You want to see who’s really the best driver? Put them in identical cars and have them go at it on the track. No excuses, no complaints; just pure racing. What’s better is to have those cars be something rather pedestrian, or at the very least something that isn’t some million-dollar machine far removed from any actual road-spec automobile.
What street car do you think would be good to use as a single-make-and-model racing series?
America tried this years ago with the International Race of Champions, putting drivers from different series into identical racing Camaros to duke it out on famous tracks. You might remember the Long Beach races where celebrities competed in identical Toyota Celicas.
There are plenty of other examples of same-make race series where everyday cars rubbed door handles and separated the amateurs from the pros. Renault has been especially active in this area, most famously with their Renault 5 Cup series.
These are maniacal heats that end up looking like those soccer games your five-year-olds played in where everything is just one big pack moving against each other. Either that or just an answer to the question, “what would it look like if a traffic jam moved along at sixty miles an hour?”
In America, Renault even created a series with their R9-based AMC-built Alliance.
This was surprisingly entertaining stuff, and if you’ve ever complained that some series is totally uncompetitive, then this is the antidote.
Still, what kind of car would also be ideal as the basis for a series? I’m thinking a bunch of Toyotas like a Prius (what is the plural of Prius?) might work:
Oh, how about Mitsubishi Mirages? Laugh all you want; put some good drivers in these tin cans, all looking for any kind of edge, and we’ll separate the adults from the kids in short order.
So what’s your choice? A Maverick Cup? Altima-te Challenge? Let us know!
Top graphic image: Renault
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