SAN JOSE -- What was left of the Spartan Racing-8 chassis -- once a demon on the track, but now a zombiefied shell -- had no engine, and sat forlornly on a couple of purple office chairs in a garage on the San Jose State campus Sunday. The SR-8 was denuded of its scalloped diffusers and aerodynamic wing, and only three days before it was set to be shipped to Michigan for the team's biggest competition of the year, it was getting a complete overhaul.
And fast! A new engine would be bolted into the chassis Sunday, other body parts would be harvested from last season's championship ride, and, oh yes, a new oil cooling system would be hand-fitted into the already-crowded guts of the car.