The beginning of spring also marks the start of the 10th anniversary season of the East Coast Supercharging Corvette Challenge, presented by Yank Racing Converters held at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey.
The
Corvette Challenge is the largest single model-specific race series at Raceway Park, averaging over 75 Corvettes per event in 32 meets over the last three years. The series is open to all Corvettes and offers four different racing classes to cater to every kind of quarter-mile enthusiast, from single-digit serious to daily-driven casual.
Pro 8 Shootout racer Sonny Pogonis
You’ll see all sorts of engine combinations in this series starting with the quickest class of them all, the Pro 8 Shootout, where racers compete heads-up on a pro tree with performance limited to 8.50 seconds in the quarter mile. This class features LSX racers like Sonnie Pongonis and his 2003 Corvette convertible, powered by an LS1 346 cid motor featuring Cartek Engineering-prepped heads and cam, topped by a Procharger F1A supercharger and backed by a Freddie Brown Power Glide. Pongonis’ C5 underwent a rear-end transplant to a fully bolt-on solid rearend built by Carroll’s Rod and Racecraft.
This is not to say this class requires a solid rear - drivers like Bill Maloney with his LS2 402 cid Vette Doctors motor and a single 106 mm rear mounted turbo are reaching the same ET’s on the stock independent rear suspension (IRS) setup. Maloney is just a few ticks away from the overall IRS record, having run his Corvette to a best of 8.51 seconds at over 170 MPH.
Bill Maloney has one of the quickest IRS Corvettes in the country, running 8.51 at over 170 thanks to a 402-inch LS2 and a big rear-mounted turbo
Falling between those two is another C5 Corvette, this one owned by Doug Ring, co-owner of East Coast Supercharging. His LS2 402 cid motor is topped with a Paxton Novi 2000 and breathes through self-ported AFR 225 heads. His block was machined to hold 9/16-inch head studs and he hopes to put them to the test with 20-25 pounds of boost this season. Of course, the series is not just for LSX-powered Corvettes. It also features some heavy hitters from other generations, like the 1970 Corvette owned by two-time class champion Mark Shaw. After winning the championship two years in a row, Shaw will be returning with a new motor and an all-freshened combination in his quest for the trifecta. He enters the season with a 555 cid Dart M block making 800 hp and 720 foot-pounds on motor. The car is wired and ready to use a shot of nitrous if needed. With shocks, fuel pumps, water pump, carburetor, transmission and torque converter redone, Shaw will also be chasing that IRS record in 2009.
Two-time champ Mark Shaw is looking to three-peat this year in Pro 8 with his 1970 Corvette
The biggest motor in the class belongs to George Smith, who drives a 1974 with a 632 cid monster topped by a single four-barrel carburetor. He’s looking to run the quickest in the class on motor alone. He hopes not to need the two stages of nitrous on board but they are there and ready just in case. Smith runs a Power Glide transmission and a Ford 9-inch rear.
Former Pro 10 champ David Shen gets it done in his naturally-aspirated second gen Corvette
For Corvettes just shy of the single-digit zone, there’s the Pro 10 Double Index class. In this class, drivers can shoot for a 10.00 or 10.50 index. This will be the first year the class will be running two indexes, and the change should open it up to several new drivers. There are plenty of C5 racers in the class, such as Jay McCardle and his 1997 LS1 346 cid Paxton supercharged car, Joe Latona’s 2003 nitrous-fed LS1, and Rob Zona’s 9-second LS6 346 cid naturally-aspirated 2003 Z06. This class is run heads-up on a .500 pro tree, except where the two racers are running different indexes. The class is also frequented by ex-champion David Shen and his all-motor C2 and Wayne Keegan running a C3 Corvette with nitrous.
Wayne Keegan’s nitrous-fed Pro 10 C3 hangs the front wheels
The “entry level” heads-up class is Pro 11.5. In this class drivers leave at the same time on a .500 pro tree, race to the finish, and keep it within the 11.50 index or risk disqualification. The largest of the heads-up categories, this class often sees over 20 Corvettes competing for only 16 spots on the starting grid. Pro 11.5 sees its share of generations, including several C6’s like the 2009 ZR1 driven by Gary Hurta. He picked up the car late last year and brought right to the track on temporary tags.
Last year, Gary Hurta took this 2009 ZR1 straight off the showroom floor and to the track to run in Pro 11.5, with paper plates still on the car.
The toughest guy to beat last year, Rob Farley, returns with the same combination. His 1998 Radar Blue Indianapolis Pace Car leads the way with 4 out of 5 event wins last year. Other contenders will include Shawn Cavanagh in a Spiral Gray 2003 Paxton-supercharged entry and Paul Bogdan in a 1997 427 cid LS1 that he assembled himself in his home garage. The class is dominated by LSX-based cars, as they can be very competitive with few mods or none right out of the factory, like Ron Leader’s 2006 C6 Z06 running right on the index. That is not to say you won’t see other generations, like Rich Shuleski running a 1996 Grand Sport C4 and Anthony Cupolo running a 1965 C2 Corvette as well.
Shawn Cavanagh uses a Paxton blower to propel his 2003 Corvette to mid-11’s
While the heads-up racing is always popular, the largest and most varied of the categories in the Corvette Challenge is the bracket class. The racers run on a .500 full tree with a handicapped start based on dial-in that means you can compete regardless of how quick your Corvette is. The bracket class rewards consistent driving rather than raw speed, and we have several very competitive drivers in the class like our three-time champion Ralph Savarese ,who drives a 1985 Corvette. You can run naturally aspirated or any power adders you like in this class, and because it’s so wide-open, it has the most participants, usually in the 60’s at each race.. There are more LSX-based cars in this class than any other type, with steady racers like Eric Fischer and his 1998 Fairway Green Corvette, former champion Bob Trieschmann in his Metallic Purple 1998 Corvette, and Joe Signore driving a 2007 C6 Corvette. You will also see several of the heads-up index drivers run in this class as well such as Farley, Cavanagh, Bogdan, and Latona.
It takes skill and consistency to win three bracket championships in the Corvette Challenge, and Ralph Savarese has done just that behind the wheel of his C4
The Corvette Challenge offers something for every Corvette owner and fan at every level. Come out to watch, and you may find yourself in the lanes at the next event, competing for the race win. When you get some experience under your belt, sign up for championship points and see how you fare. You can even compete for the Rookie of the Year title.
For schedules, the latest news, photos of the event, video of the races, and full race reports since its inception visit
www.corvettechallenge.info, and keep an eye out for video coverage throughout 2009 on
www.lsxtv.com.
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