Super Touring Races are held all over the world on road courses much like you would see with Formula 1 cars. These cars do not, however make appearances at oval tracks. The racing is very exciting, close quarters bumper-to-bumper, in your face, move it or lose it competition.
All North American Super Touring Cars are midsize, four door sedans with a minimum worldwide production volume of at least 25,000 within the previous twelve month period. The cars must be freely available for sale through normal dealership outlets. All body panels must be of the same material, thickness and shape as the original car and the bumpers must be retained. With computer designed roll cage, the Super Touring car is more rigid than a Formula 1 car. An on board air jacking system gets the car up in the air for speedy service.

The Super Touring Car looks almost identical to the four door sedans you may see out on the road, but these cars are packing a 300 horsepower punch in a little over 2000 pounds, capable of obtaining speeds over 160 mph.

The engines have two liters of displacement, 4, 5 or 6, cylinders, more than 300 horsepower. Manufacturers are allowed to use engines from any model in their car line as long as at least 2500 have been built. Engine revolutions are limited to 8500 RPMs through an approved electronic rev monitor. The engine is mated to a six speed transmission, and the exhaust must exit the rear of the car and must have a catalytic converter.

The interior of a Super Touring car is all business, the dash must retain original layout, but has full Indy car style instrumentation. The driver's seat is moved inboard for weight distribution and safety. With the computer designed roll cages these cars have a stiffer chassis than a Formula 1 Car.

This page was last modified 05/28/2002 01:26 PM