It has been a watershed year in the world of the “World’s quickest” street legal car battle with Larry and Chad’s wild S10 creation running roughshod over the existing records and punching the first ticket into the five second zone with their historic performance at the Street Car Super Nationals X in Last Vegas just a couple of weeks ago which closed the door to the five second zone for the team that opened on drag week with a 6.16 pass that shook the street legal drag racing world to its core.
It has also been an interesting few weeks because Tom Bailey announced that he’s building a new car that he hopes will be capable of running in the range of the 5.50s when sorted. Adding yet another layer into the whole program is the announcement below from Andy Frost and the Red Victor racing outfit who are also going to step up their situation to chase Larson into that mind blowing 5-second zone. Both the Bailey and Frost efforts will be street legal cars with Frost keeping his chassis but essentially gutting the thing mechanically and bringing a more robust engine combo along with a new transmission.
The divergence in approach between Frost and Bailey is interesting and speaks more to the drag racing scenes in the US and England more than anything else. Bailey’s car is going to be legal for competition with the PDRA, the eighth mile drag racing sanctioning body that competes around the country and he claims that it will also have the ability to be made legal for NHRA pro mod competition which Bailey would also like to dabble in. Frost on the other hand is having to abandon the traditional pro mod class where he has recently competed because if he stays within the bounds of those rules he’ll have no shot to compete with the likes of Larson and Bailey. Interesting, right?
We’re most intrigued by some of the timeline and vague sentences nearing the end of the release that mention the car being ready to hit the ground running in the August/September time frame of 2015 (Geee…when is Drag Week held again?!) and the notion that the runs will be made somewhere with a more sunny environment. We’re taking a stab in the dark here but there is a region of the world where it rains very infrequently and they have some awesome drag strips. You do the math on that.
As we have said many times before, this competition is amazing on a lot of levels. We think that it is great this growing cadre of guys think that they can outdo each other. Without this type of rivalry, competition, etc, stuff gets boring. We’re going to need an industrial vat of popcorn to follow how this whole deal will play out over the course of the next nine months. As usual, we’re going to do our best to follow each of the contenders as closely as we can to see what’s what, who is where, and how fast everyone is going.
Of course there’s always Jeff Lutz to mention. He’s said a couple of times that his yellow Camaro Pro Mod would make a heck of a street car and it went 5.78 at Vegas….will there be a fourth man in the ring for this Battle Royale soon? Is anyone else out there building a car that will take on the likes of these three (and possibly four) heavy hitters?
Like they used to say on TV, come back next week….same bat time….same bat channel!
Read the full release from Andy Frost and Red Victor 1 Racing Here:
After a couple of months of behind the scenes work, and now the dust has settled in the 2014 street legal racing scene, Andy Frost and Red Victor 1 Racing team are now ready to unveil their plans for the foreseeable future in the street legal racing circus.
We will be upgrading RV3’s powertrain to run in the 5 second zone, and to bring back the street legal record back across the Atlantic, where it resided for 2 ½ years!
Having watched the huge progress in street legal racing that we started back back in 2010, we’re happy that finally there are people who have joined us in the street legal car revolution. That is what makes it exciting to be a part of it, and drives us on to new heights!
So, the car itself has plenty of potential left, as we didn’t really scratch the surface of it’s chassis tune up (or engine tune up). Track time and weather in this area of the world played it’s part in that! We had less runs in one year than our competitors had in one meeting!!
What we are lacking for the job in hand, due to the class restrictions we were racing in, is power. This will be now be taken care of in certain areas, namely, the top end of the engine, the turbo size, and transmission.
We will be using new Race Flow Developments spread port heads with a Victory Performance valve train, PAC springs, T+D rockers and Manton pushrods, along with a Steve Morris Engines billet intake manifold. Wilson Manifolds will supply the twin 105mm throttle bodies, which will be supplemented by Precision Pro Mod GEN2 98mm turbos, and Turbosmart wastegates/BOV’s.
Engine size will stay the same at 540ci, and so will the New Century block, Diamond Pistons, Winberg crank, GRP rods, Bullet/Morris cam and Jesel lifters.
