Ultimate Street Car Challenge

12 BrakingThe hardest part of stopping a car at Los Angeles County Raceway is finding the traction necessary to actually pull it off. The track is in the desert, which means it's ice cold at night and burning hot during the day, and it's always covered in sand. A pickup truck dragging tractor tires up and down the lanes at the beginning of the day represents LACR's track preparation. Within a few hours, high winds have transported the few grains of sand the tires were able to dispel right back onto the surface.

What's more, this surface seems to get worse each year. To give you an idea of how much, last year's victor, Tom Passalacqua's Evo, hauled to a stop from 60mph in just over 108 feet. This year, HPA's Beetle RSI took the honors, with an 80mph-0 braking distance of 193 feet. Last year, the track was coated with VHT at the beginning of the day, which further helped traction during the braking runs.

All but the Prototype Racing Elise sported aftermarket big brakes, which were a boon on the racetrack generally but, because there was plenty of downtime between each attempt, unnecessary during the braking runs. So fade wasn't an issue. Unlike previous years, this round of USCC showed no favoritism towards the lighter cars; the CRX and Lotus both posting mid-pack numbers and bested by heavier entrants like APR's STI.

There wasn't a single team that failed to mention the crummy conditions, but every car managed to put in three runs-we took the best. We were surprised to find the very car that could make it down the quarter-mile strip fastest was the same one that used the most asphalt to stop. Paul Dentice's R32 Skyline GT-R, equipped with R33 Brembo brakes, took a full 287 feet to squeal to a halt. ABS anchors were considerably less advanced in the R32's heyday, and the addition of larger wheels and tires probably confused the system.

After three hours of shuffling each of the ten cars from one end of the dragstrip to the other, competitors were antsy to leave LACR and make their way up to the Streets at Willow for the rest of the testing. So were we.-James Tate

The Big PictureOne thing is now crystal clear: most tuners can't set up brakes worth a damn. Even with a broken front left corner, HPA is the only team under 200 feet. And dust and dirt is no complaint, because, rumor has it, real streets have that stuff too.

More shocking is how close this is turning out to be. With the win, the HPA Beetle just cracks the 1000-point mark and Danny Young's NSX is only a few points behind. Though more than 100 points back, Crawford STI still has a chance as we head for the Streets of Willow.