Lucas Oil Racing
It's one thing to work in the performance industry, but it's even cooler to be one of the active players in the scene. Lucas Oil Motorsports Manager Tom Bogner is one of them. He is looking to make some noise in the West Coast Super Eliminator class with his newly assembled Davis Race Cars chassis. Powering the '57 Corvette is a 605ci big-block, and Bogner is expecting to easily get into the 7-second zone.
Rooster Call
Sean Haggai
When you captain another vehicle, you either start to hate your daily driver or come to appreciate how completely satisfied you are with it. I'm torn, though. It's the little things that count, but the minor situations that occur when you're driving another vehicle and every little thing adds up. I'm back to driving a turbo-packing '93 Typhoon for now-at least for a week until I can replace the brakes on my girlfriend's Chevy Avalanche. In the meantime she'll be commuting in my usual four-banger turbo hatch.
So what's the point? In the Typhoon, for instance, the driver-side window works-periodically. If the window is down while driving, I've learned to roll up the window in stages until I arrive. Eventually, by the time I've pulled up, the window is closed. My daily has automatic up and down window functions.
Another thing: It's July here in Los Angeles and the desert atmosphere is beginning to rear its ugly head. Bad news is the A/C doesn't work-matter of fact, the fan doesn't work at all. My hatch, by comparison, blows like the Arctic.
There's also the ride. The little cruiser is a trooper, but it's not like the S-10 frames were exactly known for their Cadillac-like ride. It's a short-wheelbase truck with super-fat Z06 rims and low-pro P295 tires in the rear with thick sway bars and all-wheel drive. Slow for bumps? You bet, unless you like ending up in opposing lanes of traffic.
Then there are those pesky squeaks, rattles, and vibes that come from every crack in the pavement. That's a far cry from my four-banger, which is sealed so well that it hurts my ears when the doors are shut. A deep thud is all you feel.
Plus, the Typhoon leaves oil pools like the La Brea Tar Pits and not only drinks fuel but has the appetite for a mixture of alcohol and methanol, which means it isn't cheap to drive. I should keep my foot off of the pedal and out of that boost, right? No way. Have you ever felt 24 psi of boost? Maybe I'll push the brake job off a couple more weeks. I'll do just about anything to hear that turbo spool up under load.
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The Bigger
Rocket Racing Wheels has already launched its line of Rocket Booster wheels, and with the introduction of the '10 Camaro, the company is making room for more sizes. The booster line will be available in 18x9, 18x10, 20x9, and even 20x10 configurations. Whether you choose the Hyper Silver, Hyper Shot, Gloss Black, or Chrome finish, each is precision-crafted from A356 aluminum and DOT approved. Be sure to check out the complete line of wheels at rocketracingwheels.com
The ''Make You Jealous'' Camaro
This ZR-1 look-alike is actually a 2010 Camaro backed by super-tuner Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE). Dubbed the HPE700, they're on a limited production run of 24! If you get the chance to see one on the road, at least you'll know it comes with a ZR1-sourced LS9 that's putting out 705 horsepower and 717 lb-ft of torque. You even have the option for all ceramic brakes like the ZR1. If that's not enough, HPE has left just enough room for their 850 or 1000 hp twin turbo rendition.
The Stats
Price: $109,000
Power: 705 bhp @ 6,400 rpm
717 lb-ft @ 4,400 rpm
Performance (Est.)
* 0-60 mph: 3.7 sec.
* 1/4-mile: 11.3 @ 125 mph
* Top speed: 201 mph
* Skidpad: 0.96 g
* 60-0 braking: 105 ft.