The SRT Competition Coupe is finally on the Pole, leading all contenders for the Portland Intl. Raceway's hosting of tommorrow's World Challenge Race. Tommy Archer snared the Pole for the Viper,but a scant .010 seconds, but heh,we aren't playing horseshoes. Let's hope Tommy can carry us to our second win ( first win , of course, was by the late, great Paul Mumford at Laguna Seca last year ) and catapult himself up in the standings- I believe he is in second at present. The race will be on Sunday, but not telecast until August 1st. Others Vipers and Comp Coupes qualified as follows:
10th Tim Wiens
11th Jim McCann
15th Mike McCann
19th Bob Woodhouse
22nd Al Becerra ( GTS )
Great, I finally get Speed Channel and figure I am all fixed up, and now I need to purchase Direct TV, to get the stuff I wanna watch , sooner. Thanks for posting the times and enjoy - I will probably have to watch how to rebuild a birdhouse on HGTV.
I was fortunate enough to have dinner with Bob Woodhouse and Tommy Archer the night before the race, and the thing that really got me was how calm about the whole thing Tommy was. That guy must be so used to winning that it's no big deal anymore... =)
Oh, and yes those Comp Coupes are freaking awesome!
Craig,
Tommy was already the heaviest Comp Coupe in the field. The Rewards weight system is just what it is - it's a dynamic penalty assessment to try to keep things even. This race shows that the Comp Coupes can be competitive - at the right tracks - and Tommy will have to deal with the added weight just like the Audi's and Caddy's do every time they win. I don't expect to see an overall competition adjustment based on yesterday's results - just the standard, published REWARDS weight.
Great job to all the Vipers - esp. 3R and McCann Racing - lots of points for privateers.
Are they still forcing the comp coupe to run 275s on the front? The fact that Tommy stayed in front the whole time definitely speaks to his driving talent. When is this going to be on Speed, next weekend?
Archer is definitely a cool cucumber, and he seems to almost always be calm before a race.To say he has won so many races that it doesn't matter kind of misses the point with the folks that know him. He is surprisingly quiet most of the time, and the magical word is " Focused." He wanted this win as bad as anyone, and as an Elder Statesman, it only illustrates the talent he does have. Bingo,on the tiny little tires the heaviest car in the Series has to run, and amazing the Viper could do as well - correct in that it was driver skill. Hopefully , next year, there will be some parity in tire sizes, as this is the main limiting factor (in my estimation ) with the Comp Coupe.
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