RSRRacer

On the upside, the capability of the people in the top 1/3 to 1/2 of the grin in Patron is generally higher than at even the largest PCA racing.

Qualifying times are closer together, and the racing is generally tighter.

And, some people actually like "rubbin paint" as long as it doesnt end in disaster.

I may do Petit and Road America IMSA races as these are two tracks I know and would probably do OK in the Gold class.

fryd

I was hoping they'd come back to Mosport this year and I'd give it a go. And if they had have forked up the $$$ for the F1 in Montreal, I'd definitely have gone to that. But the $20k for the fuel cell is also an issue.

cgomez

Would that fuel cell be legal in PCA? or would you have to retrofit back and forth if choosing to run both?

fryd

Fuel cell is fine in PCA. Safer too.

GT3 Nut

I had a lot of fun and was flattered by the comments the announcer made. He called me "a true David among Goliaths". I didnt realize that most if not all of these guys have a lot more experience in racing than I do - and I can pretty much guarantee they have a lot more money than I do!
I wish I wouldnt have spun in the same place in both races. It literally cost me 5 places in both races. I would have finished 7th or 8th in the first race starting from close the very back (my qualifying was not good - I just couldnt put a decent lap together in the beginning) - I think 22nd in class out of 24 gold class cars. But I was doing fairly well until I spun. Still managed to pass some more cars but finished 13th in class. If I hadnt spun I think I would have won the hard charger. The 2nd race I finished 10th but again I had lost 5 places due to my bonehead spin. Oh well, i just need to keep working at improving.
In the second race I got rammed pretty hard in the back at the start going into turn 5. It was a bottleneck and everyone had to slow way down but the guy behind me didnt react in time. Well during the race I kept feeling like I was way down on power. I was thinking "why are these guys pulling away from me" when I knew they didnt have a run on me out of the corner.
Well after the race Greg Jones from 3G Motorsports (they do my support) said I was probably down 30-40 HP because when the guy hit me my muffler got smashed and bent pretty good and closed off the left exhaust outlet about 75% and the j-pipe that connects the header to the muffler was bent and closed off about 80-90%.
I dont feel like that really had any bearing on where I finished but it was certainly frustrating - especially when I got the bill for it!!!

GT3 Nut

From experience - as Chris said - it is NOT the same as PCA. I fooled myself thinking it was going into this.
It is every bit of $25K per event! It can be more too!
Because of the "rubbing" is one part of the cost, entry fee is higher and support as well - just as Chris mentions.

The "bump" that I experienced from someone hitting me in the back - new muffler from PMNA is over $6K, the little j-pipe that connect the header to the muffler is $421, and a new rear bumper - not even sure how much. I had a spare for this time that I bought used for $750. (plus paint and vinyl).

When you factor in ALL expenses incurred - including your own travel costs and what not - figure $30K

I am working on sponsorship right now. Otherwise I am out for the rest of the year. Business is tough now and there is no way I can afford to do this.

But I will say it is much more fun in my opinion than PCA. Competition is tighter as mentioned so I MUST continue to improve if I want to do well. I think I was getting complacent in PCA to some degree. (The guy that won in the gold class both races was turning the same times during this race as Wolf Henzler when Wolf drove his car in January at Sebring!! 2:09.4 - Very impressive! And he was a very nice guy - not cocky or arrogant at all! (Keep in mind the Yokohama spec tire is about 2.5 to 3 seconds slower than the Michelin at Sebring! That was confirmed by back to back testing in January by Patrick Long in a 2010 Cup car!)

And to have the TV coverage is very cool too.
Plus when you are lined up on the front straight and you see all the RV's and spectators and what not - it is just cool! This is the real deal. I am glad that Darrel C. convinced me to give it a try!

GT3 Nut

I hope you at least do those races!! Come on and jump in with both feet! Start at NJMP in June!!

GT3 Nut

Come on David! Just do it man!! Come do the Road America race in August.

I just hope I can be there too!!!

fryd

I'd love to! Maybe next year. Time, money, blah, blah...I'm selling the car at the end of the year though, so don't want to spend $20k on the fuel cell that I won't get back on the sale.

I think you're right though in terms of competition with the Patron series. I did a GrandAm test at Daytona with TRG in December, the first test for the 24hr. I was 24th out of 24 cars. But man, did I learn a lot that weekend. Then I looked at my times vs. PCA GTA times and my best time would have been good enough for 2nd, and that was after about 75 mins of time over the 2 days (and first time in a GA car, and first time in a Cup at Daytona). So, I'm confident I can get there, with time and effort (and lotsa $$$!).

JimB

I've done a few IMSA races. They are way more expensive then PCA. Support is usually two to three times as much. Most teams realign the cars between every session. Race engineers are the norm as are pro coaches. At Miller last year we went through 5 sets of Yoks and you need to buy insurance for each race at around 4500 per weekend. And damage is the norm. It's a lot of fun but painfully expensive.

Good job Matt.

neros

[youtube]_MczoR1LVh0[/youtube]

joseph mitro

just watched the Patron GT3 challenge at NJMP. Cool racing.

are these racers all amateurs? well funded amateurs? any prize money? do you pay the costs up front out of your own pocket unless you have sponsorship? is it basically the top levels of gentleman racing, or more a stepping-stone to higher levels of racing?

neros

Pro drivers are not allowed in the series. That said, the definition of a pro driver is simply that your primary income comes from racing. There are many drivers that could easily race in pro series but they simply have other jobs. Most people are self funded either through their pockets, their own companies where they pay for the team as a marketing expense or there are some young drivers who have sponsors that come from other forms of racing such as open wheel etc. I would say this is the very top level of gentleman racing. The most obvious next step is ALMS In the GTC category. As it stands there are currently several drivers in ALMS that left Patron GT3 last year and are driving prototypes or Porsche GT3. The top runners have comparable times to the pros at the racetracks. It is extremely competitive racing. At times it's 40+ cars that are basically identical racing for the podium so it always comes down to the driver, not really the machine since most teams have been around for a while and are great with setup etc.

neros

I drive the NGT #26 in the series...You can check out past races at my YouTube channel Lionracingvideos

Cory M

Let me know if you guys want to adopt any new brothers into the family