TireRack One Lap of America Predictions....

So it’s time for my annual TireRack One Lap of America prediction list – who is going to be at the front of the field, who I think is going to be strong, and who I think might surprise some people. Having actually started this list about a month ago, the surprises are more in who isn’t coming than who is. Ron Adee and his 800 whp + viper are not coming back. Brian Smith vacated the Henessey Viper and picked up a ride in a Motorsports Technology Incorporated Viper, but then it was crashed by the owner so he isn’t coming. A couple of drivers played musical chairs in the TopSpeed Subaru, but in the end with Luke Russell on the list the team decided efforts were better placed elsewhere.

Of course it would be easy to say, “Well, DaVia will win his fifth in a row for sure now,” but that’s not the case. What this leaves us with is more questions than usual. Yes DaVia is the favorite, but that hasn’t really changed in the past three years anyway, what changes is the cast of people who have a shot at knocking him off the top of the mountain.

So here it is, for better or for worse, the list of who I think will be at the top of the heap at the end of the week.



1) DaVia/Wickstrom, Porsche 911
I might have said it wouldn’t be easy to predict him as the winner, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t predict him as the winner. Last year I called him the tick-tock Croc, waiting for the faster guys to fall into his jaws for another taste of victory. With four wins in a row now, I can't say much different. DaVia is like erosion – always there, always taking place, and competitors don't know how much they have lost until the results are in the history books. He will have challengers in the form of speedy cars, but his track record and reliability over the inexperience and equipment of the people trying to knock him off leave me to put him on top again.

2) Herzberg/Popp, Mongoose GTP
This car can be fast. Danny Popp can be fast. Mechanical issues kept him from clinching the top spot in 2005 and 2006 but he was running up front when his car was running. Now he is coming back in a mid-engine LS7-powered car. I kept bouncing around as to where to predict this team would finish, but I can’t justify putting them anywhere else in the top ten other than here or first, since it’s the cars first One Lap, it’s going here, though I honestly believe if it finishes, it will be a spot higher.

3) Keen/Barnes, Farnbacher Porsche Cayman GT-R
This hasn’t been officially announced yet, but I have done some digging and this will be the entry. Because there hasn’t been an announcement, I am not sure how much of the driving duties will be shared by each, but both drivers are very good, Leh with lots of Porsche experience and the third place at One Lap in 2007. The car is 400whp, and the effort is sponsored by Farnbacher-Loles, so the prep work should be immaculate, and the driving top-notch.

4) Corcoran/Corcoran, Chevrolet Corvette
The usual rock-solid top-five contenders had some issues last year, one in the form of a Mid America tire barrier. I expect that we will see a more solid effort with more development time this year on what was his new-for-07 suspension setup, which should net the Canadian father-son team a top five. This is also the team that scares me. Dan hasn’t run fast enough to win before, but he went faster in pre-season testing than anyone, and has the experience to run a smart event. If Dan can come in and get the win, you can bet it will be a crowd favorite.

5) Clarke/Lipperini, Acura NSX
Crazy man Lipperini and car-owner Clarke are coming back this year in an Acura NSX. In 05 they ran a GT40 kit, in 06 a near-stock STI, and in 07 were on the list in a Lotus that never showed up. Lipperini's One Lap schmorgasboard isn't any different than his roadracing In the wheel-to-wheel stuff Lipperini runs FWD, RWD, and anything in between and wins championships. Whatever he is driving you can bet it will be at its limits.

6) Da Silva/Da Silva, 2001 Porsche 996TT
This pair is back for 2008, and they are bringing back a “sister car” to DaVia’s. They are usually in the top ten, and with more horsepower I am probably missing the call on this one. They may very well be in the top 5 and even competing for top three.

7) Krolewicz/Krolewicz, Mongoose GTP
...and we come to me. This is the car I was supposed to drive in 2007 that didn't make it. It is "Version 1.0" of the Mongoose GTP, and has a 4-speed automatic transmission, stock LS7 and an aluminum monocoque. (compared to the composite chassis of Popp's car) That doesn't mean this car is a slouch. It is still sub 2800-lbs, and is putting 404 horsepower to the rear wheels. It still has the super-slick downforce-producing prototype bodywork, and still blew the field away at the 2007 Kit Car Run N' Gun. Just because it isn't the faster of the two GTPs doesn't mean it will be among the "all remaining cars" group – that being said, looking at testing times they seem to put me in the fifth and sixth place range.

8) Veth/Adam, 2004 Porsche 911 GT3
Chuck Veth has run a few One Lap of America events, in a much less prepared Porsche, and usually came home at the back of the teens. He has also co-driven with Mark DaVia (2003) so he knows what he is doing, and knows what it takes to run up front. This year he has brought a Porsche GT3, and was running very fast at the BeaveRun One Lap school. If he shows the same speed daily that he did at the end of the weekend at BeaveRun, he may finish a couple of spots higher.

9) Winkler/Jones Dodge Hennessey Viper ACR.
This is a strange one on the entry list. This is factory ACR test driver Chris Winkler at the wheel of a Henessey Viper, a ride that Brian Smith usually took. Chris knows his way around a Viper, and around a racetrack. Chris is soft-spoken which in much of my experience will make him terror on a track. If he had more One Lap experience, I might place him higher.

