August 9th-11th | Series | Organiser | Car | Fastest Run / Top Speed |
SantaPod | Mopar Euro Nationals Street Eliminator | SantaPod | Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat | Fastest Run: 10.729 seconds Top Speed: 127 MPH |
Mopar Euro Nationals, Street Eliminator. Santa Pod Raceway. 9-11 August 2024.
Friday morning the Barton Racing team and Dodge Ram UK rolled in to setup their pit sections and get ready for the weekend. The day was quiet, and we decided not to run in the current RWYB (Race What You Bring) testing sessions to save our tyres, and instead came up with a plan of attack to try and improve on my personal best, this being 10.913 seconds at 125 mph. Since our last test session significant changes have been introduced to reduce weight and increase power, the first being a carbon fibre, demon bonnet, which immediately allowed better airflow (we were previously struggling to hold our top horsepower numbers). Another advantage was a reduction of weight directly over the front wheels which allowed better transfer. Thus, the front wheels now almost lift off the strip. A great spectator attraction, as if the red, white and blue livery and supercharger whine weren’t enough.
The next, and most significant change was the addition of a Hellraiser supercharger pulley which was painstakingly installed by Ian of Dodge Ram UK. This greatly improved the torque buildup on launch, allowing the supercharger to work a lot more efficiently at lower engine rpm.
It was soon proved all worthwhile during qualifying on Saturday, straight away I set a better time, even on cold, un-scrubbed tyres, a blistering 10.755 second quarter mile.
However, running on cold un-scrubbed tyres was not out of choice. The line lock system which holds our front brakes on and allows our rear tyres to spin and warm up, was not functioning as intended, but after a brake bleed and reservoir top-up we were ready to go again at 100%.
Ideas of making the Hellcat even lighter and faster resulted in some intense lateral thinking. Steve from Dodge Ram UK very nicely lent me some wheels, and I immediately broke my previous personal best with a 10.729 second quarter mile at 127mph.
On Sunday we started the event nerves high as this was my first racing event, and not just a small one, it was the Mopar Euro Nationals, the main event for cars like our Hellcat. So, the pressure was on to stay in the championship, but sadly this didn’t happen; despite beating my opponent on reaction time he eliminated me in the first round and went on win the championship with an 8 second quarter mile. So, not the result Barton Racing were hoping for, but it did allow us to relax and test some more ideas.
I didn’t manage to break my new 10.729 second record, but did win the Fastest Modern Mopar Trophy, my first ever prize, but hopefully not my last, I am incredibly pleased with the car and must thank Dodge Ram UK and all who played a part helping throughout the weekend.