When Kia raced Cadillac in the Pirelli World Chall...

Venerable Vet

{Photograph} by Mark Weber

Regardless of their repute as a luxury-car model, Cadillac will not be new to racing. American sportsman Briggs Cunningham ran Cadillacs at Le Mans within the early Nineteen Fifties. Fifty years later, factory-backed prototypes returned to the famed French observe.

A bit nearer to residence, Cadillac launched a World Problem program in 2004 utilizing Pratt & Miller-built CTS-V sedans. This system was a hit: Cadillac claimed each producer and driver titles, and through this time gross sales of the road model elevated dramatically.

When the market tanked and GM filed for chapter, Cadillac halted their racing efforts for a few years. In 2011, they returned to World Problem with their new CTS-V Coupe. The form was up to date, however the guts may very well be referred to as evolutions of the earlier automobile’s.

Cadillac Racing campaigns two GT-class entries for GM manufacturing facility drivers Andy Pilgrim and Johnny O’Connell. The time away from the game didn’t sluggish them down: Cadillac took second in final 12 months’s producer level race, whereas O’Connell completed second in driver factors. After this 12 months’s St. Pete opener, Cadillac was main the producer factors race. 

Following within the footsteps of Cadillac, Kia is the newest producer to compete within the World Problem GTS program. Their weapon of selection is their Optima household sedan. 

Kia’s racing roots don’t return practically so far as Cadillac’s. Whereas Dave Wolin campaigned some Kias again within the ’90s, the model’s trendy period of racing actually began in 2009 with a factory-backed Grand-Am Koni Problem effort. Two years later, Kia had received the drivers championship and group title. 

Their Grand-Am program will probably be joined by a World Problem effort for 2012. “Kia not too long ago remade their product line and model,” says Scott McKee, director of public relations for Kia. “The Optima is a enjoyable, sporty, top-of-the-line automobile, and we are able to spotlight this in motorsports, just like different manufacturers.” 

As McKee explains, the model appeared on the guidelines packages for various collection and decided that World Problem had the right opponents, race format, media package deal and guidelines for the Optima. In 2012, Kia will marketing campaign two World Problem Kia Optima vehicles within the GTS class, one for five-time World Problem champ Michael Galati and one other for Colin Braun. At 23 years outdated, Braun has already claimed NASCAR rookie of the 12 months honors and is the youngest driver to face on the Le Mans podium. 

Cadillac Racing: Constructing the CTS-V Coupe

{Photograph} by Sahar Hassani

In late July of 2010, Steve Cole, program supervisor for Pratt & Miller, obtained the inexperienced mild to start constructing the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe racer for the 2011 World Problem Sequence. The famend race automobile builder had lower than eight months to assemble, develop and take a look at the brand new automobile earlier than the season opener, a far cry from 2003 when the manufacturing facility spent a 12 months growing the CTS-V sedan. 

The group was in a position to avoid wasting time, although, as the brand new World Problem racer is a development of the earlier one. The fundamental roll cage and suspension configurations, for instance, are each carry-over gadgets. 

As per the World Problem GT-class guidelines, the OEM-type suspension should be retained, however pickup factors could be moved. Within the Cadillac’s case, the chassis cradles had been raised in an effort to drop the automobile itself nearer to the bottom. The ground stays within the unique location, however Pratt & Miller needed to redo the internal and outer fenders to accommodate the brand new experience peak. “It’s so much tougher than it sounds,” Cole provides.

Pratt & Miller had the luxurious of beginning with naked our bodies in white. Whereas the race vehicles retain the fundamental avenue automobile’s tub, they’ve been reskinned in carbon fiber. 

{Photograph} by Sahar Hassani

“Every little thing on the physique is carbon fiber besides the roof,” clarifies Cole. This main modification permits the race automobile to weigh in on the mandated 3200 kilos, roughly 1000 kilos lighter than its avenue model. 

The tail of the revised physique is capped with a wing hanging from what is known as a swan neck. Look in the back of Audi’s newest Le Mans racers and also you’ll see one thing comparable. 

