Wow. Great race, great thread. Well played hand Blitz. Tommy, hope you'll still join the cobra guys from time to time in DC.

First time I have read this thread, looks like I have plenty of reding tonight to catch up on it all.

Magnificant - that sounds like some outstanding driving of the Cobra. It must be a fine line and take some control and skill to get a 700 HP, somewhat primative, Cobra down the track that fast without losing it. But I join the others in congratulating both drivers of two fine cars.

Big congrats to Blitz on taking the win and making us Cobra owners proud. Looking forward to the video. Cheers.

Blitz ... Nicely done ! You finessed the bet and the race like a pro!

Tommy ... Great job with you car as well, and for sticking with the thread, knuckleheads notwithstanding.

Kudos to both you guys for keeping the cars shinny side up ... can't wait to see the video, photos and artwork by Buzz :D

The latest episode of 'The Cobra-Ferrari Wars' is history and lo and behold, Ol' Shel whipped Ol' Enzo again. I guess it's time for Tommy to trade up.

to Blitz's credit, in the end, this wasn't a finessed bet (I wonder how much Blitz really knew about his ability and what his car could do...?); everyone talked about his lack of skills (even his supporters!); how he was going to blow the shift to 3rd, how his tires weren't going to hook up, yada, yada. In my mind, a finessed bet would have been getting a lot of things he gave up (other than the .2 seconds) - the tree, the tires, the non-head to head, etc.

The guy posted consistent 10's; this was big!

It begs the question, what kind of time would a really skilled driver have posted in Blitz's car today?

Guys, I'm not so sure Blitz didn't do some shrewd work on the psy-ops end of this...when the videos are posted, you'll see Blitz looking pretty darned good on the launch, shifting, throttle and clutch work. He may have "minimized" his abilities to look like an underdog when he knew he had a serious chance at a win. I was impressed with Blitz and his car, and came away with the distinct feeling that Tommy had been snookered. I wonder what Tommy's thinking?

In talking with Keith today, we think one of our cars with drag radials, proper gearing, and dialing in the chassis set up, the car should be able to break into the nines.

The problem is not power, but getting the power to the ground.

Tom
I hear you. but I am wondering what time a skilled drag racer would have posted in Blitz's car "as is" or "as it was today". my point is that 10.75 is an incredible time given his set up. would a seasoned drag racing veteran been able to get to the low 10s or even 9s? if it's the low 10s I think it makes Blitz's performance all the more stunning.

Well played hand Blitz. ;)

That was very entertaining.

Glad everyone (and their cars) ended up safe.

Great job Dan! I knew you could do it. Tommy, if you want a Cobra (Shelby CSX or Kirkham), let me know. Keith Craft built engine, Tampa Bay Shelby, inc tuned.

I was DWIP again. Dead Wrong In Public. I was sure that the Ferrari would win all three. My apologies to Blitz, but I think he sandbagged me/us. :LOL:

Consistent 10's? Come on. Sheesh. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing.

Congrats to both gentleman. And thank you for the story and entertainment. :)

As I predicted to a tee. The KCR power-plant and Blitz preparation & driving = winning mid 10 sec combo. Also, Dan has put 5 k hard miles on the cobra, and still the car performs like new and tight. I timed the car when new - 0-60 in 3 secs. The car was very fast and Roger Kraus racing 4 wheel tuned the suspension and lowered all the way down. The engine was perfectly balanced 1000 rpms at idle with 2 four tunnel port, did not miss a beat. Credit to All

The Bet
 

Well played Blitz, you worked Tommy ass like a pro, my congratulations. Tommy, you are one fine gent but I am sorry to say your gazillion dollar Ferrari got beat, big time. In any event all ended well and nobody got hurt 'ceptin maybe a little pride.

That said, without being too pushy can you now divulge what the bet was, I am confident there are a lot of folks on this thread jus' dyin' to know?

It has been one heck of a ride guys and I thank each of you for the opportunity to ride along.

