Clash of the Titans - Sixth Place

Buddy Gainey is the official Wildman of our group, a hardcore motorhead with a penchant for life's fast lane. Buddy and his manservant, Hani, drove all the way from Grand Rapids, Mich., and managed to do so under the Man's radar. Buddy's car represents the second biggest points leap from the next contestant and, by some accounts, was the fastest car there that day. Although fifth quickest through the i/4-mile at 11.36, his trap speed was a blistering 132 mph--that's faster than most cars can do all day. Producing a heady 522.6 hp, Buddy's car was the third most powerful and garnered a solid third in torque points. We're guessing this car could have placed better had a load of lumber not littered the freeway and blown its two front tires. Although replacements were found (thanks to Mike Mansouri of By Design), who knows what the impact did to the suspension settings. Much like Fred's Stage IV Porsche, this EVO Stage V is the product of Todd Zuccone's proven hardware and GIAC's silicon wizardry. The car also includes a custom interior trimmed in matching red body color, an Alpine satellite navigation system and an Alpine CD/DVD/XM stereo with JL Audio subs and MB Quart drivers. Despite a few more mechanical issues, Buddy managed to place well, garnering a solid sixth in total points. On the way home, Buddy decided to stretch his Porsche's legs...over most of Texas. At 168 mph, the Texas authorities decided Buddy should stop and stay a while and perhaps reflect on his high-velocity behavior. Trusty manservant Hani bailed him out and they were off once more in "the beast from the mid-east."

Driver's View
Way too much turbo lag, really hurt lap times, otherwise this car could have been a bunch quicker on the clock. Chassis felt great, good balance, a bit of mid corner push, and a bit soft on overall spring rate, but really did nothing wrong. Brakes were good, no fade, good pedal feel, but the turbo lag really hurt, along with what might have been a pick-up problem kept this car from being a very quick lap timer. When the motor was on song though, it did pull very very hard, harder than most of the others and was a very exciting approach to horsepower.

First Place

Second Place	Third Place
Fourth Place	Fifth Place
Sixth Place	Seventh Place
Eighth Place	Ninth Place