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4th Annual Optima Invitational - The Dogs Of WarThe Top Cars in the Country Square Off at the Fourth Annual Optima Invitational From the May, 2012 issue of Chevy High Performance By Steven Rupp Photography by Henry Z. DeKuyper, Nick Licata, Steven Rupp
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Pete Callaway’s supercharged... Pete Callaway’s supercharged ’08 Vette was as fast as it was good looking. On the road course he took Second Place while on the autocross he finished Fourth. Things were looking good for him until the Speed/Stop Challenge tripped him up and dealt him a 33rd Place finish. Even with that he still hung on for an Eighth Place overall finish. There was a time when Pro Street cars ruled the show circuit and even the pages of magazines. They looked fast, but they seemed relegated to idling through fairgrounds or maybe the occasional clandestine blast down a deserted street. The look was race car, but they soon gained an almost poseur status. Why? Because there was something wrong with a car all gussied up to dance just sitting it out. The same phenomenon started happening in the Pro Touring segment. These cars looked ready for the Nürburgring, but never got put to the test. Then someone came up with a novel idea: How about sticking these worked-over classics on a track and seeing what they can do? The result was a hit and soon guys were building cars that not only looked good, but could throw down in the twisties as well. Three years ago the folks at Optima Batteries decided to kick this trend up a few notches by organizing a shootout where the best handling cars in the country would vie for top honors. Since that inaugural race the rules for the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational (OUSCI) have morphed and the competition level has racked up, but the goal is the same: cool custom and Pro Touring cars fighting it out with imports and exotics to see who is the fastest of the fast. After the rules were laid... After the rules were laid down at the drivers’ meeting, OUSCI veteran and past winner Mark Stielow gave all the drivers some much-appreciated tips on negotiating Spring Mountains’ challenging 2.1-mile course. The course this year is outlined in red. There are three ways to get a golden ticket to run at this gig: win one of the regional qualifying events, catch the eyes of the event organizers, or snag one of the 10 invites handed out at the SEMA show in Vegas. But, we’ll tell you one thing—getting in is a lot easier than winning. Similar to last year, the three driving events were scored using a points system, where the top 20 finishers were awarded from 25 points (First Place) to 1 point (20th Place). This meant the cars had to consistently perform in all three driving challenges to win the big prize. The biggest change was to the Raybestos Performance Design Challenge, which used to be judged on a 1-10. This year it was modified so that it factored in just like the driving events (1-25 point scale for the top 20 cars). Last year it was more of a tiebreaker, but now it was 25 percent of the final tally. Cars not finishing all of the events would be DQ’d out of the competition. When attending an event like... When attending an event like this you don’t expect to see a ’52 Chevy, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong. Under the patina of John Wente’s classic is a host of modern parts, including an LS engine. He managed a best road course time of 2:20.797, a best Speed/Stop of 8.514, and his autocross time was 49.966. Not fast enough to place in the top of the bell curve, but we sure dug seeing it fly around the tracks! The other way to gain, or lose, points was in the Detroit Speed–sponsored road rally. This segment took place the night before the event and required all cars to make the 60-plus miles from the SEMA show in Vegas to the town of Pahrump. Rain, snow, and ice along the way just made it more challenging, especially for a car lacking things like wipers, heaters, and side glass. Competitors who made the trek within the given time picked up 10 points. The Hot Lap Challenge, sponsored by BFGoodrich, consisted of a warm-up lap, followed by three timed laps and one cooldown lap. The RideTech-sponsored autocross consisted of three timed laps with no practice runs. Hitting a cone added a second to the final time and missing a turn resulted in a big fat DNF. In the Wilwood Brakes–sponsored Speed/Stop Challenge, drivers combined launch speed with braking prowess to traverse the given distance, stopping in the coned-off box, in the least amount of time. Even touching a cone in the stop box earned a DNF; it’s a tricky event that can flat spot tires in a heartbeat. The competitor’s best time in each event was used to determine the number of points they would accumulate. The other big rule was that the tires had to be 200 or greater treadwear.  