Chevy RevItUp Event
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Chevy RevItUp Event
So I saw someone post (somewhere) about the Chevy RevItUp event being held in Houston, so I signed up for it. The grand prize for the national champion is a 2008 C6 Corvette, with each city champion winning a two-day Bob Bondurant racing school trip, plus some cool sunglasses and driving shoes! It's a six-city shootout - read more about it at www.revitup.com if you're interested.
Keep in mind that all my impressions are from the viewpoint of someone that drives an S2000 daily, so I am a bit spoiled in terms of handling/response.
Headed down at 6:45am from Lufkin to Houston, arriving right at 8:45am. Grabbed a quick bite to eat, the signed into the event.
Once in, I headed straight to "Driving 201" (I skipped 101 since it was REALLY basic). The instructor there (classroom setting) was pretty good and he walked us through the entire competition course with suggested braking, turning, and accelerating points. Very helpful, very friendly, and it was a great way to get prepped for the competition.
After that, I headed to the "Driver Tune-Up" track where they had a number of Chevy Cobalt SS cars. One was the full-fledged SS coupe with manual tranny and supercharged engine, so I drove that first (much shorter waiting line).
The good? Not much, but the power was decent so it had good punch. The seats were okay and it didn't look bad either.
The bad? The shifter was horrible - long, ropy, indirect, loose, and generally poorly done. The clutch was weird, the steering was numb and indirect, and it handled very poorly. Tons of understeer with poor turn-in and moderate grip.
To be fair, it was my first time on a moderately tight course in a crappy car, so I wasn't exactly driving my best.
I headed back to the front for a "Rules and Regulations" meeting, then once again headed back to the "Driver Tune-up" track to test the automatic Cobalt SS (which is what I'd be competing in). These cars had the SS visual upgrades but not the forced-induction motor or bigger wheels. They were also automatics, but were upgraded with a cold air intake and sport exhaust.
Again, the car sucked. I was much faster in the automatic (not having to deal with a crappy manual tranny was a big help) but it still sucked.
The new Civic models handle better (stock), not to mention a Civic Si. Lots of slop and roll in the suspension, poor steering, and bad handling (understeer city) definitely took the joy out of it. I was only about 1s off the pro time, though, so I figured I had a shot.
I dropped back to the competition course to do my two runs. I spent a fair bit of time watching and rewatching the video of the pro going around the course, so as to memorize the course better.
My first run went moderately well with only two major mistakes (one on the first main corner and another on the third corner). I braked too deep on the first corner and braked too early on the third. Otherwise, I went pretty well in all the other sections.
I ended up with a 618 score (30.629s vs the pro time of 29.090), so I was still a solid 1.5s off the pro time. I knew I could do better, and I did.
My second run was a 619 score. 30.628s! Argh - 1/1000th of a second better! I made a major mistake on the tightest corner of the course and that cost me dearly.
Either way, at that point I was second in the "Novice" class and 17th overall (right at about 12 noon).
Well, the top 25 of the day would have a shoot-out that evening (under the lights), all driving Corvettes with auto trannies, so I had to stick around for a while to see if I made it. So, I headed out to check out the exhibits.
First off, I stopped by the Chevy racing tent where they had a number of vehicles. Obvious favorite (to me) was the C6R race Corvette with the 650 hp motor. They actually started it up a few times while I was there - very loud, very mean, very nice!
They also had the Cobalt Drag Car driven by Brian Jimenez (who I beat on the competition course ) - 1400 hp!
After that, I headed over to another tent where they had the Camaro Concept, as well as a 1967 Camaro and the 2008 Malibu (yet to be released).
The Malibu was pretty impressive overall. It looks pretty good (better than a current Accord, to me), it had larger wheels and tires (always helps), and the interior looked a LOT better than the current model. Definitely a huge step forward for GM. I didn't take pictures of anything except the Camaro Concept, though. The CC had a lot of presence - very muscular and bold but swoopy at the same time. Kind of like a streamlined hammer.
Outside that tent, they had a tuner Cobalt SS that actually didn't look bad. Widebody kit, bigger wheels and brakes, plus a nicer interior. "Rice", but still pretty well done overall.
Sitting next to it is the official Corvette Pace Car.
That took me a whole ten minutes to look over, so I headed over to the "Reaction and Traction" event.
They had an Impala SS (with V8) and a Trailblazer SS (with Corvette V8). This was basically a mini (and I do mean mini) drag strip with a threshold brake at the end. I took the Trailblazer SS since the idea of a Vette engine in a big SUV was somehow alluring (if only for the sake curiosity).
