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I really appreciate everyone’s thoughts and help. Still doing my research. Currently looking at SPB route. I think it will be fun and consumables will be cheap. Plus I think it would be a good platform to learn on and hopefully move up in a season or two. Seems like they retain value as well. I also looked at spec racer ford. Just seems like where im at in the Midwest the SPB will allow me to run PCA, as well NASA, and even SCCA with minimal changes. Even though I have decent DE experience I don’t think that will necessarily translate to wheel to wheel transition much, if any. Last thing I need is to get in over my head with a car that could get me in trouble. I really like the cayman classes such as Spec cayman and GTB1/2 but not many running those cars here.
I've been struggling with this issue late this summer into fall. I've been driving by GT3.2 at DE events all summer and love the car but the idea of racing a car has been in my mind. As you mentioned I don't want to spend 991 Cup car money, particularly on maintenance. I was thinking the SPB or Miata would be way to slow. Well I finally got to try a fully race prepped Mazda Miata (thanks to the guys at TWOth Autosport here in Canada) and it was an absolute blast. A friend of mine who also has a GT3.2 and I spend the day with Travis Hill and his team at Calabogie. While we were just 2 cars on the track we were able to push the cars hard and learn a lot about proper braking (no ABS), car control (no PSM, PASM) without worrying about someone hitting us from behind if we made a mistake. I almost never was looking for more power except when I over-braked in a corner. As one poster mentioned its going to seem fast if you ever go off track in one of these cars - nice to know it has a full cage and all the safety equipment. All this with a 120hp car and after having driven a 500hp GT car.
I love my GT3.2 and would never give it up but the Miata is just a completely different experience. We were able to push the car to limits which I won't do in an expensive street car and really learn about car control - real easy to over brake and cook the tires or oversteer and spin. We were able to push the cars to 100% (of our ability) which in a true race would be so much more exciting and difficult. With a love for Porches, all the great PCA people participating, a little extra HP vs the miata, keeping in mind costs, I'm thinking SPB would be perfect especially in a large race group. On the east coast SPB seems to be pretty popular.
Best of luck and hope you have fun with whatever you decide going forward. It's going to be a long winter around here.
Interestingly that motor runs a higher peak oil pressure than my new one does - again no scary drops
not that oil starvation is the only m96 issue but clue me in here. Was this a circle track? Whats the time frame of this chart? It seems your rpm driven oil pump seems to deliver the exact same psi regardless of rpm? Is your accusump open all the time?
I like SPB and settled on it after going through a lot of the same thoughts as the OP.
If SPB isn’t active in your area I’d also consider a 996 Cup, SP996, SM, older BMWs, FF, SRF, and any class that has a typical turnout of 6+ cars per race weekend in your area.
My original 986 motor failed in a DE after (20 years and 70k street miles and) only around 10 hours of track time. It had a Mantis 2L deep sump and never got hot or had any obvious issues. The replacement motor was $3k.
The motor doesn’t seem to do a great job with oiling but on many tracks it will run a long time anyway. My home track might not be a favorable one.
I also don’t love the 986/996 styling and would prefer to have an LSD and a bulletproof powertrain. But it’s a really fun platform, cheap to run and fix, and I enjoy it and am happy with my choice to build one. It’s also quite a bit faster than SM if you put them on similar tires.
I wanted to update this thread. I ended up buying a well sorted and ready to race boxster. Car ran competitively in WRL and NASA ST4. Came with extra parts, tires, radio among other stuff. Hoping to start with a HDPE in March to get acquainted with the car. Then a NASA race as it’s the first event near me. Hoping to also do WRL races as well. We shall see how it goes. Thanks all for the ideas and suggestions. I’m quite excited to put it lightly.
__________________ -Peter Krause www.peterkrause.net www.gofasternow.com
"Combining the Art and Science of Driving Fast!"
Specializing in Professional, Private Driver Performance Evaluation and Optimization
Consultation Available Remotely and at VIRginia International Raceway
thanks! And yes, it was a huge plus to get the car from a solid shop. They built and maintotbe car from the beginning. I’m hoping to have them continue taking car of her.
SP1 is my vote. 944. You can buy one for easily less than 9k. And it will podium with the right driver. Spec Miata was ruined with engine rules that make a competitive car very expensive. Car counts are high at tracks like heartland, hallet, Hastings. It's a very confidence inducing car to drive, balanced, and doesn't want to kill you. Racing is all about car counts. Yes, 944s are slow, but when racing is tight, it's all the same. PM me if you want to chat more about the class.
Wanted to update this thread with my progress. I decided to keep it simple and run NASA events close to home to get started and keep expenses cheap. Unfortunately the first race was canceled due to flooding essentially. The second race was during my call weekend. I was able to get in a few HDPEs to get familiar with the car. Last weekend, I had my first race in the Boxster in NASA ST4. Wow! I suck! What a humbling experience to say the least. I got waxed by ST4, ST5, ST6, and even some of the maniacs in Spec Miata. On the bright side, I did continue to improve and the 3rd race I stayed nose to nose with my ST4 class for 5 laps and got so excited that I lost focus, entered a turn too fast, and ran out of track on the exit. Two wheels off, a light spin, and my chances of showing the F1 teams a 40+yo, slightly overweight, American could be competitive in F1 quickly evaporated in the fumes from the rich running exhaust of a recently stalled boxster. I will also say it was mentally and physically exhausting. Exponentially more so than a DE session. But, I honestly don't remember having this much fun. Even getting passed by nearly all but a handful of cars or less, it was still exhilarating! I was able to find a bottom dweller from AI, that like myself that had been abandoned by his own kind, and chased each other around. Also learned how to get passed by faster drivers without crapping myself and running off track, or **** off drivers racing each other in a different class. So, to date, I feel my decision to go with an already built, "slower", momentum car was perfect for someone like me sick of chasing lap times in a stupid fast street car and wanting some actual wheel to wheel interaction was spot on. If anyone reading this thread is asking a similar question as I did in the original post, go for it! I'm glad I did. I'm in for less than $40k with a car, spares, and open trailer. The car has mid to upper pack written all over it. Just need the driver to get more seat time and experience. Which was the original goal.... get better, quickly, safely, and affordably. My biggest fans have been my competition. They were excited to see a newbie. They were eager to help and give advice hoping to see me in the pack with them soon to make the race more fun and enjoyable. Ive almost lost all urge to track my 991.2 GT3 now.
Last edited by Cadaver; 06-20-2019 at 02:25 AM.
Reason: language
11-10-2018, 07:24 PM