GM Powertrain dealt with the event of the 6.2-liter, LS3-spec V8 discovered contained in the Cadillac. Katech Motorsports, provider for such GM manufacturing facility street racing efforts because the Grand-Am Camaro GT.R and FIA Corvette C6.R GT1, assembled the engine and manages that a part of this system. 

Unexpectedly, the race engine makes much less energy than the one discovered on the street vehicles: a claimed 500 horsepower for the World Problem Cadillac vs. the 556-horsepower score for the supercharged V8 powerplant discovered within the newest manufacturing CTS-V.

{Photograph} by Sahar Hassani

The transmission is new for Cadillac, although. “The gearbox features a no-lift shift that enables the driving force to shift with out lifting off the gasoline,” Cole provides. 

The concept behind the World Problem components is to maintain the vehicles evenly matched, though some are stronger than others at sure sorts of tracks. Whereas the Cadillac could also be down on pace and horsepower in comparison with the Porsches and Volvos, for instance, the CTS-V excels in high-speed corners. 

“We’ve got the longest wheelbase within the GT class,” Cole says. The Cadillac performs finest at quick, flowing tracks like Street Atlanta and Mosport, though this 12 months it had a powerful exhibiting throughout the confines of the St. Pete avenue course.

From the Driver’s Seat: Andy Pilgrm

Andy Pilgrim drove for Cadillac Racing throughout their first foray into the World Problem collection within the mid-2000s. When Cadillac received the band again collectively, he was requested to rejoin the group. 

The CTS-V Coupe is similar to the first-generation race Cadillac CTS-V race automobile, Pilgrim explains. The brand new automobile has the identical weight, the identical wheelbase and comparable energy.

“Driving-wise, the most important distinction is the gearbox,” he says. “We’ve got a sequential, no-lift shift, whereas earlier than we had an H-pattern field. The brand new one is way quicker and consistent with all the opposite vehicles.”

The brand new CTS-V coupe race vehicles debuted final 12 months, and the group made steady tweaks to match the remainder of the sphere. “We at the moment are comparable on straight-line prime pace,” Pilgrim reviews, though he provides that the Cadillac’s larger base weight hurts off-the-corner efficiency. That further weight and longer wheelbase additionally hinders transitional efficiency; Mid-Ohio will not be the group’s strongest observe, Pilgrim confides. 

The lengthy wheelbase isn’t all the time a detriment, although. “We will use curbs that may upset different vehicles,” he says. “An extended-wheelbase automobile will are usually extra steady over bumps in corners.” 

One of many largest modifications that occurred in the course of the hiatus is the collection’ transfer from street-based, R-compound Toyo Proxes to Pirelli racing slicks. World Problem made the sweeping change for the 2011 season, and the purpose-built race tires additional distance the Cadillac from its roadgoing brethren. 

“We’re quicker than Grand-Am GT in all places we go and never far behind the ALMS GT vehicles,” he says. “As a race automobile driver, I like the Pirelli race slicks as a result of they make the automobile a lot quicker.” The group figures 2 seconds per mile could be credited to the brand new rubber. 

Pilgrim’s favourite factor about Cadillac’s return to the observe? “The noise of the massive V8,” he smiles. “It doesn’t sound like the rest on the market on the observe.”

Fledgling Fighter

{Photograph} by Mark Weber

Kia Motors America doesn’t precisely have a protracted, established racing heritage. They by no means ran at Le Mans, and their vehicles have but to compete at Sebring.

Actually, their present association with Kinetic Motorsports—their go-to racing companions—dates again to simply 2009. The pair campaigned the then-new Kia Forte Koup within the Grand-Am Koni Problem, an endurance collection for mildly modified avenue vehicles.

It took solely two seasons for the Kia to style a championship, profitable final 12 months’s producer title. That program returns for 2012, however it’s not the automaker’s sole racing effort: They’re additionally campaigning a pair of Optimas within the Pirelli World Problem collection. 

Like the newest Cadillac racer, this one got here collectively shortly. “We obtained the Optima the third week in October and had solely six months to develop the automobile for the primary race in St. Pete in March,” explains Russell Smith, Kinetic’s group supervisor. 

