Lotus Cortina vs. NASCAR! David and Goliath at Lime Rock Park
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- I started my first session at Historic Festival 34 expecting a dual with a Datsun, and I ended up battling an 800hp NASCAR Cutlass! Will light weight and handling win out, or will horsepower be king?
We were roaring at the screen cheering you on by lap 8, well done. Love the commentary style, informative and leaving plenty of space for the action to speak for itself. Well done and thanks. Lotus Cortina, what a fine marque.
Thanks so much, glad to hear you were drawn into the action!
Damn that was fun. I started with casual interest and by lap 10 I was literally bouncing in my seat with my heart racing. Amazing driving, great victory. Thanks for sharing.
Haha, that's great to hear!
@@MichaelsVintageRacing I completely agree with Yohann67 . Well Done .
LOL....same thing here, I literally yelled "f@ck yeah" when he passed the Cutlass.
@@MJSalls oh yeah, I was definitely celebrating vicariously too!
Yea did the same here. That was killer racing
I grew up watching many of these sorts of battles with club racing in the 60's and 70's in the UK and frankly I still find it much more exhilarating than F1. The American cars were often Falcons and it's amazing to see how those extra cubes come into play down the straights from your driver's eye view in the cockpit. Very nice driving sir.
Great, we're glad to hear you enjoyed it and that we emulated a small part of the racing from when these cars were new!
Even better seeing how those lighter cars wup their asses round the corners!
I played F1 in the 60s and 70s. It was called scalextrics. Goodwood festival, BTCC are all leagues ahead of Tron F1. Did you ever see Gerry Marshall and Big Bertha? If not look it up on RUclips. I had the privilege of crossing a road to watch it fro free as a lad at Ingliston Raceway outside Edinburgh
Crystal Palace maybe?
I spend many happy days there watching mini's nibbling at Mustangs in the late 60's
Same here in Australia... hell the MKI Cortina took outright the first 3 Bathurst 500 mile endro 63-64 & 65 and built Fords first "Bathurst Special" with 65 GT500 Cortina. Blitzed the field. It was banned after that lol.
66 was the Cooper S's year to shine.... after that it became V8 Ford n Holden Territory except during the Grp A era....
Outstanding driving plus we all love a Lotus Cortina.
Thank you! They are hard not to love 😁
Of course they are fast. Not many cars had 3 camshafts!
@@Coltnz1 I always wondered what the timing was on the third camshaft. Never had my Elan engine apart to see what it looked like.
@fred blair No way! The Lotus Cortina was engineered as a race car and was and still is a giant killer.
Oh brother if you had one of these back in the day you were the dogs bollocks. .here in little old England anyway these were and still are beautifully set up by lotus.
This popped up on my feed.
Fantastic. I'm old now, but in my younger days I dreamed of this. Good job man. That Olds was a freaking rocket on the straight. I knew you could take him in the corners. But watching him come up behind you, wow.
Dude, you had my heart going like I was driving. Thanks for the thrill.
I'm glad you had a good time watching! If it helps, many of our customers have been in their 60s, 70, and even 80s and having a great time! It's never too late 😉😉
Love that two dramatically different race cars were running so close every lap
(As a European) I can't really imagine that thing having 800 bhp, though. Even if it weighed twice as much as the Cortina, it would easily pull away on the straights with 500 bhp. 800hp seems unreal for what I guess is a late 70s NASCAR with 5.8L single cam V8. Where does this number come from? Have any of these been bolted to a dynometer recently?
@@argh1989 The hp numbers depend upon when the engine was built and the rules at that time. NASCAR engines now are pushing 900-1,000hp. When they were running the big-block engines in the late 1960s & '70s, you had to carefully read between the lines. The manufacturers "fudged" the numbers to put off the insurance companies. Corporate insecurities caused a lot of waffling back and forth depending upon the attitudes in the board rooms.
@@MrGaryGG48 No big block in there from what I found. But whatever the figures were back then doesn't necessarily have to match the figures now. I just really want to know what that thing put out that day. I imagine a straight line acceleration contest would look way different between an 800hp NASCAR and a 170hp Cortina, especially since the Cortina is already in 4th gear exiting the last corner.
