CALGARY — Jim Webster is dedicated to open road racing.
In fact, he’ll practice in his daily driver – at legal road speeds – on the Trans Canada Highway between Calgary and Canmore.
Sanctioned open-road racing events are held on closed public highways, most often in the Southwestern U.S. In an open road race, drivers and navigators compete to maintain an average speed over a measured course.
For example, speed classes range from 130 to 240 km/h, and the roads vary in length from 80 to 180 km.
“I typically compete in the 140 mph (225 km/h) class,” Webster says. “And we’ll hit the straights at 165 mph (265 km/h) and the corners at 110 mph (177 km/h). Overall, we’re trying to average 140 mph over the length of the road.”
Two years ago when he introduced his current navigator and co-worker Anna Maslennikova to the sport, Webster felt it important she learn the rigours of navigation. Basically, he wanted to eliminate what Webster calls the ‘blank stare’ from a novice navigator during their first event.
In 2012, while both wearing full-face helmets and race suits, Webster piloted his car while Maslennikova operated the GPS and stopwatches. As they practiced it obviously made for a sight on a public road, and apparently the police thought so, too.
“We had gone to Canmore and back, and we were just pulling into a restaurant in Calgary when I noticed a policeman to my right,” Webster says. “We turned left at an intersection, and I didn’t think anything more about the policeman.
“Next thing I know, the cop car pulls up right behind us in the parking lot, and I start taking off my helmet as I’m getting out of the car. He wanted me back in the car, and his hand was on his gun. He’d radioed another policeman for backup, and told him to be prepared for me to bolt.”
Maslennikova says, “He was asking if I was OK, and just wanted to make sure everything was on the up and up, I think. But after we told him we were practicing for an upcoming event, he settled down, and apparently found nothing wrong with what we were doing.”
Webster’s 1984 Porsche 911 is tuned for speed, producing 650 horsepower at the flywheel.
Supplied, Driving
Open road racing is a return to the roots of early automobile competition, where a public highway is closed and amateur drivers get to test their skills.
Webster first began competing in 2005 in a modified BMW Z3. After getting his feet wet, so to speak, he took the plunge and purchased a 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo that had been tuned for speed.
The previous owner had customized the 911 with a new intercooler, turbo, wastegates and custom headers. A boost controller was installed, together with an upgraded fuel system and engine management system. The stock 3.6 litre 911 engine was capable of approximately 360 horsepower, and the car is now capable of nearly 650 horsepower at the flywheel.
To suit his open road racing purposes, Webster added race seats, five-point restraint harnesses, a roll bar, tire pressure monitoring system and an intercom.
He bought the car in Charlotte, North Carolina, and keeps it in Las Vegas, Nevada, close to the three open road race events he likes to attend. Webster will either drive or trailer the Porsche to the Silver State Challenge Classic in Nevada, the Big Bend Open Road Race in Texas or the Sandhills Open Road Race in Nebraska.
Maslennikova became involved when she started working for Webster.
“I was in a new job, and you don’t say no to your boss,” Maslennikova jokes. “Seriously, I’d never heard of open road racing before, but I’ve always been interested in cars and couldn’t pass up an opportunity to go fast legally.
“As the navigator, I follow the course notes and call out turns, and I have to keep Jim on time,” Maslennikova says. “As we’re getting closer to the end, I have to compare our actual time to our target time, and determine if we need to go faster or slower. It sounds intricate, and the variation between winning and losing sometimes comes down to just a fraction of a second. It’s always exciting and the adrenaline is incredible.”
Currently, there are no open road racing events held in Canada, and Webster says he knows many enthusiasts from across the country who will travel, as he does, just to participate.
He says, “After completing some 40 races, the excitement never fades.”
