It would be a laughing stock compared to a WRC spec machine with more power.
Mark Higgins TT Runs
- Thread starter Housey
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It would be a laughing stock compared to a WRC spec machine with more power.
I was assuming not a stock spec one.
The longer video of his commentary run with journalists is interesting - something like 60% speed rather than a flatout run - would take all of my skill and focus just to stay with him through that and hes chatting away completely unfazed.
Previous record was more or less a stock car with 300bhp and road tyres. This year it was a purpose built rally spec car with 600bhp and BTCC race tyres. He gained 10mph but there isn't that sort of performance hike available from now on. It's taken the bikes 9 years to get from 130 to 133, and some of that is down to course changes.
9 years of mainly small tweaks and tyre and suspension improvements as the development is limited by regulations. They can't decide to bolt on a turbo, or use a 1600cc engine if they want to.
There's nothing to stop the car going faster but money and driver skill.
I think they had the driver skill covered! They weren't short of money either. Anyway, I'll genuinely eat a hat if a car breaks 140 in the next 10 years. What's the fastest average around the Ring? Something like 110-120?
The laws of physics will certainly have some say in the matter but car tech and driver skill development is going through pretty rapid pace at the moment I wouldn't entirely rule it out.
Off the top of my head I seem to recall 119mph being the fastest average speed on the ring.
EDIT: I wouldn't be surprised to see Mark Higgins break 130 atleast - in one of the videos he has some pretty good ideas based off what one of the riders he took around for a practise lap said for approaches for bettering his current performance.
Off the top of my head I seem to recall 119mph being the fastest average speed on the ring.
EDIT: I wouldn't be surprised to see Mark Higgins break 130 atleast - in one of the videos he has some pretty good ideas based off what one of the riders he took around for a practise lap said for approaches for bettering his current performance.
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So here is the full in car video which is quite fascinating....
First thing that struck me is that this car is geared for a maximum of 175mph it seems, so losing 30mph on many of the longer stretches to the fastest bikes. It is also not accelerating anywhere close to bike pace so again losing massively. Having seen this it has made me feel even more confident that the right car built for the job would be lapping over 140mph.
Well worth a watch, epic bravery but really opportunity to find lots of time I think.
First thing that struck me is that this car is geared for a maximum of 175mph it seems, so losing 30mph on many of the longer stretches to the fastest bikes. It is also not accelerating anywhere close to bike pace so again losing massively. Having seen this it has made me feel even more confident that the right car built for the job would be lapping over 140mph.
Well worth a watch, epic bravery but really opportunity to find lots of time I think.
Soldato
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Another 300bhp and longer ratios and that'd be very close to the bike times. As Higgins himself says in the video the TT is not like a normal circuit where a car will always be faster, due to the straights and sweeping corners where there's not going to be much difference in cornering speed between a car and a bike.
Don't forget most of the bike lap records are from a standing start, Dunlop this year did 133.369 mph on his first lap.
The car was doing 150 mph when the timer started, would be interesting to see what time the car would do from a standing start.
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It had 600bhp
Don't forget bikes have been optimised for this circuit and ran around if for decades. This is 1 manufacturer, not even building the ultimate TT car, but simply taking their main road car and making it go as well as they can. I agree a standard start would help to equalise it, but a single seat hill climb car would get to 150mph in around 8 seconds or less so not sure that element would have much impact. Remove weight, add aero, power and braking as well as even bigger cornering and you have a significant opportunity to take time off, especially with those big long flat out bits.
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Any idea how heavy it was?
Soldato
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Bonkers ability in the car with mark at the helm, but Housey you won't see 140-150mph laps, fitting slicks isn't going to improve things, you've been there, it's a road not a race track.
The bikes are ruled by Regs too,
http://www.iomtt.com/~/media/Files/2014/Downloads/TT-Entry-Forms/TT_REGS_2014.ashx
have a look, there's plenty of things that can be done to make the bikes go around faster, the car isn't subjected to such things.
I do believe a car is capable of matching the times of some of the bikes, but it'll take a huge bank account, and even bigger balls.
The bikes are ruled by Regs too,
http://www.iomtt.com/~/media/Files/2014/Downloads/TT-Entry-Forms/TT_REGS_2014.ashx
have a look, there's plenty of things that can be done to make the bikes go around faster, the car isn't subjected to such things.
I do believe a car is capable of matching the times of some of the bikes, but it'll take a huge bank account, and even bigger balls.
As you say I've been around there, I am confident a car would be faster and the bikes would not go much if any faster than they are today no matter what the rules were. Cars have been racing on roads like these and tighter, longer courses for over 100 years. It's not as if it's alien to cars as many people who have no understanding of the history of motorsport (no inference) seem to think.
Well not optimised for the circuit, set up in the same way you would set up for any circuit.
They have to be Machines that comply with the FIM Superbike Championship specifications, they can't change or modify the bikes outside that.
Dunlop got disqualified from the 600cc race because a small part on his bike was modified this year.
To make it equal first as said a standing start and then some form of rules the car should have to stick to just like the bikes have to.
Because let's be honest if there's no rules for the car, and you can just keep throwing money and different tech from multiple types of race car then of course the car will catch and over take the bikes in the end.
Bare in mind this course was MUCH tighter and MUCH bumpier than the TT course in many place, also much slower due to few really rapid sections yet they were still racing cars like this, that less you forget lapped Spa at 163mph in 1973. Now these are nothing lap time wise compared to something modern and rest assured they could take something like and LMP1 car and make it TT capable....though not sure I'd want to handbrake one around a hairpin
I have seen so many bikers suggest that a car would never be as fast as a bike, something I don't just disagree with, I believe a car would be quite a bit quicker because on track AND fast road they always are, always have been and always will be. It's d'physics you see