BTW I don't see why insurance companies would care about race car power ratings. And even if that was the case, claiming an 800bhp figure surely wouldn't be helping the manufacturers...
@@argh1989 No, you probably right about the insurance company's interest but what did tend to bite the car industry was that their marketing people liked to brag about their racing successes.
By the time they got into the '70s, they were a lot more careful not to talk about that stuff. The insurance people had already started slamming the public hard over the muscle cars and by the 72-73 model years the power was down significantly. Then they were choking everything on the road with smog crap that didn't work. It didn't work and engines didn't run worth a crap. It eventually got so bad that (I think the year is close) the 1980-82 Corvette had a 350 cu.in engine with about 160 hp! Everybody that was into cars knew not to buy a 1974 anything! Nobody had learned to work within the new rules yet.
Awesome race my friend. Amazing job holding off all that HP. . Excellent Race and thanks for sharing it. ✌️😃
You're very welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
A perfect set-up for that pass, and holding your nerve brilliantly going side-by-side in the counter-attack.
Thanks! I enjoyed it afterward, but was focused on getting away as quickly as possible in the moment 😁
Tom Forsyth
You do not yet know the difference between 'Passing' and 'Overtaking'
Read more books to better educate yourself -
Even my youngest students know the difference.
Unless you can figure it out don't bother replying.
I am too busy to listen to excuses.
And that goes for third part responders - none of you know yet
Study first
Good luck and goodbye
@@andrewkoala6626 You won’t be missed.
@@andrewkoala6626 I can tell you're that dude everyone avoids at parties. Go back under your bridge, troll.
@@andrewkoala6626 I'm more worried that you have students !! :0)
AMAZING the speed you could carry through the turns when you didn't have that Olds holding you up.
Wow that was incredible concentration and incredible patience, it all came together in the last three laps you really kept him honest in the turns, definitely had an unfair advantage in any straightaway
Thanks! Luckily my advantage in the turns was just enough to hold off his straight line advantage at the end 😁
This is the first time I watched or saw your channel. For me this was the best in car race I’ve watched. I believe it was your narration just enough talking.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
That means a lot, thanks! With all these new viewers here, I'm looking to go through our back catalog and put some more videos together so be sure to subscribe and see what gets released!
Absolutely loved this... I'l admit i prefer the Olds, but i usually root for the underdog. Going up against big Detroit iron like that comes down to driving ability and tactics and you did very well on both fronts! I was rooting for you! It may have been 4th place but what you kept behind you was definitely a WIN in my book...
Thanks! That is one of the fun things about this sport; overall positions are nice, but many times it's the battles all down the order that matter most to the drivers. That doesn't stop us from getting a fair share of overall success though 😉
Love a good underdog battle. Awesome
Superb, your commentary really enhances the race, I'm subscribed!
Thanks, we're glad you enjoyed it!
Exactly. And very respectful racing by all.
Likewise as someone that has been more rally than race over the years but noit doing anything now i grew up in the Cortina era
I was the 1 litre class 1980 Donnington GT championship outright winner . Our GT classes were sometimes mixed and I could play with the mobile chicans you were having a good time against .. I used to lap those 600 hp monsters .in the 12 lap races . My huge advantage was ground effects . those yank tanks never stood a chance . Your Lotus cortina was begging you to go for top gear on more than one occasions . there is only one quick way around a race circuit .. either flat out or braking .. none of that mamby pamby coasting around like your on the school run . Great video ..Enjoy .
Very cool! Ground effect? What type of car? I'm not sure if it helps, but I wasn't coasting anywhere; the car reaches what I was using as redline (7500rpm) just before the uphill and the turn at the top of the hill (West Bend) so the gearing is conveniently not that bad. Upshifts would likely cost more time than anything in these two places.
Really enjoyed the race! Great driving and gun! Thanks....
We're glad you enjoyed it, Stephen! Feel free to check out our other races and keep an eye out for more in the future!
@@MichaelClifford164 When Road Atlanta first open was my introduction to road racing and different cars aka euro rides, can am, and it was awesome for a country boy. Had to jump on a E-type 64 model...been spoiled every since. The joy of driving and watching the sportmanship of professional. Well most of the time...ha ha!
We just left Road Atlanta today!
That was great fun Michael . . best little vid that I have seen in a while . .these old land ships have so much character. Well done . .would love to see what you did to tune your Cortina. many thanks from Australia.
