Lotus Cortina vs. NASCAR! David and Goliath at Lime Rock Park
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ก.ย. 2016
- 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?
- ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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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
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!
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 TH-cam. 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.
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)
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.
Tears in my eyes - this was so good!
Commentary is perfect.
Screen setup is excellent.
AMAZING the speed you could carry through the turns when you didn't have that Olds holding you up.
I find more actual thrilling racing in this little video than in a whole season of F1 ponsing around. Good stuff.
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!
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
This was pure racing as it should be, what a battle!
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
Well done! A Cortina and you take out a 800 hp Cutless. I never thought I see the day.
what a great video, loved the play by play narration. awesome footage!
Thank you!
Love a good underdog battle. Awesome
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.
mate. what a legendary onboard.. seen thousands of vids. i was glued on this the entire 11 laps !
Thanks, glad to hear it!
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!
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 😄
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 😁
Only my second time watching a race like this one here on TH-cam. I have to tell you that was fantastic. My heart rate was trough the roof at every turn.
That's great to hear (as long as you have a strong heart)! 😄
Awesome footage and great narrative! Great race!
Makes me really miss Ice Racing those many years ago in upstate NY.
GRIPPING!
Thrilling action! Your patient dedication paid off.
That was an eminently satisfying battle, well done.
Superb! Your racecraft, sportsmanship and commentary are excellent. Who doesn't love a good battle between a Cortina and large displacement American iron. Thanks for the video.
You're welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
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 was bloody fantastic to watch! THE SPEED HE CAME AT YOU ON THE STRAIGHT !! Great composure to not make any rash dives on him !!!
These little Brit cars are so quick and sweet handling ,I'm amazed!.
th-cam.com/video/LWkDaVUn0EQ/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/cawBXWWgqCI/w-d-xo.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
Fantastic drive! I know that track well and it is a pleasure to drive it with you in your one-generation-older-sedan than my old E30 M3! Great narration as well.
My daily driver is an E30 325i, so I know you've got good taste!
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 😁
Great video, felt like I was urging you on from the back seat, the front and rear views make superb viewing whilst watching your gear shifting speed, useful voice over too :)
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
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 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 😁
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!
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 😉
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 🙂
Absolutely brilliant great race and video!
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
Man, my jaw hurts from clutching my teeth during that race!
Very impressive driving. Great job.
Good to hear you liked the race, hopefully your jaw recovered quickly 😄
Epic racing, loved every second of it.
Nice job! on the edge of my seat the whole time!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Nicely done, enjoyed that alot!
Excellent racing. Well done Michael.
Thank you! It was a lot of fun.
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. 😁
What a car,had one when I was 20years old,remember it as though it was yesterday,the sound of those twin 40's with ram pipes,awesome
That was brilliant! The way the Buick pinged away and then caught up with you on the straights gave it real drama. Well done 👍 I'll bet you it WAS INDEED rather satisfying ta4 posting
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I can confirm it was extremely gratifying to cross that finish line 🙂
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.
Awesome drive. Great use of the back markers to get the position. 👍
Thanks, that was the most rewarding moment 😁
That really was great!
Great job! Great video and commentary!
Thanks!
Great racing video ! Thanks so much.
You're welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
Well done, great video, Lotus Cortina was a star in its time. Amazing racing today.
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
That was brilliant to watch!
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.
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.
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.
170 versus 800 hp, who will win? If only all in car commentaries were like this one!
Dont know why YT recommended this one, but I'm glad it did, what a great race, most enjoyable viewing, thank you!
Glad to hear it!
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!
Great drive mate. I know the feeling when you don’t need have one the race but feel as if you did. That’s racing for ya.
Exellent camera positions. Very viewable. You narrating is very good and you are an exellent race driver. That Cutlass could probably have better lap times if he knew how to drive. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you very much! We're glad to know the format works well!
Pretty exciting stuff, especially when after you got by the Cutlass watching your rear view in the straightaway seeing the Cutlass come roaring back.
You can imagine how I was feeling watching it hunt me down 😅
What a great little vehicle with a wonderful sounding engine. It's a credit to you and your crew.
It's also really cool to hear your thoughts as you race.
~ thumb ~
Thank you!
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!
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.
Great battle!! Excellent drive!
Thanks Marc!
Reminds me of Brands Hatch in the 60's Ford Galaxies against Cortinas, Anglias and Minis, great stuff!
Awesome driving! Love the video!
Thanks!
That was a great bit of race craft there. Well done.
Thank you!
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!
Like high-speed chess! As a kid in the late 50's, I loved the photo of a 57 Ford on a road track with various sports cars. I lost interest in Nascar 30 years ago, but will watch it when they are on a road course. I love seeing these big cars lumbering around the bends!
Road course NASCAR is always an adventure 😄
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!
I did some schools at the rock. I love riding with you. It's so much fun. Stay well
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 😁
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 :)
Awesome, top work sir!
Thanks!
That was thoroughly enjoyable!
Well driven holding off big Hp is not easy!! I enjoy watching that!! Keep it up!!
Thanks!
The way that cutlass gets light and squirrelly at the top of the hill is just scary!
We like to use the word "exciting" 😁 but that's what we love about vintage racing! You can really see the cars moving around and the drivers working to keep them in line
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.
What’s neat about that NASCAR Oldsmobile is it looks like it’s the number 11 that was owned by Junior Johnson and driven by three time Winston Cup Champion Cale Yarborough. Most likely one of the 1978 prepared cars that helped Cale win 10 times and a Championship that year. Great video!
You're correct, it's that exact car!
That was amazing to watch : )
Liked, subbed, will visit your site! Great content, great camera views of a great race. SVRA has to be my goal..this looks sooo fun!
That's awesome! Feel free to get in touch if we can help at all, even if it's to provide guidance or information 🙂
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!
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 😄
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 😁
That was really fun to watch!
Glad to hear it!
That was a joy to watch! 🤩
Just surprised that you didn’t cover the inside of Turn 1 after the long straight as I doubt that NASCAR would’ve been able to pass you on the outside… given its weight and slower cornering speed in the previous laps.
I think defending the outside is actually much better in this instance and the reason why he won. The turn right after t1 is a slow lefthander. If he let the Oldsmobile on the outside of t1 he would lose the advantage in t2.
This was one thought I had, but the larger reason was I'd already seen him miss the braking point there more than once and didn't want to be ahead of him on the inside if that happened. If he went wide on my inside, I'd have room to avoid and possibly cut under.
that was intense! love the Cortina's and Escorts, the Alfa's too, salooncar racing at it's best, thanks
You're welcome!
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!
Great driving and a well deserved result!! You were really working it the whole way around the track! Had a Cortina GT back in the day (not raced) and l would have loved the Lotus version! Later went on to race grass karts, (Suzuki RM 250 water-cooled 2 stroke) so got my buzz then.
A 250 2-stroke kart must have been pretty quick!
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!
I love watching the little mini coopers race the big fords back in the day.
Briliant driving on your part very good passing manuvoure well done. Good luck in your next race meet. congrats from West Australia
Thanks! We're on track again next weekend, then again two weeks later at Sebring. I don't think I'll be driving, but hopefully we can get some footage from a customer car 🙂