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The goals of the test were to shakedown a newly completed Fit and to collect some data on the original prototype that was run at the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Some may remember the #93 B-SPEC Fit from the Performance Racing Industry show where the concept of B-SPEC was introduced in a joint announcement with Mazda. The B-SPEC cars were recently allowed into SCCA Showroom Stock C (SSC) as a kind of sub-class. The cars are slow enough that they shouldn’t upset the current competitors in the class even though they are allowed significantly more prep.
The #93 was slated to head to the Honda Indy Fan Zone at the Long Beach Grand Prix the next day so its running was limited to some exploratory laps and a couple five and ten lap runs. However, the #15 Fit was ready to roll and was still fresh from an SCCA Super School and Regional race at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Team Honda Research-West (THR-W) rookie driver Derek Ferretti had received his SCCA Novice Permit there a couple of weeks earlier. This was the perfect use for the Fit as B-SPEC is envisioned as a place for aspiring “Touring Car” drivers to start their careers. However, the cars are so much fun that they might not want to move on!
Lawson took the
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After Lawson had the track down, it was time to get to business. We adjusted pressures to get the best use of the tires and then put on a set of new BFGoodrich R1’s. Having fresh rubber and a couple of top level drivers would allow us to see where the B-SPEC car stood relative to the existing SSC cars.
Sage was able to put down a 1:42.2 lap. Not to be outdone, Lawson promptly topped that with a 1:41.8. This compares favourably with a 1:40.7 lap during the last SCCA National at Willow Springs. The current track record at Willow Springs is a 1:38.7. However, there is not much chance of a B-SPEC getting into that territory. All of this tells us that we have hit the right spot in performance for the B-SPEC car.
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The #15 Fit “pounded” around the track at Willow Springs for 3 hours or so during the test. Add this test to the 3 day Super School and the 25 Hours and that is a lot of track time. The Fit has only seen 3 sets of brake pads and oil changes in that time. We also only managed to burn a little over a tank of gas during the test.
All indications are that B-SPEC will achieve its goals of a low-cost, fun to drive car. The bad news is that you never know what pro driver is going to show up in one!