| Author | Message | ||
| chris (Wrench_turner)
New member Username: Wrench_turner Post Number: 11 Registered: 5-2002 |
I would echo what John says about Formula Continental / Formula Mazda cars. I raced them back about 12 years ago and they would not be a great car to learn to drive in, and they ARE quite expensive to run. For pure fun I think that Formula Miata would be great - those cars are extremely tossable and confidence inspiring. | ||
| Michael Fennell (Mfennell70)
Junior Member Username: Mfennell70 Post Number: 60 Registered: 7-2001 |
It's easy to rent the Spec "Wrecker" Fords. Even shelling out to arrive and drive will cost far less than the 360 ever would. | ||
| Tim Gendreau (Tim)
Junior Member Username: Tim Post Number: 121 Registered: 3-2002 |
thank you all once again for all the great advice. I really appreciate you sharing your experience and taking the time to post these most informative messages for me. thank you thank you thank you !!!! | ||
| Jon P. Kofod (95f355c)
Junior Member Username: 95f355c Post Number: 163 Registered: 8-2001 |
Tim, I would echo what Terry just said. I race Spec Racer Fords and they are a blast. The other advantage is that you always have someone to race with as most SRF fields here on the east coast have between 20-30 cars. I recently raced at VIR and we had 62 Spec Racers registered and 58 ended up taking the green flag. A spec class teaches you quickly how to drive fast and also makes you realize how much of a difference good driving makes. When someone is 3 seconds a lap faster you know he is better driver and has beaten you with superior skill, not superior funding. The Dasio is a nice car but is uncompetitve in SCCA at the National level. At the regional level it can be competitive but it depends on how much you want to put into it. Here on the east coast I have seen about four of them but they were not driven well and easily trounced by the other DSR's and S2000's. Cheap to maintain yes, fast, yes, but not sure it would be the best to learn in. If you get to the level where you think you might like the Dasio a better alternative is the Radical SR3, but again this is a car for the experienced as it weighs about 1100 pounds and has 252 hp. It has lapped many of the UK circuts at about the same pace as a F3000 car and costs only about 45-50K. I am picking one up this fall (http://www.radicalmotorsport.com/) See picture below. Your best bet is to get a "tin" top car, race prepped and really learn to drive it well and then move up to a pure bred race car. I know it's hard to imagine yourself in Neon, Golf, Miata, and such when you just stepped out of an exotic pure bred 200 mph Italian race car, but it would take you years and thousands of dollars to ever learn what you need to know in that car. If you can't get past the image of a Neon or VW, then look at a race preped 944, Corvette, Camero, etc. A word of caution on Formula Mazda, it may look cheap but it's not. An FC car cost 39K new and a used one will run 30K. Unlike a Spec Racer Ford, an FC will eat up tires after every day and body parts are not cheap either such as rear wing and front nose cone. They are also not a good class to start out in unless you have a lot of track experience. They are devastatingly fast and not for the beginner. On the west coast there are very large fields, but here on the east coast there are not enough of them so they get classed in with the Formula Continentals and Formula Atlantics. An FM is close to a FC, then you have the FA's which are on another planet. I would race something inexpensive and competetive, such as SRX7, Spec Miata (great new class) and Spec Racer Ford. If you really want to do open wheel there is the Russell Series, Skip Barber Formula Dodge Series and the Formula Ford Series. Good Luck! Jon P. Kofod 1995 F355 Challenge #23 19XX Spec Racer Ford #6 1988 BMW M5 BMWCCA Club Racer  | ||
| Terry Springer (Tspringer)
Junior Member Username: Tspringer Post Number: 75 Registered: 4-2002 |
Tim, I saw on the other posts that your looking to sell the Challenge car because its too expensive to race and you want a little something "less" to learn with. I think a D962 may be jumping from the kettle into the fire... It would be cheaper, but its not going to be slower or easier to drive. Some of the guys running DSR with the Hyabusa motors are getting 200bhp... in a 1000lb car with sequential shifters. I travelled a similar path. Got into PCA track days and time trials with a '95 993. Wrecked it and subsequently decided that racing such an expensive (for me at least) car made no sense. Now I am looking at going with either a Spec RX7 for a year to learn or a Club Ford. Either can be had for under $10K ready to race and will offer extremely close racing with little expense. I plan on doing this for a year or two to really better my driving and learn racing as opposed to just track day driving and then move up to a faster class. I think any good instructor will tell you that you will become a better driver if you learn in an underpowered car. This forces you to focus on preserving momentum, trail braking and finesse in your car control. One of the bad things about lots of horsepower is it covers up mistakes. However, later when your racing and the other guys is not making these kinds of mistakes you will be baffled by why he is 2 secs a lap faster. Go to an SCCA race and see the different classes. The races I have watched, by far the closest racing and most hard fought victories are coming in the spec classes. Spec RX7, Spec Ford and Formula Mazda. My plan is to start with Spec7 and move on up. BTW: A Formula Mazda is very cheap to run and blistering fast. | ||
| Steve Marschman (Hossheim)
New member Username: Hossheim Post Number: 7 Registered: 8-2001 |
The Diasio has been approved for D Sports Racing... I have read that people feel it will not be competitive (too heavy?). | ||
| Michael Fennell (Mfennell70)
Junior Member Username: Mfennell70 Post Number: 59 Registered: 7-2001 |
More importantly: who are you going to race with? One very good bit of advice I got early on was "choose the class, not the car". I suppose you can do open track days with the D962 if it doesn't bother you that it's less than 1/2 the weight of all the street cars but if noone's racing one in your region, it will get pretty lonely out there. Better to figure out the competitive classes in your SCCA region and jump in with both feet, IMHO. | ||
| Tim Gendreau (Tim)
Junior Member Username: Tim Post Number: 119 Registered: 3-2002 |
anyone have any experience with the D962. there web site says it will hang with a corvette in the straights and leave it in the dust through the corners and this is with a stock 1000cc motor. some people are putting Hyabusa 1300cc motors in them. how do they handle? are they easy and inexpensive to reapir? |