Mikelly

Guys, This was my first year racing with NASA and first year in 944SPec. Some things that I took away from this experience that surprised me:

This car is FAST when combined with a working LSD and short 5th gear.
YES you can get an 85.5 chassis and driver combined weight down to 2600#
This platform is amazingly affordable to race
You should run right out and convert your car and come race with me!!

I bought this car from a local guy I know ($3800 with 4 sets of wheels/tires), who bought it from some well known PCA Potomac members. The car had bounced around between about 4 different club members over the years. I converted it to full 944Spec rules for the cost of a spare parts car (with LSD transaxle and good motor) at $600, plus the cost of some 30MM torqion bars ($220), some new front coil overs/struts (Another $450) and a class legal rear sway bar ($275). I installed a bolt in cage from Don Bryant ($500) and a Kirkey Roadrace intermediate seat ($500) harness and window net ($350) and a fire bottle system ($400). The car came with four sets of wheels and tires, plus the set I got from the parts car. SO the Toyo ProxiRR tires I bought went onto the cookie cutters. The tires ran me $750. I also have newbrake rotors/pads (Hawk racing pads) for an addtional $300.

The grand total of consumeables for the year equates to 84 gallons of 93 octane fuel used, three oil changes, two transaxle changes and I'm still on the same tires and brakes. I bled the brakes at the beginning of the season, but haven't touched them since. Pedal feel has been great.
In five races this year I walked away with 3 third place finishes and 2 fourth place finishes. So you can see the car (and somewhat the driver) can be competitive. 944Spec relies on a minimum weight of 2600 pounds at end of race, along with a HP max of 140HP/Tq. My car and I have rolled across the scales at 2608 at the last race beginning of October and the car made 138HP/142Tq average.

NASA 944spec is growing in the midAtlantic. Best part about this class is it crosses over to PCA SP1 specs very well, so you can race in both clubs!! I'd be happy to answer any questions and provide any guidance on what worked for me this season. I have one more race weekend coming up and then the season ends. I'll pull the cage out of my car at the end of the season and would happily pass it on to the next guy for what I paid for it. I also have a very expansive shop in the Fredericksburg Va area and will offer up assistance when time allows. Just hit me up offline.

Bikendrum

That is a great write up! I just bought an 86 944 that is built right in between. I am in SoCal and ready to start racing it once it get it back here. its in Kansas city.
Its had all the basic work done to get it solid: I would love to chat and maybe even buy that cage or other items.
shoot me a message .

congrats on a great year of racing!!

951and944S

Very cool, more racers here the better the content AFAIC.
I can tell by your writing that you are very enthusiastic about racing.

There's a fair amount of SP1 racers here in the south, (we race SP2 and SP3).
I have a complete AutoPower bolt in cage, as new, assembled in car, letter index stamped for reassembly, removed, acid etch primed and painted Alpine White, removed and never used.
PM if interested.

T

autosea

Hi ,
I live in Washington state and have 2 944 race cars. My dream is to transport a car to Sebring for the PCA 48 hr and then move it to Keswick VA. I have family there. From there do a few more races in the PCA schedule . I see on the map Fredricksberg is only an hour and a half away. We should keep in touch. Im thinking Sebring, Road Atlanta, and Watkins Glen.
One of my cars is built exact to SP1.

RM512

Nice thorough write up. Can you expand on how you got the weight down?

Mikelly

Mikelly