10) Hall/May/Clay, BMW 135i
Speed World Challenge driver and One Lap veteran James Clay is joining the fun this year by joining up with One Lap veterans Alex May and Victor Hall in a BMW 135i that Clay told me, “has just enough power to be reliable.” I know that these guys have divided up the tracks to pre-run, and are going for as much blood as they can collect. It’s a strong group, in a strong car, with a smart approach. Could be fun to see what happens.


So there it is, my prediction at the top 10.. as I look at it, there are another five or so that I would put up there. With the very front being a bit odd, the race for sixth place on back can be insane. We might easily see the next five reversed with the ones I just put up there. So what’s a nervous hack of a fortune teller to do to cover his butt? Put up 11-15 of course.


11) Swan/Seelhorst, Nissan Skyline GT-R
The magazines rave about it so what better way to prove it than by handing it to Car & Driver hot shoe Tony Swan. Tony has given some very good runs in much lesser equipment, and we have seen him put in top-10 caliber runs at individual events. With the strength of the Skyline, he can knock on the door to the top-10 and maybe even get invited in for a drink.

12) Heuschele/Gilles, 2008 Challenger SRT8
Erich “Hollywood” Heuschele is back after a year off in 2007. He is usually in a Dodge, and he is usually going fast. He has class wins and a few top-tens in this event. I am putting the team in twelfth because that’s where I think he will run daily, but when people in front of him break, he will move up. This is more of a “won’t finish any lower” prediction than a “will finish here” prediction.

13) Lier/Stewart, Porsche GT3
Peter Lier teamed up with Adam Breakey in 2007 to finish sixteenth even with some issues. This year he is bringing a different car, and different co-driver Ian Stewart. Don't expect teething problems from this team though, Lier and Stewart have been autocrossing this GT3 together for the past few years, with Ian bringing home an SCCA Solo National Championship in it in 2007. Ian now also has some roadracing under his belt, including a National win at Roebling Road in March. If Ian combines his newfound roadrace maturity with his autocross ability to be fast out of the box, and Lier can put up good times at the tracks he knows, this team might make me look very wrong by tearing their way into the top 10.

14) Johnson/Midgley, Honda Civic
The H.A.R.T. Civic that captured 5th place in 2006 and suffered a bad-luck failure in 07 is back. If not for an over the road camshaft failure caused by a loose bolt these guys might have grabbed another top-five last year. Like with 2006, I don't think they will have the speed to outright run up front, but they should have consistently solid runs. If the wet stuff falls or the big boys start breaking, these guys will be climbing up.

15) Braun/Creasy, VW Beetle TDI
At one point I looked at a results sheet with these guys up front and I thought, "where the f**** did they come from." In 2006 we heard about this car being a 12-second TDI, and in 2007 it found the speed... and a guard rail. To add insult to injury Braun also found a guard rail in his replacement car, and he is excited about the chance to improve on his 2007 results.

So there it is, and writing it what I have realized is that though the front of the field might have thinned a little in terms of known teams, it has made the prediction about the rest harder. Many strong top-20 guys have come in with faster cars, and I think the density is going to be high in the eighth to twentieth place range. Expect to see close lap times and mistakes as this group pushes each other looking for the top-10.

Again, every time I look at the field, I see a field compressed to fusion-levels for the top 10.. It really is going to be fun to watch, and in the interest of still covering those I think will be players, here are some others to watch:

??) Warren/Kahn, Ultima GTR
Carl snuck into the top five last year with the help of some attrition, but also with improvement in driving from 2006. To say the Ultima is a formidable car wouldn't be doing it justice, and even with no attrition Carl may have improved enough to land longtime Lap Dog Don Kahn's car in the top-10 for the second year in a row – so be on the lookout.

??) Rankins/Kornhaus/Dunnaway, Subaru STI
My last-minute ride from last year, Rankins is coming back for his third One Lap of America, and looking to improve on the tenth place overall that he and I fought to get last year. Can Rankins do it? I think he can, but I also think that he will still need some help from the attrition that the event saw in 2007.

??) Wind/Clancy, Neon SRT4
The little Neon that can. Though this isn't the car that I coined that term with, this one is the one that backed up the title last year by bringing home a fifth place - outrunning some very fast Subarus to take the class win in Mid Priced Sedan as well. This year Doug Wind is coming back with one of his 2007 co-drivers, Devin Clancy, and this pair will be assaulting the tracks that fit their styles and trying to improve on last year's results.

??) Eadeh/Fuchs, Ford GT
Fast car, fast drivers. They got into the top 10 in 07, and I expect them to run in the teens and be ready to sneak up there again this year depending on how fortunes go.

??) Hagopian/Ramirez, 2005 Dodge Neon
Fast last year for sure, this team can also play for the front. They had a mid-week intercooler hose issue that set them back some last year, and then a crash that finished them off.. if luck goes better, so will they.


So, discuss, throw things, argue, whatever.. for better or for worse, there is a starting point.