Thanks, Mark, glad you liked it! You can learn more about the Cortina and our other customer cars at our shop website, michaelsvintageracing.com, and I also post lots of photos on Facebook and Instagram!
It's crazy the power difference between the cars. That Cutlass is making up what looks like a 0.8s-1.0s gap on the straight.
It was a huge difference in speed from the cockpit! I'd wager it may have been an even larger time difference than that, at least until the braking point. That's the fun thing about vintage, though; you get these happenstance matchups of totally different cars that create engaging battles.
Truly Like David and Goliath - especially with the crazy acceleration of the Cutlas
I was pretty jealous every time we hit a straight, but not so much once we reached the braking zone 😄
Great Race! Really enjoyed your commentary also. That Cutlass was like a rocket ship on the straights but met his match in the corners.
I believe the pressure made the other driver drive harder and I have driven those cars they will heat up the tires and brakes up big time, and loose corner speed.
Reminds me of getting frustrated at track days when people would refuse to give point bys because they could outaccelerate me on the straight, but I was held up by them for the rest of the track.
I can do you one better: The first time I drove at Lime Rock was in the Cortina in a school group. Passing only on the straights with a point by. I was stuck behind someone in a Jaguar XJS who--every lap, mind you--would come down the hill, point me by, and accelerate away. I would immediately catch up and be treading water behind him the whole lap. It was...unpleasant.
That was so much fun to watch! Also had a 1967 Cortina in Australia long ago…!😎
We're glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully we can get some more onboard footage uploaded during this off-season 😁
Awesome drive - enjoyable watch from start to finish passing a MK11 too !
ultraviewz1 We're glad you enjoy it! Check back in a few days for a new video featuring the Cortina and some close sedan racing!
Tears in my eyes - this was so good!
Commentary is perfect.
Screen setup is excellent.
Great racing video! I love the narration. It gives a lot of character to what's to be seen!
Thanks! Mike's a bit self-conscious about his narration so it's good to hear it adds to the experience.
Yay, Cortina - I had two of them before moving on to Capris - and had almost all of them, except the insanely expensive ones like the 280
I saw the 19th Annual Vintage Classic fest on public access television in western mass...
Awesome course
Awesome cars
We've attended this event every year since probably 1993. It's a lot of fun!
170 versus 800 hp, who will win? If only all in car commentaries were like this one!
I know lime rock very well and it's driving lines from my STI days. that was so awesome to watch it must be really fun to drive these cars on that track. THANK YOU!!
They are fun here, and everywhere really! Vintage racing has a feel that can't be found anywhere else.
That really was great!
Great drive, the lotus cortina really was born for the track, wonderful car.
Thanks, and we couldn't agree more!
Grew up with my dad driving Fords, he had a mk 2 Lotus Cortina & a mk 2 Savage, a rare beast & i don't know which one i liked best. I went on to have 3 RS Sierra Cosworths the last one a RS 500, liked that the best. But i jumped ship & now drive Toyota!
English Ford made some real gems back in the day!
That was both fun and frustrating to watch (you get held back). Awesome driving and thanks for sharing!
That's exactly how I felt in the car 😄 but I'm glad you enjoyed the ride!
That was KOOL RACING Michael__
I will stick to Drag Racing!
Will do it all again when my CYBRTRK comes to Oz in or about early 2023. Thx for the Show!
Awesome, have fun with the Cybertruck!
Brilliant race. Love the oldies. So much more interesting than the high tech mega budget processions that make up modern motorsport.
Tell your friends! Vintage racing deserves the attention, and I'm hoping to use this channel to spread the word about how cool it is 🙂
great stuff 800 against 170 and you had him i love it. My first car was a mk1 when i was 19 and many different cars later at 75 i have another one sitting in my garage. Its only a 1.5 4 door deluxe but its got a GT + spec lump and is running about 110 so its good for road use If you want to do a swap any time give me a call LOL loved the vid keep em coming
I'll keep that in mind! 😄 Glad to hear you enjoyed the race and keep that 4-door exercised with regular drives!
