It's official, guys... we're on our own out there..

[RiceCzechs]

I just returned from doing the Cannonball One Lap of America, and over the thousands of miles on the trip, I saw a grand total of ONE EP... somewhere in Kansas, of all places. That, and we even passed two different Honda dealers, with no EP in sight! At lease this one (Taffeta) was riding on aftermarket rims and was dropped, but still! Anyway, it is sort of neat running such a rare car, but we need to get the word out there! I suppose that makes me all the more thankful for EPHatch.com, which has proven to be a great resource and general hang-out since I got my car a couple of months ago.

http://www.caranddriver.com/assets/image/5820039506.gif

For what its worth, One Lap was great, though very soggy this year. Most of the tracks saw rain, and we tagged a whole bunch of cars, including the only Lamborghini (and on the first track, Watkins Glen!). Missed a tornado by less than 1 mile, and ended up with hail damage.... :eek:
http://www.eggroll.org/onelapwatkinsglen/images/1/onelapwatkinsglen_077.JPG


If you all are interested, the Dodge SRT-4 was there, and was absolutely badass. The extent of the mods on this particular example were a Stage 1 Mopar kit (chip and injectors), Neon ACR front struts, a racing seat and cage, wing delete and aftermarket wheels/tires. Considering that everyone else at the event had probably twice as many mods, the SRT-4 still kicked their cans. It was the highest finishing front-driver, finishing eighth overall (besting everything from modified Vipers and 911s to EVOs and WRXs). This, from a car that was put on its side in one of the races (albeit incredibly gently). I'm not harping on our EPs here, but the cars performance was ridiculously impressive. Even assuming that the drivers were a caliber above the others, this still borders on the absurd. Reliability was a non-issue, as well... I still love my EP, but color me converted.

http://www.caranddriver.com/assets/image/57200310348.jpg

A C5 Vette with a 427 won the whole shebang (ending the reign of the Dodge Vipers)

Anyway, had a great time... you can learn more about it here:

One Lap Of America (http://www.onelapofamerica.com)

Someone needs to run an EP in this event!!!!

[Will2K2]

I've wanted to run this event for a long time (ever since I saw the original movie (back in like 82' ?)

But like alot of other stuff, my not participating is Dictated by

-Cost
-time / length of the event
-Can't risk killing my car, its my Daily driver

[JasonS1]

I was at the Summit Racing Retail shop last weekend when the One Lap guys started rolling in. I had my white EP there....must have missed me. It started to rain though, and everyone pulled out. Saw some bad ass cars though....Man it was awesome!

- Jason

[SHAKEnBAKE]

Anybody ever heard "Gumball 3000"? Same format, from London to Russia and back. Crazy ass race.:D

[SHAKEnBAKE]

I checked out the entrants list and found a team running 1989 Civic Si, and it's in the "econo car" class.
I bet our car can beat every other car in that class;)

[IceD out N CALI]

sounded like u had a good time;)

[RiceCzechs]

Originally posted by SHAKEnBAKE
I checked out the entrants list and found a team running 1989 Civic Si, and it's in the "econo car" class.
I bet our car can beat every other car in that class;)

In truth (and I'm not hatin' here), an EP would have a damned tough time with virtually any of the cars in this class...

Mikey's a veteran's veteran in OLoA, and so is his Civic, which is juiced and isn't exactly running a stock engine, either...

The "Festiva" referred to is actually a SHOgun, which has a Yamaha V6 from a Taurus SHO mounted behind the seats, and with a RWD drivetrain.

The Focus SVT appeared to be mostly stock, but the driver wasn't exactly Fangio out there...

The Jetta, while looking a bit to F&F for my tastes, was supercharged and rather fast...

The #77 Saturn, too, continued a long trend of Saturns that are actually a heck of a lot faster than they probably have any right to be.

A properly set up EP, with forced induction, could certainly give these guys a run for their $$$, but it would be anything but a "walk", and I'd probably bet against my EP brothers & sisters, having seen these guys run... :'(

[myeverlovinsir]

Nice post, wish we had that much to start with. Time will test how a similarly modded Si(R) can be. SRT-4 has some heritage now.

[SiR Medic]

very cool!


I have always wanted to enter the One-lap, even if I don't stand a chace in hell of doing even remotely well!

How did you do? Don't be too shy about it. One of the problems with the One-lap is that most of the serious entries are corporate sponsored trailer queens specifically put together for the event.

I have always been more impressed with someone who uses his daily driver or old collectable rather than the latest Uber-Viper sponsered by Dodge.

[RiceCzechs]

Actually, I don't run in the event, I run the event. Err, a small part of it, anyway. I don't have that kind of spare bread, either (to run in the event)... part of one of the two timing crews that presides over the events. I've been doing it for years, now, and though in certain ways its tough work, it is great fun, and generally the same core of people return to run/police the events each year, so its like a reunion, both among the staff and the competitors. Besides, driving around the country in mfg.-provided cars, cavorting about with a bunch of great guys that share my "gearhead" affliction, all while getting to try out tracks that I otherwise would rarely have access to (and getting paid to boot), is just too good of a "vacation" to pass up. Besides, as a (primarily) freelance automotive journalist, it is a good thing for my resume and a great way to rub shoulders...

If you ever have the opportunity to run the event, I highly recommend it... one of those things to check off on the "Things To Do Before You're Dead" list. :)