Lane's SCA - One Lap 5/13/2000 (3)

As performance enthusiasts, we were very excited that Saturn has finally decided to become more serious about motorsports. Two cars were entered in this year's One Lap - an SC2 coupe and an LW2 wagon (first wagon in One Lap history, I believe).

Throughout the day, we had an opportunity to witness the Saturn team in action as well as speak to quite a few Saturn engineers, corporate people, and media center representatives. We not only asked a ton of questions about the cars and the future of Saturn performance, we were also able to show our support through the club's presence. We wanted to get across that there are many performance enthusiasts out there like us who've known all along that not only are these are fun cars, but they're also very capable on the track.

Thanks to the persistent questioning and keen observations of Wally and Deebs, we learned some interesting details about the coupe's modifications:

16" Lenso wheels
Supertrapp muffler
H&R springs
3-way 16mm rear sway bar
Short-throw shifter
Five-point harness
Rear drum brakes converted to disc

Engine (31k)
The umbrella hood-prop is an option available at a Saturn retailer near you.

Engine specifics (that we're aware of):

Bored to 2.1 liters
11:1 compression
Modified PCM
Custom camshafts
Head & valve work
Powerstack intake
Strut tower brace
Saturn header w/custom adaptor plate
(a more detailed picture HERE)
~ 170 hp (crank)

As a show of support, 'SPC Racing' stickers joined the many others on the car.

Interested in getting some of these stickers? Watch the club's website in the near future for details!

SPC sticker (21k)

Tupperware sticker (14k)

Alan & Dale, drivers of the turbocharged Dodge Neon and last year's winners of the One Lap economy class, added a sticker of their own to the coupe in appreciation of it's polymer side panels.

There were quite a few reporters and photographers interviewing participants and spectators throughout the day. Mike Kramer is in the first photo, and the second shows Eric P and Jeff C being interviewed by 'Eye On Saturn'.

Another of the car's stickers (which mysteriously looked like it was missing the bottom half).

Another sticker (18k)

The competition for top honors in the economy class was tight between the Saturn and a Dodge Daytona Turbo. It was so close that the Saturn team decided to tear every part out of the car's interior that they could to reduce weight for the last event.

The 2001 coupe was driven to a 2nd place finish in the economy class and 33rd place overall by Mike Kramer (Saturn/EDS Media Center) and Chris Berube (Saturn Development Team, Ride & Handling Engineer).

Wagon (25k)

The 2000 LW2 wagon was being run by Chuck Taylor (Saturn Development Team, Ride & Handling Engineer), Jon Heltman (Saturn Development Team, Experimental Development), Ken Wasmer (Saturn Development Team Leader), and Todd Christensen (Saturn Chassis & Powertrain Planner).

Modifications included wheels, exhaust, and air filter. The wagon finished 13th in the mid-price sedan class and 70th overall.