Track forum general chit chat

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by MaynardZed

Congrats! Having faster guys to chase is the quickest way up that learning curve. You'll get there sooner than you think. Good to see SCCA so active up there. Nothing at all from them here in AZ. Just NASA and ProAuto Sports.

I'm hearing SpeedVentures is starting to do more W2W racing? Anyone in SoCal can confirm?

I'm so far out ahead in points for ProAuto Sports, I might not race with them this weekend. Got a bunch of Pontiac parts I should sell at the Pontiac festival instead. Need to save up some dough$$. I really, really want an NP01. I've seen used ones getting down below $50K now. Might be a new fun challenge for me.

Attachment 2170356

Ok, morning ponderings are over...

I’ve heard SV does supermiata and spec corvette but don’t personally know anyone racing with them. ChampCar and LuckyDog (both for enduros) are the other orgs for w2w that seem common other than SCCA and nasa.

So there was an np01 entered in the enduro. It came second and was beaten by an older tube frame rx7 gt1 car. I spoke with one of the np01 drivers and he wasn’t very impressed. I actually haven’t spoken to anyone impressed by it..... get a radical?

100% agree on chasing the faster guys. But it’s one thing to know the technique (aka enter riverside at BWR at 100mph and 4 wheel slide the car through the corner) and another to implement it guess I know what to practice.

[MaynardZed]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

So there was an np01 entered in the enduro. It came second and was beaten by an older tube frame rx7 gt1 car. I spoke with one of the np01 drivers and he wasn’t very impressed. I actually haven’t spoken to anyone impressed by it..... get a radical?

Thanks, yeah I'm just in the early stages of looking at stuff. The NP01 is not designed to the fastest thing out there, just fast enough to make it interesting. I've only seen one on track up close and he must've been kind of a noob in it because I was way faster than him in my E36. Apparently they can fit big guys, and I like the idea of a full cage. A two seat radical converted to one seat might be an option too. And definitely quicker than an NP01. Need to make sure its a big enough car I can still run in close wheel group. Our open wheel group numbers are kind of dwindling.

Been kind of eyeing 997 or 991.1 cup cars as their prices have come down. Big $$ for running costs / rebuilds though.

[PrimeBMW]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Hi all, just wanted to share that I got my SCCA full comp license this weekend after completing my 7th regional race and a 2hr enduro

I had been working up to this for the last year so I’m really happy about it.

I’m still 6-7% off the pace of the podium winners in SM (eg really slow) and will keep chipping away at that next year.

You had to complete 7+ races to get your full comp license??? Unbelievable. I would have to read the regs but believe it's only supposed to be 2-3 races (depending on points) in which you complete at least half the laps. Meanwhile I'm sure the front runners were bumping, banging and crashing........you had to keep it clean. 7 is just unnecessary.

[PrimeBMW]

Originally Posted by MaynardZed

Thanks, yeah I'm just in the early stages of looking at stuff. The NP01 is not designed to the fastest thing out there, just fast enough to make it interesting. I've only seen one on track up close and he must've been kind of a noob in it because I was way faster than him in my E36. Apparently they can fit big guys, and I like the idea of a full cage. A two seat radical converted to one seat might be an option too. And definitely quicker than an NP01. Need to make sure its a big enough car I can still run in close wheel group. Our open wheel group numbers are kind of dwindling.

Been kind of eyeing 997 or 991.1 cup cars as their prices have come down. Big $$ for running costs / rebuilds though.

The cheap Cup cars need engine and transmission rebuilds. Make sure you understand the rebuild costs before buying. It's not pretty.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by MaynardZed

Been kind of eyeing 997 or 991.1 cup cars as their prices have come down. Big $$ for running costs / rebuilds though.

I think the problem with Cup cars -besides running costs- is that they are almost impossible to drive.


I don't think regular humans should have them at all.

[MyFragileHalogen]

Originally Posted by PrimeBMW

You had to complete 7+ races to get your full comp license??? Unbelievable. I would have to read the regs but believe it's only supposed to be 2-3 races (depending on points) in which you complete at least half the laps. Meanwhile I'm sure the front runners were bumping, banging and crashing........you had to keep it clean. 7 is just unnecessary.

Oh hey I recognize your car. PrimeBMW is one of those front runners who are bumping, banging and crashing! In fact he won several races this year I think.

