From left, navigator John Townsend and driver Bill Rietow with the Buick Regal GS that finished first in the 120-m.p.h. class of last fall's Silver State Classic challenge. / General Motors photos
Catch the Buick Regal GS -- if you can. This time next week, a pair of GM engineers will be piloting one of the turbocharged sport sedans down a Nevada highway at speeds that could top 150 m.p.h. as the brand burnishes its performance credentials.
Buick was a big deal in motor sports for decades. Success in early 20th-Century cross-country rallies gave it a sterling reputation for durability and performance. Decades later, powerful and advanced engines powered Buick to success in NASCAR and at the Indy 500. The brand grew stodgy since the '80s, but cars like the turbocharged GNX were fast and furious road-racing bad boys before anybody ever heard of Vin Diesel.
Engineers Bill Rietow, 60, and John Townsend, 56, hope to revive some of that excitement running a street-legal Regal GS in the Silver State Classic challenge on Nevada's famous State Route 318 next Sunday.
"Consumers recognize that motor sports are a breeding ground for new technologies," said Silvia Mammone, who's involved in a range of racing as Michelin and BF Goodrich tires' North American motor sports manager. "It's a great way to speak to customers who are interested in technology and performance."
The Silver State Classic is a time and distance race. Drivers and navigators compete to see how close they can come to exactly hitting their target speed. The 90-mile course includes curves, hills, dips and "the narrows," a tricky canyon. They'll hit 90 m.p.h. in the narrows, and do well over 135 m.p.h. on other stretches. State Route 318 is closed to the public during the challenge, which draws hundreds of competitors.
The demanding course requires racing skill, plus the ability to calculate speed and distance on the fly. This'll make you weep if you struggle to balance your checkbook: In their rookie race last fall, engineers Rietow and Townsend used a handheld stopwatch, GPS and the car's standard cruise control for a first-place average of 119.9991 m.p.h.
"I love to compete," Rietow, who was GS lead development engineer, said. "This race is an engineering challenge and a (math) problem you have to solve at extremely high speeds. It's also an opportunity to let the car stretch its legs."
Rookies can't compete at more than 120 m.p.h. Having passed that test with flying colors, Rietow and Townsend could top the 157 m.p.h. that's the top speed a GS hit on GM's high-speed circuit at its Milford proving grounds.
They plan to enter the 135-m.p.h. class because of forecast 20-m.p.h. headwinds, but they could switch classes if the weather changes.
The car they'll use is identical to the 270-horsepower manual transmission Regal GS in Buick showrooms, except for mandatory safety equipment -- racing seats, five-point belts, a roll hoop, fire extinguisher, helmets, neck-protecting HANS devices and fire suits. GM also had Pirelli X-ray the car's stock P-Zero summer tires, a company rule for high-speed runs. Microscopic irregularities that don't matter in normal driving could be disastrous at 150 m.p.h.
Rietow and Townsend plan to run at 138-140 m.p.h. over the first 61 miles, hitting the max speed at mile marker 47. At 90 m.p.h. in the narrows they'll be taking some curves at 0.7 g or more. Rietow will floor it leaving the canyon. They'll shoot for 135 m.p.h. on the nose over the last 14 miles, fine-tuning as needed with GPS and the handheld stopwatch.
"You have to be quick thinkers -- problem solvers," Rietow said. "I'm smiling just thinking about it."
If the idea that the Regal GS is a curve-hugging 140-m.p.h. sport sedan catches on with enthusiasts, everybody at Buick will be smiling with him.
Contact MARK PHELAN at 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com.
Buick was a big deal in motor sports for decades. Success in early 20th-Century cross-country rallies gave it a sterling reputation for durability and performance. Decades later, powerful and advanced engines powered Buick to success in NASCAR and at the Indy 500. The brand grew stodgy since the '80s, but cars like the turbocharged GNX were fast and furious road-racing bad boys before anybody ever heard of Vin Diesel.
Engineers Bill Rietow, 60, and John Townsend, 56, hope to revive some of that excitement running a street-legal Regal GS in the Silver State Classic challenge on Nevada's famous State Route 318 next Sunday.
"Consumers recognize that motor sports are a breeding ground for new technologies," said Silvia Mammone, who's involved in a range of racing as Michelin and BF Goodrich tires' North American motor sports manager. "It's a great way to speak to customers who are interested in technology and performance."
The Silver State Classic is a time and distance race. Drivers and navigators compete to see how close they can come to exactly hitting their target speed. The 90-mile course includes curves, hills, dips and "the narrows," a tricky canyon. They'll hit 90 m.p.h. in the narrows, and do well over 135 m.p.h. on other stretches. State Route 318 is closed to the public during the challenge, which draws hundreds of competitors.
The demanding course requires racing skill, plus the ability to calculate speed and distance on the fly. This'll make you weep if you struggle to balance your checkbook: In their rookie race last fall, engineers Rietow and Townsend used a handheld stopwatch, GPS and the car's standard cruise control for a first-place average of 119.9991 m.p.h.
"I love to compete," Rietow, who was GS lead development engineer, said. "This race is an engineering challenge and a (math) problem you have to solve at extremely high speeds. It's also an opportunity to let the car stretch its legs."
Rookies can't compete at more than 120 m.p.h. Having passed that test with flying colors, Rietow and Townsend could top the 157 m.p.h. that's the top speed a GS hit on GM's high-speed circuit at its Milford proving grounds.
They plan to enter the 135-m.p.h. class because of forecast 20-m.p.h. headwinds, but they could switch classes if the weather changes.
The car they'll use is identical to the 270-horsepower manual transmission Regal GS in Buick showrooms, except for mandatory safety equipment -- racing seats, five-point belts, a roll hoop, fire extinguisher, helmets, neck-protecting HANS devices and fire suits. GM also had Pirelli X-ray the car's stock P-Zero summer tires, a company rule for high-speed runs. Microscopic irregularities that don't matter in normal driving could be disastrous at 150 m.p.h.
Rietow and Townsend plan to run at 138-140 m.p.h. over the first 61 miles, hitting the max speed at mile marker 47. At 90 m.p.h. in the narrows they'll be taking some curves at 0.7 g or more. Rietow will floor it leaving the canyon. They'll shoot for 135 m.p.h. on the nose over the last 14 miles, fine-tuning as needed with GPS and the handheld stopwatch.
"You have to be quick thinkers -- problem solvers," Rietow said. "I'm smiling just thinking about it."
If the idea that the Regal GS is a curve-hugging 140-m.p.h. sport sedan catches on with enthusiasts, everybody at Buick will be smiling with him.
Contact MARK PHELAN at 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com.
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