"Reading off our rally notes, we went into one corner very fast but it tightened so much we were never going to come around. You only have so much grip at high speed. We ended up sliding the back of the car through some gravel on the verge of a cliff - at around 130 kays... Then lo and behold we hit a steel guidepost at the right point on the car that it threw us back onto the road. We flicked back and headed towards the bank on the other side of the road - managing to stop just in time before hitting that. The damage to the rear rearranged the toe by about 20mm, but we crabbed to the end of the stage and ended up with a 57-second penalty. We then managed to straighten it all using a tape measure and could continue racing."
It was just as well the big Supra hit that guidepost and was pushed back onto the bitumen, because Craig and his co-driver (Graham Bell) then powered on to snatch third outright in front of a field of around 260 Targa vehicles. Not bad, eh?! He was beaten only by (the ever rock-solid) Jim Richards, and Gary Quin - both driving GT3 Porsches.
Craig Dean - the MD of Melbourne's Sports and Luxury Cars - is no stranger to Targa Tasmania. His first attack on the Apple Isle was behind the wheel of a twin-turbo 5-speed Toyota Soarer. Craig says the unlikely-racer Soarer was a fantastic vehicle. With increased boost, a better intercooler, HKS springs and the (standard) Torsen diff, it was a great "point-it-and-shoot-it" vehicle. And it was "totally forgiving". Craig's first Targa result with the Soarer (in '97) was 14
th outright, backed by an amazing 2
nd outright the following year. Craig also brought another Soarer (single turbo) into the GT-P racing for 12 months. This venture wasn't as rewarding due to crippling tyre size regulations.
After dropping the idea of GT-P'ing a Soarer, Craig made the big switch to a Ford Mustang. In addition to selling direct Japanese imports, his automotive business converts various American cars to RHD, so it was a great move from a promotional point of view. Not surprisingly, he opted for the ultimate Mustang package - a Saleen supercharged 351. This vehicle took up where the Soarer left off in GT-P, but 4th and 5th position was the best that Craig could get out of her. "The car was old technology and it took a while to get used to racing with left-hand-drive." The recent introduction of GT-P Nations Cup also saw a budget "blow out" that put competitors like Craig out of the running. Targa Tasmania was the only remaining event he wanted to explore in the Mustang.
As you might expect, the ever-changing road conditions of Targa made the Mustang even more of a handful than it was in GT-P. In 1999 the car went off the road, but was able to claw back to 8th position outright. In 2000, the wrong tyre choice meant Craig "might as well have been driving on steel belts" - a few heart-stopping 180-degree spins were indicative of the level of difficulty.
Tired of having to work long hours in an attempt to keep up with modern-tech vehicles, Craig jumped into one of his own 1998 Toyota Supra RZ twin-turbos. "I've always liked the Supra and I wanted to be the first person with one in Targa," he comments. Underneath, it's almost the same car as the Soarer (which Craig really loved) - but the RZ has bigger brakes, is lighter and as Craig says, it's a "pure sports supercar".
The Supra
Amazingly, the Craig Dean Supra is mechanically near-stock. "We put a 2½ inch mandrel exhaust on it [which has no cats, just a rear muffler] and there's a small boost increase from the sequential turbos." The factory ECU's speed limiter has also been removed.
Yep, that's all there is in the power-upping department - but it's enough to generate 230kW at rear wheels on a Dyno Dynamics dyno (on a maximum of 15.5 psi boost and running Avgas). This level of power can accelerate Craig from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 5 seconds and took him to around 255 km/h on one of Targa's longer stretches (the car can wind out slightly faster with more room available). Don't forget, the Supra is quite heavy - Craig's racecar weighs in at 1692kg with himself and his co-driver onboard.