[PrimeBMW]

Originally Posted by MyFragileHalogen

Oh hey I recognize your car. PrimeBMW is one of those front runners who are bumping, banging and crashing! In fact he won several races this year I think.

Unfortunately I found one guy that wasn't watching his mirror (or anything beside him) and another that wanted the same space as I did. Neither gave way. Those two incidents cost me to rebuild the entire front suspension at about 20K. Yes I won some races. But man this car is expensive to operate.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by PrimeBMW

The cheap Cup cars need engine and transmission rebuilds. Make sure you understand the rebuild costs before buying. It's not pretty.

$50k for full engine and transmission rebuild every 50 competition hours is my understanding

What have you been quoted

[PrimeBMW]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

$50k for full engine and transmission rebuild every 50 competition hours is my understanding

What have you been quoted

Oh it's been years since I've asked about it but basically so expensive that it's a toss up between a nearly new/low hours car compared to one that seems like a bargain + needs rebuilt. The issue is that they need to be rebuilt by approved shops that can do so to spec. Now if you don't care about spec then it can be done for significantly less.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by PrimeBMW

Oh it's been years since I've asked about it but basically so expensive that it's a toss up between a nearly new/low hours car compared to one that seems like a bargain + needs rebuilt. The issue is that they need to be rebuilt by approved shops that can do so to spec. Now if you don't care about spec then it can be done for significantly less.

Right. and if you are using it for DE and not competition, my understanding if you can stretch the rebuilt interval to 100 hours

On the topic of costs, do you have a per hour or per event cost estimate for your E46M race car?

I'm trying to figure out what budgets look like outside of SM so I can be realistic about my funding levels before switching platforms in the future.

[Pic18]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Right. and if you are using it for DE and not competition, my understanding if you can stretch the rebuilt interval to 100 hours

On the topic of costs, do you have a per hour or per event cost estimate for your E46M race car?

I'm trying to figure out what budgets look like outside of SM so I can be realistic about my funding levels before switching platforms in the future.

Look into Spec E46, I think there are a good number of guys running them in NASA in NorCal and you can run T3 in SCCA. Fully built cars run in the 30k-50k range and have minimal additional costs once done. Running a competitive E46 M3 will be likely twice that if not more in the long run.

[MaynardZed]

Originally Posted by Pic18

Look into Spec E46, I think there are a good number of guys running them in NASA in NorCal and you can run T3 in SCCA. Fully built cars run in the 30k-50k range and have minimal additional costs once done. Running a competitive E46 M3 will be likely twice that if not more in the long run.

Yeah, good tip. We raced with a fun group of CA based specE46 cars at Chuckwalla this year. They were right in the mix with most GTS3 cars, a tad slower than the top GTS3 cars that had aero. Good racers and we had a lot of fun with them all weekend.

Mike Halpin, who helps Leroy at Flatout Motorworx here on occasion in Phoenix used to race in the World Challenge series with the E46. He much prefers the non M E46 (or any E36) over the E46M3 chassis. Says the E46M3 pushes too much, won't rotate like the non M E46. Mike's old car is for sale, so is another World Challenge E46 car on eBay. $30K or so gets you a car with over $100K in parts alone.

[bracer]

Anyone going to ACS this weekend with Speedventures?

[PrimeBMW]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

Right. and if you are using it for DE and not competition, my understanding if you can stretch the rebuilt interval to 100 hours

On the topic of costs, do you have a per hour or per event cost estimate for your E46M race car?

I'm trying to figure out what budgets look like outside of SM so I can be realistic about my funding levels before switching platforms in the future.

I was also going to encourage you to look into a spec46. The shop that built and supports my car has a spec46 for rent and/or sale. Currently it is converted to run Lucky Dog enduros. A R Motorsports.
My GT2 car is not a good example nor have the expenses stabilized. It is still very much in development so things are constantly failing and being replaced/improved. I'm basically trying to make my car as fast as the original GTRs. Imagine all the might of BMW behind that effort and then little ol me trying to do the same lap times. It's not cheap.

[Lappy]

I'm actually looking at e46 330s right now to run spec46, what kind of world of hurt am I in for finacially? I found a couple good bone stock cars in the 5-7k range. Im assuming another 10k min to get it track ready.

