Here's the setup:

Location - BeaveRun Motorsports Complex, PA

Event - NASA HPDE/Race weekend

Class - HPDE 3 (High Performance Driver Education Class)

Competitors - One Lap of America prepped C5 Z06, hp unknown. Car ran in the 2006 OLA, finished 35th overall and 12th in class. Looked liek a pretty well prepped car. My Evo, driven to the track (28 mpg) on race tires and put on the track. I never even checked tire pressures. Tuned at 26psi for around 390 awhp, boost was set at 22, so power was down to around 350 or so. I have less than $2500 in power mods and less than $2500 in suspension mods.

The showdown - I left grid in P1 with the vette behind me. For the first 4 laps he was close to me but not close enough for me to let him pass (a rule in HPDE - no passing without a signal from the car in front). I wanted to see if I was holding him up (should be, right?), so I let him by on the back straight and tucked in right behind him. I fully expected him to drive away from me. Well, he didn't. For 5 more laps I shadowed him, pushing him hard enough that he put a wheel completely off and I thought he was gonna wad it up. He didn't, and then let me back by. Within a lap he was back on me, but still not enough to get by. This went on for the full 20 minute session, back and forth. I set my fastest laps of the weekend during that session, and drove well enough to get moved up to HPDE 4, the top class. I also got compliments on the car and my driving from the vette driver (he wasn't happy about it though!) and our group leader. It was a great weekend, so I thought I would share.

I would assume that the AWD was the determining factor there. Good job!

...

sweet!