Point Of View
It's crucial that the driver maintains a proper driving position. Sliding around on a bench seat is fun for the first or second turn. However, remaining competitive meant ditching that factory bench. A high-bolstered race seat will connect the driver to the car. And if aftermarket seatbelts are used most race seats have cutouts provided to lace the belts. For the Nova, a simple search on Summit's website netted us a perfect set of affordable race buckets with brackets. Our seats were shipped right to our door and we were able to perform the simple install with basic handtools. After the seat install, we could focus on driving instead of pinballing ourselves around the cabin.
| MFG |
SCAT |
| DESCRIPTION |
Sportsmen series with brackets |
| PART # |
SCA-80-1606-61L |
| COST |
$230 |
| MFG |
SCAT |
| DESCRIPTION |
Sportsmen series with brackets |
| PART # |
SCA-80-1606-61R |
| COST |
$230 |
Helmet
It may or may not be a requirement, but at some events it is mandatory to a wear helmet. During our first event, we didn't have a helmet and had to borrow one. Borrowing gear can be troublesome, so once again we hit up Summit Racing's website and found an entry-level helmet at an affordable price. Our helmet came loaded with a visor and inner padding that can be removed for washing. It even came with the fasteners for a HANS Device.
| MFG |
G-FORCE |
| DESCRIPTION |
Force 1 helmet |
| PART # |
GFR-3002LRGBK |
| COST |
$150 |
Video Documentary
Document everything. You may find yourself asking others at an event for either how the car looked in the turns or if a cone was cut too close while trying a different line. We acquired a set of GoPro cameras to attach to our Nova during competitions. These nifty cameras are small enough to fit anywhere and can record everything you'll need to compare your runs. We've been placing our GoPros everywhere: cockpit, windshield, fenders, even the hood.
To check out the Nova in action, head over to chevyhiperformance.com.
Steering Wheel
Our biggest pet peeve was finally alleviated once we added a Grant GT steering wheel. Searching Summit's website we found many wheels to choose from. It really just came down to personal preference. We chose a thicker-style steering wheel with cutouts for the thumbs, which would allow us to grip the wheel more efficiently.
| MFG |
GRANT |
| DESCRIPTION |
Grant club sport steering wheel |
| PART # |
GRT-452 |
| COST |
$130 |
| MFG |
GRANT |
| DESCRIPTION |
Install kit |
| PART # |
GRT-3196 |
| COST |
$17 |
Goodguys Del Mar
Our third event was our most productive one yet. Hitting up the Goodguys event in Del Mar finally gave us an opportunity to make suspension setting and tire pressure changes. Before, it was only necessary to get the car down the course. Now that we were more comfortable with the car in its current setup, we actually made a decision to raise the front end of the car up on the coilovers. This would eliminate our front tire scrubbing issue on the inner fenderwells and also allow us to soften up the QA1 shocks. Softening the shocks would allow the front end of the car to flex and move, translating into more grip. We also experimented with tire pressure changes and finally settled on 29 psi in the front and 30 psi in the rear.