One aspect that has not been mentioned yet is the long-term, track proven reliability of these setups. You can state with a high degree of certainty that the Comptech NSX could be tracked every weekend for a year and would remain dependable. Many comptech supercharged vehicles have been campaigned for years and have proven themselves. This can not be said of near any other setup aside from the GruppeM unit. The BellTT kit has quite a number of reports of damaged motors and poor reliability when run very hard and for long periods of time at the track. Although it may have happened, I don't know of any BellTT NSXs that have been tracked regularly and driven hard, year after year with minimal problems.
The point I am making is in regards to the other vehicles in the test article. How many of these vehicles would withstand an endurance race or continuous flogging on a monthly basis? At the end of 24 hours that Comptech NSX would be one of the top finishers because the majority of the other vehicles would be a DNF. Those high HP motors are being pushed to their limits just as a BellTT NSX on a stock motor. I don't believe the majority of the vehicles in that test are robust enough to complete a competitive endurance race without failing, let alone a season long campaign of any kind. That is why many refer to these kinds of arguments, even when based on factual numbers from a reliable source, as benchracing. It may show who will win a stoplight race or a quick, couple sprints around the track, but does nothing to forecast the results of a long-term campaign.
This is what defines Comptech in my eyes- race proven reliability. The most important part of a great race car is that it finishes the race. It doesn't matter how fast you can lap a track once or twice, how fast you can run the 1/4 mile or the numbers you post on the skidpad. When you DNF, you lose. Comptech was never about the highest HP, fastest car, or best numbers. For occasional track use and street driving all of these results are significant. The Comptech NSX is not the winner. However, in a competitive race, all of these numbers and arguments are nothing but benchracing fluff.
IMO, the Comptech NSX is completely out of it's element in this test. Comptech is not about high HP and numbers. Again, Comptech is about 'race proven reliability.' If you plan to show off on the street, Comptech is NOT the answer. A single turbo will make you very happy. If I had to choose a vehicle to campaign from this test it would be the Comptech NSX, the stock Z06 and the stock Porsche. NONE of the other cars would even be in consideration. Their chance of failing before the end of a race is enormous due to their extreme power and the stress it puts on the rest of the vehicle. Take the BBSC NSX that ran in the OTC recently. Balance and Reliability- result- no DNF and great finish. The car did not need 800HP to do so.
Let's change the test a bit. How about we enter all of the cars, as provided in the test, in a season long NASA or SCCA racing series. The same drivers can campaign the cars. At the end of the season, let us see where that Comptech NSX places after the majority of the vehicles DNF half way through the campaign with blown motors and broken suspension pieces. I'll say it again, Comptech is not about posting numbers. They are about winning races which is done through BALANCE and RELIABILITY, not power and numbers. Look at various racing series and the answer is clear. The winner is almost exclusively the car with best BALANCE of performance and reliability- not the extreme of either. Great driver + Broken race car = DNF.
This argument even holds true for drag racing. Do you think what a car can post once or twice matters? The fastest car that LASTS through the series wins. What good is your 8 second car, faster than all the 9 second competition, when it breaks after 2 runs. You still lose.
I would LOVE to see a REAL test. Which magazine would have the forsight and the balls to create a test like this? Something that truly tests the supposed race cars in a season long comparison throughout various US tracks. Imagine the attention a test like this could garner. Every issue could have a monthly update of race results and stories which would result in repeat buyers for the magazine. The first mag to do so would have at least one lifetime subscription from me, guaranteed. All of these numerical arguments and tests are fun for gits and shiggles, but they have a marginal bearing on the outcome of an actual race. Why argue about it?
Anyone can make a car go fast once or twice... maybe even for a weekend. Many of the vehicles in the test fall into this category. It takes a great tuner with experience to build a truly balanced car that will outlast the competition; that perfect blend of performance and reliability that wins championshiops- not just races. IMO, the Comptech NSX has no place in this test. The same can be said for the other cars. They would have absolutely no place in a true, season long competition because they are not built for that purpose.
So do you want to win the race or the championship?
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[This message has been edited by ilya (edited 15 August 2002).]