We will also have some new MoTeC equipment to add to the M800/CDL dash combo, namely a MoTeC PDM 30 and MoTeC keypad, to help with the street side, which will allow us to change from pump gas to methanol with a press of a button.
Transmission wise we will be changing over to a Reid cased TH400, complete with a Browell 6.3 bellhousing, The trans will be built by Frosty, with Hutch transmissions overseeing the build, and supplying the parts, We always wanted to use this trans combo, but the FIA rules prohibited it when the car was being built. Now we are running “outlaw” it is the trans of (our) choice. The bolt together converter will also be our choice..
The engine will again be build by Marc at Lamude racing engines. The same guy who built our record setting engine for the last couple of years, and tuning duties again will be handled by the same world famous Shane Tecklenburg, who is no stranger to setting records around the world!
Once the upgrades are done (around Aug/Sept 2015) we plan on shaking the car down at Santa Pod Raceway in England, driving the car around the countryside to test all the new systems, then shipping the car to a sunnier destination to test the upgrades to the full. From that we will see what transpires…..
One of the main reasons we are able to do this is because of our new sponsor the “Red Victor 5 second club”. We formed the club a short while ago, and after 1 month we have 120 dedicated club members who are supporting our “quest for the 5’s, and the street legal record”. They more than anyone are driving the team towards new heights, and all the RV1 racing team thank them for their unswerving support, along with our loyal sponsors and fans.
Our new page, which will be live on Monday. https://www.facebook.com/redvictor5secondclub
Man I hope he is not doing the usual smoke and mirror bullshit he is accused of and actually brings his junk across the water he comes off as a pompous ass to me but if he can back it up then go for it
have you even met the guy to judge if he is pompous?
For one I hope he does it, anybody who has the kahunas to even try this is defying logic. Good on him!
Will – The smoke and mirror bullshit you mention he is accused of, is therefore exactlty that, accusations. Different thing. Plus shipping a car to the US is a large financial commitment, I don’t see any US cars getting shipped to the UK anytime soon.
The difference in UK road legal regs and US is massive, way harder over there. Anyways, like you guys said, get the popcorn!
The reason we dont ship our cars over there is for a few reasons, 1. its a tiny damn country. 2. the fans just arent there. 3. tiny narrow roads. 4. government doesnt like our cars ie. regulations on noise etc.
The fans just arent there,lol dream on,yes tiny not damn country,and andy held it and poss will do again,what are you on.
I agree the regulations are a pain, “they” are making it harder and harder for car enthusiasts to do their thing over here. RV is legal here, is that street legal enough for alt he haters?
I’m not saying you (69chevelle454) are a hater, the point you raised is one that causes arguments lol There are fans over here, we’re just a small country. If the weather played ball and cars came over there would be people there to watch, me included!
Nobody is denying the car is street legal. I could cruise Gary Scelzi’s old Top fuel funny car down the industrial parkway with a temp tag screwed to it, but it doesn’t make it a street driving car. Frost has never driven his car on a 50 mile trip, let alone over 300 miles per day. That is the problem eveyone has with it and why it will never be viewed as more than a mediocre pro mod car with regs.
Do you know personally how far he has driven it and how far on a single trip?
Because its way easier to get a car shipped from Austraila to the USA for DragWeek?
We don’t have to shop to the UK it’s our party lol. All barbs aside I want to see Andy make a go of it fast is fast be it here or there
That should say ship stupid auto correct
Will, Frosty has taken his junk as you put it across the water twice before to the World Street Race I and II. So I don’t think he can be accused of not backing up his words. In Canada it was almost a wasted trip as Frosty and Saboury finished the cruise in the pouring rain. He may have got a couple of passes down the track, I do not remember. Once the rain came in it stayed for a week. That was a lot of money down the drain for little return. Frosty put his money where his mouth is on that occasion.
Did he not practically bankrupt himself on that occasion, when it rained in canada? Thats commitment!
BRING IT ON Andy! You can hang out with Mr checkbook
Hey Mr 68chevelle454 ;
You state ;
1. its a tiny damn country. ;True….
