I have been away from track events for quite a number of years now and am looking at various options to get back involved. After getting use to the the safety of properly setup track cars I really do not wish to take my current 997 out.

When I left I use to instruct for various groups in the South East and ran a track prepped E30M3 followed by an E36 JP/ITS car. My goals now are simply to return to DE or lapping days to get some feeling back before considering if I may build/buy another car or pursue racing again. However, since I am not tethered to my region with my own car any longer, a number of options could open to explore other tracks throughout the country.

An old friend recommended look at a Spec E30 option that seems promising but wanted to see if there were any Spec Boxster or other rent-a-ride options.

Any suggestions?

Thank you.

 

Welcome back - it's hard to stay away from the track for too long. If you're looking to 'arrive and drive,' I think it'll depend on the track & region you're going to. In my area, it's pretty easy to rent Spec Miatas, and my home track (MSR Houston) also has a private Spec Racer Ford shop on site that does rentals.

I think you'll have an easier time if you identify the tracks you want to drive, then people can make suggestions.

 

www.bentsplitter.com if you still have an urge to get into a BMW...

 

A guy used Hertz at the last Road Atlanta NASA event I attended. Planted the nose square in the wall exiting turn one.

 

Similar result last fall with a Hertz rental at a DE event I attended, seems risky on so many levels to trust Hertz and deal with the issues if you have an off.

 

PM sent

 

Contact Poudre Sports Car in Fort Collins, Colorado.

They have 2 arrive and drive Spec Boxsters.

http://www.poudresportscar.com/

 

First, I'd think about my longer-term goals.

If you just want to do a couple of days a year to have some fun in the blue group, then your 997 would be a great car to drive.

I share your concerns about putting a really nice car on the track, but IMHO, a few days a year isn't going to kill it, and driving on the street is actually much more scary.

If you are more serious and want to do a number of track days as a hobby, I'd consider a 2.7L Boxster. You can pick one up for about $12-15K, drive it to the track, drive it on the track, and drive it home. And a well-driven Boxster can be a pretty quick car in the right hands.

For a dedicated track-car, a lot of PCA race cars come on market this time of year.... these are dedicated track cars, so you need a trailer, and maintenance goes up a bit, but from $20-40K you can buy a fully developed track-car at 50 cents on the dollar.

But the mirror is your best friend here.

Be realistic about what you are trying to do... set your goals, and the options become easier.

Having fun is still the whole point.

 

Love to have been a fly on the wall at the Hertz return counter..............


Autometrics has this lovely beast for sale:

http://www.autometricsmotorsports.co...ster-for-sale/

 

www.drive-gear.com

National caliber Spec E30s for rent. they run up and down the east coast (as of right this second, they are at Sebring racing. they were running first in class last time I checked!). very reasonable 'arrive and drive' accommodations. ask for Andrew and tell him Todd recommended you.

they are often at NJMP, WGI, VIR, Mid Ohio, RA, Pocono, and others.

Todd
ReidSpeed

 

Thank you for the responses.

It is nice to see others recommending Drive Gear as this was the Spec E30 option that was suggested from a professional team owner that I use to travel with. When I wrote the first message I had already begun speaking with Andrew (?) who was at Sebring.

The Spec Boxster is more of a question as I have been considering this as a longer-term option, along with possibly Spec 996. It does not seem that the Spec Cayman’s have developed as of yet but hope to see something along those lines continue in the future. Having once built a dedicated track M3 in the past followed by building another full race car I very much appreciate the suggestions to first, consider future goals, and also how buying a built car can be the best option.

As such, starting back getting seat time in a rent-a-ride, particularly one that I am considering building/buying seems like a nice option to get back out, have some fun, and potentially experience some new tracks. Thus a Spec Boxster would be desirable and will be in contact with the companies suggested.

With regard to just having fun in my 997, this would make the most sense. However, I really would want a roll bar, harnesses, etc., all of which can also be dangerous on the street, not to mention the costs associated for a 997 GT2 seats take a huge leap toward the cost of the Spec Boxster alone. Without making this too long, I have been in a car accident where my street M3’s seat broke, the three point belt no longer tensioned me, and I was essentially tossed around the car during the following impacts. After returning from the ER to have glass removed from me I had a new appreciation for the safety considerations associated with divided roles of a track car vs. street car. I still think of how bad that could have been IF I had been in my then still street legal track car that had a half cage. While sore, I walked away fine. This is one very clear driver as to why I will likely only enjoy my 997 for what it is on the street but really looking toward a dedicated track car again. Though, there are plenty of threads across the boards that already speak to these considerations.

As for the Hertz comments, I feel bad for the instructors that took those rides. There are many stories that I could tell from my time with the professional teams but that is for another thread. The mechanics in particular were always dreaming up new ways to torture our rental cars. To date my favorite student story was a guy who had an SUV but swapped with his ex-girlfriend’s car for the weekend to come out to the track.

Again, thank you for the suggestions.

 

Dude... you are in denial here... you're not looking to 'dip your toe in the water...' face it, you're going racing... so go right to the end-game.

The rent-a-racer strategy sounds like the "starter-wife" concept... low up-front buy-in, but a very expensive dead-end in the long-run.

IMHO, pick a race series you like... I like the PCA series... for a combination of good competition and track time, it's pretty good.

Buy a fully competitive log-book car from that series... yes it's a big commitment up front, but you can use it for DE and when you're ready to race, you can spend the bucks to bring it up to snuff... or you can sell it for a manageable loss.

January is definitely the time to buy a used race-car. Spec-Boxster may be a bit pricey, as this is a new series that is growing, H is also a good class as is E... but in the long run, it is always cheaper to buy a fully-sorted car than to build one.

And financially, the major cost is still event to event costs.... travel, tires brakes, routine maintenance...etc, so once you buy the car, you do have a lot of discretion on how much you spend.

Good luck.

 

For a Spec E30 rental option in the South East/Florida, MAD Motorsports (out of Miami) will be at many PBOC, NASA and FARA races this year. I just did a 6 hour enduro with them @ Winterfest in Sebring. Zero issues with the car ... When you see the quality of the cars and trackside setup you know they are not messing around. https://www.madmotorsports.com

I have 2 other serious track cars but I like to race these for fun, and they are a bargain to run comparatively speaking.

 

Funny how you chose a Porsche website to pimp your BMW "ride and Drive" business... BMW club has a website... you should check it out.

"Errsomeone"'... or "Err..Someone" or "Someone in error"... or whatever, with 4 posts has set the ball....

Amazing... you come in with an incredibly timely answer... with just 4 posts, you have a fully developed business model for renting E30 BMW track cars.... wow!!!

Perfect solution to his problem... you even have a website...!!!!

As Gomer Pyle (USMC) might say.... "Surprise, Surprise"!

 

Umm, ok. I own a Porsche (that I don't need to post much about so I'm a longtime lurker) and he asked about rental track cars.