KaiB

Go to page 30. All of the alphabet cars are listed.

This is one of the rites of passage into racing...one must get through the book without too much help from others here in the forum. This is the reason most here will repeat the mantra "read the book".

As to why E is so popular (remember a D car "prepared" would run in E), I'll defer to the guys who race it...I'm a hotrodder at heart.

Cogito_Ergo_Zoom

I stopped reading after the GTB description, of course. Thanks...It's clear now.

I'm sure this will all be a lot clearer after I spend some time at the COTA PCA event talking to some of the experienced folks there.

MarkM

Classes come and go in popularity based on a lot of reasons, but E has a lot going for it.

-Very popular years for 911s, as it covers 84-89 plus any prepared 78-83 cars.
-Since these cars are older, there and lots of parts and cheap donors if you want
-there are a lot of race cars built over the last 25 years
-There are some very good drivers in the class and many who have been driving there for a while

I used to race a D car and the fields were pretty good. But I would prepare it and run it in E if I still had it, just because the competition is good

When I built my H car, I thought I made a mistake because I class was growing fast. There are almost no I cars at all now and there are a lot more prepared cars that have moved up into H. So you never really know.

Pick the general model you want to drive, do you want air cooled/water cooled, 911/944/Bxtr. Then choose the car that's competitive in a larger class, or one that is growing.

MUSSBERGER

There are a lot of cars (944's,951's,SC's, Carreras,etc) which fall into the "E" range that are (relatively speaking) a way to club race on a more modest budget.

Gary R.

Basically -
D Stock is essentially a 1978-1983 3.0L SC with bone stock motor, stock transmission with or w/o LSD, stiffened torsion bar suspension and sways, 1" wider than stock wheels with Hoosier R6 (or equiv), stripped down to make minimum weight.

E Stock - 84-89 3.2L Carerra's and later Euro 3.0 SCs, 944 S2's and 968's(?), same idea as D Stock, Allowed a chip replacement this year but it has to be stock program.. LOL!

F-H, same idea. As the classes go up so do allowable mods to some extent but engine and gearing can not be modified. Winning cars (like the H car FS here) are modified to the extent of the rules.

Vampire

I run in E class. There is a wide variety of competition and cars. In some form or another it includes not only 911's and 944/968's, but also Panamera's, 928's, and Boxsters (not that there are any of these that are raced in E).

There are several E cars on the market now and most of the time. I know of some ready to race 911 Carrera's that were bought for $15K recently. A stock classed car is far less expensive for consumables and maintenance. Also a race car built by someone else is cheaper to buy than building your own.

Others here would be more knowledgeable about GT class costs, but an engine build in GT is far more expensive than the total price of a well prepared E car.

In the 90's, people would have said to get a stock classed car because you could drive it to and from the track. Times have changed.

Veloce Raptor

You may see this in the paddock!

MUSSBERGER

You skipped one Gary.

Connecticut stock

Gary R.

That's the new L Stock...

Cogito_Ergo_Zoom

Thanks, guys. In the meantime, reading the rule book again tonight.

Are you planning on being at COTA that weekend? Would like to try to meet if you are.

Veloce Raptor

Yes, I am there all 4 days, coaching racers and doing classroom for the 3 day DE.

Would like to meet as well. Please drop me an email and let me know how we can reach each other: dave@racecoach.net. Thanks!

Cogito_Ergo_Zoom

Already starting to figure that one out. Trying to balance the left brain / right brain thing. Don't want to let the economics ruin all the fun.

Building at least part of the car (would definitely leave any engine building to the pros) would be a great learning process for me and I have some pretty talented and mechanically inclined friends here that are capable of helping, including one that even owns a fully equipped body shop. They're pushing me harder than anyone to get going because they want to join in the fun.

BrandonH

Oops mea culpa. karts and bikes is good background!


Oh fear not: the 'fully sorted needs nothing ready-to-race' car is a myth like the white whale or unicorns. a) the seller is engaging in hyperbole and/or; b) the seller was truthful; when the car last ran. state of the art is dynamic not static and will advance every year. Formula Ford is one of if not the oldest series on the planet, and the year we ran the pro series, lap records fell at almost every track. 45 years they've been running, and getting faster every year.
You will be 'building at least part of the car' no matter what car you buy, so might as well get one that is off to a running start.

Jaygauthier

That is a fabulous car...maybe too much of a car if you are new to this. No PASM to save your butt in this thing so it won't be like your 991. If you have limited experience, look for something that will make you a better driver and then transition up. If you accomplished driver then go for it...super car and will be a ton of fun.

Cogito_Ergo_Zoom

Well, attending the race at COTA this weekend was definitely an eye opener. Made lots of new friends and nearly everyone I spoke to was very friendly or was ready to offer their experience or some helpful advice.

One of the lessons learned is that PCA is a little more geographically dispersed in terms of events and that would require more travel. For example, there are only 3 races in Texas this season (2 of which are already done) so the rest would be "fly aways". With the travel demands of my job and how much I'm out of the country, it would require some very careful planning to decide which races I would contest. Not a dealbreaker by any means, but it would require some thought.

The class thing is (a little) clearer. My heart says go for a GT class car but my brain says running, say, a letter car 911 for example would be the smarter choice. Thinking it might be better to start in a class with lighter, lower powered cars where there is more of an emphasis on preserving momentum and cornering speeds to help aid in the continued learning process before I moved up to something bigger at the right time. Again, no final decisions made yet.

My plan is to check out the Southwest region Formula Mazda event at TWS on Memorial Day weekend and I'd also like to check out a NASA event as well just to get a feel for it.

Still early innings.