Front drive versus rear drive. Which way to go? For a long time, rear drive had been the only viable solution in race car driving, but things might have changed, as one team, back in 1988, built and used two different cars with the two setups. The Full Time racing team, owned by driver Kal Showket, was one of the few teams who definitely could showcase such a comparison. The cars were GTU Dodge Daytonas, which were entered in the Camel GT series in 1988. Those cars were nearly identical, with same engine, same body and suspension setup, so it was easy to compare such racers. Those were state of the art GTU cars, with 2,4L engine versions of Chrysler powerplant. Those cars were built with the same professionalism and differed only by their transmission. Kal Showket's car featured the engine-transaxle mounted transversally between the front wheels, with front drive, while Dorsey Schroeder's car had a longitudinally mounted engine, with a 5 speed Hewland FGC transaxle. The biggest difference between the two cars, as you could guess, is the weight distribution. The rear drive car weighs 1600 lbs, with 48% to the front and 52% to the rear. Kal Showket's car goes for 65% to the front and 35% to the rear, with 1630 lbs. The tire also are used in a different way, as Kal Showket's car used the bigger tires to the front. Dorsey Schroeder's car used the classical bigger tires to the rear. The front drive car's biggest problem was to get the tires to the proper working temperature, which was not an easy task. The rear of the car was too light and it triggered some handling problems. Driver adjustable shocks should address the issue later in the season. Very optimistic as to the car's development, Kal Showket's team was to develop the car and make it more sensitive to front drive. The rear drive car, as it was, braked better, thanks to a better weigh repartition. The biggest issue related to the front drive car was the rear end weight. The rear end car was also better in the slow turns, thanks to its weight too. It also made the car more prone to spin if the throttle was not applied gently. The car was better in the fast turns, however. Less rear spoiler also helped the car run faster on the straights. The front drive car seemed to be more prone to a strong acceleration in the fast corners. It was easier to control the throttle and accelerate frankly. The front wheels dictate radius, which meant that you could be faster in those fast corners. It was more easy to run fast than with the rear drive car. Predictability seemed to be the name of the game, so it inspired confidence. As a conclusion, it seemed that it depended on the track or the race conditions. The faster tracks seemed to give the front drive car an edge, while the tighter ones favored the rear drive one. But the gap was never to be that large. It depended more on the driver's style. Which one was better? It looked like no one could answer that question. Both cars were real killers, they proved it later. Rear drive or front drive didn't matter.

Dorsey Schroeder had some great races in 1988 with this Dodge Daytona.

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