Your point relies on the premise that drag racing is the ONLY kind of racing that counts, and that everyone should have their car set up for a sub-2 second 60-foot time....
No no, my comment is in regards to the significance of racing two stock cars from a roll or stop just the way the factory decided to set them up. Of course different cars can be setup by their owners to do other things besides drag racing, but that doesn't make racing from a roll any more legitimate. You can never setup two cars equally from a roll or stop. Someone could take a auto. foxbody, gut it, throw in built BB with a 300 shot and murder most cars you'd see on the highway. Their car wouldn't cut a good 60' or turn well, but it would have massive amounts of power that could only be used in highly illegal races on the highway. The roll race would tell you little about the cars actual capabilities.
So for the new GT500 owner, instead of dropping the sway bar, drag shocks, drag radials etc., they would need to add massive amounts of HP in order to match the BB fox. In either case, they would need to modify the car -- the only difference is that one form of racing is fully legal and relatively safe....the other is highly illegal and more likely to be dangerous. If you want to win all the roll races, you’ll have to make compromises. For example, look at the players on the street-racing scene – 900hp+ EVOs, 1000hp++ Supras, LSx cars, TT GTs, Vipers, built Hondas, built foxes etc. All have massive amounts of power and suspensions that allow them to go straight – this is great for racing from a roll, but they would all get smoked in the twisties by cars with half the power. Anyway, if you want to have a fast “roll” car, it’ll need to be highly prepped to say the least.
After the dust clears and the HP war is settled (roll race)....what has been proven? You find out who has more power, but that is about it. Why not just compare dyno sheets? The BB fox will put a hurtin' on the GT500 which does everything else better. Maybe it's just me, but I consider 0-60, 0-100, 1/4 etc far more informative. Keep in mind the original statement that was made:
The best way to compare cars is to race them from a roll. Then your comparing power and not hole shot or susp. Anyone who knows there stuff will agree.
Personally, I would much rather see how a Z06 and GT would stack up racing from a dead stop up to various speeds. If one car "pulls" a car length racing from a roll up to 170mph, I couldn't care less.
In this case we aren't comparing a hole-shot car and a road racer. We are comparing a Z06 and a GT -- both cars are setup the way GM and Ford made them. If GM better sets the Z06 up for launching than credit goes to GM and vice versa.
You wouldn’t go road racing and see who could get around the track faster without using their brakes. The brakes,
suspension and driver all work together. In a roll race between a GT and Z06, you essentially eliminate the
suspension and driver thus creating a power plant comparison. Does one car pulling from a roll mean it’s more capable? Capable of what….going faster from a robot-like roll?