Back in the 70s I went to Brands hatch & watched Jim Clark in a works white & green Lotus Cortina racing ,among others, Jamie Oliver in a Falcon. On the bends- Paddocks, Druids, South Bank Clarke would pass Oliver, but as they came back round the grand prix circuit Oliver would be back in front again, using his superior power on the straights. The crowd were cheering like hell as Clarke won by a few feet.
On the second race it was a repeat until Clark had a puncture. He cut across the field to the pits, changed the tyre & was a good half a lap behind. Once again he won by feet & it was obvious he was just playing for the crowd & could have thrashed Oliver the whole way round but just made it look exciting. He caught up with some fantastic driving & the lotus went like a scalded cat.
That's awesome! My dream is to someday be as good as Jim on his worst day. I've got a ways to go 😄
These little Brit cars are so quick and sweet handling ,I'm amazed!.
ruclips.net/video/LWkDaVUn0EQ/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/cawBXWWgqCI/видео.html
Hence why carol Shelby used our AC cars🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Wait till you see a little mini vs a mustang lol 1275cc maximum vs whatever they put into a v8 mustang
Watch a piece on Mr Colin yesterday., and his rather haphazard approach to people and others money...........but then when you see what he could make out of a Dagenham dustbin.,his skill was in the right place..........and when you are holding off a beast with 4 times the power on a bend.,that washer free lightness maybe a bit thin.,but is a great answer..Maybe next season.,you strip the paint and decals and you won't have wait for traffic to give you the break..Great race.Great commentary..Great day...
Yeah, Chapman made some decisions we may not have but he also introduced a number of very important innovations over the years. Heck, you can pay much trace Ford's Total Performance initiative back to this very car.
This was pure racing as it should be, what a battle!
That was so fun to watch. Great driving. I have a Cortina Mk2 that I started racing last year. It's a blast! What kind of HP are you getting from your motor? I'm assuming you're running a 1600 TwinCam
I'm glad you enjoyed it! They are fun cars, as you know. This engine makes about 170bhp, and it is a Twin Cam.
That was fun, felt like I was right with you.
Track designers should strive to create circuits with this balance of opportunity for both straight-line power and cornering poise. This is the way to engender naturally thrilling racing throughout all of the various formulas, not by artificial autocratic gimmicks, or by the squashing of competitive differentials and technological innovation. Real race fans are interested in man's mastery of the machine in the workshop as well as on the road. Those who simply want to become codebook wonks are not real race fans, yet their transient numbers will have an insipid effect to the detriment of motorsport.
Sadly they don't listen to the fans and so motorsport is dying a slow death.
Amazed to see a LHD Cortina, let alone a Lotus Cortina! You need some balls to take one of those up to racing speeds. Great video! Gripping bit of racing too. Good stuff.
Thanks! Yes, a genuine LHD Lotus Cortina is a pretty rare bird, and we love getting it out for people to see.
"He's got twice as many cylinders as me, is he going twice as fast? No, he is not." - Jeremy Clarkson 2016
😄
Can't help noticing the Cortina has a regular dashboard and not a Lotus Cortina dash. I owned two of them and worked on them in UK when they were new.
You're correct! The car had this upside-down GT dash installed when we got the shell, and we never got around to installing the Lotus piece. We do have it here at the shop, though.
That was tense!
Love the MK1 and 2 escorts but no match for a lotus cortina.
I dunno, the Paul Newman Mk1 Escort in this race is proper quick, as they say across the pond 😁
Good video loved they way you beat the big yank tank just goes to show England built the best cars in the world during the 1960s also during the 1960s there was a british car company was the largest in the world
Slowly 🐌 Slowly catch and pass the monkey..
Well done...good video.
Enjoyed that..
Simon a Brit in Spain 🇪🇸🇬🇧
That was frikkin awesome! I was on the edge of my seat the whole way! Those big American muscle cars are like trains, fast as hell in a straight line, but come off the rails on the corners.
Glad the algorithm’s working for you! That was great fun but how did the steering wheel get over there?
Thanks so much! In all honesty, we borrowed this wheel from a customer car to try the diameter and didn't clock it to the column 😅
That was great racing. I hope you had a chance to share a pint with the driver of the Cutlass. Thanks for being there.
We were actually pitted right next to each other, so we had a great chat afterwards 😁
Love the videos! What’s your camera setup and how would you do it differently in an open top car
Thank you! We use older GoPro cameras and their mounts. When we record in open cars we use an external microphone to remove the horrible wind noise.
