good hands

I recently did my first PCA race and found the racing fun, competitive, exciting, safe, and very respectful. I am planning to do the NASA race in November and was wondering what to expect ? Is there a different attitude amongst the drivers ? I have watched some videos and it seems a lot more competitive ( a lot of rubbing ) and the 13/13 rule is interpreted a little differently. just wondering what to expect.

PedroNole

Streak

You're screwed.

And it has nothing to do with Nasa vs PCA.

good hands

go bake your brownies and gain some weight...

Mike Buck

I've done 27 races with NASA and just did my first PCA race the same weekend as you. For one, the races are much shorter. Slightly more than half as long by my count. 13 laps at Summit Point vs. 22. Practice and qualifying much shorter too. When enough people sign up, the track is very packed at times. Think 60+ cars in a group at Summit Point!!


I will PM you more details

Racerrob

Take this for what its worth, my experience and opinion only. In 11 years of PCA racing, no car to car contact, car to wall etc... no 13's. Good competition, tons of track time. Prior to this year, I threw in a few NASA races with no problems.

This year, no PCA events but 4 NASA events, including Nationals. I came home damaged from 3 (4 total hits) including being hit 2x in the GTS Championship race. 3 of the hits were definitely avoidable by the other drivers.

I have found very good drivers in both series but more idiots in NASA. Also, while the PCA 13/13 rule, in my opinion, is too strict (one car incidents), NASA's and some of the series within are not strict enough. Some of them are more of a 13/13/13 rule where you never actually get suspended, just harshly chastised or maybe DQ'd from a race. Lastly, not as much track time with NASA and the schedules often suck, ie pratice at 8 AM, qualify at noon and race at 5.

Your results may vary Good luck!

magnetic1

Scott, what class you plan on running in Nov?

It'll be fun.

good hands

GTS2 Im really hoping NASA racing works out as they do 4 races at SP every year and it's 25 minutes from the house.

mikew968

Scott:

I have 16 or 18 race weekends with NASA and have has 2 very minor incidents. That said there can be contact but that is true with PCA as well. I feel the competition is much closer in NASA with less "cheater" engines happening. As cars are weighted and put on the dyno there is less room for ... GTS2 in the great lakes region is lots of fun and very close racing every week.


Mike

magnetic1

I wont comment on the PCA vs. this, etc. It goes nowhere, really.

But Jeff Curtis will be happy to have more GTS2 people to race with Seems like all the GTS2 guys this year left. GTS3 is the biggest class for GTS in MidAtlantic right now.

Sean F

i say the same thing every time this comes up. my experience has been no contact in NASA and I've been hit once and wrecked once in PCA. At the big PCA races I see significantly more wrecked cars and contact than NASA. Probably circumstantial evidence for both. It's racing. Your car can get wrecked in any series on any track or just rubbed a little. I don't think you could say the chances are any greater or less for a given series. Except SCCA

I'm biased though, because I want you to race in GTS2...we need more cars next year

924RACR

Yeah, but the competition!!!

Chaos

NASA equals scales and dynos,no 275 rwhp cars in a class a class that tops out at 215rwhp.

aeshultz

+1 to what he said!

M758

I have raced in PCA for a few events and in NASA for many years.

Firstly NASA does not have a 13/13 rule. Some racing classes likt GTS use a 13/13 rule, but most NASA racers do not. I have only raced under 13/13 in PCA and never in NASA, but that has never been an issue with me. The NASA racers I race with race in and race out are respectfull of the other racers out there and contact is not a normal thing. This does not mean contact never happens, but "rubbing is not racing" in Arizona NASA for certain. NASA nationaly also does not condone rubbing as racing, but if contact occurs 95% of the time both cars will be racing again assuming mechincally they can. In rare cases if one driver is bone head they will be tossed, but simple mistakes are not penalized with being out of the event. Contact with a driver at fault often results in a DQ for the race and long talk with the the race director.

Now.... I have never raced with NASA on the east coast and as such I can't really say what driver conduct is like there.

In general the NASA racer is there to race and have fun. NASA racers bring cars to the track that could be wrecked at any time. PCA guys have a great percentage of "I am racing my baby and I hope I don't get a paint chip today." guys vs "I beat the stuffing our of my race car again, Yipee that was fun!".

Now this might make it seem like NASA guys don't care about contact. A few may not, but most realize that contact just means repair work inbetween events and that costs time and money. This takes away from the fun.

I have had more contact in NASA that PCA, but I have also done about 10x as many NASA races.
PCA = 8 Races zero contact
NASA = 83 Races. 2 moderate body work (one was a single car driver error), 4 light contact (2" dent & tire dounut). In all cases the damage was minor enough so that I never missed any track sessions as a result.