Though the GTS-class Optima is nearer to inventory than the novel Cadillac GT, it wanted loads of work. GTS is dominated by V8-powered, rear-drive pony vehicles plus a pair of well-developed Acura TSX sedans. 

“The physique in white was not accessible for the Optima, so we started with a completely loaded automobile that needed to be stripped down,” Smith explains. The group shortly gutted the automobile to take away unneeded elements and despatched off the shell to soak in acid for a number of days. The acid tub eliminated the seals and paint and allowed the group to weld and stiffen the shell.

As soon as the shell returned to the Kinetic store in Atlanta, the roll cage was put in and the shell seam welded. Apart from rising security, the objective right here was to create a stiff chassis—one which was examined on a kinematics and compliance rig in Charlotte. The system measures pressure vs. motion distance of the chassis and suspension, and the info reveals how the automobile will react to real-world conditions, all earlier than placing a tire on the observe. 

{Photograph} by Sahar Hassani

The turbocharged inline-four, 2.0-liter engine is as delivered from the manufacturing facility—effectively, sort of. “The Optima’s motor is inventory, however we had been in a position so as to add solid pistons for sturdiness. We additionally inserted stronger connecting rods and fortified the principle bearing caps to raised assist the crankshaft,” says Ed Senf, engine calibration and knowledge acquisition engineer. 

Which elements are inventory? The camshafts, gas injectors, consumption manifold, engine block and cylinder head are all manufacturing facility Kia elements. “I’m impressed with Kia’s inventory elements,” Senf provides. “They’ve confirmed to be strong for racing.”

Then there’s the turbocharger, a solid Garret GTX3071R unit hooked to a customized intercooler setup; the Optima’s World Problem tech sheet dictates that or not it’s positioned contained in the engine bay. World Problem officers additionally restrict the race Optima to about 20 psi of increase, and the group claims 360 horsepower together with 300 lb.-ft. of torque, a superb bit greater than the 274 horsepower and 269 lb.-ft. of torque produced by the manufacturing facility engine. 

Getting ready the electronics proved to be the group’s best problem and worst nightmare, with the job requiring loads of work hours. “The manufacturing facility ECU desires to regulate emissions, management gas economic system,” Senf explains. “Its objective in life is to not go quick on a regular basis.”

A Bosch Motorsport MS 5.0 engine management unit solved their issues. It’s a strong, absolutely programmable ECU designed for top-tier skilled motorsports. “It has tons of processing energy,” Senf says, “and it doesn’t restrict us sooner or later.” 

Whereas the MS 5.0 pc is the brains of the operation, a Bosch Motorsport HPI 5 injector driver does the heavy lifting. The Optima is powered by a direct-injection engine—the gas squirts instantly into the combustion chamber, not the consumption tract—and a regular ECU can’t drive the system’s high-pressure pump or fireplace the injectors towards the cylinder pressures. 

Direct-injection engines additionally require very exact injector timing, one more reason for the injector driver. The injectors on a regular, port-injected engine normally have 10 to 16 milliseconds to squirt the gas. On a direct-injection engine, that window of alternative is lower down to five to six milliseconds.

{Photograph} by Sahar Hassani

Since Kia and Acura are the one front-wheel-drive vehicles within the GTS class, the SCCA permits them to make use of sequential gearboxes. The Kia has to run an aftermarket field anyway, for the reason that turbo engine isn’t provided by the manufacturing facility teamed with a guide. The group runs the favored Xtrac, a unit that’s purpose-built for the pains of street racing. 

The GTS vehicles can not benefit from the novel bodywork modifications discovered within the GT class, however the Kia nonetheless obtained some add-ons. Each a rear wing and entrance splitter present downforce, whereas a light-weight, carbon-fiber hood is allowed. 

The remainder of the automobile retains the inventory metal, though it has shed some pointless weight. The doorways, for instance, have been hollowed out so simply the outer pores and skin and a naked body stay. The race Optima weighs in at 2900 kilos with out the driving force, about 500 kilos lighter than the road model.

