GT350 vs. Z/28

[thePill]

http://m.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1505_2016_ford_shelby_gt350_mustang_chassis_first_look/


Did the GT350R run Laguna Seca faster than the z28?

Yes... Randy is in the 1:37's the first few times out. 1:36.xx likely...

I think I heard that somewhere before...

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[Erik427]

Only time will tell.....

 

[thePill]

Only time will tell.....

Literally... Early morning Pun Points for you.

The GT350 may end up being 30-50lbs lighter than the GTPP. The MRC on the TP will eat into that some. Maybe 20lbs.

The GT350R should be around 3570lbs (GT350TP=3700 and GT350=3660-3675)

The GT350TP will only be 20-40lbs lighter than the GTPP. Wheels on both packages are almost the exact same weight. I think the brakes are nearly equal as well.

 

[Erik427]

Ford really needs to invest into carbon fiber.......

 

[1320']

They are!

They're offering carbon fiber wheels on a mass produced car! That's a huge deal. Carbon fiber composite structure elements are a big step forward too.

The fact is it is becoming increasingly difficult to balance weight, rigidity, ever increasing safety requirements and affordable cost.

We could easily have a 3,500lb GT..but it would also be more like 50,000 to start vs 33,000

 

[flaps]

http://m.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/1505_2016_ford_shelby_gt350_mustang_chassis_first_look/


Did the GT350R run Laguna Seca faster than the z28?

Yes... Randy is in the 1:37's the first few times out. 1:36.xx likely...

I think I heard that somewhere before...

The Z28 ran a 1:37.82 so it better do better than that.

 

[thePill]

The Z28 ran a 1:37.82 so it better do better than that.

1:36.5 or they didn't do it right...

Hopefully they let Randy run at multiple times of the day, adjust tire pressure, run it again, put on some forgotten aero, run it again, adjust the alignment, again, and design a new "Laguna Seca" Track setting for the car...

...all over the span of 1.2 model years...

 

[Sabre]

Sorry Pill, they could not have stayed out otherwise they would have ran out of gas:

#9 Camaro, #15 Mustang Pit on lap 40 for fuel/tires/driver change
#13 Porsche pit on lap 41 for fuel/tires/driver change

#6 Camaro pit on lap 52 From the lead (2nd stop for fuel/tires), dropped to 4th, this cycled the #15 Mustang up to 3rd
#13 Porsche pit on lap 53 From 2nd (2nd stop for fuel/tires), dropped to 5th, this cycled the #15 Mustang up to 2nd.
#15 Mustang pit on lap 61 under yellow (2nd stop for fuel/tires), but prior to the leaders pitting, they were in 6th position.

The #15 Mustang still had to make their second stop for fuel since they could not have made it to the end of the race without running out of gas; nor would their tires have held up since the #9 Camaro which was on your proposed strategy and fell like a rock with their old tires prior to having to pit right at the end of the race from 4th, and finishing 11th. Do you work for Stevenson and call the #9 car's strategy? :lol:

In essence, the #15 only dropped from 6th to 8th which gave them 9 lap newer tires and was the key to be in contention for the win:

Quote:
“We thought that if we could pit at the end of the race with 30 minutes to go and get new tires, that’s the ticket. If we don’t do that we are a sitting duck on equal tires because we burn off our tires. We had to do something.” - Billy Johnson
http://racing.ford.com/series/road-r...ctsc-race.html
The call for tires was the only reason they were in contention. thePill was wrong and suggested exactly what the #9 Camaro actually did -which didn't seem to work out for them too well...

FYI best laps:

#9 Camaro - 1:36.3
#13 Porsche - 1:36.8
#6 Camaro - 1:37.0
#14 370Z - 1:37.3
#158 Mustang - 1:37.3
#15 Mustang - 1:37.4 - >1 second off the camaro. The Camaro is still dominant.
#80 Camaro - 1:37.5

 

[thePill]

That's a great theory...

 

[Taneras]

That's a great theory...

Yes Billy Johnson's own take on the race would be a good place to start.

 

[thePill]

Yes Billy Johnson's own take on the race would be a good place to start.

I just think it's incredible that Billy predicted a caution at the 30 minute mark. To me that is the most precise calculation any racer is afforded in real time. There is no way Billy bet on a caution for that stratgy to work.

It does sound convincing until you realize the whole plan would have backfired if it wasn't for that caution.

It's also amazing you guys think that the "wait for a caution" stratgy is actually a stratgy at all... More like "Pray for a Caution".


How long did Billy wait for a caution? 15 minutes? 10? That whole time he's waiting for his stratgy to unfold, he was being passed... Luckily, and only by luck, he got a caution.

He then had to be as good as he was and as fast as he was to finish 2nd.

 

[Sabre]

I just think it's incredible that Billy predicted a caution at the 30 minute mark. To me that is the most precise calculation any racer is afforded in real time. There is no way Billy bet on a caution for that stratgy to work.

It does sound convincing until you realize the whole plan would have backfired if it wasn't for that caution.

It's also amazing you guys think that the "wait for a caution" stratgy is actually a stratgy at all... More like "Pray for a Caution".

#1 Cautions are not unusual...especially late in the race when drivers are pushing hard and mechanical components have been pushed to the limit.

#2 It's all about making good decisions and good calls when stuff like cautions happen.

#3 Blindly sticking to a plan you made before the race started, will lose races for you, as other teams adjust and take advantages of cautions when it will help them. The ability to be flexible and make good snap decisions is invaluable. Multimatic read the situation and decided on a course that would maximize their chances for advancing their position, if not a win.

Just very thankful thePill is not on the pitbox making calls for any of the Ford teams.

 

[thePill]

Waiting for an unknown caution is not a stratgy. It's making the best out of Lady Luck. Waiting for tires put them in a lot of unnecessary drama. Waiting for a caution and charging from 9th to 2nd was a looooooooong shot.

Especially considering the z28 was 1/2 a second faster all day.

I'm glad it worked out but it was not the plan. Too many "what if's" and "maybe's". It only worked because the skill of the driver and car he was driving allowed it.

 

[Sabre]

Waiting for an unknown caution is not a stratgy. It's making the best out of Lady Luck. Waiting for tires put them in a lot of unnecessary drama. Waiting for a caution and charging from 9th to 2nd was a looooooooong shot.

Especially considering the z28 was 1/2 a second faster all day.

I'm glad it worked out but it was not the plan. Too many "what if's" and "maybe's". It only worked because the skill of the driver and car he was driving allowed it.

Nowhere in his quote did he say "caution". He said pit for new tires in the last 30 minutes. The #13 Porsche and #6 Camaro pitted for their second stop earlier, cycling the #15 Mustang up the leaderboard. If there hadn't been a yellow, Billy would have still had to make his second stop under green and would have stayed in 6th place (like he was prior to the leaders making their second stop). From there he had newer tires than #13 and #6 and would have still been in a good position to fight for a podium, with the field bunched back up. If there was no yellow...or if Billy had pitted with the #13 and #6 he would have finished worse...maybe 5th...which is about where the Mustangs are rule wise.

You obviously don't understand racing or pit strategy. Pitting at the same time as the Porsches and Camaros...which were faster and don't wear out tires as fast as the Mustang....would have put them at a disadvantage of the inherently slower Mustang. The PLAN to pit later ( whether under green of if they got lucky and caught a yellow) to have better tires at the end of the race was their only chance to have a better finish than 5th - 7th, where the Mustangs have pretty much been all season.

 

[Taneras]

I just think it's incredible that Billy predicted a caution at the 30 minute mark.

I think its incredible that you thought that was part of their game plan.

It's really tough to critique something you don't even understand.

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