That was amazing to watch : )
Brilliant race, love the Cortina. But that Olds moves some on the straight 😳. I have watched this a dozen times now😂
Haha, glad to hear you're enjoying it!
Very good - thanks for sharing!
Interesting that you use 3rd for most of the lap, just shifting into 4th just before the bridge and the downhill.
Also noted that you have it set up to turn right. Lime Rock is sometimes compared to a bullring oval.
Yeah, the gearing works out fairly well to use the meat of third gear for most of the lap. The car is set up for both directions, but if you mean the crooked steering wheel that's a result of us borrowing a customer wheel to try a different diameter 😅
@@MichaelsVintageRacing Hahaha Yes, I am watching too many Indy 500 onboards with stagger, and overthinking what is necessary and advisable at Lime Rock! Thanks for the honest answer - You could have taken credit for being really creative and advanced and precise in your setup! It seems you have fun, and we have fun watching your posts. Speed on!
We have our moments of creativity, but this was pure pragmatism 😄
That was good to watch.
I find more actual thrilling racing in this little video than in a whole season of F1 ponsing around. Good stuff.
Great battle!! Excellent drive!
Thanks Marc!
If I remember correctly a cortina won the trans American race at bryar road track in the pouring rain! This was the era of amc mustang and camaro
I'd believe it!
Awesome footage and great narrative! Great race!
Makes me really miss Ice Racing those many years ago in upstate NY.
GRIPPING!
It just points up how important the whole package is, the Datsun with its good brakes reeling in the Cortina, the Cortina with its better handling reeling in the Olds, the Olds relying on its dominating power to hold position by running away at the straights.
Exactly! Vintage racing can be so fascinating to watch for that very reason. 😁
That was epic!! That opposite lock up over the crest onto the straight every lap was hairy!!
It feels just so good from the driver's seat 😁
Wonderful racing, I well remember the British Touring Car events of the '60s where Lotus Cortinas battled with Mini Coopers, Galaxies, and MkII Jaguars. Such different specs across the marques, yet the racing was amazing. Sadly, in most of today's categories, the specs are so tightly controlled leading to processional and boring races. I have all but lost interest in motorsport as the result. I yearn for the return to my openly classified racing.
Glad you enjoyed watching! I can understand what you mean about a lot of modern racing; I have to say, though, at the least the 2022 Formula 1 season has been a ton of fun to watch with the reintroduction of ground effect!
I saw a similar David and Goliath race in the sixties at Brands Hatch - a Ford Escort 1600 RS against Frank Gardener’s (I think?) 7ltr Ford Galaxy. The escort had the Galaxy on the corners, but the Galaxy had the legs on the straight. Because of the distance between the last bend and the finish line, the Galaxy won!
I've only been able to see photos and videos of that era, but it's a great example of why these battles can be so interesting!
Me needs to take the wife's WRX out we call it a V8 killer.
Great race Michael and the commentary really adds a whole new insight into the race which very few racers are doing....I race in Historic racing in the UK and there's nothing more satisfying than beating cars with 3 or 4 times the power. It can be frustrating being in a small car as the V8's can easily use their power to get track position, but over the years I've finished ahead of Mustangs, Falcons and even 7 litre Galaxies with a 1.3 litre VW Bug which must be the ultimate insult for any muscle car fan.
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video! Input is very helpful. We know exactly what you mean about being the "little guy" and coming out ahead; it's one of the things our shop has become known for!
Well, that was a really deserved result. Just shows BHP without skill and determination does not necessarily bring in the results. Well done from the UK.
Thanks!
Well done! A Cortina and you take out a 800 hp Cutless. I never thought I see the day.
Michael, you are a fabulous driver and I always learn so much from your videos. Thanks for posting it.
Thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Awesome drive. Cortina v Nascar. Brilliant!! 👍👍
Great great setup car! That Cutlass once it got up and went, was pulverizing you on the straights. However great strategy plus all your skill and prep one the day. It certainly coulda gone any which way.