With relatively modest power, it makes sense that the Supra's Targa success has come from its well-tuned suspension and powerful brakes (not to mention of course Craig's driving talent!). Melbourne's Quadrant Suspension re-valved the Bilstein dampers - which come as standard on the RZ - and lowered the ride height by half an inch at the front. The front camber and castor are also adjusted for improved turn-in. Each wheel arch is filled by a factory 17-inch rim wearing Bridgestone RE540 road-legal race rubber. These measure 235/45 and 255/40 at the front and rear respectively. "They did the job, but they're looking a bit ragged now!" admits Craig. The Supra's tremendous high-speed stability is, no doubt, aided by the fitment of the factory RZ body kit comprising side skirts and a towering rear wing. Note that the (guidepost-altered!) front spoiler is an aftermarket item. "It feels very safe and secure at high speed."
When it comes to looking at the Supra RZ brakes, you automatically assume that discs of that size are aftermarket - but they aren't! 4-pot front and 2-pot rear calipers squeeze each of the standard ventilated discs. The factory ABS remains in operation. Craig is happy to report that he (somewhat surprisingly) encountered no brake problems over the entire event. "My local brake guy handed me some special pads and told me to try them," he casually throws in. They performed great - there was no fade and they didn't eat the discs.
Craig tackles each corner mindful of one technique. "Brake to speed, select the right gear, turn in, maintain a balanced throttle and punch it. The Supra is very progressive and predictable, but the 'slow in and fast out' approach certainly is best." And that's - apparently - where a lot of people come to grief in Targa Tasmania. Craig claims that the event is more dangerous than any circuit racing - "You must respect it and be ready for anything." Over its 6 days and 600-odd kilometres of competition stages, the Targa offers a variety of road surfaces and conditions: on and off camber roads, hairpins, high-speed corners and straights. Contrary to what we've heard other high-performance drivers recommend, Craig never drives to the full width of the road - he always leaves a small safety margin. The size of the Supra doesn't worry him either, because he's used to driving larger vehicles.
Interestingly, Craig drives the Supra with the traction control switched off. Allowing the system to remain in its (default) automatic mode sees minor amounts of wheel slippage eliminated almost seamlessly, but unfortunately major slippage causes a massive power shutdown. Craig did, however, enable the factory traction control system on one very slippery stage. Almost immediately, the system switched to its cut-all-power mode. "The car would barely accelerate, and we had to scramble to turn the switch back off!"
Our Drive
Just a couple of weeks after its success at Targa, I took Craig's Supra RZ for a three-day road evaluation. What is it like to drive a giant-killing racecar on the road?
First of all, the barely modified 50,000km 3-litre 2JZ-GTE engine is an absolute mind-blower: it must surely be one of the most flexible, potent sixes ever built. When the throttle is squeezed, positive manifold pressure - according to the factory boost gauge - cuts in at only around 1500 rpm. This first stage of sequential turbo operation makes the Supra feel like it's powered by a large-cube V8 and you can hear the first turbo whistling at almost every throttle application.
And then - look out! - the second turbo cuts in...
Holding the throttle to the floor past around 4500-5000 revs brings the second turbo onto boost - bringing with it a change in engine note and another surge of torque. It's not a phasing that tries to send the car out of control; it's really quite progressive. Torque holds strong to the 6800 redline, giving full-throttle performance that's comparable to a stock Subaru Impreza STi. My AC-22 Performance Meter timed 0-100 km/h runs were hindered by a damp road, but the car still managed the deed in 5.2 seconds. Sub-5s should indeed be achievable on a dry surface. Low in the rev range, however, the Supra is in another league to the STi...
Mate the Supra's ever-flexible sequentially turbo'd 3 litre to a 6-speed gearbox and you've got a car that's as driver-friendly as you can get. Pick any corner and there's enough torque on tap to haul-arse through it in any one of three different ratios... That's just as well, because it's easy to get caught out sliding into the wrong position of the H-pattern shifter. Luckily there's a lift-up lockout to protect you from shifting into reverse at 110 km/h... The operation of the standard clutch is smooth and relatively light, while the gearbox throws are short, firm and precise.
