg? OR Take the FR500 and gear it to do 150 or 160 avg. HUMMMMM so many choices.

Thugboat

Maybe Dave Rowan (Texas Mongrel) Or Donnymac can chime in here.

 

[texas mongrel]

I haven't run this course, but it looks a lot more technical than a run like the silver state, where you can catch yourself looking out at the scenery at 160, which really isn't wise. At a buck 40, how much work was it? I noticed the different corner exit tracts between the two cars shown, so I'm assuming there is a fair amount of flexibility in most of the corners. Would you be comfortable running a 150 average in the GT 350?
Thanks,

Steve

140 average means there's 2/3 corners where you have to lift, these are all at the Sanderson end. Last year we got into a discussion about max speed through the worst corner. The Unlimited guys all run 120 because then they can nail it on the straights (no target time to worry about). I ran through that turn at 135 and scared the poop out of myself, this year it was 125 through there, which was just about right. Its also a ton of fun going through the long sweepers at 160, " are we through it? No, more lateral Gs. Are we through it? No, my guts are all migrating to the side of my rib cage, and my Navigator is screaming 'Dude!'". What a blast!

 

[donnymac]

From listening to guys that have run Silver State. the only thing in common with BBORR are the parties. That said, Thugboat is dead on the money. The promoters are very safety conscious with both driver and navigator schools plus required pre-race meetings. There is also a required rookie school.

As far as course difficulty, it is there as speed increases. Both in practice and race day, cars have left the road at speed and always ending with a car on a trailer - not good.

Working the race are some 150/200 volunteers and this was year 19. They have it figured out so participants have a blast. Its a race and social gathering all in one. This year 155 cars entered. One rookie class had 3 new vettes and a '55 4 door Ford. The Ford came in first. I highly recommend the event to any FGT owner that like to play.

 

[Thugboat]

Well said Donnie and David, well said.

Larry

 

[texas mongrel]

Guys, we need a way of getting preferential treatment for GT owners who apply, it's already way over subscribed, so let's figurre out how to get more GTs than Vettes in the race!

 

[steved57]

Guys, we need a way of getting preferential treatment for GT owners who apply, it's already way over subscribed, so let's figurre out how to get more GTs than Vettes in the race!

That would be tough to do since normally half the field is Corvette's but it would sure be fun to try

I'm sure we'll be at the next event