Class 5-1600 cars are limited in several ways, including engine and suspension. The primary reason is to keep costs down, and provide for a "Drivers" class, where skill behind the wheel is more of an advantage than a thick wallet. While fully successful on the second count, the price of a "Top Shelf" 5-1600 car can, and often does, approach $35,000 ! The ISRT cars fall in this range, as they use the best parts and materials that can be found. Chassis building duties are handled by the Iribe's themselves at the ISRT shop, where meticulous attention is paid to every detail.

What goes into building a winning 5-1600 car ? Quite a lot actually. The Iribe's start with a 60's to 70's vintage, VW Beetle pan and body. From this point on, any resemblance to what Dr. Porsche had envisioned for his "peoples car" is purely coincidental. First up is stripping the pan and body to metal, and construction of a fully structural 4130 chro-moly roll cage and sub chassis. Additional mods are done to the pan and sheetmetal for clearance ect.

The Engine is a 1599cc Don Hatz creation, and as such, can be relied upon to deliver large ammounts of tractable, reliable power, under the worst conditions. As to the internals, well, we'll keep that our little secret . We could tell you of course, but then we'd have to.... , well take our word for it. This SCORE legal engine is one of the most powerful out there today !

Transferring the torque is a VW Type-2 "Bus" Transmission fitted with a Hurst "trigger" shifter and HD gears. Outboard of the flanges,Type-2 CV joints and Sway-a-Way axles, round out the drivetrain.

The front suspension has over 10 inches of articulation thanks to a fully adjustable beam, components from Wright, and Kuster (now Sway-a-Way) shocks. A Wright Rack & Pinion unit and Aircraft Aluminium tie rods, equipped with International 1 ton rod ends steer a pair of Wright "Combo" spindles, and BF Goodrich tires, mounted to Centerline Wheels. Keeping the Iribe's thumbs unbroken, and the steering as smooth as it can be, is the job of 2 Bilstein Gas steering stabilizers. Out back, Kuster (now Sway-a-Way) shocks work with Sway-a-Way torsion bars and ISRT tubular boxed trailing arms with a couple trade secrets, to give an incredible 14 inches of rear wheel travel (a feature Gerardo has found quite helpful when he's out there hunting Class 8's !)! Braking on both ends is provided by Type 1 drums in front, and Type 181"Thing" drums in the rear, as per class rules.

The interior is made up of a pair of Beard Seats, a 20+ Gallon Fuel Cell (as per the rules), 5 point harnesses, fire suppression equipment, and enough warning lights and switches to make a shuttle pilot feel right at home. One feature that the Iribe's feel is a definite advantage, is the large, detachable 18 in. steering wheel. As the rules don't allow power steering, the added leverage of the big wheel makes turning a little easier for Carlos and Gerardo. Cosmetically, the car is sprayed in a metallic grey, with a mural of the "Loony Tunes"? Tasmanian Devil across the one piece, fiberglass nose. The engine cage, roll cage, and front skid plate / push bar combo, are bright red, making for a distinctive, and immediately recognizable color scheme ! Fresh air is provided via a pair of Parker Pumper helmets, and air filtration systems mounted internally. All communications equipment is courtesy of BF Goodrich Raido Relay, and RLH Communications.

Throughout, the Iribe's have implimented a host of modifications that allow for minimum "down time" along the course. Well placed spare parts, redundant systems and ease of access design, have all combined to give the team a record of only 2 DNF's in over 3 years. Now that's impressive !