On account of the tight construct schedule, Kia had little or no time to check previous to the collection’ first race at St. Pete. That they had a whole lot of enthusiasm, nonetheless, and each vehicles ran mid-pack. 

Michael Galati completed seventh and tenth in the course of the doubleheader weekend, whereas teammate Colin Braun took 14th and sixteenth after rebounding from racing incidents. “There have been a whole lot of banzai strikes on the market,” he explains. “Avenue programs usually breed yellows. Little errors create an enormous pileup.” 

Regardless of his disappointing finishes, Braun was impressed with the Optima: “Many producers right here have been racing a number of years; we had been aggressive proper out of the field. It’s an important testomony to the group and Kia.” 

Maybe higher finishes are across the nook. “We simply must make little refinements to be extra aggressive,” he provides. 

From the Driver’s Seat: Michael Galati

“I’ve raced many vehicles on this collection, together with the Audi, Mercedes, Mazda and Volvo,” explains Kia Optima pilot Michael Galati. “The fellows are very skilled and expectations are very excessive. They completed the automobile on Tuesday and commenced racing on Thursday, and nothing broke down this weekend.” 

The Optima’s best strengths? The automobile’s dealing with and braking capability, two elements that improved because the automobile shed mass. “They did an important job of maintaining the load down,” he provides.

Galati compares the Kia to the Mazda6s that after dominated the outdated World Problem Touring Automobile class—again when the foundations allowed Touring Automobiles to make some 300 horsepower from hypertuned, naturally aspirated, small-bore engines. The Kia, although, fairly effectively matches that efficiency with a extra manageable package deal. 

Whereas there may be some growth work left to be completed, Galati says he’s thrilled on the prospect of profitable a producer title for Kia. “The energy of the Optima is the entire package deal,” he says. “It consists of the automobile and group. We’re working a four-cylinder turbocharged automobile towards some V8s and doing very effectively.” 

He’s additionally a fan of the road model: “The Optima is a strong, sturdy automobile that gives a 100,000-mile guarantee for its avenue model, and it’s made within the USA. It’s thrilling to be right here, competing at this stage with Kia.” 

Kia could also be new to motorsports, however they’ve lots brewing for 2012. Along with their World Problem and Continental Tire efforts, Kinetic can be constructing B-Spec Rios. This relative upstart hasn’t wasted a lot time honing in on our world. 

What Is World Problem?

At this time’s Pirelli World Problem collection could be referred to as the religious successor of the Playboy United States Endurance Cup, a long-distance collection for mildly modified manufacturing vehicles that debuted in 1985. The format and advertising and marketing companions have modified over time, and the present setup is massive on pleasure: standing begins and TV-friendly, 50-minute races. 

The collection is now composed of 4 separate courses of competitors: Grand Touring (GT), Grand Touring Avenue (GTS), Touring Automobile (TC) and, new for 2012, Touring Automobile B-Spec. Touring Automobile B-Spec will compete in choose races in the course of the season. 

{Photograph} by Mark Weber

The GT class options high-end sport and luxurious vehicles that may make greater than 425 horsepower. These vehicles are allowed some severe modifications, because the Cadillac CTS-Vs and Volvo S60s discovered within the class are removed from inventory. Different common vehicles within the collection embody the Chevrolet Corvette, Nissan GT-R and Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

{Photograph} by Mark Weber

The GTS class is a current addition to the World Problem components. It encompasses front-wheel-drive vehicles constructed to the outdated, considerably radical Touring Automobile specs in addition to mildly modified vehicles which might be within the 300-to-425-horsepower vary. Assume Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Nissan 370Z and Porsche Cayman S. 

{Photograph} by Mark Weber

The realigned Touring Automobile class options mildly modified, small-bore coupes and hatchbacks that make 180 to 260 horsepower: the Honda Civic Si, Mazdaspeed3 and Volkswagen Jetta GLI.

{Photograph} courtesy Honda

The brand new-for-2012 Touring Automobile B-Spec class consists of small, environment friendly vehicles, each required to run a pre-approved suspension package deal and inventory drivetrains. Automobiles just like the Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, Honda Match, Kia Rio, Mazda2 and MINI Cooper are allowed to play right here.