Thanks! The best races are the ones you can't call until the checker, and Mike Jr. definitely couldn't call this one 😁
Great comment. It should be won the day though :)
Vintage racing is much more enjoyable to watch. Modern cars with driver aids tons of down force make for such predictable racing. These cars dance over the track and it easy for one to make a mistake and lose ground
We know what you mean! While there's still a lot going on in a modern cockpit, we enjoy seeing a driver really putting the work in and seeing the car moving around like only a vintage race can reveal 😄
Did my apprentiship with a Ford main dealer here in the uk 1970 to 75 my first car in 1972 was a Mk1 lotus Cortina great car wish it had gone like this one
Very cool!
Beautiful drive but I experienced some frustration at the red car baulking off the line and how that shaped your race, at least the early stages. That Nascar is a typical Yankee-Tank (as we say here in Oz) - lots of balls in a straight line, but that's about it! Bit of a generalisation but us Aussies love to have a chuckle about our 'Merican buddies!). Mum's brother raced a Lotus Escort here in Aust and often took out the classes above in it. I would love such a machine... Cheers from Sydney - Dave
We're glad you enjoyed the race! It was a big unfortunate but that's part of what makes racing engaging sometimes, right? Without that check-up at the start, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to test the strengths and weaknesses of these two different cars.
(P.S. We know what you mean about that American iron 😉😄)
@@MichaelsVintageRacing Yes, you are right and I've been fortunate to do enough racing to appreciate that, though not at your level. It is always fascinating to pit vehicles of a totally different character against each other and to strategise for that. It's also great to be able to pick up certain driving styles/weaknesses and to capitalise there as well.
What a blast you are having and so are we at home, virtually sitting in your car! Fabulous stuff and thanks again. Cheers - Dave :)
Fantastic stuff.
This reminds me of the F.A.R. Performance 240Z's kicking Detroit iron's ass in SCCA races in the 70's. Bravo.
We have a Z here we hope to start using next season, so that might be an even more direct comparison!
I was chasing a Porsche speedster around. It was so freaking fun
If a racer is following too close to a car that is faster in the straights, you can’t take advantage of that momentum found in the corners because they’re in your way on the exit.
Despite my best efforts at setting up passes out of corners, the power advantage was too great. Instead I opted to apply consistent pressure and force a mistake.
While i enjoyed the battle, I can't help but wonder if we wouldn't have seen more exciting top three action if he hadn't held you up.
The top three may have been just in reach, though equipment-wise the Cortina has smaller tires, less horsepower, and worse brakes.
So it could have gone either way 😀
It doesn't get much better for that. Great racing!!!
😁
That’s why racing car need both handling and power. Your cortina has better handling but small power. His car has a lot of power but poor handling.
how it looked when he was pulling up on u thru ur mirror was awesome
that was intense! love the Cortina's and Escorts, the Alfa's too, salooncar racing at it's best, thanks
You're welcome!
I bought one of these at the dealer's auction in Tyler Texas back in 1975 for $140. They just weren't worth anything and Texans liked big cards. My dad and I bought and sold used cars and this was one of my favorites but he made me sell it. Said English Fords were POS. I picked up a Europa S2 after that. Who would have thought Lotus Cortinas would bring the prices we see today but they are one of the coolest cars ever. I eventually graduated to air cooled 911s and never went back.
It is amazing what a lot of the cars from that era are worth these days. Cortinas were relatively late to the party, too. I suppose the upside is the value will incentivize people to keep the surviving cars around 🙂
@@MichaelsVintageRacing I agree, I always expected Europas to become expensive classics and they have only gone up at the normal inflation rate. Pretty soft, price wise. Ditto S1, S2, and S3 Esprits but they seem be appreciating now. I love Esprits but they are not a great car like my 911s. The 911s are reliable and will still wipe up the Esprits at the track. However, the Esprit's styling is really cool. If I could have any Lotus that I passed up it would be either an 11 or a monocoque Elite/Coventry Climax. Probably the only racecars that are prettier than the 11 is the Lola T-70 or Porsche 904. Still, ACBC was one of the greatest and I probably have every book on him and the Lotus Cortina is one of his greatest collaborations.
David and Goliath battle
That was some fine driving , could have sworn you got a little air while chasing down that cutlass 😂👍👍🇺🇸
The car definitely gets light over the crest!
@@MichaelsVintageRacing Yes, I could hear the revs come up just a bit at the crest. I wonder how much the Olds lifted at the top of that rise?