Vincent Allegretta’s ’69 Camaro...  Vincent Allegretta’s ’69 Camaro is a serious track car that sees quite a bit of action at NASA driving events. The car is bare bones with a Lexan front windshield, full ’cage, and tons of attitude. This was Allegretta’s first time at Spring Mountain; he drove the car hard on the road course for a best time of 1:51.584, and on the autocross he placed 18th with a 42.220-second run.  At the last qualifying event...  At the last qualifying event of the year Terry Neuville won a slot in the race and came out on a mission to do well in his Camaro. He ran a very strong 1:56.860 on the road course and a 40.750 on the autocross. In the Speed/Stop Challenge he came in Seventh Place and picked up 14 big points, but for reasons we don’t quite understand his ’68 received 0 points in the Design Challenge event. Even with that he still held onto the 13th overall spot.  The only thing better than...  The only thing better than nasty-sounding, early ’Vettes are ones with flared-out fenders housing huge meats. Mark Rife’s LS-powered ’63 sounded killer and all that extra tire gave him an edge in the grip department. His best road course time of 1:57.576 combined with his autocross time of 40.167 had him looking good, but for some reason his gorgeous Corvette failed to gather any points in the Design Competition. This knocked him down to 21st overall. The only thing better than... The only thing better than nasty-sounding, early ’Vettes are ones with flared-out fenders housing huge meats. Mark Rife’s LS-powered ’63 sounded killer and all that extra tire gave him an edge in the grip department. His best road course time of 1:57.576 combined with his autocross time of 40.167 had him looking good, but for some reason his gorgeous Corvette failed to gather any points in the Design Competition. This knocked him down to 21st overall. The hardest part of an event like this is handling the drivers. After all, the point is to find the “Ultimate Street Car” and skill behind the wheel can make all the difference, especially on the road course and autocross. This year the rules were further tightened up so that only car owners and builders who’ve done at least 80 percent of the work can pilot the cars. Of course that doesn’t keep the “pro” drivers out, but it does stop it from getting out of control. Last year’s winner, Mark Stielow, was back to defend his title in his blown ’69 Camaro. He has hundreds, if not thousands, of laps at Spring Mountain, so he certainly had an advantage. There were also some familiar faces like the Tuckers from Detroit Speed, national autocross champion Mary Pozzi, and Brian Finch. All of them ended up being 2-5 seconds faster than they were last year. So yes, practice does pay off. There were also new hot shoes piloting cars, including Mike Maier, Brian Hobaugh, Danny Popp, Pete Callaway, and Vinny Allegretta. Such a deep talent pool, combined with cars that blurred the lines between street car and race car, guaranteed an all-out war on the track, and we weren’t disappointed. The weather on Friday was less than stellar; however, on Saturday morning we were greeted with blue skies. Even though the morning temps hovered in the mid 30s, it was better than the alternative. Around sunrise the drivers started trickling in and getting their cars ready for their tech inspection. The mood was friendly, but by the time the morning drivers’ meeting got going you could tell that everything was getting a bit more serious. Let’s admit it, a friendly competition is still a competition. There was a time when the... There was a time when the title “Street Machine of the Year” was synonymous with “trailer queen” and “poseur”, but those days are gone. Phil Gerber piloted the Roadster Shop–built ’67 Nova around the tracks like it was a beater instead of one of the nicest cars in the country. The desire to win never muddied the fact that everyone racing were