It is safe to say Saabs of Anarchy’s first attempt at competing in the infamous LeMons racing series last year at Thompson Motor Speedway was a bit of a fiasco, (you can read more about our Thompson experience here and here or watch this video). Despite the two blown SAAB engines, biblical rain, and tireless work to get the SAAB ready to go racing, we did leave with a trophy as well as the hard-earned understanding of what it takes to compete in this crap-can racing series.

Saabs of Anarchy’s second attempt came at the Halloween Hooptiefest at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. After pulling the second blown SAAB engine from our Saab 9000 race car and with genuine SAAB aftermarket parts we rebuilt the original motor we (believed we) were ready. We were in good company for this race though, sharing a garage with the PA Saab Maab, while the eEuroparts.com Carbeque 900 and Full Nelson Racing’s 96 sat next door.

With baited breath we headed out onto the track Saturday morning, coincidentally in the pouring rain. To our delight the SAAB made it through the day with very few issues. That night we had a small celebration to commemorate making it through one full day of racing and then we got to work on fixing the deteriorating SAAB exhaust and SAAB turbo charger.

Sunday’s weather cleared up a bit and we could start seeing what our “pig” of a race car could do. The SAAB 9000 was running great up until a red flag caused us to stop on track during my stint. Upon return to green the SAAB would not restart. After being pushed into the pits by the track crew, my Saabs of Anarchy teammates popped open the hood to investigate the issue. With perplexed faces, they started showing other teams simply amazed at what occurred. I jumped out of the SAAB to see for myself. Turns out the SAAB expansion tank decided to go rogue and leave its post. It landed on the SAAB serpentine belt which in turn sliced through it letting go all the water in the system, overheating the engine and warping the head. Our race was done.

Fast forward to the beginning of 2017. Determined to get the SAAB in idiot-proof, race-ready shape we pulled all the SAAB parts that could go wrong out of it. A new SAAB head was sourced and machined. The rear glass was replaced with polycarbonate. We fitted new, larger, and wider SAAB wheels and tires to give us more grip. The SAAB brakes parts were upgraded with help from eEuroparts.com, new SAAB front disc brake rotors and calipers, from SAAB mounting bolts to rear spring clips and we didn’t stop there. We stripped out the original SAAB wiring harness, building our own with factory crimps, leaving only the necessary bits connected. SAAB 3D-printed gauge pods with illuminated gauges were designed, built, and installed so the driver could easily read and assess how the SAAB 9000 is running. The SAAB exhaust was simplified and racecar-ified…basically it’s loud now, really loud. And we threw on a bigger SAAB turbo we had laying around because why not.

The SAAB and its upgraded parts were ready for the 2017 season.

Saabs of Anarchy’s third attempt with upgraded SAAB parts: New Jersey Motorsports Park and the Thunderbolt circuit.

We arrived at the track Friday morning rearing to go test the car. There to greet us was the PA Saab Maab ready to go as well. The weather was perfect for this Friday test day clear, sunny and warm. Each member of the team had a chance to take the refreshed SAAB 9000 out for a good thrash. And let me tell you, this car has come alive! All the upgraded SAAB parts we put in over the winter, and the lessons learned from failures in previous races has lead us to a very respectable racecar. We could hardly wait to get this car and its new SAAB parts back out on track for the actual race starting the next day.

As luck would have it, race day brought with it drenching downpours. We can’t escape the stuff! In addition to concentrating on getting around the track quickly, not hitting another car, and making sure the car and all its upgraded SAAb parts are running well, you now had to watch out for ponds and rivers forming on the track. It was less road racing and more like boating! The goals for the day quickly changed from “let’s go fast and beat the competition” to “stay on the track and bring it back in one piece”.

We had a front row seat to the penalty box from our shared garage spot with the Saab Maab. Due to the poor conditions, there was always a steady stream of cars coming in for black flags. You could tell which cars went off track because they came back with clumps of mud and grass strewn all over them.

By the end of the day the track basically turned into an oil slick. Cars were breaking down leaving all sorts of fluids, from SAAB transmission fluid, to brake fluid, as well as sliding off track and bringing mud onto the raceway. We did end up having a few off-track excursions, myself included, giving us a couple black flags. But we ended the day with the SAAB 9000 healthy and intact.

Day 2 SAAB 9000 Racing with Upgraded Performance Parts from past Lessons Learned

Sunday cleared up. Although still on the cool side, it was near perfect conditions for racing. No rain in sight.

We got the car out into the lineup early. Today was the day we were waiting for. Let’s get to racing!

The car and its replacement SAAB parts were running fantastically most of the morning and then we got a radio call from the driver that the coolant light was on solid and the temperature was slowly rising. “Bring it in!” we called back. Moments later, the burbling, black SAAB 9000 pulls into the garage. We pop the hood and the issue with which SAAB parts was immediately spotted as the SAAB’s coolant hose to the turbo broke at the banjo fitting. Without hesitation, and without the driver getting out of the car, we cut the line back while it was still in the SAAB, removed the scolding hot banjo bolt and spliced in another one with some rubber hose. In about 15 minutes the SAAB 9000 was back out on track laying down more laps.

The rest of the day went on without any major problems. Besides some sloppy fueling stops, a surging idle, (later found to be one of the SAAB idle control valve brass bushings which had blown out, also causing some boost tapering) and a frustrating late-day black flag stop, we finally took the CHECKERED FLAG! Saabs of Anarchy had successfully finished a race! Better still, our car is damn fast. We finished 34th overall and 14th in class B. Not too shabby.

Watch out Thompson, we’re coming, turbos ‘a blazing, for some redemption!