Cheers, John, AKA, tin-man, UK

Yep, it looks like ol' Blitz played a pretty good game of poker.;)

I'm real interested in the 0-60 foot time's. Tommy was running 1.9 or so earlier and I thought for sure the Cobra would be about the same, maybe slower. Like a 2.0 for the Cobra. Due to traction issues it's just really hard to get a good launch. But we never did figure out exactly what tires Blitz was running. Do we know for sure NOW????

When I saw Tommy's relatively slow 60 foot time (1.9), thats when I knew Blitz would have a serious shot at a win, because it was doubtful Tommy would get a significant hole shot.

Yeah, and dont forget it was Blitz who made the challenge and Tommy took it hook, line and err, sinker.

John, AKA, tin-man, UK

Man, what a day! Seeing and hearing that glistening lil' Cobra streak down the track posting three consecutive 10 second runs alone made this trip worthwhile. Dan was as blown away by that performance as everyone else - I can honestly say that there was no snookering or gamesmanship on his part.

Yesterday, in three practice runs on the same track, he posted two 11.2's and one 11.6 or .8 (can't remember exactly right now). On the last run, he smoked the tires right through first with a very short shift into second, hit the 60' mark in 1.8 seconds and still stormed to an 11.27 ET at well over 130 mph. It wasnt his best run of the day, but it showed how brutally fast the Cobra gits to gittin down the track once it hooks up.

We discussed track prep with the strip manager afterwards and he cautioned that with a fresh prep, that track is known as a driveline wrecker so it may be best to leave it as is rather than risk busting something on race day.

With the latest word from Tommy that he was running (I think) 11.29's in the Vegas atmosphere on unprepped pavement and questions about him further lowering his times on the track surface, Blitz being the wildman that he is said screw it - put the fresh prep down for the race. It was looking way too close to play it safe and with a huge stake on the line (not my place to disclose the sum), he was going hell-bent, make it or break it.

Heading back into town after dropping the car off at Shelby for a polish job (Dan felt the car was running well and should be left as is), Dan was literally vibrating with adrenaline. It was obvious that the Cobra had the potential for even quicker times, the key would be a little less wheelspin in first and a slightly more aggressive 1-2 shift. And pulling it off under pressure against the flawless consistency of Tommy's 458.

Well, as we see, he pulled it off big time. Dan launched the Cobra hard with little to no wheelspin, hit second perfectly, and stormed straight as an arrow to an astounding 10.73 second run.

Contrary to almost everyone's expectations, it was soon clear that the Ferrari had no chance. In a heads up side by side race for bragging rights, the 458 jumped ahead off the line, but the Cobra bellowed in anger and blew past before mid track, running away to another 10 second ET.

Even with Tommy in the passenger seat for a ride, Dan easy-shifted the Cobra to another amazing 10 second run, which was probably the most telling of all as you could clearly hear the RPM's drop at each conservative shift.

I was blown away by the Cobra's poise and unfaltering performance, and also by Dan's driving. He may come across as an adrenaline-junkie wildman - which he is -(you know it Bro :D ) but he backs it up with sheer do or die determination and real world ability.

The Ferrari was also impressive and on another day against another car and driver, with its awesome looks, sounds and speed, it would have ruled supreme. Equally impressive was Tommy himself - the ultimate gentleman racer - battling to the end and amazingly cool after it was over. He spoke cheerfully about the whole thing at the track and later on, discussing his car and the Cobra with friends and strangers alike as if he had just pulled up a local cruise-in. This was clearly not about the money for either of these guys - it was a sporting duel between two hardcore players who couldn't be more dissimilar in nature if they tried, but who are also bonded by friendship and a common yen for high-stakes competition.

It's been a huge blast for me and I enjoyed meeting everyone - Dan, Tommy and their respective posse's. It was also great to talk to Mr007 and the Vegas Cobra guys - I look forward to seeing you all again on saturday and getting some good shots of your cars.

I'm typing this on a brand new laptop in my room and I shot with a brand new camera today so I will try to post pics tomorrow once I get the software loaded and sorted out. Right now its about time to relax a bit before I head out to celebrate Cobra vs. Ferrari part 2!

PS: Sorry for the long winded dissertation but I just couldn't help myself! :)