An exciting look at a Porsche “Cup Car” coming off the track and into the pit area at the California Festival of Speed races at the Automobile Club Speedway in Fontana, California. These are Club Races, where dedicated amateur drivers test their skills against each other in different categories during the race weekend. No Prize money, just trophies, bragging rights and maybe a little sponsorship from your mechanic. These Cup Cars are at the top of the food chain. A Porsche Cup Car is purchased by approved drivers directly from the factory. They are very, very expensive and don’t even come with seats! These cars come almost ready to race; a race engine, drive train, racing exhaust and suspension a state of the art roll cage and very light materials to minimize weight. Much of the body is made of carbon fiber, the windshield and windows are plexiglass, the wide fenders accommodates larger racing tires, the fuel intake is relocated, front skirt, rear wings, fender louvers and other aerodynamic accessories are added, and much more. The driver / owner then adds his or her accessories like a racing seat, just one seat in the car, communications gear (2 way radio to talk with the pit crew), driver cooling system and other goodies. The driver cooling system is actually a 2 gallon cooler with ice water next to the driver seat with a pump to circulate ice water through a system of tubes within an undergarment worn under the fire retardant suit by the drivers. Temperatures in these cars can get very high, and the car has no insulation to keep weight down so cooling the driver in a heavy suit, gloves and helmet is very important in a 90º California Summer afternoon. When finished, these cars can run north of 1.5 Mil. without counting spare tires and other parts, maintenance, trailer or crew. It’s definitely a more expensive hobby than bowling...
Location: Fontana, CA.