The best drivetrain for a track car? Some might go rear-wheel drive, others all-wheel drive. But for these two competitors in the Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge Presented by Grassroots Motorsports, there’s only one clear option: front-wheel drive.
Amy Kelley’s 1999 Volkswagen may look like a tricked-out Jetta, but it’s actually a fully prepped track machine featuring a stitch-welded chassis, air jacks, Ohlins race shocks with Eibach race springs, and custom sway bars front and rear. A Mahle-built Audi 1.8T engine–estimated to be good for 300 horsepower–certainly doesn’t hurt, either.
In case the big wing didn’t give it away, Mark Johnson’s 1995 Honda Civic is far from stock. Under the hood sits a turbocharged B-Series engine packing “500 to 700” horsepower–all going through the front wheels. The big change since the car’s last UTCC? The addition of traction control.
What is the Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge? It’s our annual no-holds-barred track competition. The only rule is that car and driver must pass a NASA safety inspection.
View this car, along with the rest of the field, on the UTCC website. If you think your car has what it takes to win, enter it here.
The 2022 UTCC returns to Virginia International Raceway May 13-14 in the center of NASA’s HyperFest weekend.
The Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge is presented by Grassroots Motorsports in association with Wilwood Engineering, CRC Industries, DeatschWerks, HP Tuners, SPA Technique and Volkswagen, with trophies from BimmerWorld, XS Power Batteries, The Sensor Connection, Track Advantage, Stifflers and Hoosier Tire.
View all comments on the GRM forums
You'll need to log in to post.