Being a Japanese supercar, the Supra RZ has razor-sharp steering. Its straight-ahead feel is wonderful; it's incredibly responsive to any amount of steering input and there's just the right amount of weighting. Such wonderfully direct steering makes the Supra feel considerably smaller and nimble than it really is, while the Bridgestone RE540s gave only the slightest tramlining. Suspension wise, the re-valved Bilstein and lowered front spring'd Supra has a firm ride and strong damping without being uncomfortable - it's perfect for an endurance driving event like Targa. It soaks up B-grade road irregularities very well, though metal expansion joints send a crash through the body.
Find a nice stretch of mountain road and you'll find the Supra chassis is hyper-alert. Turn-in is instant and mid-corner throttle control is phenomenal (thanks again to that responsive 2JZ motor). Depending on how slippery the road surface is, a hard-throttle exit will cause either a) the rear to squat under maximum acceleration, b) the traction control to take away just a trace of power, or c) a traction control-induced total shut down of power. Of course, Craig switches off the traction control system - which allows his right foot to determine how much torque is sent roadward. At no time does the Supra want to understeer - it will, however, oversteer if you enter a corner death-defying quickly (just ask Craig!). The Torsen diff puts the torque to the road surprisingly well, but you're still able to enjoy a progressive power oversteer if you by-pass the traction control circuit. Braking retardation is quite strong and there's good pedal feel - though the pads are a little squeally at times.
While driving the RZ is fantastic, getting in and out isn't so much fun - especially if you're 6 foot tall, like I am...A contortionist act is required to pass through the door opening and plonk yourself into the driver's seat without clanging your head against the roll cage. Once you're in though, you're solidly held in place by a Momo race seat. This - combined with the 4-point harness - means you can't move around or reach for things like you can in a conventional car. You aren't even able to reach the glovebox or twist your body to check the blindspot when making a lane change. You're h-e-l-d!
The RZ's race feel keeps coming with the suede Momo wheel, the (factory) centrally placed tacho, the 320 km/h TRD speedo and the low-slung/high waistline envelope. But, despite being a racer, there's all the comfort you could want as well: a tuner/CD/cassette, power windows and climate control. The passenger side of the cabin is endowed with a TerraTrip navigation computer and a Raybrid "noise maker" for baffling pedestrians - some light entertainment for both Craig and Graham... In the rear storage area, the Supra contains two spare wheels, an in-car camera mount and a plug-in box for inter-helmet communication.
Over my three days, I was amazed to find the race-Supra RZ very liveable and mild-mannered. Its steering is precise without being over-active, it handles very safely, it delivers a tremendous spread of torque and gear ratios, it's bloody quick and it can even be quite economical - consuming around 12-13 litres per 100km (with typical street driving). Other than the fact that I repeatedly banged my head on the roll cage and took 5 minutes to write down all of the sponsor's stickers, I had to keep reminding myself that this car out-raced many a harder-edge vehicle also being driven by very good drivers...
Indeed, with a more favourable power-to-weight ratio and the crew intending to have their own rally notes for next year's Targa, the Supra RZ will be an even bigger threat. Craig - for one - likes to think someone can topple Jim Richards from his high chair...
Contacts/Thanks:
Sports and Luxury Cars
+61 3 9753 5799
http://www.crossover-car.com.au/mainpage.htm
Craig sends a big thankyou to all of his sponsors:
- KW Doggett Fine Paper
- Power Customs Services
- Hornet Press
- AVO
- Unique Cars Magazine
- Widetread
- CPI Group
- Budget Car Rentals
- Yellow Pages
- Automotive Instrument Repairs
- Red Bolt Communications
- Ross Signs
- West Point and Country Club Casinos
- JB Hi-Fi
- Ferntree Gully Exhaust
- Daily Towing
- Trim Master
|
Footnote
Craig has now decided to sell his Supra RZ racer - so if anyone's interested in a fully prepared, highly competitive Targa vehicle, now's your chance! Price is on application. Craig won't be leaving the Targa scene though. He'll be buying another Supra RZ - probably the later model VVT-i version - and doing it all over again. Best of luck to him.
|
|