The engine is impressive with strong off-the-launch grunt. It pulls hard if you keep your foot in it, despite having to tow twice the weight it normally does. Brakes worked pretty well, too.
The interior is pretty bland and old, though. Not that attractive at all, certainly nowhere near the new Yukon/Tahoe or pickup interiors from GM. Sad, really - it'd make a huge difference.
They had pro drivers doing hot laps ($10 a lap) in a C6 Z06, so I watched them for a while. Amazing car - I really do have a new appreciation for it after watching it for a few hours.
Anyways, I ended up hanging around until 5pm, when I finally got bumped off the list. I ended up finishing 40th overall out of 816 competitors (top 5%). I was sixth overall in Novice, which I figured wasn't bad (we were all within about .3s of each other, adjusted for conditions throughout the day).
I really didn't have a shot at winning, looking back. There were a BUNCH of pro drivers there, plus a lot of club racers and regular auto-x guys, some of whom race FWD cars (big advantage given we were driving FWD Cobalts). One guy flew in from Florida to compete! There were 127 pro drivers that raced, not to mention 113 club racers, so that's 240 "experienced" people I was up against. I even got beat by a girl (Brianne Corn), who finished 5th overall prior to the shootout.
If I had made it to the Vettes in the shoot-out, I figure my chances of finishing remotely near the top would've been better, given the RWD characteristics of the car being at least somewhat close to those of the S2000 I drive daily. Hopefully next year, I'll have some auto-x experience under my belt and will be a lot more competitive.
Big shout-out to GM for putting this on - I'll definitely be back next year to try my luck at winning the Corvette (or whatever they give away).
Keep in mind that all my impressions are from the viewpoint of someone that drives an S2000 daily, so I am a bit spoiled in terms of handling/response.
Headed down at 6:45am from Lufkin to Houston, arriving right at 8:45am. Grabbed a quick bite to eat, the signed into the event.
Once in, I headed straight to "Driving 201" (I skipped 101 since it was REALLY basic). The instructor there (classroom setting) was pretty good and he walked us through the entire competition course with suggested braking, turning, and accelerating points. Very helpful, very friendly, and it was a great way to get prepped for the competition.
After that, I headed to the "Driver Tune-Up" track where they had a number of Chevy Cobalt SS cars. One was the full-fledged SS coupe with manual tranny and supercharged engine, so I drove that first (much shorter waiting line).
The good? Not much, but the power was decent so it had good punch. The seats were okay and it didn't look bad either.
The bad? The shifter was horrible - long, ropy, indirect, loose, and generally poorly done. The clutch was weird, the steering was numb and indirect, and it handled very poorly. Tons of understeer with poor turn-in and moderate grip.
To be fair, it was my first time on a moderately tight course in a crappy car, so I wasn't exactly driving my best.
I headed back to the front for a "Rules and Regulations" meeting, then once again headed back to the "Driver Tune-up" track to test the automatic Cobalt SS (which is what I'd be competing in). These cars had the SS visual upgrades but not the forced-induction motor or bigger wheels. They were also automatics, but were upgraded with a cold air intake and sport exhaust.
Again, the car sucked. I was much faster in the automatic (not having to deal with a crappy manual tranny was a big help) but it still sucked.
The new Civic models handle better (stock), not to mention a Civic Si. Lots of slop and roll in the suspension, poor steering, and bad handling (understeer city) definitely took the joy out of it. I was only about 1s off the pro time, though, so I figured I had a shot.I dropped back to the competition course to do my two runs. I spent a fair bit of time watching and rewatching the video of the pro going around the course, so as to memorize the course better.
My first run went moderately well with only two major mistakes (one on the first main corner and another on the third corner). I braked too deep on the first corner and braked too early on the third. Otherwise, I went pretty well in all the other sections.
I ended up with a 618 score (30.629s vs the pro time of 29.090), so I was still a solid 1.5s off the pro time. I knew I could do better, and I did.
My second run was a 619 score.
30.628s! Argh - 1/1000th of a second better! I made a major mistake on the tightest corner of the course and that cost me dearly.Either way, at that point I was second in the "Novice" class and 17th overall (right at about 12 noon).
Well, the top 25 of the day would have a shoot-out that evening (under the lights), all driving Corvettes with auto trannies, so I had to stick around for a while to see if I made it. So, I headed out to check out the exhibits.
First off, I stopped by the Chevy racing tent where they had a number of vehicles. Obvious favorite (to me) was the C6R race Corvette with the 650 hp motor. They actually started it up a few times while I was there - very loud, very mean, very nice!
