27 June 2016 |

PACER TEAM AT CROSSROADS FOLLOWING DARWIN DRAMA

 

ONE OF the most popular Touring Car Masters teams sits at a crossroads following a tough weekend at Darwin’s Shannons Thunder in the Valley last week.

For the second time this season the Glennan Transport / Anglomoil Valliant Pacer of Sydney driver Cameron Tilley failed to score a single point after weekend-long engine issues cost them big time.

In a repeat of their issues at the Clipsal 500 a range dramas have been traced back to a damaged block that will require replacement before the ‘Worlds Fastest Pacer’ can get back on track.

“Team Pacers engine gremlins have been found & it’s not pretty” the team posted on their Facebook page over the weekend.

“After 2 years of hard work & running between 7700 & 8000 rpm the engine block has had enough. Where to from here?”

The Pacer has retained its ‘traditional’ Hemi six-cylinder engine – one that the team confirms remarkably pumps out more than 400 horsepower as it screams to its 8000 rev limit.

The David-versus-goliath battle featuring the six-cylinder car racing and often beating some highly powerful V8 muscle cars has ensured that it remains one of the most popular cars in the series.

However as competitive as the car is a lack of straight-line power means at circuits like Sandown Hidden Valley and Bathurst it struggles for straight line speed compared to the 600+ hp five-litre v8’s.. and the bigger engines which have even more grunt.

“This will blow a huge hole in the budget & slow us up for a while. So people do we stick with the Hemi? Or is it time for a 5 or 6 litre V8???” Tilley wrote.

What do you think? Should the Tilley squad retain the Hemi six and keep trying to punch above their weight running as the underdogs taking on the big boys?

Or should they trade six for eight and compete on a more even keel with the Mustangs Camaros Falcons and Torana’s – potentially becoming a regular race winner?

Chrysler fans have lacked a regular race winner since Greg Crick retired so it would be a welcome addition to the front-line battle against Seton Bowe Richards Johnson Abelnica and more.

Let us know what you think on our social media channels – Facebook.com/TCMAustralia Twitter via @TCMAustralia or tag your post with #TCM.