Unless you're Tommi Mäkinen in a non-road legal Impreza WRX (prototype).
But that's pretty much the best that's ever going to happen on the Ring with a scoob.
Yep, DG does not seem to realise, I love EVO's and I like Scoobs, but I do prefer an EVO,
only Scoob that really impressed me was Kosta's, that was epic, but they are epic on the road or a rally stage, not a race track/circuit.
I will say it again, my EVO X was the best road car I ever owned, on a dry Summers day OK it might not leave the 911/M3 on a decent flowing road, but on a bumpy poor quality UK B-road the 911 or M3 would not see where the EVO had gone, they simply handle our crap roads superbly well. Then change the weather conditions to wet/cold/snow and the EVO is simply in its own league. This is why Merc's new AMG is very good as its essentially a posh EVO with a nice interior and trick gearbox.
On a race track for a trackday enthusiast a RWD NA car is a better option, MX5, BMW or a FWD hatch, this is why you see so many of them.
Problem with DG he is talking bum gravy has not shown an ounce of proof or provided any links to these guys on forums doing sub 1:20's EVO's.
The guy I mentioned called Blade who built a specific EVO track car costing insane amounts of money which in the end he did manage a 1:15 lap time, see his thread here:-
http://www.civinfo.com/forum/type-r/68073-fn2-vs-evo-3.html#post1094055
Having owned a 600bhp EVO 6 track car (with Ohlins suspension and all sorts) which could lap Donington in 1m15 I can tell you that the big issue with a high power turbo track car is lag/sudden torque increase. You cannot set the car up gear wise to work on every corner, the result being you end up being unable to properly balance the car on the throttle or being able to progressively accelerate out of the apex or through a long curve, which ultimately costs lap time. A lesser powered car can lap the same or quicker if it is able to get the power down in the right places. My EVO weighed 1180kgs and lapped Snett (back then) in 1m16 on slicks. My M3 CSL weighing in at 1320kgs with just 360bhp lapped in the same time (also on slicks). Getting the CSL to the same sort of development as the EVO (with only 380bhp and weighing 1250kgs) and we were in the 1m12s. Similar lap time at Donington also.
The key to a quick lap and to extract the maximum in any car is to be either accelerating or braking at all times, and never coasting. With a high power turbo, you are forced to coast or be off boost just to make the car controllable, never mind the traction issues of high torque application in a slow corner. It all adds up to lost time.
Normally aspirated cars are always the best, and progressive power as in the form of a centrifugal supercharger is the next best as to all intents it is just like a larger capacity normally aspirated car.
There is somewhere you can go next Lee, and that is to take weight out of the car. That is the big advantage you have over a 4wd car is that you can get significantly lower in weight. A stripped out caged FN2 can be as low as 1000kgs, but a stripped out EVO5 will struggle to get below 1150kgs.
The other interesting thing with the EVO is that, unless it is an RS model, most don't have a proper front diff (just an open diff), so with more power they really struggle with understeer. In a circuit car, there isn't that much of an advantage with 4wd over fwd in the wet.
In short Blade had an 1150kg EVO, stripped, caged, ohlins, full slicks, running 600BHP in the end and he achieved 1:15 at Donnington. Guess at a cost to build it was in the 30k region.
DG then what did he do? He purchased an M3 CSL and all he did was sort the suspension. removed 100kg from the car getting it down too 1250kg and he left the power standard. He beat his EVO time by 3s, a 1:12 with nearly half the power. In fact at Snetterton for the M3 CSL to match his track EVO all he had to do was put slicks on the CSL and it lapped the same time completely stock as his EVO. You still really think an EVO is better? Or that your mates EVO is doing 1:19, stop lying to us all and telling fibs as you are. Lets see proof of this 1:19 standardish sub 400BHP EVO!
So when you say your mate does 1:19's with a sub 400BHP EVO on standard tyres, we know your talking absolute beep beep beep......
Your mate will be slower than 1:25, I can guarantee this, if you want to prove otherwise, well please do prove it to us with evidence. Having being at Donnington in two of my mates EVO's, one on full slicks and the other semi slicks, one also a professional race driver and neither of them could get sub 1:25 in the dry. Your 1:19 car does not exist or it is actually a far more dedicated track car then your letting on.......
Still when an M3 with nearly 300BHP less and probably costing less can lap faster than a 600BHP EVO, I think that tells us what 99% of us here knew all along, EVO's don't make great track cars unless you turn them into time attack cars and spend an absolute fortune. Buying an M3 does cost a lot less, especially if you buy an E36 model which can also do it in sub 1:20
