Old Mopars in optima Ultimate this year ?

I found this ad. http://www.mavtv.com/shows/optima-search-for-the-ultimate-street-car.html Wow ! The Hotchkis Roadrunner on the page headline. The show seems to always spotlight Chevys and their drivers and builders or LS powered Volvos, Porsches etc... Will more Mopars be shown this year ? They did mention an LS powered Conquest and Challenger last season. I saw the Bergman Challenger flash on the screen and an occasional Viper or New Challenger. I have not seen a Mopar win a class or event except an SRT4 in 2014.

Don't you have to qualify for that race in November in Las Vegas? I don't think anybody on this site has ran any of the events this year that I know. The level of competition looks fairly stiff looking at the results over the last couple of years.

I'll be at the last qualifier in Fontana in October in the Valiant...

Give it time. I would've been at the Pikes event this year if it wouldn't of fallen on the same weekend of another event I had already committed to. I asked the Optima guys if I could've just showed up for the sunday road course portion and was told the "one day" entries only applied to the Saturday festivities because that is the day they tech you. So, if they have an event next season at Pikes, count me in. That gives me a year to get the freakin 200AA tires to be legal at all 4 corners.

Cool ! if you place to you get to go the the final in Las Vegas?

You can win your way into the Vegas event, but my class is stacked with cars with more than twice the Valiants HP. I have literally no chance on the Road Course portion against them.

Sometimes it's not what you run, it's what you bring. Optima is a spectacle. It doesn't do them any good to have 11ty billion Camaros on camera. They need Mopars, VW's, and odd ball stuff to make it a show.

We did the Pittsburgh event in Pa last year. Only mopar there. This was primarily a GM event with 14 out of 42 cars with Detroit Speed Equipment.

Somebody was wheelin this in the Optima at Road Ameriica last weekend, anybody know who it was?

I just saw it on instagram and asked what it's running for suspension and drivetrain.

Looks like Fast Freddies car , car has RMS front suspension, big block with TKO trans.


http://www.fastfreddiesrodshop.com/projects.php

Not enough.

I watched the show last night and saw a nice 69 Charger (rear view) locking up the brakes at the speed stop. They also showed the Chargers front view on the road course, Called it a Mopar. If you blinked, you would have missed it. They talked about the LS powered Conquest (called it a Dodge ? ) again and it's traction problems and some guy who blew up his fifteen thousand dollar Corvette engine ( I thought Chevys were cheap } and some other guys Corvette that was Dq'd for Weighing 3058 when his class minimum is 3200 pounds. His lame excuse was he weighed the car with him in it.... Pretty much talked and showed the same competitors from last year. I hope Toms Valiant gets some respect in October.

I believe the Violent Valiant was there.

http://www.hotrodchassisandcycle.com/1964_Valiant.php

Hence why I asked.

They would rather spend air time covering Detroit Speed Cars breaking, than show that Beautiful Challenger you entered.

In fairness, with only the attached pic, he might have just overcooked the turn and launched the car off the inner curbing, in which case he's running not enough driver.

Unfortunately, the 11ty billion Camaro owners in the world like to see them, constantly, so many entities comply with this request and regular publish, film, tape and show them.

I think they might have had 3 mopars show up all year to try and qualify, the only one I think that might make the show in November is the white 64 Valiant, unless Tom get his purple car into the show.

We were at Thunderhill this year. Also were at the Optima Challenge in '12, Laguna Seca and Portland last year. Thunderhill was the first time since '12 that another Mopar showed up. Pretty sad. I watched the show also, marginal at best. Maybe I am biased as we rarely get any TV time for as unique of car we bring out. We even finished in the top ten in the autoX for the GTV class. Its a good time none the less.

The Chevy Pro Touring scene is a high $$$$ club. It takes a boat load of money to be competitive in a GM product if it isn't a Vette. I think Mopars have an advantage here. I took a pic of this Camaro last month during our local Road Race and this thing was sick. Ring Brothers built car named "Diversion". The guy was super nice and probably would've let me drive it if we had more time. This is a 6 figure car with hand or CNC built everything. LS7/5spd,DSE front with a 3link rear, 315 front tires, 345 rears.

It is a high dollar club indeed.
My grandfather has a 66 Chevy Nova SS and had been considering Detroit Speed or comparable front and rear suspension setups and was floored to find out that they cost the same as Mopar parts do!

That Diversion is a gorgeous car, and it takes a lot for me to think of that style of Camaro in that way.

I was at Thunderhill as well. There were 3 second gen chargers and so little coverage. My girlfriends stock 2014 1LE Camaro got more points on the design award than I did. Pretty much a good ole boys club IMHO. I'll stick to track days.

Was it bone stock?

Any mods on it whatsoever? If so, what?

I got the impression, bolting on sponsors products with little invention/creativity on the owners part earned bonus points. New cars have a much bigger market potential then the old stuff, so money once again wins. And guess who the judges are?

I was 14 when the 2nd gen Camaro came out. We hated them, called em Big Vega's...

That being said I had a 73 Z-28 4 speed car ( same color as Diversion) back in the day.. No it wasn't the LT-1 hot rod, but was absolutely my favorite car of my youth..

But did the 2014 1LE Camaro have mods or not?

I'll make my judgments and comments after I collect some facts.

Bone stock with the exception that on the hood wrap that they have, instead of looking like a T/A challenger, I took the wrap to the edge of the front and to the fender edges like the AAR. They said they gave points for her being a girl, but that has nothing to do w/ design, and technically it's my car.


Now your thoughts???

Sounds like Optima is a joke.

Not much of a competition more a reality type show. And now it's getting more TV and media play. In that same lame vain, I guess a woman driver is better for air play than the most universal knee jerk recognized Mopar musclecar.

Sponsors had their finger in that event (not competition) since the beginning. But now it sounds even worse.

Hustlestuff, too bad you made and put together most of the parts on your Charger. If you used kits and products from companies with large advertising and PR budgets you might have had a chance.

All it is is exposure for their products. I think Optima sucks since they moved manufacturing over seas. They used to pay Goldberg to talk about their awesomeness. But honestly these events are pretty cool and the entry fees are affordable. Think of it as a 2 day track day and its pretty easy to swallow.

And for a street car event, funny that if you are in any class but novice you have to have full race apparel.

I think they were even gonna make guys use a Hans at one point.

That I understand. Corporate sponsored event. High visibility etc etc.