friends with a common love of all things automotive. Last year’s winner, Stielow, gave the other hot shoes tips on how best to navigate Spring Mountain’s 2.1-mile road course and when there were mechanical issues, other drivers and support crew stepped up to lend a hand or needed tools. Near the end of the event, Popp cracked his brake master cylinder on the road course. Normally this would have ended his day, and his chances of winning, but Callaway, who was done with all of his events, gave him the master off of his ’08 Corvette. It was a classy act indicative of the event; gearheads coming together to share their passion while trying to best each other out on the track. It’s what makes this better, and to us far more enjoyable, than the “dog-eat-dog” mentality found in professional racing. By the end of the event all of the expected names were on the leaderboard with 7 out of the top 10 being Chevrolets. Most importantly, for the third year out of four, a Chevy stood on the top rung of the ladder. Who knows what next year will bring, but we’re sure of one thing; when November rolls around, we’ll be there to watch the best of the best battle it out.  Another car rumored to be...  Another car rumored to be a show car was Curt Ukasi’s ’62 Nova known as Runt. This Chevy was one of the top five cars at the 2011 Goodguys Columbus Nationals, but that didn’t stop Ukasi from pushing it hard at Spring Mountain where he finished 12th overall.  We first met Joe Shown out...  We first met Joe Shown out in Nebraska where he runs the Sandhills Open Road Race. Shown worked his ’90 ZR1 to a best road course time of 2:04.743 and a fastest autocross lap of 45.467.  Another Roadster Shop car...  Another Roadster Shop car in the event was this ’66 Chevelle piloted by Chris Jacobs. His times of 1:56.407 on the road course, 41.801 in the autocross, and 7.756 seconds in the Speed/Stop landed him in the 14th slot overall.  JF Launier’s ’57 Bel Air was...  JF Launier’s ’57 Bel Air was a nice break from all the Camaros, Novas, and Chevelles flying around the track. He placed just out of the points in all of the driving events, but his Third Place finish in the Raybestos Performance Design Challenge was enough to catapult him into 15th Place overall.  It wouldn’t be a driving event...  It wouldn’t be a driving event without Kyle Tucker and his blue ’70 Camaro tearing up the asphalt. Here we caught him being chased by the K&N camera car. On the road course he came in Fourth Place, and at the autocross he finished with a strong Seventh Place run. The Speed/Stop Challenge, an event that he typically does great in, gave him problems. Even without those points he still managed to secure 10th Place overall.  Wearing a fresh coat of blue...  Wearing a fresh coat of blue paint and some new lightweight carbon-fiber parts, Stacy Tucker’s first-gen flew around the Spring Mountain course faster than ever. Her best road course time was 1:54.852, best autocross was 42.160, and her Speed/Stop time was 8.096 seconds.
Top 10 Road Course |
| Name |
Vehicle |
Time |
| Danny Popp |
’06 Z06 Vette |
1:42.208 |
| Pete Callaway |
’08 SC652 Vette |
1:44.749 |
| Mark Stielow |
’69 Camaro |
1:45.410 |
| Kyle Tucker |
’71 Camaro |
1:48.430 |
| Gary Rubio |
’09 Nissan GT-R |
1:48.441 |
| Mike Maier |
’66 Mustang |
1:48.721 |
| Brian Hobaugh |
’73 Camaro |
1:48.879 |
| Filip Trojanek |
’66 Mustang |
1:50.265 |
| David Mikels |
’10 Camaro |
1:51.319 |
| Vincent Allegretta |
’69 Camaro |
1:51.584 |
 Brian Finch was set to compete...  Brian Finch was set to compete in his silver second-gen, but an engine fire prior to the event put his Camaro on the bench. Luckily, he was able to borrow Mark Turner’s LS-powered and DSE-equipped ’69 Camaro, finishing in the top 10 for the road course, Speed/Stop, and autocross. This consistency resulted in him securing a Sixth Place overall, which is something to be really proud of, especially in a backup car. We’re pretty sure that cone wedged under his car counts as a “plus one”.  Allan Miller of BMR Fabrication...  Allan Miller of BMR Fabrication brought out his ’10 SS for some track action. On the road course he turned in a best lap of 1:59.049, and he knocked down a 7.846 in the Speed/Stop challenge.  We really dug Dan Livezey’s...  We really dug Dan Livezey’s flared-out ’60 Corvette. He knocked down a 1:58.199 on the road course and came in 11th at the autocross with a 40.581-second run.
