Speed World Challenge-TC

[matthewAPM]

Speed world Challenge has been around for years. The series started out with endurance races with stock cars and now has evolved to the United States TOP touring car series. Just a few years ago you could see starts with tons of different cars and manufactures. Now, Speed World Challenge is a less diverse field. You have Tri-Point, Tindol, Realtime, and Bimmerworld, with 2 of them (Tri-point and tindol) running the same cars. Yes, every once in a while you will see a privater out but never a strong running car. After all these year, the competition has been stong, but what I miss seeing is all the different team and cars.

What we used to see in SWC






and SWC-TC as of now




SO, what are your takes on Speed World Challenge Touring Car?
What would you like to see happen in the series?
What teams or manufactures come to TC?
Whats your favorite teams?
Where would you like to see the series go?...lets here what yall have to say!

[Sport1.3]

I've been watching since tri-point campaigned the MP3 Protégé with Jeff Altenburg and Shauna Marinus at the wheel...back when it was completely dominated by BMW and Acura. I remember Petite LeMan when they brought the new Protégé to our Performance Mazda Booth for pictures, god what a bad@ss car that was.

As far as where I’d like the sport to head, I’d like it to keep its roots. In that, keeping to TOURING cars only. 4 doors! I very much like the lifting of the turbo ban a few years back. I'd like to see more turbo cars fielded, more circuits incorporated, more factory backing, larger pay outs, and for Mazda to start campaigning the Speed 3

[AirMax95]

I know that there is a Subaru Legacy that runs in the series. I really want to see a STI and EVO join the group.

KLEINUBING and CUNNINGHAM are 2 of my favorite drivers, from the Real time racing team.

[Elbow]

Whatever happened to Shauna?

As for the series. What to do? I loved it back in the day (still do). But I do remember back when tons of privateers ran in the mix, some did well. One that always pops up is Roger Foo in his yellow EG Civic. I remember SCC did a article years ago with some of the cars, had his, a Countour, etc. I still have the magazine.

What do we do to make the series more broad?

Maybe have a seperate points race for privateer teams? Mixed in with the main championship...not sure if they already do that. One reason I think we don't see any mixes of cars now is the budget to run the series is a lot higher now then it used to be.

[EJ25RUN]

I know that there is a Subaru Legacy that runs in the series. I really want to see a STI and EVO join the group.

KLEINUBING and CUNNINGHAM are 2 of my favorite drivers, from the Real time racing team.

Speaking of Subaru...4wd must be banned.

[AirMax95]

Speaking of Subaru...4wd must be banned.

Honestly I agree, to a certain extent. In wet conditions, they have an advantage, still up to the drivers skill though.

When its dry, I really dont see the advantage. Now as I above posted, add in a nimble STi, EVo, or a modded Impreza RS and that may change.

[josh green]

Would it be out of class budget to just make the AWD cars RWD? I really dont know how much work/money that would be and I would imagine it would be much easier on the suby. I loved watching the Realtime cars when I was younger, the NSX was "almighty" in my eyes. Watching racing before you could drive a car sure got me all gung hoe about my future car.

I dont like seeing a series be over run by big teams that dominate and pretty much make it impossible for the privateer. That goes for ANY make or model. Unfortunately thats what has happened to SC drag racing, those of you that care.

Someone needs to DVR all this stuff and then email it to me like once a week. I dont get speed with my basic direct TV package.

edit: Looking back at the newer pictures BMW seems to have almost fallen off the map in the mazda, acura sea.

[Sport1.3]

Speaking of Subaru...4wd must be banned.

when its dry the AWD cars dont really fair that well. The power to weight ratio's are all very similiar and the FWD cars tend to do much better being so much lighter

[matthewAPM]

I know that there is a Subaru Legacy that runs in the series. I really want to see a STI and EVO join the group.

FALSE, no legacy is running in World Challenge. There are 3 subarus running is Koni Challenge ST race. There was an STi that ran and I believe an evo ran once, BUT those cars are for the GT class, not TC

Here is the STi from SWC GT

[EJ25RUN]

when its dry the AWD cars dont really fair that well. The power to weight ratio's are all very similiar and the FWD cars tend to do much better being so much lighter

But look at the quattro from back in the mid 90's European touring days. It kept winning so weight penalties were put on the car. But that only made it launch better. And look at the GT Class when the Audi A6 were cleaning up.

read this



4wd can work. The class just has to be adjusted for it.

[StraightSix]

WC has just gotten to be very expensive to run. That's why there's really only larger teams running the series any more. Also, I don't think turbos are banned in WC, the rules just aren't favorable for them. I know there have been some SRT-4s contesting WC in the past and one that didn't finish at, iirc, Road America in August.

[matthewAPM]

the turbos are still legal for TC. That is why the chill pepper racing VW diesel turbo runs as well as the SRT4's. Would love to see a cobalt when they come out with the 4 door

[matthewAPM]

woo

[JITB]

dam i do find the series less interesting.. i honestly loved to see less expensive cars tearin it up on the track. i miss seein foo in the hatch, and the p5..

