2023 WeatherTech International Challenge at Road America - 1958 Austin Healey Sprite Group 2 Race

Colin Comer wins the Group 2 Qualifying Race in a 1958 Austin Healey Sprite at the 2023 WeatherTech International Challenge with Brian Redman at Road America.
Oh- Comer also won the Sunday Feature Race in similar fashion, and earned a bottle of bottom shelf champagne as well as a medal and some leaves assembled into a nifty circular thing. Very cool.
Note: The Sprite is very friendly and hopes it can still be friends with the Porsches despite all of this.

[@3DLE1010]

Awesome race Colin, so happy you put the Porsches with their "vintage" motors in their place, behind the LBC economy car. Donald & Jeff Healey would be overjoyed with your performance and stellar drive...Congratulations!

[@collinthomas6288]

love the cuts between in car and the broadcast

[@beemer281]

as an old man you just took me back to London where i used to buzz around in my cherry red 1959 frog eyed sprite aprox in 1966 ,what a fabulous drive at one of my favorite tracks..Bravo!!

[@robertpayne5233]

You had me on the edge of my seat, wow. It's a Sprite world!

[@TahoeRealm]

You just put a HUGE smile on all us Bugeye owners faces! Great job at the best track to see a race👏👏👏

[@cobracolin]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@oldschoolman1444]

Great car! And awesome driving!

[@paulschmolke188]

Great driving by both…well prepped cars.

[@carlmclelland7624]

GOD DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Colin, that was some of THEE BEST, smoothest, consistent racing I have EVER SEEN!! Before I continue, my back story. I raced a Lotus 61 FF for a decade with HSR-West, CSRG, and HMSA, winning seven championships in HSR-Wests Lotus Sports Challenge series. I was also chief competition driving instructor for HSR-West for several years, and a law enforcement EVOC instructor with over 20,000 hours of student instruction given. In short... "I know how to drive... and recognize good driving in someone else." I'd sure like to see the inside of that engine... I'm sure it's still 948cc with 8:1 compression, and see inside that (dogring) gearbox. (You've got some seriously tall gears in it)! My friend, you impressed the hell out of me with that race. I can only say it was.... "Poetry in motion!" GREAT JOB!!

[@cobracolin]

Well shoot now you've made me blush! Haha. Thank you for the (likely undeserved) compliments and great comment! And, as I always tell people when we race our Sprites, "if you want to see inside of the engine just stick around it's bound to make a window for you soon enough!" Thanks again, and all the best to you! -Colin

[@johncunningham4820]

THAT is a Bloody FAST Bug-eye Sprite . Sounds glorious too . Probably the Prettiest Car in the Field too .

[@kerrykelaher2607]

" angry bugeye fights back !" 😮laugh 😃 😀 😄 😁 🤣

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Excellent. Congrats !

[@MegaYoteStuff]

wow i wanna do that

[@kerrykelaher2607]

" bugeye sprite " " yes i can " " yes i can " beat porche!" " yar hoo!" Laugh 😃 😀 😄 😁 🤣

[@tedzehnder961]

The Porsche looks like it`s on rails around the corners and might have better braking but on a high speed circuit like RA that Sprite has some get up and go.

[@cobracolin]

The 356 definitely has far better brakes and more HP/TQ. Sprite just makes it up on exit speed/ lower weight.

[@coldlakealta4043]

Bugeyes 4VR

[@groverbehrens6453]

So much for German superiority!

[@jimryan3960]

What gearbox is the Bugeye using? Anybody know there's a video that doesn't walk around and a little more in depth on the car itself?

[@MGBDCM]

A 'bugeye' that's beats Porsche's? FP??? What engine does it have?

[@cobracolin]

@MGBDCM I think that question was answered for you here 4 months ago? Scroll through comments.

[@MGBDCM]

So, what engine does Comer's car have? A 1275?

[@cobracolin]

Yes a 1275 (060 over so 1310 actual I think)

[@plantfeeder6677]

Whatever it is it has 3 Main Bearings😅

[@jeffhildreth9244]

@@plantfeeder6677 And that is an obvious plus. 63 MGB here, original 3 main motor.

[@slicknick26]

Are you using 1st gear in some of the slow corners?

[@cobracolin]

Yes.

[@MGBDCM]

Why does the 356 brake later?

[@cobracolin]

Because he can! Brakes on this car are stock (square body Spridget) tiny non-vented front discs/ minuscule rear drums. I didn't think ahead to order new Porterfield pads/shoes or good Brembo rotors so this race was on Rock Auto's finest junk. Sprite also has insane bumpsteer so under hard braking it darts around quite a bit so I try to work around that as to not, well, run into anybody ;) Maybe next year I'll put some real brakes on it and dust off the bumpsteer gauge and get it a little better on corner entry. Car really isn't set up for RA at all....