[Gomeler]

Originally Posted by Lappy

I'm actually looking at e46 330s right now to run spec46, what kind of world of hurt am I in for finacially? I found a couple good bone stock cars in the 5-7k range. Im assuming another 10k min to get it track ready.

Depends on your definition of track ready and your goal. Spec E46 builds I think are in the $15k-$20k range + donor? I haven't heavily researched them, so I could be off by a bit.

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by PrimeBMW

I was also going to encourage you to look into a spec46. The shop that built and supports my car has a spec46 for rent and/or sale. Currently it is converted to run Lucky Dog enduros. A R Motorsports.
My GT2 car is not a good example nor have the expenses stabilized. It is still very much in development so things are constantly failing and being replaced/improved. I'm basically trying to make my car as fast as the original GTRs. Imagine all the might of BMW behind that effort and then little ol me trying to do the same lap times. It's not cheap.

That sounds expensive for sure.

What’s your take on spec corvette? 380whp (Ie close to stock) 3200lb with driver and 200tw tires is intriguing since i would rather pay for Japanese or American parts than German ones

There’s a 500whp nasa ttu winning car for sale for $14k also so vettes seem really inexpensive for their Performance level

I have also seen radicals and other sports racer type cars for that $30-$50k range mentioned earlier.

I guess I never seriously looked at spec e46 before due to those other classes.

[fanatic1]

Originally Posted by blackey

Anyone going to ACS this weekend with Speedventures?

50/50, but weather looks good

Which day you going?

[bracer]

I'm going Sunday

[Lappy]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

That sounds expensive for sure.

What’s your take on spec corvette? 380whp (Ie close to stock) 3200lb with driver and 200tw tires is intriguing since i would rather pay for Japanese or American parts than German ones

There’s a 500whp nasa ttu winning car for sale for $14k also so vettes seem really inexpensive for their Performance level

I have also seen radicals and other sports racer type cars for that $30-$50k range mentioned earlier.

I guess I never seriously looked at spec e46 before due to those other classes.

I had a c5z prior, although it all sounds nice and cheap, everything is a massive pain the ass imo. If you are prepared to drop subframes and replace control arms then go for it. Not sure what year you are looking at however the following things will need to be addressed/maintained.

Torque tube bushings: Subframe needs to be dropped
Rear Diff: Subframe needs to be dropped
Clutch: Subframe need to dropped
Control Arm Bushing: Stock are complete utter garbage, either buy new arms or spend 2-3k on bushings
Master Cylinder is crap, probably already sorted on a TT car if I had to guess
If its a c5z: replace valve springs yearly, not a big deal
Massive heating issues: Need to run all sorts of coolers and upgraded radiators to even think about pushing the car.
Brakes: Factory is awful, ABS unit likes to go south on you
Hubs: Again, awful.

Long story short, it was the most raw car I have owned, it was a blast, it wasnt a blast everytime I had to lay on my back trying to figure out wtf broke now lol.

[bracer]

How many NP01's are actually racing? The light cars are a blast as cornering and braking is unreal compared to a 3000lb car. Running costs can also be quite low as brakes last a season, motor doesn't use 10 gallons a session, tires are smaller, so therefore cheaper, etc...

I ran a DSR (similar to a Radical) car for a few years. It was a blast, but it's going to be limited for competition to who shows up and how they can drive. There was quite a bit of just running laps without a lot of actual racing VS something like SM where there are 40+ cars each weekend.

[PrimeBMW]

Originally Posted by nicknaz

That sounds expensive for sure.

What's your take on spec corvette? 380whp (Ie close to stock) 3200lb with driver and 200tw tires is intriguing since i would rather pay for Japanese or American parts than German ones

There's a 500whp nasa ttu winning car for sale for $14k also so vettes seem really inexpensive for their Performance level

I have also seen radicals and other sports racer type cars for that $30-$50k range mentioned earlier.

I guess I never seriously looked at spec e46 before due to those other classes.

I really don't have a handle on the corvette but I've actually been kicking around buying \building one for Lucky Dog.
I have seen a few national contending spec46 listed for 32-40K. From what I gather the spec spring and dampening is not ideal. Therefore they are difficult to find the right/fast setup. Make sure you find someone will to share that with you.
*Is this next car for competition or HPDE?