Part 9: Stealth Bomber Makes Its Run

After a sleepless three-day thrash to get the Stealth Bomber in fightingshape for the 2004 Nevada Open Road Challenge (NORC), we dragged it tothe Derek Daly Speed Centre Racing School of Las Vegas for mandatoryqualification for NORC/Silver State first timers. Following a classroomsession explaining the intricacies of the track and the correct line, wewere cut loose on our own for a few laps, at which time I threw my newaccessory drivebelts. I limped the overheating pursuit vehicle into thepits, broke out the tools, cobbled it back together, and proceeded withthe next phase of qualifying. An instructor rode with me, was satisfiedwith my attempts to curb my drag racing tendencies (you're supposed tohang the tail out around corners, aren't you?), and gave us thenecessary certificate stating we were indeed insane enough to run in theNORC--in a 15-year-old police car nonetheless.

After breaking our new Firestones in at the track, we went back to Sam'sTown (the official hotel of the Silver State Classic) for registrationand a very thorough tech inspection. Since we had taken our safetyequipment to the next level, we had no trouble passing tech, and evengot the hard-nosed tech inspectors to smile at the prospect of runningour boxy, yet sexy, Diplomat at triple-digit speeds against the likes ofC5 Corvettes, BMW M5s, late-model Camaros, a Ferrari 360 Modena, and asmattering of other exotic hardware. Had we bitten off more than wecould chew? We didn't think so. We'd done our homework and wereconfident the car would perform as intended.

The next day, we got out of Las Vegas a bit worse for the wear and madea beeline to Ely, Nevada. Ely is a picturesque and sleepy little miningtown nestled in the high desert of Nevada. at noon on Saturday, weparticipated in the first ever High Noon Shootout--a half-mile ormile-long acceleration contest depending on your registered speed class(touring and Grand Touring run the half-mile, while Grand Sport, SuperSport and Unlimited can run either the mile or the half-mile). Thisall-new event takes place on a fenced-off stretch of SR-490 and is likean extra-long drag race, but it's just you against the clock. Later inthe day we attended the car show at Broadbent Park, as well as themandatory drivers' meeting in the evening. We turned in early since wewere racing even earlier. Remember, the early bird gets the worm, or isit the early worm gets eaten by the bird. We're not quite sure how thatgoes...

Sunday came fast and early with a staging of all the race vehicles in atruck stop parking lot. All amenities were available: coffee, food,restrooms, and race gas. From there, the various classes are called upin order and placed on the grid before the starting line. When it's yourturn, you go through a final inspection of your tires, and the helpfulstaff makes sure you are belted in tightly--very tightly. So tightly, infact, that you can't breath very well, but it doesn't really mattersince you seem to forget to breath for the first fifteen minutes anyway,till you calm down and settle into the race. We were able toeffortlessly maintain triple-digit speeds; the Diplomat cornered flatly,displayed no ill handling or stability characteristics, and was actuallyconfidence inspiring. We finished in one piece with no mechanicaltrouble or scary moments. If you like a bit more than a short burst ofacceleration in a straight line, than this could be the event for you.We highly recommend it. It'll be one of the best fifty minutes or lessyou'll ever spend. For more information, event descriptions, rules andregulations, and event schedules, log onto www.sscc.us

The Event

The NORC and its twin-brother event, the Silver State Classic Challenge,takes place on a stretch of highway 318 (north of Las Vegas) beginningat White Pine County just south of Lund, and ending 90 miles later atLincoln County mile marker 7. This two-lane highway is a speeding ticketwaiting to happen on any day other than race day. The race is brokendown into 15 different categories ranging from 95 mph to 180 mph in 5mph increments. Then there's the Unlimited Class for the very specialpeople where the fastest average time wins. In all of the other classes,the goal is to try and maintain your class average speed. Closest oneover or under wins. Seems simple, but 318 isn't a straight ribbon ofhighway. It's a challenge and a blast. We highly recommend it. Eventsponsors include K&N, Rims by Ronal, Optima Batteries, HotchkisPerformance, Sam's Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, Hotel Nevada-Ely, andlastly, Recarro.

Wheezing in Thin Air

Ely, Nevada, is high up where the air is very thin. In fact, the HighNoon Shootout and NORC are run on a stretch of highway a mere 6,500-feetabove sea level. That turned the Diplomat into one very sluggish player.At least during the NORC, the elevation drops significantly as you headsouth, and your car progressively runs better. Hell, we got windedgetting dressed in the morning. We even bumped the timing up a fewdegrees to make it more peppy, but this four-door,which has greatdifficulty not laying down prodigious amounts of rubber all the waythrough its long-legged first gear, couldn't turn a tire to save itslife. Running a marathon breathing through a straw, indeed. The thin airobviously didn't hurt Hugh Hoard or his '97 Viper as it was able toachieve a terminal velocity of 183 mph in the one-mile shootout! Can'timagine how fast he would have been at sea level. Fuel-injected carstend to fare a bit better, while cars with blowers and turbos bringtheir own atmosphere to the party. We're not saying they are notaffected, it's just not as dramatic as a normally aspirated andcarbureted machine. Needless to say, we only managed 101 mph in thehalf-mile shootout, with each climb through the gears an agonizinglyslow process. Next year we'll have to bring our own air.

110 Class Race Results

The point of the NORC and Silver State races is not to finish with thefastest time (save for the Unlimited Class), but to come as close toyour class speed as possible over the entire 90-mile course, neverexceeding your tech speed (highest allowable in class, which in thiscase is 124 mph), and never dipping below 80 mph. We did reasonably wellwith a Fifth place finish behind four Corvettes and ahead of even moreCorvettes, a Viper, a BMW M5, a Porsche Boxster, a Ferrari 360 Modena, aMaserati Coupe, some Camaros and Mustangs, and a smattering of othermore aerodynamic offerings. The competition was so tight in the 110class that the winner ran an average of 109.9980, which was darn nearperfect. Our high trap speed was 124 mph, which is the maximumallowable in our class. Is there more left in the Stealth Bomber?Absolutely. 120 mph comes by at only a bit over 4,000 rpm and overfour-grand the 360 is just getting started.