Give a New Racer Some Guidance!, Build plans for SCCA car Options

[brant]

George,

when you run in chump.... is there any bumping?
I have never been to a chump event
I assumed there was some contact and rubbing?
and that the different sanctioning bodies might have a different tolerance for it?

I've only ever ran PCA and a few different vintage clubs which were all zero tolerance.


tia
brant

[ThePaintedMan]

Brant,
I have now run 4 chump events and I personally have never had a scratch. I don't particularly lay back either - if I paid for my ride, I expect to get my monies worth. I also know I have a LONG way to go to catch up to the talent that people like you, TC, Chris, and others have, but I feel like I am predictable and I always try to telegraph my moves and be patient where it is warranted.
That being said, there is certainly some rubbing that occurs with people who are overzealous and under-talented. Truthfully, I have gotten confident enough now that I feel like it might be time for me to move on to SCCA/NASA/SVRA. Chumpcar, while fun and *relatively* cheap, gets frustrating. Its like being at a track day where all classes of drivers are on the track at the same time. Randy Pobst might be in the car next to you, but so might Billy Joe Six-pack. It's hard to tell, so I spend a lot of time being overly-cautious and perhaps assessing the driver ahead of me too long. If it were any of the other aforementioned series, I'd be more aggressive and I feel, would learn a lot more.
That being said, it is a blast for those who have never been on track before. Even if you have a lot of experience, I'm sure it's fun to get out there in a car that you don't have to be quite so careful with. Who cares if you rub the fenders off a '95 Dodge Neon?
The biggest thing it has taught me is just how expensive it is to build a car for the track. I had NO idea. But it has also opened up some doors for me, both getting to drive with some really experienced and respected drivers as well as slowly making a name for myself as a solid driver, but more importantly (to me) a good mechanic. It really is the epitome of grass-roots racing, the way it once was maybe 30-40 years ago when money and engineering were a little less plentiful in sportscar racing.
You should try it Brant. You'd have a blast. Get some of these other 914 guys out there with you and buy a ride with a team. You already got all the gear and experience!

[campbellcj]

I would also give Boxster Spec a look if there is an active group near you. It's about as close as you can get to a relatively affordable 914-ish class.

[Seabird]

Redhorse,

You should come out to the next NASA event at Sebring; a month or so from now. I expect Shane will be there and so will I. We are currently in the HPDE program not w2w. There is also Joe with his v8 conversion that attends from time to time.

Prepping a car for w2w is a lot more than it seems from the outside. I have slowly been getting my 914 2.0L ready to run with HSR. I bought it in November and its been a steady stream of rip and replace. Complete new suspension, wheels and tires, fuel system, fuel cell, ignition system, rewired the whole car, race seat, race seat again (in progress), modifying existing roll cage, replacing carbs (again), removing illegal mods.... The list goes on. Still need to address the fire suppression system.

Swapping to coilovers on an M5 is not the same as building a race car. I was very proud of myself when I did my first suspension swap (on my now ex-e30); and you should be too. Looking back all the prep work and maintenance work I did to take the e30 out as a track day car pail in comparison to what it take to build a race car for w2w. (And that's coming from a guy who is building a 914 for vintage w2w on the cheap side of the spectrum that does not expect to be competitive with it.)

Chump is cool but cars get beat up a lot racing in Chump. I am part of a Chump effort and its a great way to get out on the track in w2w without any prior experience BUT remember a fair number of the people out there on the track with you are in the same boat!!! No driving school experience, no licence, no seat time. Don't expect your car to stay pretty.

Also if your looking for a big power experience like you have in the M5, the 914 is going to be a let down. I you want to hone your skills and brag that c5s and a m3s can not take advantage of their gains on the straights because you catch them with amazing mid corner speed, well then welcome to the 914.

There are a lot of 914s being tracked in Florida right now which is cool. Especially when your having a bad day on the track and Shane is there to give moral support, thanks Shane! A bunch of them which run in HSR don't even hang out here on the forums (mostly -6 conversions) too.

Give me a ring if you want to chat about 914 prep (look for a PM).

Miguel

[Heater Guy]

Check with your region. If you change engine type or make other changes which take you out of the Production Classes you may have to run an Improved Touring class. I run in a class called Improved Touring E (ITE) with San Francisco Region.

ITE allows anything except you need to keep the basic tub.
In this class everything is allowed except you must have all the safety equipment and must run DOT tires, any brand and any size. It is pretty much an unlimited class which can have a lot of cars entered in this class at each race.

These are photos from our race group which includes classes GT1, GT2, GT3, GTL, GTA, SP, EP, ITE, N3, NL, T1, SS, PC

http://cwk-photo.appspot.com/list/SFR-20140330-03

Good Luck

[carr914]

Your main goal is to race wheel to wheel? Go to www.Chumpcar.com, click "Forum" and buy a ride in the "Seats for sale" section. Expect to spend around $1000 to get a seat in the upcoming 14 hours of Sebring in September. Do that a couple of times, then start volunteering at SCCA club events. You'll get a much better idea of what goes into building and running a competitive car at various levels.

