I feel the need to start racing. However, my budget is not huge. This lead me to think of spec miata. I think it will be much cheaper than trying to maintain a 911 in PCA club racing. Do any of you guys race spec miatas, opinions? Will the miata get boring after a season or so? Thanks.

 

Hehe. SM boring? Terrifying is more like it.

Actually, if you get those little bumpers that you use on a boat while docking it might help. Hehe.

I've never been a fan of Wreck Me Otters.

I think it's a lot more expensive to be competitive than people would have you believe. Yes, you can build a car for cheap and just make up the numbers, but you can buy an IT car for a lot less for example. There is talk of running a spec 944 series in the Mid-Atlantic area. I wonder if that has been started yet?

 

I tried Spec Miata. I had my regional SCCA license so I figured give it a whirl. It was alot of fun, well organized, good people, good vibe, friendly atmosphere - great racing! Door to door. Cheap compared to PCA racing. Not alot bad to be said about it...

BUT...

I cannot go from racing a 911 to a Miata! I just can't give it up...

Maybe I'll give it another shot some day in the future, for now I want to race the Porsche 911.

 

Geo,

So what would you suggest to get into racing relatively cheaply? What would an example of a competitive IT car be (price, model etc)? What about something open wheeled?

JC,

I totally agree with you. Someday I will race a 911.



Another question, what would you guys suggest as a cheap tow vehicle?

 

Not Geo here but I can offer up a tidbit on this. Here in SEDiv SCCA, the cars to have (relatively cheaply) are ITA, ITB and ITC cars. You can very well get into an ITS car but I think you are looking at a very healthy deposit for a SpeedSource RX7, Bimmerworld E36 or buying one of several very successful ITS "other" cars off their current owners. In ITA, there are practically 4 cars to have here (90-92 Acura Integra, 1.6L Mazda Miata, 88-91 Honda CRX Si, 89-90 Nissan 240 SX). There have been some new additions to ITA but for the moment, they aren't necessarily proven. Those listed have been around here.

As for ITB (again, around here), I think the VW GTI is a great car as is the BMW 318i but I don't think either will be "the" car in the SE provided Sam Moore continues to campaign the Volvo. But that's one car and no reason to run from a class because of one car/one driver (if so, most guys would give up in ITA against Bob Stretch in the 240 SX).

In ITC, the cars that seem most competetive are the 75-80 VW Scirocco, 84-87 Honda Civic Std., Datsun 510 and more recently, the 88-91 Civic Std.

If you are looking for RWD (most guys round these parts seem to ) and relatively inexpensive, I would look very seriously at the ITA Miata (1.6L) as they have won three SARRC championships in a row and have only really received the attention in ITA needed to go fast since SM sprung up. Also, worst case scenario, you have a platform that you could revert back to SM legal and have fun there. If money is no issue, go SM, its a great class and the competition is excellent in the SE. But I think there's more for your buck w/ the Miata in ITA right now.

 

Much to my chagrin, the E36 BMW 325i is the hot car in IT. Prices? Not sure. You can get a fully developed turn-key car from Bimmerworld for a reputed price of $50k. But that's not representative. Probably somewhere between $10k and $20k for a good 325. The 944S looks promising. Sadly, the 8v 944 looks to make up the numbers these days.

If you can accept FWD, there is a whole slew of cars that are/will be hot in ITA. CRX Si, Sentra SE-R, Neon, Integra. For RWD in ITA there is the 240SX.

In open wheel, I think Formula Mazda absolutely ROCKS. Now that they have come out with a new car for the pro series the original cars (still a series for them) have dropped dramatically in price.

 

I'm taking a year off from PCA I class to compete in the Canadian F1200 (Formula Vee) series. Racing a 924S/944 in I class is not inexpensive if you want to be competitive (tires and entry fees being the big costs). I have found the F1200 series to be very close and competitive and way, way less expensive than PCA. There are four major reasons for this;

1. We run a spec Kuhmo Victoracer tire up here (185-60/14). One set lasts five weekends and costs less than $500 US. In fact I just bought two nnew spec wheels and four tires for about $600 US.

2. Entry fees are about 60% of what PCA races cost.

3. Crash damage (it will happen in these cars) is very cheap to repair. I was lucky enough to never damage my 924S in 8 years of PCA DE and Club Racing but always shuddered to think what repairs would cost if I had. I am not proud to say that I've managed to have a few shunts in my 1200 (learing curve?) including a 100+ mph backwards impact into the turn 2 wall at Mosport. Believe it or not that cost less than $1000 to fix. Imagine doing that in a Porsche.

4. Maintenance is simpler and cheaper.

gd

 

Thanks guys. I had not really considered the open wheel thing too much but it seems like a good option. That way I dont have to buy a huge truck to tow it either since it is lighter.

 

For cheap tow vehicles, I found an old F-150 for $2500 in decent shape (90k miles). Spent another grand on preventative maintenance and adding a tranny cooler, shift kit, hitch, and such.

Doesn't look pretty, but neither does the car it pulls.

 

I have to second the budget approach of racing IT cars. First, you need to decide if you want to race a Porsche, or if you just want to race. If you need to run a Porsche, or need to run at the front, get out your wallet no matter which series. SCCA IT has some big fields, lots of events, and reasonabe costs.

 

Thanks for all the opinions guys. There seems to be an SCCA race at Rd Atlanta this weekend. I think I will go check it out on Sunday and maybe get more of an idea of what I want to drive. Anybody else going?

 

GEO mentioned a possible 944spec series in Mid Atlantic. There is the 944Cup - oops - scuuz me - the 44Cup. It's not a 'spec' series but almost. Probably the cheapest you could race a Porsche. They race mostly at Summit Point, but also VIR and occasionaly CMP, and did race during RennRunionII this spring. There is a SouthEast chapter now too, not sure where or how often they run. Possibly worth a look. www.44cup.com

The spec Miata looks interesting to me also. I like 'spec' series.

 

Spec Miata I feel is the best way to get started and if you still want to move up to PCA you can find a home for the MX-5.
The tire budget alone in PCA is numbing !That said it still is alot of fun and the people are the best part (almost)
Try it.

 

I race a formula mazda (old type). It friggin' rocks. Before you invest in a sedan, you owe it to yourself to try one out. At my local (tight) 1.8 mile 10 turn circuit, the FM's run 1-2 seconds quicker than a 996 cup car. I can buy a set of lightly used tires for $240 a car set shipped. Motors are good for 3 years between rebuilds. 1.8 lateral G's cornering power. Once you drive a wings'n'things car, you probably won't pine for a 911 track car. $20k to $25k gets you a good car. My humble and highly biased opinion.

 

prg,
Where are you located? My biggest concern is not having enough races in the south here. What do you run in? (SCCA, NASA etc) Is the formula mazda reliable and relatively cheap to fix? I rode in a Radical and it was awesome, passed everything on the track. I can imagine that a formula mazda would be pretty similar.