We built the car in 1991/92. In late 1992 we were testing at Road Atlanta for the 1993 season when IMSA changed the rules allowing us to substitute a 3.0 litre 2-valve for a 2.7 litre 4-valve, or a 2.8 litre 4-valve and add 100 pounds. The 2-valve was almost exactly 400 hp. We though we could get 460 out of the 4-valve, with 2.8 liters.

We thought the 2.8 litre 4-valve could be built in 90 days for $50,000. Took over six months and about $100,000 to get the first engine dyno ready! In the interim I signed up with Jim Downing and ended up running in Camel light for the full 1993 season. Due to family and business concerns I quit racing at Sebring in 1994.

In April, 2001, after two years of lobbying, the SCCA agreed to accept the car with its inline engine and Hewland gearbox, if it was converted from slide valve injection to carbs. A mere $10,000 later it had new manifolds, trick Webers, a conventional ignition, etc...

The SCCA next announced that I had to move the fuel cells from the "original" side-tank location to inside the cockpit, in the passenger's seat area. Another six months of lobbying and I was able to convince the SCCA that having a fuel cell in the cockpit was insanity!

Well into 2001, but before we could test with the 2-valve with carbs, the SCCA announced a rule change for 2002 allowing butterfly type injection and electronic fuel management in place of the carbs. $10,000 later the butterfly system was on the engine and we set up and mapped with the new engine management system, another $20,000! We now had three induction systems for the 2-valve; the IMSA spec slide valve (not legal anywhere); the carbs (now obsolete) and the butterfly valve injection, now on the car.

The engine produced just at 400 hp on the dyno with the slide valve injection in IMSA spec. but produced far less with the butterfly injection since the throttle venturi is limited to a much smaller size than allowed by IMSA. HP is a modest 327 hp.

After some more family business, fast forward to 2006. Engine is done, the single fuel cell is now in the car, so we were at our first California National on Feb. 25 - 26. You know the results... dismal, but we did start the race.

As many racers know, winning a Regional Championship and a National Championship for one's region simply requires showing up and finishing, but... gotta have the car finished and show up to make that happen. Winning the runoffs is FAR more difficult, but I'd be happy with a top-10 finish this year or next year.

My competition is James Goughary in a Nissan 350 Z; Duane Davis in a (Valvoline/Toyota/TRD/Goodyear Toyota Celica); Bill Reid (also in a Toyota Celica); David Finch (Bosch/Optimum Power/Racetech Porsche 944) and last but not least, Tom Patton in his Tire Discounters Sunbeam Tiger. This group trades podium spots annually.

For the data system we installed an AiM MXL Pro with the help of Joe Hullett from Digital Competition Systems. The MXL Pro receives all the ECU communication via CAN from the MoTeC M800 ECU. This provides all the engine control data along with 4 damper potentiometers, steering potentiometer, and 2 brake pressure sensors provide the essential channels of data to fine tune engine and chassis platform. Our complete data system is then linked to the AiM DaVid slave video system utilizing RaceCam and Viosport cameras and a small portable radio scanner records the radio communications from the pit-to-driver and driver-to-pits. This provides us a complete comprehensive system of data and video crucial to the development of our SCCA GT2 Ferrari 308.

I have to say Joe Hullett is a great guy to deal with! He gets the job done, is non-judgmental and very professional. We would have been lost without him.