[matthewAPM]

^^ really. but anytime you go to a pro series, your looking to spend alot of money. I just wish it was for like koni challenge but in sprint races

[dazn]

Touring car started out very grassroots, but like you said it is the top touring car series in the states right now. I dont think the cars really need to get any cheaper to run, the marketing for World challenge is retarded and almost non-existent. The cars are good the way they are now, the way a high-class touring car should be. none of this stock or polyurethane suspension ****. I wanna see sequential boxes, high dollar motec systems, adjustable diff designs, high tech shocks like Motons or the Ohlins we had on the Tindol cars. I want to see the motors spinning to crazy rpms and make crazy power and barely idle. Id like to see more aerodynamic changes allowed too.
if you want to see slow cars with squishy suspension, then you can watch SCCA Nationals or watch a Koni Challenge race. I watch and work in World Challenge now because it has grown to such new heights of racing. But no one knows what the **** world challenge is because Speed channel airs the race they sponsor on wednesdays at noon. WTF. One problem with TC that GT doesnt experience is not being able to buy a car to go racing. You can either buy an older non-competitive TC, or build your own to be competitive which is not cheap at all. I know teams are spending at least $300,000 to engineer and develop their own cars. and about 150,000 to re-create cars. if you could buy a Works Acura or a Works Mazda to go racing in for that same amount, then you would see more competitors. people just dont have the time or interest to completely develop a car like the big teams. and it doesnt take a big team to win either. Tindol started out small time. It was only this year we had a nice trailer and an actual canopy, but the cars have always been good. and they are completely different from the Tri-Point cars too.

[matthewAPM]

Touring car started out very grassroots, but like you said it is the top touring car series in the states right now. I dont think the cars really need to get any cheaper to run, the marketing for World challenge is retarded and almost non-existent. The cars are good the way they are now, the way a high-class touring car should be. none of this stock or polyurethane suspension ****. I wanna see sequential boxes, high dollar motec systems, adjustable diff designs, high tech shocks like Motons or the Ohlins we had on the Tindol cars. I want to see the motors spinning to crazy rpms and make crazy power and barely idle. Id like to see more aerodynamic changes allowed too.
if you want to see slow cars with squishy suspension, then you can watch SCCA Nationals or watch a Koni Challenge race. I watch and work in World Challenge now because it has grown to such new heights of racing. But no one knows what the **** world challenge is because Speed channel airs the race they sponsor on wednesdays at noon. WTF. One problem with TC that GT doesnt experience is not being able to buy a car to go racing. You can either buy an older non-competitive TC, or build your own to be competitive which is not cheap at all. I know teams are spending at least $300,000 to engineer and develop their own cars. and about 150,000 to re-create cars. if you could buy a Works Acura or a Works Mazda to go racing in for that same amount, then you would see more competitors. people just dont have the time or interest to completely develop a car like the big teams. and it doesnt take a big team to win either. Tindol started out small time. It was only this year we had a nice trailer and an actual canopy, but the cars have always been good. and they are completely different from the Tri-Point cars too.

I agree %100. I think if your going to create the top touring car series in the US, market it like it is. Its Speeds series, so why not air it when people can watch it?

The reason i like Koni so much is there are tons of small teams with a huge verity of cars. That is why you are seeing so many drivers going to run there....cost and competition.

Im not saying that the cost of SWC should go down at all, its a touring car series, it WILL be expensive. I would just like to see the series market better and maybe the teams will come

[josh green]

If you look on racingjunk.com you can find a couple retired Touring cars. $100k will buy you a reatired mazda 6 and $20k will get you a protege. Both of which were pretty sweet cars. It would be badass to buy either for a weekend racer. As sweet as it would be to run a series, I would be all giddy about going to a Road Atlanta track day or something a few times a year.

[dazn]

If you look on racingjunk.com you can find a couple retired Touring cars. $100k will buy you a reatired mazda 6 and $20k will get you a protege. Both of which were pretty sweet cars. It would be badass to buy either for a weekend racer. As sweet as it would be to run a series, I would be all giddy about going to a Road Atlanta track day or something a few times a year.

if you buy the protege, be ready to buy tons of transmissions, those things went through boxes every race. as kul as it would be to have a TC for a trackday car, it would be just ridiculous to maintain. parts are few and expensive. motors are ridiculous, gearboxes are out of this world. id rather have a sports racers.

[matthewAPM]

if you buy the protege, be ready to buy tons of transmissions, those things went through boxes every race. as kul as it would be to have a TC for a trackday car, it would be just ridiculous to maintain. parts are few and expensive. motors are ridiculous, gearboxes are out of this world. id rather have a sports racers.

exactly. for the cost, you could track a GT3

[Thighs]

if you buy the protege, be ready to buy tons of transmissions, those things went through boxes every race. as kul as it would be to have a TC for a trackday car, it would be just ridiculous to maintain. parts are few and expensive. motors are ridiculous, gearboxes are out of this world. id rather have a sports racers.

x2... ask tom fowler lol.

SPEC MIATA FTMFW :boobies::idb:

[matthewAPM]

x2... ask tom fowler lol.

SPEC MIATA FTMFW :boobies::idb:

well b.c he worked for tindol...im sure he knows.

Pro IT FTW

[Thighs]

well b.c he worked for tindol...im sure he knows.

Pro IT FTW

he also drove a protege it SWC a LOOOONG time ago.

[matthewAPM]

hurry up and get off the computer

[dazn]

he also drove a protege it SWC a LOOOONG time ago.

haha, yep Toms a good driver, he missed his calling to be a paid driver somewhere, im the one that comes in occassionally and uses the my TIG machine.

[dazn]

well b.c he worked for tindol...im sure he knows.

Pro IT FTW

i served some time at OPM too

[dazn]

exactly. for the cost, you could track a GT3

i was thinking something like this.
http://www.westracecars.com/west/cars.html

[matthewAPM]

^^ or that. I was at there test day at road atlanta last year

[Elbow]

^Pic no workie