They also had the Cobalt Drag Car driven by Brian Jimenez (who I beat on the competition course
) - 1400 hp!After that, I headed over to another tent where they had the Camaro Concept, as well as a 1967 Camaro and the 2008 Malibu (yet to be released).
The Malibu was pretty impressive overall. It looks pretty good (better than a current Accord, to me), it had larger wheels and tires (always helps), and the interior looked a LOT better than the current model. Definitely a huge step forward for GM. I didn't take pictures of anything except the Camaro Concept, though. The CC had a lot of presence - very muscular and bold but swoopy at the same time. Kind of like a streamlined hammer.
Outside that tent, they had a tuner Cobalt SS that actually didn't look bad. Widebody kit, bigger wheels and brakes, plus a nicer interior. "Rice", but still pretty well done overall.
Sitting next to it is the official Corvette Pace Car.
That took me a whole ten minutes to look over, so I headed over to the "Reaction and Traction" event.
They had an Impala SS (with V8) and a Trailblazer SS (with Corvette V8). This was basically a mini (and I do mean mini) drag strip with a threshold brake at the end. I took the Trailblazer SS since the idea of a Vette engine in a big SUV was somehow alluring (if only for the sake curiosity).
The engine is impressive with strong off-the-launch grunt. It pulls hard if you keep your foot in it, despite having to tow twice the weight it normally does. Brakes worked pretty well, too.
The interior is pretty bland and old, though. Not that attractive at all, certainly nowhere near the new Yukon/Tahoe or pickup interiors from GM. Sad, really - it'd make a huge difference.
They had pro drivers doing hot laps ($10 a lap) in a C6 Z06, so I watched them for a while. Amazing car - I really do have a new appreciation for it after watching it for a few hours.
Anyways, I ended up hanging around until 5pm, when I finally got bumped off the list. I ended up finishing 40th overall out of 816 competitors (top 5%). I was sixth overall in Novice, which I figured wasn't bad (we were all within about .3s of each other, adjusted for conditions throughout the day).
I really didn't have a shot at winning, looking back. There were a BUNCH of pro drivers there, plus a lot of club racers and regular auto-x guys, some of whom race FWD cars (big advantage given we were driving FWD Cobalts). One guy flew in from Florida to compete! There were 127 pro drivers that raced, not to mention 113 club racers, so that's 240 "experienced" people I was up against. I even got beat by a girl (Brianne Corn), who finished 5th overall prior to the shootout.
If I had made it to the Vettes in the shoot-out, I figure my chances of finishing remotely near the top would've been better, given the RWD characteristics of the car being at least somewhat close to those of the S2000 I drive daily. Hopefully next year, I'll have some auto-x experience under my belt and will be a lot more competitive.
Big shout-out to GM for putting this on - I'll definitely be back next year to try my luck at winning the Corvette (or whatever they give away).
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 19,734
Likes: 247
You'd be a lock to make a top-10 finish if you competed, I think, since you're used to the power and handling of a Vette. You'd just have to touch up your FWD skills, yo!
Next time, come down to Lufkin and leave your wife with mine and we'll head down together.
Next time, come down to Lufkin and leave your wife with mine and we'll head down together.
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 9,510
Likes: 478
From: Dallas
Originally Posted by JonBoy,Jul 31 2007, 09:42 AM
You'd be a lock to make a top-10 finish if you competed, I think, since you're used to the power and handling of a Vette. You'd just have to touch up your FWD skills, yo!
Next time, come down to Lufkin and leave your wife with mine and we'll head down together.
Next time, come down to Lufkin and leave your wife with mine and we'll head down together.
Though, that was 7 years ago or so when I had that Prelude. 
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Thread Starter
Joined: May 2002
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If I'd have won the Vette, you'd have heard about it before this!
There are two cities left. One of them has Mark DaVia competing. The name may be familiar to some since a) he won the first two RevItUp events (ie, he was the national champion for the first two) and b) he's won the One Lap of America three years in a row, driving a 911TT.
Should be interesting.
There are two cities left. One of them has Mark DaVia competing. The name may be familiar to some since a) he won the first two RevItUp events (ie, he was the national champion for the first two) and b) he's won the One Lap of America three years in a row, driving a 911TT.
Should be interesting.
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Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Philly
^^^ I think you are thinking of Mark Daddio.
Rev It Up supposedly hired Mark for Chevy Rev It Up this year. So he is not allowed to compete. I guess Rev It Up figured it was cheaper to pay Mark by the hour than to have to give him another new car.
Andrew
Rev It Up supposedly hired Mark for Chevy Rev It Up this year. So he is not allowed to compete. I guess Rev It Up figured it was cheaper to pay Mark by the hour than to have to give him another new car.
Andrew