Nearly
as soon as Jim Busby's 962s were delivered back in late '84, just prior
to the 1985 Daytona 24, did the team begin to tinker with the car.
At first the modifications were relatively simple and consisted of bodywork
changes and relocating the turbo and related plumbing.
But
by the late 80s it was clear the old-dog 962 needed much more. “The
962 was 1982-tech, actually 1980/81 considering when it was designed, being
raced in 1990 (nearly)” says Jim Busby. Michael Colucci elaborates
a bit more, “The areas of weakness were the chassis (not very stiff only
5350 lbs per degree)...not as much down force as the Nissan, Jag, and later
the Toyota…” Busby’s team embarked on a substantial redevelopment
in order to improve overall torsional rigidity and aerodynamic downforce.
Testing at Riverside in early 1988 showed that the modified car was 3/4 to 1 second quicker than the standard 962. Ultimately it was uncertain where the gains came from, so many modifications were made. "(it) Was faster on the stop watch and that’s all I was concerned with," say Colucci. Clearly the aero downforce was improved and Jim Busby makes a point of indicating that with the standard 962 you'd have to lift for the kink at Road America, not so with the updated car.
