|
|
Second Annual Chevy High Performance Street Machine Challenge - Top Tier!From the December, 2012 issue of Chevy High Performance By Henry De Los Santos Photography by Robert McGaffin
|
|
Time flies when you’re having fun, and it’s hard to believe that the second annual Chevy High Performance Street Machine Challenge (SMC) has already come and gone. If you aren’t familiar with SMC, it’s an event where we test a variety of parameters with top tier suspension manufacturers’ rides, which are unequivocally dubbed as the modern-day Pro Touring street machines. Suffice it to say, these hot rods can do it all and we put them to the test, showcasing their abilities in the 60-to-0 braking, autocross course, and through the quarter-mile. New for this year was the Top Ride Shootout (TRS), which brought in a number of reader-owned-and-built rides, and they had no fear pushing their machines to the limit. This year’s SMC lineup included Chris Alston’s Chassisworks with a ’69 Camaro, Detroit Speed with their ’69 Camaro and ’63 Chevy II, Fatman Fabrications with a ’57 Chevy, Granatelli Motorsports with an ’11 Camaro, and Schwartz Performance with a ’67 Camaro. For our TRS contenders, we had Adam Toney with his ’70 Chevelle, Terry Neuville with a ’67 Camaro, Tim McGilton with a ’70 Z28 Camaro, Erik Cederberg with a ’12 ZL1, and Brad Granger with his ’67 Camaro. Notice a theme here; sure are a lot of Camaro owners who aren’t afraid to flog their rides. In addition to the roster with the TRS, we also moved our event from National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, to Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, also dubbed Georgia’s House of Speed! There’s a good reason for this since this was also the location of our first-ever national event, the Chevy High Performance Nationals (“Showtime!” Nov. ’12 issue), it only made sense to bring our event to the biggest all-Chevy party in the country. Regarding rules, it was pretty simple—run what your brung as long as you’re on street tires with a minimum treadwear rating of 180. Easy, right? Not necessarily. This meant the performance results would not only require a well-sorted chassis, but drivers who could modulate the throttle over the aim and stab routine with a good set of sticky rubber. Admittedly, it took a solid crew to set up the Jet-Hot High Performance Coatings autocross course and we enlisted the help of our friends from the American Street Car Series (americanstreetcarseries.com), the good folks who put on all of the Run (To The Alamo, To The Coast, To The Shore, To The Ole South, Thru The Hills) events, including the MotorState Challenge and Midwest Musclecar Challenge. Yancy Johns, Bill Howell, amongst others put together a tough course that offered intense speed runs with tight turns and challenging Chicago Boxes. For the Street Machine Challenge, we designated as our key driver Nick Licata from our sister publication Camaro Performers. For the 60-to-0 brake challenge, Technical Editor Steven Rupp, also from Camaro Performers, took the helm of each ride. On the dragstrip, CHP Editor Henry D. made three back-to-back passes to get a better feel of each ride. When it came to the TRS rides, we had the owners handle each of the challenges, keeping the competition amongst their peers. When the tire smoke cleared, it was Stacy Tucker from Detroit Speed, who earned the top honors in the Street Machine Challenge with her ’69 Camaro. In the Top Ride Shootout, Erik Cederberg took the overall win amongst his peers with his brand-new ’12 ZL1 Camaro. All said and done, we learned every competitor knew their cars inside and out; more importantly, we all walked away with a few more good friends. The Chevy High Performance Street Machine Challenge & Top Ride Shootout  If there was a road hero story,...  If there was a road hero story, we’d have to go with Erik Cederberg and his newly purchased ZL1. Cederberg picked up the ride right before the event, swapped over to a custom set of wheels, tinted the windows, and immediately got on the road. You want to talk about cutting it close; he showed up just as we were beginning the 60-to-0 brake challenge.  We have to give big thanks...  We have to give big thanks to Brad Granger and his better half. Granger came out to compete in the Top Ride Shootout, but he was so busy helping out and accommodating everyone else with shelter and food at the autocross that he missed a few of the challenge sessions. His ’67 is flawless and one serious contender; thanks for your help and we owe you one!  Fatman Fabrication’s ’57 is...  Fatman Fabrication’s ’57 is an absolute joy to drive, but unfortunately it wasn’t able to finish this year’s SMC. While it wasn’t the fastest, it certainly wins the cool factor award.  Yes, it’s a ragtop, but don’t...  Yes, it’s a ragtop, but don’t let it fool you. This ’67 out of the Schwartz Performance camp did very well through each event, and did it with style.  Tim McGilton from Jet-Hot...  Tim McGilton from Jet-Hot High Performance Coatings ran his ’70 Z28 Camaro in the Top Ride Shootout. His second-gen featured all Detroit Speed suspension and one power-packing LS combination.  Wes Skipper outfitted his...  Wes Skipper outfitted his ’11 Camaro with a Whipple supercharger and a complete Granatelli Motorsports package. Skipper nailed his quickest time in the quarter-mile with an 11.83 at 123, which was also the quickest e.t. in the Street Machine Challenge.  Bob Littlefield from Littlefield...  Bob Littlefield from Littlefield Customs in Rhode Island built one tough ’69 Camaro. Underneath the chassis are all off-the-shelf components from Chris Alston’s Chassiworks; Littlefield also enlisted hotshot Jake Moreau to pilot the street machine throughout the weekend.  Terry Neuville was deadly...  Terry Neuville was deadly on the dragstrip and for a Pro Touring machine, his ’68 Camaro was launching like a dedicated grudge racer with outstanding short-times.  Adam Toney and his ’70 Chevelle...  Adam Toney and his ’70 Chevelle was an absolute beast, running well over 130 mph in the quarter-mile. In case you’re wondering how well a ProCharger-packing big-block does in the autocross—it does surprising well. The Chevelle’s corner-carving antics was a sight to behold, and it had the crowd cheering as it danced through the course like a seasoned veteran.  Meet our 2012 champions: Stacy...  Meet our 2012 champions: Stacy Tucker from Detroit Speed who took home the overall title in the second annual Street Machine Challenge in her ’69 Camaro. For the inaugural Top Ride Shootout, Erik Cederberg earned the win with his brand-new ’12 ZL1 Camaro. Special thanks go to Eddie Motorsports for producing our top three awards for both classes.  Meet our 2012 champions: Stacy...  Meet our 2012 champions: Stacy Tucker from Detroit Speed who took home the overall title in the second annual Street Machine Challenge in her ’69 Camaro. For the inaugural Top Ride Shootout, Erik Cederberg earned the win with his brand-new ’12 ZL1 Camaro. Special thanks go to Eddie Motorsports for producing our top three awards for both classes.  All cars were inspected prior...  All cars were inspected prior to any competition runs on the dragstrip and autocross. The dragstrip portion required all cars to pass NHRA regulations, while the autocross inspection was less stringent, making sure the battery was in place, nothing was loose, and checked for excessive wheel play.
|
|
|