2. the fans just arent there. ; DEFINITELY NOT TRUE !
3. tiny narrow roads. ..etc.. ; True…..
And yet, since July 2014, we have hosted the following Americans ;
Dale Snoke driving his AFX Comet, ” The Rocket ” ..
.at Goodwood and Santa Pod..
Ron Hope, driving the ” Rat Trap “.altered
at Goodwood and Santa Pod .
Brian Hope, driving the ” Pure Hell ” altered
( with crew chief Rich Guasco..) at Santa Pod
And finally , a gentleman by the name of Don Garlits, who was here with his family for a number of events ;
His Drag racing Museum was nominated for the “Octane” magazine
“Museum of the year “award , held in London.
Whilst here, he was guest of Honour at the sold-out British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Dinner .
Don was Guest of Honour at the sold-out ” An afternoon tea with Don Garlits “, Hosted by Julie Braskett , (who now lives here, and who`s late father raced the Braskett and Burgin Funny car,) at Santa Pod .
Don kindly re-visited the Beaulieu National Motor Museum, to meet the restoration crew of Europes first dragster, The Allard Dragster along with the car .He was also a guest of the RAC Club in London,
So our American cousins wont get treated better anywhere in the world …!
Anyway….Back to Frosty ….Facts are ; he held the record for 2.5 yrs despite UK vehicle rules being “Extreme”….
He has a huge following here…. and it all boils down to one thing ;
The fastest car on the day ! Let the cars speak !
RV3 has never been Road Legal, never been through the IVA process required for an amateur-built car that doesn’t retain its original chassis.
Do you have proof?
I don’t care if they do hang headlights on them. They ain’t anything more than racecars.
If I was younger with a little more money I jump in there and show these kids how it’s done. I used to run some pretty wicked street machines. Only I would use a Mopar. Maybe a new Challenger.
Mr Chevelle
Your comments about our ‘tiny damn country’ make Frosty’s accomplishments sound even better than they already are! You did forget to mention the weather here tough…
Our drag strips are the same length as yours, quarter mile, that’s where this will be sorted.
I admire mr larson for what he has achieved.I thought andy has a tall order here,but if i know andy he will take it back his car is street legal,larsons car truck what ever you want to call it in the mode he run a 5 in would never pass a mot over here in a million year,yanks prepare to once again have your ass kicked,
Mr. happy, could you list some of the more strict MOT spec differences Larson, Bailey, or Lutz’s couldn’t conform to?
More importantly, what [restrictive] items could Andy simply disable or remove to compete, should he choose to come to the Colonies?
The L-B-L group has already proven their streetability during Drag Weeks, with some of their trips in weather like your stuff. Discounting narrowness, many of our back roads aren’t any/much better than your roads. DW competitors are directed to travel certain roads, and they aren’t Interstates!
For the competition to be equitable if the U.S. guys came over there, do you envision a DW format? Uh, I doubt that’s reasonable. Does your country have 250+ MPH-capable tracks within reasonable distance (one day) of one another, for example?
Stepping way back to view the situation, it’s pretty obvious the shipping costs and time lapse are the main reasons the competitors aren’t “jumping the puddle”.
Any tidbits of info you can give us as to why Andy’s car is restricted to be less than competitive over here would be super-appreciated.
P.S., I doubt our guys wouldn’t even want to come over there to chase down a single Vauxhall…
You have to consider, all the calls of “bring your car over here” which he has done in the past. Its only natural people are going to say it back.
In the UK theres one track to my knowledge that will handle speeds over 250mph and thats santa pod. There are other tracks, but are not the same calibre as the pod. So a DW format would not be possible. There are however lots of small country lanes to test street ability on surrounding the pod, small narrow roads full of pot holes, the ocasional farm animal, that get blocked when a large american car (like my dads) or a truck comes the other way.
Also, the distance covered in DW is somewhere around the entire UK if im not mistaken.
Andys car was originally built to FIA pro mod regs, which placed limits on what he could build, now hes not running pro mod, he can upgrade.
