One Lap of America - 5/6/2001
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On May 7, 2001,
several Saturn Performance Club members gathered in Chicago and made a road trip to
Michigan to witness two events in the famous One
Lap of America race. If you're not familiar with One Lap, it's a race sponsored by Michelin and Car & Driver that is the modern day equivalent of the Cannonball (made famous in the movies). One Lap takes place over the course of a week and includes racing events held at many tracks throughout the U.S. The schedule is very demanding on both the drivers and on the cars, as they cover 4000 miles in just 8 days. If you'd like more details, take a look at the interesting history on the One Lap website. In 2001, 96 cars participated in eleven classes. Cars are categorized by their base price without including the cost of modifications. The week included 15 racing events at tracks across the U.S. You can see my coverage of last year's race HERE. Saturn entered two cars in 2001's One Lap of America - a 2001 SC1 and a 2000 LW300. Team members included: Ken Wasmer,
Assistant Chief Engineer - L-Series, Farmington Hills, MI You can read more information about the cars and the team on Saturn's site HERE. |
With careful
observation and asking a few questions, we were able to compile this list of the yellow
2001 SC1's modifications. While this list may not be 100% accurate, we feel that it
should be pretty darn close. |
DOHC engine bored to 2.1 liter w/ lowered compression 15w50 Mobil 1 oil Factory plug wires Turbonetics turbo Custom turbo exhaust header HKS Valve Pressure Controller Front-mounted air-to-air intercooler Custom modified engine cradle (to clear turbo/intercooler piping) Trunk-mounted battery Relocated coil packs Custom programmed PCM Ducted hood for better engine cooling 2-core aluminum radiator Custom engine cooling fans & shroud Boxed-off cold-air intake w/ conical filter Torsen limited-slip differential Custom 4th & 5th gears |
Custom exaust Luk clutch 3-way 16.5 mm rear sway bar Ducted brakes Stock brake rotors KFP Magnum Gold front brake pads Stock rear brake pads Hood & trunk pins Front strut tower bar Welded-in rear strut tower bar H&R Sport springs Carrera strut housings Koni adjustable strut cartridges 16x7 Lenso VPD wheels 215/45-16 Michelin Pilot tires Recaro seats modified for quick removal Autometer oil press & oil temp gauges RJS Racing harness Stripped interior |
At low boost (7 psi), the Coupe's motor was able to produce 200 - 230 hp on an engine dyno. At high boost (around 15 psi), the motor was estimated to be in the 280 hp range. Boost was adjustable from the cockpit. Click on any of the thumbnails below for a larger version
(requires a Javascript-enabled browser). |
The list of the
2000 LW300 wagon's modifications included: |
K&N air filter Custom exhaust w/ Supertrapp muffler Extrude-honed intake manifold Mobil 1 synthetic oil & trans fluid Speed limiter removed from PCM Koni adjustable struts Solid cradle & steering mounts Stiffer suspension bushings Stiffer front & rear anti-sway bars |
Stock brake rotors Power steering fluid cooler Hood pins 17 x 7 Opel alloy wheels 225/45-17 Michelin Pilot Sport tires RJS racing harness Removal of interior trim, carpet, and soundproofing Custom red paint |
Click on any of the thumbnails below for a larger version (requires a Javascript-enabled browser). |