Top 10 Autocross |
| Name |
Vehicle |
Time |
| Danny Popp |
’06 Z06 Vette |
38.251 |
| Mary Pozzi |
’73 Camaro |
39.414 |
| Brian Hobaugh |
’73 Camaro |
39.502 |
| Pete Callaway |
’08 SC652 Vette |
39.626 |
| Mike Maier |
’66 Mustang |
39.654 |
| Brian Finch |
’69 Camaro |
39.658 |
| Mark Stielow |
’69 Camaro |
40.017 |
| Kyle Tucker |
’70 Camaro |
40.031 |
| Gary Rubio |
’09 Nissan GT-R |
40.117 |
| Mark Rife |
’63 Corvette |
40.167 |
Top 10 Speed-Stop |
| Name |
Vehicle |
Time |
| Gary Rubio |
’09 Nissan GT-R |
6.541 |
| Mark Stielow |
’69 Camaro |
7.096 |
| Danny Popp |
’06 Z06 Vette |
7.378 |
| Mary Pozzi |
’73 Camaro |
7.413 |
| Mike Maier |
’66 Mustang |
7.425 |
| Brian Finch |
’69 Camaro |
7.479 |
| Terry Neuville |
’68 Camaro |
7.491 |
| Filip Trojanek |
’66 Mustang |
7.530 |
| James Shipka |
’67 Camaro |
7.545 |
| Joe Shown |
’90 ZR1 Vette |
7.568 |
 Mary Pozzi piloted the Camaro...  Mary Pozzi piloted the Camaro that won the inaugural Optima event and she did well driving her ’73 last year. This year Pozzi, in her completely rebuilt car, killed the autocross with a Second Place run of 39.414 seconds. On the road course she ran a 1:53.102 (11th Place) and in the Speed/Stop Challenge came in Fourth, with a best time of 7.413. This was especially impressive given her lack of ABS. It all combined for a Fifth Place finish, which left her wearing quite the grin.  Brian Hobaugh’s Wilwood-sponsored...  Brian Hobaugh’s Wilwood-sponsored second-gen Camaro is absolutely incredible. Its huge 335 front tires just looked sick, and the whole car oozed with a track car attitude. The big tire’s extra grip worked well on the road course where Hobaugh came in Seventh and did even better on the autocross with a Third Place finish. The Speed/Stop tripped him up a bit with an 11th place (7.668) run, but he picked up some big points in the design competition. This resulted in a Third Place overall finish, which we’re sure made him pretty happy.
Top 5 Finishers –Style Category |
| Name |
Vehicle |
Place |
| Phil Gerber |
’67 Chevelle |
1st |
| Curt Ukasik |
’62 Nova |
2nd |
| JF Launier |
’57 Bel Air |
3rd |
| Brian Hobaugh |
’73 Camaro |
4th |
| Mike Langford |
’01 PT Cruiser |
5th |
Overall Winners |
| Name |
Vehicle |
Place |
| Danny Popp |
’06 Z06 Vette |
1st |
| Mark Stielow |
’69 Camaro |
2nd |
| Brian Hobaugh |
’73 Camaro |
3rd |
| Gary Rubio |
’09 Nissan GT-R |
4th |
| Mary Pozzi |
’73 Camaro |
5th |
 Last year’s winner, Mark Stielow,...  Last year’s winner, Mark Stielow, was back to defend his title in his boosted Camaro. Stielow is a GM engineer and has been busy dialing in his ’69. It has more horsepower and his ABS system is now working perfectly; in his talented hands, the Camaro flew around the various events. On the road course he placed Third, and killed the Speed/Stop with a Second Place finish. On the autocross course he locked in Seventh Place. He has to be pretty proud of his Camaro. Let’s just say that his air-conditioned and mellow-sounding muscle car was downright civilized.  After all the driving events...  After all the driving events Mark Stielow was 14 points behind Danny Popp. But Stielow earned 14 points in the design portion of the event while Popp didn’t get any. This resulted in Stielow and Popp being tied for First Place in the final standings. The tie was broken by the rules, which stated that, in the event of tie, the person with the fastest road course time gets the win, awarding Popp the win. Kudos goes to Popp and his crew and we’re already looking forward to next year’s invitational.
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