MarkPcar

The title says it all - Has anyone gone from racing Porsches, to formula cars and back?

The saying goes that once you race a 'real' race car, you will never want to go back to a production based car. While a formula car is super fun to drive, I can see some advantages to just putting gas and air in a Spec Boxster and going racing. On the other hand, I don't want to feel like I'm driving a tank.

Anyone made the change?

924RACR

I'm about to make the change, more or less, going to the DSR - don't anticipate I'll be back, other than perhaps enduros or other such fun races.

OTOH, since we still race the P-car, I still get all the fun of maintaining it...

va122

I went form a GT3 to a radical and haven't looked back. I miss just getting in the car and driving but I never drove the car on the street and if I'm gonna have the car in a garage at the track then I might as well have a real race car.

Circuit Motorsports

I've bounced back and forth. The real difference for me is how tight the competiton is around me. I ran laps 20 seconds faster in the FC at VIR than I do in the SRF and the SRF is WAY WAY WAY more fun to race.

One of the most fun races I had was in a Dodge Neon at Portland 12 hour. Dog slow and I had been running the FC for 2 straight years and nothing else.

As for pure going around the track you can't beat a formula car and the Piper is right up at the top. I'd love a Piper with a Fit motor to run in the pro series right now. Since you're out west the racing scene is a bit different for the FF. More CF IIRC.

I like being in a car and the more time the merrier. That's why I have gone to SRF. It's a bridge between formula and tin top with a bit of a lean towards formula since it's purpose built. But I put air in the tires and and gas in the tank. I don't worry about 20 hour rebuilds. I get more than 10 times that.

MarkPcar

Thanks guys. I actually have my Piper for sale on eBay now. It is just too hard on my back - modern formula cars are designed to be set up very stiff.

I'm trying to decide what to do next and Spec Boxster has a lot of appeal. One down side is there isn't many of them in Arizona, I have to drive to So Cal for good size grids.

SundayDriver

Have you considered SRF? You get big fields, purpose built racecar and they are much easier on the body than most formula cars and sports racers. Lots of FF guys jump back and forth and enjoy both.

MarkPcar

I haven't considered SRF, I will have to look in to participation here. Racing in AZ is so fractured - to many clubs chasing to few cars.

J richard

Who are you primarily running with SCCA or ProAuto? I would think the specbox is going to feel a bit slow by comparison, only three I know of locally, there's a growing clutch of cup cars and a few radicals running locally. SR of any sort is nice given the occasional mix with fendered cars...

MarkPcar

I've been running with HSR West in their Formula Ford series. All of their races are in CA, since PIR closed. I had a Cup car 4-5 years ago and loved it, but want to keep my expenses lower than that (was living in the NW then).

Are the Spec Boxers running with NASA?

J richard

There are about three of them, not real consistent. Might want to talk to Jim Patrick at Patrick motorsports, he's building them. I thought about it as a middle ground between the 944spec and the cup, but right now the field in 944spec is one of the biggest in nasa between 6-10 each race. We had some attrition but it's comming back up fast. For fun competition is hard to beat, not fast but fun, good guys and about as cheap as it gets...

mclaudio

I started racing an early 911, moved to a 911SC then to FF and F Mazda in the 90s. Years later, I'm back racing in 944 Cup.

Surely, the lateral acceleration is lower and speeds maybe slower but racing is racing. I have found that I'm having just as much fun. For me, the key is close racing.

In my case, my objectives have changed. I'm not after outright speed anymore and not looking to race as a career. I'm actually getting more into historic-type racing so I bought a car that had a bit of period history. Also, I wanted to race in a more equitable field. Lastly, the overall cost i.e. capital cost and O&M cost is a consideration.

If what you are after is outright speed, then a Formula car is more appropriate compared to Spec Boxster. But if close racing is what you are after and comparing yourself to other drivers with similarly prepped cars, then Spec Boxster or other spec series would be awesome.

stownsen914

I know a gentleman who started racing Porsches, then went FF for several years, and came back to racing Porsches (SCCA and PCA Racing) a bunch of years ago. I can you put in touch with him if you want.

Scott

924RACR

Good point, Spec944 is huge in your area, and great fun, having spent a decade on that platform I can agree it's hella cheap and reliable and fun...

Paul 996

Mark,

Spec Boxsters currently run in NASA and PCA. Some of the SCCA regions are starting to recognize it (not nationally).

As for a direct comparison between an SRF. Looking at the SCCA lap times for the leaders the SRF is about .3 seconds a lap slower on a 2.1 mile 10 turn track called Summit Point.

Clearly the cars are each faster in different places.

Best,
Paul

gums

I've been around both, and although I've been in Porsches for awhile now, I still love and miss formula cars. However, what I've always considered my ideal would be a Sports Racer, like an S/2000. Not a SRF, because I much prefer a racing gearbox. Having said that, though, I think the next wave in Porsche circles will be Boxsters, if it isn't already, but I'd build an F-Stock, not a SP/Box. Just a little faster....