Matt Romanowski

I see a Miata driver who is significantly better than everyone else on a wet track, not a car that is better than everything else out there.

9.5 Degrees

There is no doubt that the Miata is a good car for track use, cheap and plentiful parts and good platform. The cheapness may be one of the reasons that there is so much carnage on track. I'm not a body and paint guy either so I think Miata is out, not because of the car, but because of the higher possibility to contact due to drivers.

are aircooled 911s that reliable? I seem to be drawn to those

Plavan

B Spec.... Go to a dealer and buy a car (out of state to so you do not have to pay state sales tax), buy a manufacturer "Spec" Kit ~$2500 depending on car you choose. Strip it, put in a cage and safety gear and race!
Take your pick.
Honda Fit
Mazda 2
Fiat
Mini
Ford Fiesta

May not be super fast, but they are supposed to be big fun.

J richard

A 3.0 sc is a pretty bulletproof car. If you can still find one with a factory motor, it's always a guessing game with a rebuild hard to know the quality. Thing is they are now 30+ year old cars, hard to find clean ones and those that are are starting to get valuable as a collectible and a little too precious to race. Finding a good prepped car is the way to go. The long hoods are just as good but typically have become way too valuable as classics or vintage racers, many getting restored.

The 964, particularly the 92 and on is a great racecar. There have been some real steals lately including a few RSA (manual steering). Great motor (the basis of the gt3, and everything you would do to an eary engine, twin plug more displacement, real injection..) and a coil over suspension. Biggest issue is getting the weight out. The 993 adds the kinematic suspension of the 996 but is typically much more expensive to buy. Once upon a time you could get a real 964 Carrera cup reasonably, not any more.

The 996 can be found cheap but you really need to do your homework on them as well as the booster.

KaiB

Yep, the 964 can make a fun, reliable platform...

Krokodil

If you are in SoCal a Boxtser is probably your best bet. You can start as a BSX spec car and TT etc. for some time, modify the car into a BSR to go racing for a year or so, and then modify it further into a GT class to satisfy your need to tinker (assuming you have one). We are starting to get a few more Caymans, but not enough to say there is meaningful competition.

As for air cooled - it seems to me that the classes are dying a slow death here. At the most recent POC race weekend several former air cooled drivers were testing and racing their new Boxster-based race cars. 23 of 47 in Orange were water cooled (16 BSR vs. 13 V3) as were 20 of the 30 cars in Red (and we were light on Cups because of the PCA event at AAA).

The 996, 997, Boxster, and Cayman count is increasing and the 911 count is decreasing. I suspect that over time this will affect the quality of AC competition and the re-sale value of the cars.

Just like the AC engines the M96/M97 engines should be built into proper race engines if you want them to last (they need better rods/bolts). This will run approximately $15K on a good core, but once built they will run 115+ hours without rebuild. A "freshening" should run about $6K or so depending on what is worn out.

I do not have much experience with AC cars, but my 2007 Cayman S has been raced for nearly four years on the factory transmission and the same uprights, calipers, and wheel bearings that came on the car from the dealer. And no, this is not a DE car; it is a race car on slicks that has run a 1:24 at Willow.

As several have mentioned above a rental is a good idea. We have a couple of shops here in SoCal that rent BSRs and I can certainly introduce you to the owners.

I will post some video later of the Saturday and Sunday race starts and me trying to pass JR.

Cheers,

jrgordonsenior

Didn't someone just break your track record at Willow last weekend? (cough, cough).....

Can't wait to see your Sat. race start. I was damn surprised when you went around me on the outside in T1. Great bleeping move....

Krokodil

Well, yes someone did, by a mere 0.18 seconds. Great lap JR.

Thanks. You also seemed a bit surprised to see me on Sunday exiting T2

Videos in process.

Cheers,

turkis_tii

For what it's worth, my 15 year old son took his first racing training one weekend in an unkempt SM, with ancient tires, at BeaveRun. Second day out, he passed a pristine vintage 70's 911S with a fresh, "hot" engine and an experienced driver who had been doing DEs there for several years. On the third lap. It broke my heart.

We're testing a SRF this summer. One big advantage of SRF not mentioned here is that they were designed as race cars, not production cars. Around $1,200/day arrive & drive.

Also not mentioned is arrive & drive with Skip Barber regional series in either formula cars or MX5s. Probably the most equalized series around, and they give coaching after the races. About $8000 per weekend.

winders

It doesn't mean the SM was a better car. There a lot of experienced drivers who have been doing DEs there for several years that are dog slow.

Scott

Nick Wong

If you are talking about club level kart racing with a Yammy or HPV those costs aren't necessary.

Let's face the facts, 99.9% of the participants on this forum are not pro level racers... So for karting the same would apply.

Set of kart tires can last two or three weekends. For road racing, a Yammy pipe class laydown can run the same set of Dunlop RH2 tires for at least two weekends at National level racing. A TaG sprinter road racer can run at least one full weekend on a set of Dunlop DEM tires, more if MG Yellows are used. Costs go up if you run higher HP classes- Stock Honda needs new tires every weekend, CIK shifters need tires every race. CIK shifters (aka Mod) need rebuilds far more often too. Laydown shifters (Formula 125) need a lot of work too. Anything situp, over 28hp (TaG) can reach over 100mph. Anything laydown over 20hp (basically anything bigger than a Yamaha) will do the same.

Karts are fast. If you don't respect them you can get killed (and people have, over the years).

Biggest cost of karting is the same as car racing- transport.

J richard

If you want to eventually go formula racing, karts are the way to go. A 125 shifter is a fast racing platform that is hard to match in a car. The cup is about as close to the same experience as I've felt. That said they will beat the crap out of you. A weekend of karting will take its toll, let alone if you have a hit. I quit because it got a little to scary being in traffic with kids that have no fear of death and parents that think they are raising the next Schumacher... IMHO not that much translates to sportscars.

One set of yellow dunlops used to be about $200 would last a day, $400 a weekend, your tire budget in a 944 or spec box will be half that...

Nick Wong

You should try road racing a kart. Guys like you are prime candidates for that sort of racing- 30-45 minute races on big tracks like Mid Ohio, Daytona, etc.

Kart road racing is the best bang-for-buck right now.

Krokodil

Here are links to the referenced videos (watch on YouTibe for HD):



My apologies for going off topic, but when JR makes a request ...

Cheers,

Mark Dreyer

I have been tracking my 02 Boxster S for 3 years now, conservatively averaging 8-10 weekends/year, or 16-20 days/year. This amounts to up to 60 days with zero engine issues. Perhaps I am running on borrowed time?