ColorChange

EJ, I still won't race. I thought it would be excellent training and practice (and a world of fun as speed is fun and this car would certainly be fast). What other cars should I look at besides the radial and Diasio?

E. J. - 993 Alumni

Color - if you're not going to race, then you should just look for the fastest, most powerful race car made and drive it at 4/10s. You will still think you are flying.

I am thinking along the lines of:

2 year old F1 car
2 year old ChampCar
1 year old LMP900

Hell, maybe Craig Breedlove would let you drive his 2 year old race car.

ColorChange

EJ, c'mon, I'm not that immune to purchase and maintenance costs. I just didn't want people to suggest a 944 (nothing wrong with that, but faster is more fun for me). The 962R seems to be the cheapest fast car available that should still be low(ish) cost to maintain.

E. J. - 993 Alumni

What data are you basing this on?

I've got friends who have fleets of 4 or 5 year old NASCAR cars. They are cake to maintain and have 700hp. Not that expensive of an entry cost either.

chris walrod

A certain ChampCar team owner I know will lease a 2003 Reynard (champcar) for $7500/month, you fix damages..

On a serious note CC, keep in mind a tow car and trailer.....then a place to keep them all..

I would love to have a dedicated track car, just dont have the room for a trailer

E. J. - 993 Alumni

Chris, I know a certain owner who is leasing his whole team this year and I'm sure would entertain offiers for any of the assets.

chris walrod

EJ, sadly, I'll bet there are a few of those out there

Heck, some Atlantic 'pro' seats are out there for $15K/race.. Just bring FIA license and checkbook, all the data one could want, included

joey bagadonuts

So how fast do you want to go? Maybe this will help.

At last year's Road America Club Race, Kevin Buckler qualified at 2:15:5 in a 2003 996 GT3RS; fellow Rennlister Chris C put down a 2:29:7 (nice!). For perspective, here are the fastest laps from 2003's June Sprints:

2:41:1 Spec Racer Ford
2:23:7 Formula Ford
2:18:9 Formula Mazda
2:17:4 Formula Continental
2:11:9 GT1 Corvette
2:07:6 Formula Atlantic

At this year's CART race, Bruno Junqueira posted a fastest lap of 1:45:5, so you might want to work your way up to a Champ Car.

E. J. - 993 Alumni

I think as long as it has data and a gg chart, CC should be fine with any of these cars.

ColorChange

ChrisW: I would plan to keep it at the track but if I had to get a beater SUV to tow I could and keep it at the factory.

Seriously guys, the 962R turbo and the Radical SR3 turbo look like awesome cars. What does the SR3-T go for? What else should I consider (low cost, great performance, easy maintenance)?

38D

Given your experience level, I'm just not sure going to a open, purpose built racer is the way to go, especially from a safety point of view.



If you look at that Diaso thing, there's about 4 tubes that protect your legs from an oncomming wall...not exactly a great car to learn in. Do yourself a favor and look for an already built PCA racer. A PCA GT car (maybe a GT3R or GT2R car) would be wicked fast, and you'd be able to run it with more clubs.

joey bagadonuts

Oh, I WAS being serious (well, not about the Champ car). I think the FM cars go for $20-$25K and are plenty quick--sub 2:20 at Road America! If I were shopping for a track-only car which I could race, I'd look into those ... and slower cars.

E. J. - 993 Alumni

Every suggestion in this thread (including my own) have the high probability of getting CC killed.

Seriously CC, you need a reality check. Just because you have done a few DEs in your Lambo and TT and have the data sheets to prove it doesn't mean you should all of a sudden be droving a very fast purpose built race car. You need to learn to drive first.

I love the type of person you are. You look at stats of race cars, decide the SR3 Radical isn't fast enough and so you ask about horsepower of the SR3T. Some people have more money then sense.

Good luck dude, I'm outta here.

ColorChange

OK, from a safety standpoint, the track (at Autobahn) looks extremely same. It is designed by the same guy who designed Gingerman and other extremely safe tracks. If the survivability of the Diasio is not good, I won't do it. Third(ly)?, because a car has great capability doesn't mean you have to use it all on all corners, especially while you are learning.

Is the problem with the turbo versions, or the concept itself? What if I was looking at the 150 hp versions. Would these opinions of too fast for me and unsafe still stand?

924RACR

I can't comment about other cars, but I can mention that if you're hung on the D962, there are a number of guys racing them in NASA in this area (OH/IN Region). I'm fairly certain they're the non-turbo cars, so I'd recommend that over the turbo for the options (resale value if nothing else, though it might open the door to racing it). Just additional things to keep in mind.