I'm with the others on this one - if you want to build a car that's anywhere near as fast as your street M5, don't even bother with a 914 unless you're willing to spend upwards of $200,000. A better starting point would be to buy a used Spec Miata - you'd learn more, have more fun and spend less over the long run.

Or, as others have said, you can stick to vintage racing or perhaps F-production. But it will still cost you more to run either than it would to find a used Miata and get out there sooner rather than later.

Chump car is very interesting!! I wonder if I could get my car ready in time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)
Just cage it and rock my steel wheels and no bumpers! lol
I'll definitely look into it!

Ok so F production.. All I see on the F production is the 1.7 and 1.8 and on the E production I see the 2.0 and the 914-6!!. Am I wrong to say that the 914 would be better suited for F with a 1.8? Seems to me like a 914-4 in E would be over its head and a 1.8 is sure to beat a 1.7 in F.
Also, I am slightly confused with the level 1 and level 2 rules for FP. Do you just follow whichever one you fancy?
Again thank you for all the responses and patience to deal with a noob (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

There will be a Bunch of us running Chump at Sebring. It will be my 1st Chump effort & hope that it is a lot of fun. I'm running a Toyota GTS with a bunch of SCCA Guys out of Jacksonville

[Redhorseracing]

Your main goal is to race wheel to wheel? Go to www.Chumpcar.com, click "Forum" and buy a ride in the "Seats for sale" section. Expect to spend around $1000 to get a seat in the upcoming 14 hours of Sebring in September. Do that a couple of times, then start volunteering at SCCA club events. You'll get a much better idea of what goes into building and running a competitive car at various levels.

I'm with the others on this one - if you want to build a car that's anywhere near as fast as your street M5, don't even bother with a 914 unless you're willing to spend upwards of $200,000. A better starting point would be to buy a used Spec Miata - you'd learn more, have more fun and spend less over the long run.

Or, as others have said, you can stick to vintage racing or perhaps F-production. But it will still cost you more to run either than it would to find a used Miata and get out there sooner rather than later.

Chump car is very interesting!! I wonder if I could get my car ready in time (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)
Just cage it and rock my steel wheels and no bumpers! lol
I'll definitely look into it!

Ok so F production.. All I see on the F production is the 1.7 and 1.8 and on the E production I see the 2.0 and the 914-6!!. Am I wrong to say that the 914 would be better suited for F with a 1.8? Seems to me like a 914-4 in E would be over its head and a 1.8 is sure to beat a 1.7 in F.
Also, I am slightly confused with the level 1 and level 2 rules for FP. Do you just follow whichever one you fancy?
Again thank you for all the responses and patience to deal with a noob (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

There will be a Bunch of us running Chump at Sebring. It will be my 1st Chump effort & hope that it is a lot of fun. I'm running a Toyota GTS with a bunch of SCCA Guys out of Jacksonville

Need an extra driver? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[carr914]

I got the last seat. But you can go on Chumpcar.com and rent a seat easily

[brant]

Brant,
I have now run 4 chump events and I personally have never had a scratch. I don't particularly lay back either - if I paid for my ride, I expect to get my monies worth. I also know I have a LONG way to go to catch up to the talent that people like you, TC, Chris, and others have, but I feel like I am predictable and I always try to telegraph my moves and be patient where it is warranted.
That being said, there is certainly some rubbing that occurs with people who are overzealous and under-talented. Truthfully, I have gotten confident enough now that I feel like it might be time for me to move on to SCCA/NASA/SVRA. Chumpcar, while fun and *relatively* cheap, gets frustrating. Its like being at a track day where all classes of drivers are on the track at the same time. Randy Pobst might be in the car next to you, but so might Billy Joe Six-pack. It's hard to tell, so I spend a lot of time being overly-cautious and perhaps assessing the driver ahead of me too long. If it were any of the other aforementioned series, I'd be more aggressive and I feel, would learn a lot more.
That being said, it is a blast for those who have never been on track before. Even if you have a lot of experience, I'm sure it's fun to get out there in a car that you don't have to be quite so careful with. Who cares if you rub the fenders off a '95 Dodge Neon?
The biggest thing it has taught me is just how expensive it is to build a car for the track. I had NO idea. But it has also opened up some doors for me, both getting to drive with some really experienced and respected drivers as well as slowly making a name for myself as a solid driver, but more importantly (to me) a good mechanic. It really is the epitome of grass-roots racing, the way it once was maybe 30-40 years ago when money and engineering were a little less plentiful in sportscar racing.
You should try it Brant. You'd have a blast. Get some of these other 914 guys out there with you and buy a ride with a team. You already got all the gear and experience!

George,

you are probably a ton more skilled than you give yourself credit for

I'm an old man these days.... age gives you experience, and also the benefit of paying for things over multiple years... the ability to absorb high costs over a multiple year plan

awesome to hear that you have had such clean participation
I need to find a ride
brant