I recently "raced" on a road course with my 8 at Elkart Lake race track(wisconsin). It seemed to do very well, hanging tight with other "high end" cars. I was sticking tight with Vetts for crying out loud! On the straights they would pull ahead but in the turns I was on their bumpers. I'm interested in how the 8 would compare to other similarly priced cars on a road course with REAL drivers. I dont know squat about racing but would like to maybe get into it. Will the 8 do well against STI's and EVO's in a road course? I know in a straight line I'd be beat and thats fine, not why I bought the 8, but I was very surprized on how well i did on the course with average drivers. Did they just suck at driving or is the 8 a serious competator on the road course?

 

I live 2 hours from Road America, and I want to know how you got into that race? What class/club/planet are you operating under?

 

It was called a track "tour" and the rules where 60mph speed limit, and no passing. WELL, after i got on the track and held at 60 I got dusted by 2 Vetts, a 911 and a STI... HAULIN ***'. It didnt take long for me to figure out the "rules" were for legal purposes only and it was basicly a free for all. Some cars were going slower but not the guys i was hanging with, on the straight we got to over 120mph.

 

That kicks ***... I'd love to "tour" Road America. Lucky you.

 

There is soooo much written in this forum about how the 8 is slower than other cars in straight line speed, what i would like to know is how it stacks up on a road course against these other cars like a EVO or a STI or SXT neon, after all isnt that what a SPORTS CAR is built for? I could give a crap if i lose a drag race.

 

I have a friend who autocrosses his S4 regularly, but has yet to compare to an '8. He's "raced against" Evo's, STi's, Elise's, and such. As soon as he see's an '8 on the track, I'll be sure to get his comments and post them somewhere in this forum.

 

The RX-8 is not as fast as it should be IMO but it should do well on the track as long as it isnt heavy with long straightaways. You have to keep the car at high rpms and make up your time in the curves.

The driver is going to be the key at the track if the cars are in the same class. The RX-8 should be sucessful assuming it has some good drivers.

Dean

 

From what I've read, it seems to do quite well. The TopGear video showed that it tied the lap times of the BMW M3 and 350Z on their road course, driven by the same professional driver (aka the stigg). It's also doing great in the Grand Am cup series, where the SpeedSource RX-8 has already won twice.

 

Here are some Top Gear lap times.

• Mercedes-Mclaren SLR - 1.20.9
  
• Ferrari 360 CS - 1.22.3
  
• Porsche 911 GT3 RS - 1.22.3
  
• Lamborghini Murcielago - 1.23.7
  
• Pagani Zonda - 1.23.8
  
• Koenigsegg - 1.23.9
  
• Noble M12 GTO-3 - 1.25.0
  
• Lamborghini Gallardo - 1.25.8
  
• Lotus Exige - 1.26.4
  
• Porsche 911 GT3 - 1.27.2
  
• TVR T350c - 1.27.5
  
• BMW M3 CSL - 1.28.0
  
• MG SV - 1.28.6
  
• Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII - 1.28.9
  
• Alpina Roadster (Z8) - 1.29.0
  
• Subaru Impreza STi - 1.30.1
  
• Aston Martin DB7 GT - 1.30.4
  
• Audi S4 - 1.30.9
  
• Porsche 911 Turbo - 1.31.0
  
• Vauxhall VX220 Turbo - 1.31.3
  
• Honda NSX Type R - 1.31.6
  
• BMW M3 - 1.31.8
  
• Nissan 350Z - 1.31.8
  
• Mazda RX-8 - 1.31.8
  
• Ford Focus RS - 1.32.2
  
• Lotus Esprit V8 - 1.32.5
  
• Audi TT V6 - 1.32.7
  
• Noble M12 - 1.33.1
  
• Mercedes SL55 AMG - 1.33.2
  
• VW Golf R32 - 1.33.2
  
• Volvo S60R - 1.35.0
  
• Ferrari 575 - 1.35.2
  
• Alfa Romeo 147 GTA - 1.35.6
  
• Lotus Elise - 1.35.6
  
• Aston Martin Vanquish - 1.36.2
  
• Renault Clio V6 - 1.36.2
  
• Honda Civic Type R - 1.36.5
  
• Saab 9-5 HOT Aero - 1.37.9
  
• Maserati Coupe - 1.38.0
  
• Bowler Wildcat - 1.39.4
  
• Bentley Arnarge - 1.40.8
  
• Range Rover overfinch - 1.44.0

 

Remember, some of those lap times are in the WET (like the NSX-R), but the M3 and 350Z, which are good comparisons, are in the dry.

 

I am shocked the Lotus Elise didnt do better. Anyone know the conditions? Most of those times look about right though.


Dean