several years in Challenge racing series in 1988 and 1989 for identical C4 Corvettes
that are featured at Carlisle 99.
At the Fun Display luncheon today, Powell unveiled
a new C5 racecar that will be campaigned The series pits showroom stock production
cars such as Camaros, Mustangs and Accuras against each other in one to six
hour road races. Powell's son won the Motorola Cup championship last year and
is leading the series this year in a Pontiac Firebird.
Motorola is expanding its series next year to include
a Super Cup class for Vipers, Porsches and Corvettes. This will be a street
stock series with a few modifications allowed to improve the car's performance.
The usual safety equipment will be allowed such as roll cages and fire protection.
The Corvette can
be lightened to 2800 pounds and the horsepower can be raised to close to 500
horsepower to make the car competitive. Powell reports that the stock C5 suspension
is more than adequate for competition based on his experience of using the C5
as his driving school vehicle since it was introduced in 1997.
The car that Powell unveiled at Carlisle is a coupe
and will be transformed into a hardtop racecar this winter. He is starting with
a brand new car because it has all of the factory wiring, computers, ABS and
Traction Control systems. Powell chose to use a new car instead of one of the
C5-R kit cars because the kit car does not have all of the factory electronic
equipment.
The new Super Cup series will showcase how competitive the
C5 is to a large audience. CorvetteMagazine.com will keep you posted
on how this series is progressing. CM.com
RIGHT:
Corvettes at Carlisle wouldn't be complete without the Grand Dame of Corvettes,
Elfi Duntov. She was available for autographs inside the Fun Display tent.
ABOVE:The
Bob Gold Auction has become a fixture at Corvettes at Carlisle. This year, the
quality was high and the prices were aggressive. Auction watchers noted the
new strength in mid-year small block convertibles.