I agree, its costs that are stopping the showdown from happening, the sooner people realise that the better.
Okay, Dave, I post this tongue-in-cheek: If our guys get MOT’s and run the Drag week format at several tracks, Andy simply makes his attempts at Santa Pod for equability?
Who’s gonna start on the perpetual trophy?
I need a nap!
The interesting bit would be if Andy could run the numbers with the density altitude typically seen on Drag Week. Then follow that up with a 400+km drive in near 40ºC heat. I’m pretty sure the car hasn’t seen a 40ºC day, and also fairly certain it’d have a difficult time maintain highway speed (100-120 km/h) without overheating.
Heck the coastal US guys run into these issues and even the UK guys that do make it here find it confounding they can’t run the number they did back home.
if we had forty degree heat here in england, something would be wrong! lmao
For anyone wondering how easy it is to pass the MOT
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/mot-testing-guide-inspection-manuals-and-special-notices
It’s not really different than a state inspection. Please, all of you misinformed Brits, STOP saying getting an MOT is difficult. Frosty is just lucky he retained the original vin otherwise that thing would be considered a kit car and never pass.
Please consider this website also. Being part of the european union, the uk has the constant threat of legislation that might as well outlaw modified/custom built cars, The mot is not as simple as it first appears. It is a stringent test.
http://www.the-ace.org.uk/
That’s some good information too! We have the same amount of assholes (if not more) who want to kill the car hobby in the USA. Check out the SEMA action committee as they try to keep us informed of “anti-car” laws and the likes.
sad thing is, over here (imho) the people who try to put the information out there, mostly volunteers i think, all got/get called scaremongers/shit stirrers, then the shit hits the fan, for example, a modified car doesnt get through an MOT, or the car is inspected and the log book confiscated. The crap coming from the EU just seems aimed at getting these old, dangerous, polluting cars of the road. Its us against “them”.
Its a shame cos the good guys must get fed up and want to say “I told you so”
I for one, hope Andy can get it here to the states for Drag Week. Win or lose, the competition would be fierce and elevate the event.
agreed.
OK boys go to your bedrooms till you can play well with others,lol i couldnt resist.I just thought that since FROSTY has a ‘”120 member club” behind him that they can pay for his trip over here,but he better get here a week ahead of dragweek so Shane can totally retune the car cuz like THE SILVERBUICK said the air here will a whole lot different plus Shane wont have to travel near as far. So right now the fastest outlaw promod car is running 5.40’s in total race tune,so i dont think 5.50’s in street car is 2-3 years out.And havin owned a grand national i can vouch turbo cars really love 40 degree f alot more than 40 degree c.So good luck to all involved plus Jeff Lutz if he gets back in it!
having completed drag week the last 3 years, i can say that the physical and mental beating it puts on you is another element that people generally overlook. it’s one thing to lay down a killer number once or even twice. it’s entirely another to drive all evening and/or night and do it at another track that is 1500ft elevation difference from the last with questionable starting line prep. that is assuming you aren’t overheating in rush hour gridlock traffic on a ripe 100 degree 100% humidity day in the south. or welding your front crossmember back together after catching some unfinished road construction.
so i guess my point is that there is a big difference between a car that is street legal and a car that can be driven through harsh conditions on the street right to the track and still set a world record…. not to say frost’s car or he himself can’t do it, but from what i gather from the interweb gossip he hasn’t done that sort of torture test.
of course that isn’t required to set the record. hell, larry larson went 5.95 already with his “wet behind the ears” s10 when he got caught up on sleep after finishing drag week. i’m betting that that mark will be pushed lower before september of next year.. UK boys better bring the big guns to chase down larson, bailey, and whoever else decides to bring the heat.
This thread is better than the script for my next movie !!!
Andy is a UK legend and one day you American guys will be wearing one of his Red Victor T shirts
So looking at the comments here, is the title fastest street legal car in the world or fastest street legal car at Dragweek? A record is a record no matter where it was recorded.
The only questionable thing is if it is the world’s fastest street legal CAR, then technically the S10 is a pickup truck and not a car?