Gary Semerdjian, owner of 247-Parts.com, has been into racing cars for years, and if you paid attention to the etGP coverage from last month, you'll know that the Corrado SLC he brought with him was built to run on the track. Gary and a few others finished with much lower standings in the drag racing and dyno events, and this was all due to the cars' lower power output. These participants all entered poorly disguised race cars hoping to make up for the lack of raw power during the track event with stiff chassis.
Gary did really well during the practice session, all while gaining time on some of the higher horsepower cars. Unfortunately, Gary had a few issues with his suspension during the timed event, and his time suffered. The problem was that the front left shock on his car had blown out. It threw the whole car out of wack and the Corrado started lifting and locking up the rear right tire through right turns. This presented a problem, considering about 90 percent of the apexes on Streets of Willow head in that direction. With the amount of time left in the day, it was out of the question to change the suspension, so Gary took the cards he was dealt and made do.
'92 VW Corrado SLCDriver: Gary SemerdjianLap Time: 1:37.881Contact Info: 247-Parts.com, 866/88-SPEED, www.247-Parts.comEngine: 2.8L VR6, JE pistons, Euro Sport intake and plug wires, 247-Parts.com exhaust, header, and oil cooler, NGK spark plugsDriveline: VW 02A five-speed manual, Quaife LSD, stock clutch, and flywheelInterior: Corbeau Kevlar one-piece race seats, VDO gauges, Momo pedals, VW Golf II shift knobSuspension/Brakes: Ground Control Advanced Design shocks and race springs, 247-Parts.com IT spec front and rear sway bars, front strut tie brace and bushings, OEM Corrado rotors, Hawk pads, Goodrich stainless steel brake linesWheels/Tires: 15x7 Panasport C5CF
ABD Racing'04 VW R32Driver: Dave RoyceLap Time: 1:34.025Contact Info: ABD Racing, 909/351-9566, www.abdracing.comEngine: 3.2L VR6, K&N intake, ABD Racing exhaust, VF Engineering V9F Vortech supercharger, GIAC chipDriveline: VW 02M six-speed manual, ABD short-shift kitInterior: Stock seating, ABD Racing pedalsSuspension/Brakes: Eibach coilovers, Eibach front and rear camber kit, ABD front strut tie bar, OEM brakesWheels: 18x7.5 HRE 540
After ABD's strong showing with its VR6 last year, the company decided to bring another one. Not only was it a VR, it was the oh-so-coveted R32 version that was recently introduced to the US market. The car was fairly simple as modifications go, with only a hint that it had been messed with coming from the 18-inch HRE 540 wheels and lowered stance. This was the first time that many of the participants had even seen a genuine R32, let alone a supercharged one.
The car did well on the dyno and at the dragstrip and proved itself to be a worthy competitor at the road course, too, despite its lofty curb weight. The real beauty of this car was that it was basically a stock car with the exception of some suspension and a VF Engineering supercharger. But with the power it had, it pulled off a fifth place finish just behind two full race cars and two high-powered Audis. Impressive, indeed. After watching its performance over the three days of etGP, we're almost convinced that the R32 isn't actually a "too little too late" attempt by Volkswagen at what a GTI should be.
AchtuningIt isn't often that you are standing on US soil and spot a moving RS4, let alone one that is being flogged on the track. But that is just what this year's etGP participants witnessed. Joshua Decker, owner of Achtuning, brought out his pride and joy to our event. Josh has spent many years and many more dollars getting this car federalized so he can drive it on city streets, and after watching it perform, it was money well spent.