Robin Roberts Anchor Person for Good Mornina America, is the second woman driver in history to drive the Camaro Pace Car this year. She will have to be able to maintain speeds thru the corners up to 120mph. Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp, the wife of Indiana rocker John Mellencamp, became the first woman to drive it back in 2001.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND INTERVIEW

This year's Pace Car features an Inferno Orange Metallic paint scheme with White Diamond rally stripes that travel from the front to the rear over the top of the body, as well as extending to the interior dash. The design is a modern interpretation of the original rally stripe that debuted on the 1969 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car. An RS appearance package and leather interior with Inferno Orange interior accents. It also features design cues that further enhance the Camaro's head-turning design. For a closer look, click here.

The 2010 Camaro was the 2009 Indy pace car as well. This will be the 6th time a Camaro has been a Pace Car: 1967 driven by Mauri Rose, 1969 driven by Jim Rathmann, 1982 driven by Jim Rathmann, 1993 driven by Jim Perkins, 2009 driven by Josh Duhamel, and now 2010.

WHO IS JIM RATHMANN?? Jim Rathmann (born Richard Rathmann July 16, 1928 from Alhambra, California) is a former American race car driver who won the Indianapolis 500 in 1960.

He drove in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series in the 1949-1950 and 1952-1963 seasons with 42 starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in each of those seasons. Rathmann also participated in the two runnings of the Race of Two Worlds at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Italy, winning the 1958 event. He had 6 victories in addition to his Indy 500 win. He also drove in 3 races in the NASCAR series from 1949-1951. He drove GM Indy Pace cars 6 times: More than anyone.

Since retiring, Rathmann has owned Chevrolet dealerships in Palm Bay and Melbourne, Florida. Mr. Rathmann is now retired from the car business. He is currently the oldest living winner of the Indy 500.

It was announced on February 20, 2007 that Rathmann will be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on August 15, 2007. The ceremony will take place in DetroiT
Mustang has been the pace car only twice; 1964 driven by Benson Ford, and again in 1979 driven by Jackie Stewart. The Dodge Challenger had the job in 1971, but driver and dealership owner Eldon Palmer lost control when in the pits, and slammed into a croud and hurt a bunch of poeple. The Challenger has not been asked to appear again!

1967 CAMARO PACE CAR

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2010 CAMARO INDY PACE CAR

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PICTURES OF THE 2010 CAMARO INDY PACE CAR

Hope you enjoy this

thanks
mike
dms

 

interesting.

honestly, I never have heard of her.

 

Is that the best that they could come up with for a pace car driver?

At least the 2010 pace car doesn't look gawdy like the 2009 did...

 

She is an extremely well known journalist, with interview from Obama down.

I am not sure, why they chose her other than after Indy publicity

mike
dms

 

We covered this in CamaroZ28.Com Podcast Episode #238. Have a listen and call in with your thoughts!

 

I really enjoy your podcasts. This one was great

Sorry to post pictures from another forum, but I don't have my own set. I am adamant in my belief and the performance of the 5th Gen Camaro that chassis braces are like toaster covers. You do not need them. Allow me to explain why.

Our 5th Gens are sooo well built. Have you all seen these pictures? Take a look at ZETA II, the BEST most structurally sound Camaro ever built. It ain't no soft sedan. This is a performance car with the structural guts to back it up.









In prior generation Camaros the owner had to add all kinds of bracing to make the car perform on track. In the 2010, GM did the work for you. They built them into the monocoque. That is why we are generating eye popping numbers on the skid pad and track, The 5th Gen is so well built it responds incredibly well to higher rate dampers, coils, bushes and bars. You bought a GREAT car from Chevy, enjoy it knowing it is solid as a Chevy rock.

The crux of this is the assumption that there will be creaks and rattles. Drive a high mile well used and abused CTSV. You'll find it to be a solid structure. There may be suspension wear, there may be worn gears, the brakes may be warped, but the structure is still solid and that is a generation BEFORE the 5th Gen. The new 5th Gen is stronger than the last CTS monocoque and arguably as strong as the new CTS monocoque. The CTS is an industry benchmark for being a solid vehicle.

Do you wear a belt and suspenders? Do you carry two umbrellas just in case? What I am trying to explain to the Camaro community is that the 5th Gen is by far and away the best Camaro GM has built. It will not fall apart and become a rattle trap. If you need further proof, find a used and abused 2004 -- 2006 Pontiac GTO. I know a little bit about these cars since it is a Holden and we have been doing suspension work on the V fill in the second letter chassis for over 25 years. EVERY Camaro owner that I took out in my HIGHLY modified GTO made the same comments.