Thank you for the video, learned to drive in a 1968 Cortina Mark II in the Mojave Desert and enjoyed a car that could handle. Now at the outer end of my life my sons and I are racing in the 24 Hour Of LeMons in 1st Gen Mazda RX-7 and having great time. I have some videos of our car at Sonoma Raceway on my channel.
It's great to know that passion continued to the next generation! Those races always looked like a fun way to get a lot of seat time.
@@MichaelsVintageRacing yep fun and low cost, it runs each team member $800-$1000 per weekend. This includes car consumables (Tires, fuel, etc) fuel to get the car to the track, motor home rental and fuel for the humans. A team is 4 for people and you get 4 hrs of seat time .
Pro tip - With the amount of under steer you have. You can afford a narrower front tire. Improving stability and overall top speed. ;)
Plus, if you kept the same wheel size. You can stretch the narrower tire. Reducing tire flex. Quicker response.
@@DJBillionator Thanks for the input!
Brilliant! Does anyone out there remember Bill McGovern in his electric blue Hillman Imp racing against Bob Gardner in his metallic turquoise Mustang, Silverstone 1978 (?) Just like this, bloody epic.
Come to the UK for a bit of historic racing. Still swapping paint after 40+ years👍
We'd love to come to the U.K. and see all you've got to offer! Maybe in the future sometime 🙂
@@MichaelsVintageRacing If you'd like to see where you fit in,why not enter the St Mary's Trophy at Goodwood. Yo would learn a lot and have a ball. The Minis will be another surprise for you!
That was a blast, horsepower vs handling! What gen Cortina is this, a MKII or MKI?
This is a 1966 Mk1.
Loved it! I'm exhausted just watching! I raced flat track, TT and desert motorcycles decades ago. Wish we'd had GoPros and the like to record our happy shenanigans back then! Well driven, well narrated!
Much respect, that's some serious riding! Dad used to ride motocross but I've never been a 2 wheel guy myself. I prefer not having to worry about my vehicle falling over 😄
Great upload. My first car was a 1966 Mk1 GT sedan (Australia) & I sold that for a RS2000 Escort. These days I have a manual 5.0i Ford Falcon with no driver aids except ABS. Nearly 40 years on and I miss that Cortina a great deal. Three wheel corners anyone?
It's hard to argue with something that lifts a wheel or two! You can hear this car do that in the IMSA Reunion race video we've uploaded here; it's pretty awesome 😁
ahhh the cars we let go. my parents had mk1 and mk2 gts and i had a mk1 lotus escort, sold for $3k ! 😣
I'm "lucky" enough to be too young to have any of these stories, if that's the right word to use 😅
@@MichaelsVintageRacing they were pretty good days for sure. your lucky? to have a great classic car from that era. unfortunately i wont be affording another lotus as the prices have gone through the roof 😞 even for my first car a 1200 coupe datsun asking crazy money ! what hp is yr cortina puting out Michael ?
Yeah, prices have really gone skyward on everything. We were lucky to find this car as an (affordable) shell and fully restore it over a few years' time. The car makes about 170bhp, built more for durability than ultimate horsepower (for those same cost reasons 😅)
As an Alfa guy, the ease with which you put those two Alfas away was impressive! Nicely done!
Thank you, though the Alfas probably had some untapped potential left on the table as well 🙂
I owned and raced a 1965 Cortina GT and I still recall the sound when that twin ckoke weber carburettor was fully open. Sweet memories. Greetings from South Afrfica
Webers sure do make great noises, don't they? We never get tired of any Kent-based engine at 7,000+rpm 😁
Awesome driving there buddy. Back in 1974 at 16, I had a 1963 model and it was a blast. Did not know better and sold it for a V8 when I was 17.
Hey, back then it was just a car. Who knew how things would go
@@MichaelsVintageRacing So right there buddy. Sold too many cars over the years I wish I had kept. But at least I got to enjoy them. Keep up the excellent racing. Cheers from Australia.
what a great video, loved the play by play narration. awesome footage!
Thank you!
proper racing. none of this flappy paddles and electric clutches
Awesome drive. Great use of the back markers to get the position. 👍
Thanks, that was the most rewarding moment 😁