Two Tuning Approaches, Two Skilled Drivers: MR2s Battle At Laguna Seca!
Joe’s car (right) and Tony’s (second from right) have noticeable strengths and weaknesses.
Tony and Joe’s cars are so similar, so close in spec, you could call them siblings. Actually, Joe modeled his build after one of Tony’s MR-S builds, which had already taken multiple Speed SF records. In the meantime, Tony grabbed a new car and started down a similar path as before.
When they started tuning these cars, they diverged slightly in their modification paths. Joe’s car, the red one with the wing, is nearly a single-purpose track car. Tony’s, the black wingless one, has to have manners for the street. Joe’s is a little squatter with a widebody and staggered wheels, while Tony’s is about 200 pounds lighter and just a little more powerful.
Joe's Mod List:
2ZZGE with Panic Wire x Link ECU tune by Unrivaled Tuning
C64 6spd and Toyota Helical LSD
MWR S2 Cams, PPE Header & Gokey Garage custom exhaust
Gokey's Garage Catch Can with Drainback
15x9 & 15x10, RT660 225/45-15 & 245/40-15
Annex Suspension CSP Coilovers (8K/11K), Addco Front Swaybar
Raybestos ST43 Brake Pads
TRD Front & Rear Strut Bar, Front Underbrace, Rear Arm Braces
Battle Version Complete Front & Rear Arm Setup
TougeHQ Rear Bash Bar, Harddog Rollbar
Custom Front Splitter, Custom Vented Rear Bumper
GT300 Vented Hood, ARP GT200C Wing with custom risers, Lotus Rear Diffuser
A superior power-to-weight ratio makes Tony’s car a little faster down straights.
Tony's Mod List:
2ZZGE with Panic Wire x Link ECU tune by Unrivaled Tuning
C60 6spd and Quaife Helical LSD
MWR S2 Cams, PPE Header & Gokey Garage custom exhaust
Gokey's Garage Catch Can with Drainback
15x9 square - 225/45/15 RT660
Annex CSP Coilovers (7k/11k), 1" front sway bar
Raybestos ST43 Brake Pads
Battle Version Complete Front & Rear Arm Setup
Ropey Racing Bash Bar, TC Design roll bar
The Takeaway
Both motors make about 200 at the wheels, but Joe’s is heavier. Joe is also a bit heavier, and when the cars are light as they are—about 2,300 pounds each—driver weight starts to make a difference.
A few minor differences in setup and tire make a significant difference when the drivers are both so similarly skilled. As they push the cars to the ragged edge and play around with more slip angle than some would be comfortable experiencing in an MR car, we get to witness how subtle differences in tuning and driving are obvious when the cars act as a control.
Fortunately for our viewing pleasure, both their sets of RT660s gave up by the second lap, so the last ten minutes of this footage shows them managing the tires as best they could. Lacking grip, the cars’ balances are much more obvious from the disconnected seat in front of our computer screens.
Balance and Strengths
Both cars exhibit oversteer on corner entry while being relatively stable on exit. Joe’s car shows a little more understeer because he’s got that wing, plus the stagger lends itself to that. Even though his front spring rate is stiffer (8k vs 7k), Tony’s car has a stiffer front bar. As he puts the power down, his car isn’t always as willing to cooperate leaving Turn 2. The beauty is that he can drift it when it snaps on him—and the snap is fairly gradual, to be fair. Clearly, these two are extremely well sorted cars.
But Joe’s advantage is noticeable halfway through the lap. Faster corners usually favor a dependable setup, and understeer is dependable. He reels Tony in through Turns 5 and 6 and 9.
Joe likes leaning on the car while Tony does what he can to minimize mistakes.
It’s clear that Joe comes from karting and drifting. He likes to load the front of the car up a little more aggressively and pivot the car a little more through the middle of the corner.
Tony, on the other hand, has more of a wheel-to-wheel and autocross pedigree. Tony’s a little softer with his inputs and dances around a very light tail; his adjustments are smaller, which minimizes the chances of the bigger snaps as does the way it verges on oversteer more of the time.
Tony’s tidiness helps his consistency.
It’s a treat to watch these old friends thread the needle comfortably beside each other at high speeds; giving each enough room to get away with some sideways silliness. If more HPDE drivers had closely matched pals they could trust inches from their door, perhaps we wouldn’t focus as much on lap times as we do. Forget lap records—this sort of battling is what drives us to show up at a sweltering track day on four hours’ sleep.