1. I wish my Camaro cornered like your Pedderised GTO!
2. There isn't a rattle or squeak in this car!

The GTO was a VZ and based on a decades old Opel chassis that Holden modified over the years. The next to check out is the Pontiac G8 / Holden Commodore known as the VE and ZETA. This is a far more solid platform than the GTO and they are also rattle and squeak free. Then came the 5th Gen Camaro known as ZETA II to many with an even stronger monocoque and more robust front end. There is absolutely no reason to expect a 5th Gen Camaro to become a rattle trap.

This is not to say there are not issues with some of these vehicles. The GTO and G8 struts mount are consumables like tires and brakes. They wear out and require replacement. The Camaro has a far more robust strut mount because of platform evolution. The G8 has some issues with ball joints in the radius and control arms making noise. The Camaro has more robust ball joints in the front end. Everything I see in the Camaro points to the platform being BETTER than the vehicles related to it, vehicles we can drive with miles to make a reasonable projection into the future for the 5th Gen Camaro. Based on the lineage of the 5th Gen Camaro, there is no reason to be concerned about the structural integrity.

I wonder what a Camaro can do in lateral Gs without any chassis braces? I wonder how it would compare to a Corvette? Oh yeah, Pedders did that testing last year -- without ANY chassis braces.





What was the limiting factor for the cars on track -- tires. They all would have pulled even higher G loads with race tires. What this tells the Camaro community is that there is no need for any kind of chassis brace on a 5th Gen Camaro unless you are building a dedicated race car. You certainly don't need them to pull 1.384 Gs. You don't need them to equal the performance of a Z06. You don't need them to out handle a base Corvette. A BOX stock completely OE Camaro was good for over 1G in the hands of a skilled driver so you don't need a chassis brace to reach a G on a road course.

I wonder what Al Oppenhieser and his TEAM of engineers that worked on two continents to build a world class performance car -- the 2010 Camaro -- would say about the need for chassis braces? I'll take a GUESS and answer for him. A bone stock Camaro ran the ring in 8.20 To put that into perspective, the 2008 Cobalt SS did the deed in 8:22, along with the BMW E46 M3 and the last generation BMW M Coupe, followed by the Lotus Exige S and Porsche Cayman S at 8:25.

An OE Camaro is a very fine well built performance car and that is not an opinion, it is a statement of fact backed by performance against Lotus and Porsche with their best drivers behind the wheel at the Nurburing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWnvT...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuOGl...eature=related

One more time -- The 5th Gen is a well engineered automobile and in complete OE trim is a terrific performance car that does not NEED a chassis brace to be a world class performance car. GM and Chevy have already proved that at the Ring. Pedderised it runs Z06 times.

There are many Camaro owners that will want to personalise their car. There are many that will add RWHP, bigger brakes, wheels and tires. Others will do cosmetic mods to make their Camaro singularly special. One thing that we can all enjoy and know is that a completely stock Camaro fresh of the Chevy Dealer's lot is a very well made automobile that ran the Nurburing and ran it very well without a single modification. There is a HUGE difference between wanting to add a part and NEEDING a part. I am not interested in arguing the merits of triangulating structure on a race car. That would be a debate for an idiot. I will debate anyone that claims you NEED a chassis brace to enjoy your Camaro, that your Camaro will rattle without a chassis brace, that something bad will happen to your car without a chassis brace and just about anything short of the point you convert your daily driver 5th Gen to a dedicated race car.

 

"Robin Roberts Anchor Person for Good Mornina America, is the second woman driver in history to drive the Camaro Pace Car this year."

My questions is: why?

She is in the list of worst choices possible not the likely or notable candidate list. Any veteran or serviceman would have been better than her.

 

When I posted this info, I tried to find out the criteria for the selection process. I was unsuccessful. I can tell you that she has track time in the Camaro. With the support of a fantastic SS, with supplemental support from Pedders, the Indie Pace Camaro can handle way over 120mph thru the turns.

mike
dms

 

I have no doubt that the Camaro will be just fine.

 

I have no doubt the Pace car will perform with absolute perfection! Robin has already had training, and experience, and she is will only be running at about 70% of potential. So as long as she does not do something really stupid, she will be seriously safe, professional, and will handle the 120 mph corners with serious ease.

mike
dms

 

I should have been the one to drive it. I'm a two-time veteran, I'm good looking, I make the best Camaro movies, and I'm humble.

 

I had a boss, and a great one buy the way, that use to sing every day :Oh Lordie its hard to be humble when you're perfect in every way....." You humbleness just reminded me of him!

mike
dms

 

I think they left out a pic of one of the best looking pace cars in Indy and certainly Camaro history! 3rd Gens get no respect.

Good info Mike, Pedders is really doing some great things with the 5th Gen.