JR, Mike,

Yes been to both sites. It's what started me wondering what was going on. Seems that there are all kinds of assumptions about what's going on on with the "other" guys when you really look at it the only differences that have settled are the tire/square/stagger issue... That's hardly worth the rift it seems to of caused POC and PCA allow both/either, NASA is the only holdout? ...hell if you've got two sets of wheels, just about everyone does, you are equipped to run with the "other" guys...need to print out the latest rules and do a cross matrix...

I know we have more boxster guys here, are they afraid to admit it in public?

Happy thanksgivings! Must go eat, and the brain shuts down from there...

 

Mid Atlantic driver/owner/part builder.

 

It was a power/pissing contest. Somebody got bitchy, took their ball and went home. Nothing more. In the end, the fee paying racers are left in the lurch.

 

Friend and I are on the fence about getting into this class. Subscribed.

 

Would be a great venue to share, discuss, and debate as was originally being done years ago.

 

I’m a Spec Boxster owner who just got into the class recently. I had tracked my stock 996 for years and when I finally decided to get a dedicated track car and start club racing, the Spec Boxster series seemed very appealing. I lurked on several SPBOX boards for a couple of years and I became more and more convinced that Spec Boxster had a great future for many reasons such as:

• Spec racing attempts to minimize car differences as much as possible, creating a greater emphasis on driver talent as a differentiator
• Spec series can help keep costs down versus other less-restricted classes
• There are an enormous number of cheap Boxster donor cars on the market, continually lowering the cost barrier to entry
• Some really big Spec Boxster fields have developed in certain parts of the country (and in some races in those areas, Spec Box is now the largest class)
• The general reliability of the Boxster platform seems to be solid (and the IMS bearing can be replaced during clutch/flywheel installation, accusumps provide a really big help with oiling, and it is thought that transmission coolers will make a big difference with tranny failures)
• Some cup-car owners have even moved down to Spec Boxster for economic reasons (and they seem to love the platform and the racing)
• Older 911 owners are starting to look at more modern platforms with readily available parts
• The mid-engine Boxster platform appeals to a lot of different racer types
• The cars are a blast to drive
• Aside from some of the recent political issues over things like wheels/tires, the spec seems to have matured fairly well (as evidenced by the relatively few rule changes from 2011 to 2012)

It all sounded good, plus I live in Texas where one of the largest contingents of Spec Boxsters is located. I went to several club races and all the Spec Boxster racers were very passionate and excited about the growth of the platform and very willing to help get others involved. It’s a really great scene here in Texas and I don’t see any reason why Spec Boxster won’t explode in other areas of the country for many of the reasons above.

The one thing that has been puzzling to me is the lack of online Spec Boxster presence and information of late. For years, Brad Roberts’ Boxsterspec web site had a tremendous amount of information and discussion traffic, but after it shut down, not only was a goldmine of technical information lost, but there haven’t been any new online forums gain the momentum to replace it. Texasspec.com seemed to be building some momentum last year, but it had a server outage for several months and hasn’t had much traffic at all since coming back online. NASA’s Spec Boxster forum started off ok when they first adopted a spec boxster class, but that forum has dried up. Rennlist occasionally has some SPBOX-specific threads (like this one), but nothing dedicated or substantial. With such a new, exciting, and fast-growing platform, you would think there is a need for a web site with deep Spec Box-dedicated information and discussion – especially with the increasing numbers of builds getting started. I really hope one develops soon!

In any case, I still think Spec Boxster (and Spec 996 which most of the bullet points above apply to as well, just at a higher [and faster] price point) can easily be the fastest growing classes in PCA over the next several years...

Kevin

 

Spec Boxster owner/builder here, from NJ.

 

Hi Steve Watkins

 

Watkins just doubled his annual post count.

 

He speaks with his hands and feet....

 

New SPB here. Couple more from NY on the way for 2012.

 

Did the Watkinsmobile (964) ever get sold?

 

Just trying to maintain the handful of posts quota, JR, looks like you had a great time with the 996 this year, you might think about TWS again, only this time you can share With the TX 996 guys. They have a nicely growing class and you could share a wealth of knowledge. The 964 is going back to all black with stock front cover, the disco treatment is a tough sell, I will try again once back together.

 

Subscribed.

 

Owner/builder/racer in San Antonio Texas. Last year was my first in class and in club racing and barely got any time in. Looking forward to next year.