Mark Higgins TT Runs

Housey

Housey

Housey

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21 Feb 2006
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Going really well this year I think.


17min 35.139sec, at an average of 128.730mph

I've listened to bikers say a car would never get close to their lap times, well they are now. I think the right car would see a 145-150mph lap time. Ferrari 312PB lapped the old Spa in 1973 at 163mph and these were built for Targa Florio which is tighter and as bumpy as the TT course I'd suggest.

I think a 312PB would **** 140mph on the TT course so think something more modern would perhaps get to 150mph.

Thoughts?
 
Housey said:
I've listened to bikers say a car would never get close to their lap times, well they are now.
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Another 5mph and it will be as quick as the little 600cc bikes :D

I have no doubt at all that the right car would be quicker around the mountain course, but to concentrate on car vs bike lap speeds misses the point entirely. The TT is a road race for bikes, not cars. Whilst Mark Higgins is clearly an excellent driver, you can't compare the skill level required and the risk that TT riders are exposed to. They are simply in a different league.
 
Oh don't get me wrong I fully get the TT, love it, love to see the bikers do their stuff and a car offers significant securities a bike doesn't. Full respect for the riders, but was more a point about comments that the lap times were simply not possible in a car on that road.
 
Lap times may be comparable, but it's like GT to LMP to single seaters and it acts as a ballpark figure.

A few tweaks to something like the 208 T16 Pikes Peak car and that would be right up there. Now that would be something. :cool:
 
Ryan-3 said:
Lap times may be comparable, but it's like GT to LMP to single seaters and it acts as a ballpark figure.

A few tweaks to something like the 208 T16 Pikes Peak car and that would be right up there. Now that would be something. :cool:
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A Ferrari 312PB form 1973 or Porsche 908 would most likely get close to 140mph I suspect. The 312PB lapped old Spa at 163mph in 1973 and they were set up to run in the Targa Florio which is longer, tighter, bumpier than the TT course.
 
they don't just use the car randomly.cars are faster can they go round there faster ? probably not.

i think prodrive know what they doing :p

festival of speed quickest car was....a subaru previously. but pikes peak car set up right would be the best car for it probably
 
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He's still quite a way off the fastest TT bike times, and it's a real law of diminishing returns to average a couple of MPH faster requires a lot faster car. I'd have thought something like re-worked Loeb's Pikes Peak car would be the best bet for a bumpy course like that to get close to the 134mph lap time.

That Subaru is around the 600bhp mark with full on WRC suspension & gearbox dialled in by the pro's and i believe the pikes peak car was 875 iirc? I'm guess down at sea level that'd be more like 950 which would make some headway but perhaps less that you'd imagine?
 
~>Dg<~ said:
they don't just use the car randomly.cars are faster can they go round there faster ? probably not.

i think prodrive know what they doing :p

festival of speed quickest car was....a subaru previously. but pikes peak car set up right would be the best car for it probably
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I think a CanAm 917 would be the car. 1560bhp and someone with nuts the size of Dudley. :D
 
sovietspybob said:
He's still quite a way off the fastest TT bike times, and it's a real law of diminishing returns to average a couple of MPH faster requires a lot faster car. I'd have thought something like re-worked Loeb's Pikes Peak car would be the best bet for a bumpy course like that to get close to the 134mph lap time.

That Subaru is around the 600bhp mark with full on WRC suspension & gearbox dialled in by the pro's and i believe the pikes peak car was 875 iirc? I'm guess down at sea level that'd be more like 950 which would make some headway but perhaps less that you'd imagine?
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I properly set up track car would destroy that car. More power, much less weight, full race rubber. Sure it would need setting up for that track and there would be tight spots but a WRC car is not close to the fastest thing on Tarmac. It's the really fast stuff where the time would be made up.
 
It'd be very interesting to see a lightweight race car setup for it, if you could arange the suspension to have enough travel to deal with the bumps of the TT.

Also that Subaru is on full on dunlop race BTCC slick tyres
 
Some of the onboard footage showed him topping out in 6th gear on the relatively straight sections. An extra hundred or so bhp and longer gearing would shave a fair amount of time off the lap.
 
Housey said:
I properly set up track car would destroy that car. More power, much less weight, full race rubber. Sure it would need setting up for that track and there would be tight spots but a WRC car is not close to the fastest thing on Tarmac. It's the really fast stuff where the time would be made up.
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A pure track car wouldn't take too kindly to some of the lines that Higgins was using, and the TT is very different from a short circuit track. You really need the sort of suspension travel that a WRC car gives.
 
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Fr0dders said:
Have you seen the spec of the car ? Its a bit beyond anybody's home built scoob.

Its essentially a bespoke build by provide utilising the best of the WRC bits along with various other bespoke bits (including some Mclaren P1! DRS kit) which gives it a 180mph top speed. More on pistonheads. Its an absolute weapon

http://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-features/secrets-of-subarus-iom-tt-record-car/34282
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Like the guys says, he needs around 2 years to do all the stuff to it. :D:D:D
 
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