I don't know anyone else here besides myself and EFFECT that plans to run in MWHC this year. Speak up if you're out there... we can't let the sides of the country get all the attention...

 

Ed, I'll be at a couple of them with something......it will be orange and a Honda at least

As of right now, I plan to be at the Mid Ohio event, Hyperfest, the Gingerman race (if I'm back from Europe yet), and the last race at Putnam Park. If I go to any of the others it just depends on how competitive and how much interest there is in the MWHC. Oh yea, and also how much the SCCA will **** me off this year!

 

Hooray! I for sure won't be at all of them either, but Gingerman is 100%. I hope to get in a couple more if funds allow.

 

After seeing that NASA is getting that closer to home, I'd really like to hit a few of the MWHC races in whatever class this car will drop into. No chance of making the M-O event but maybe I could find a way to spectate. I'm really going to try to hit Putnam Park though. I've held an annual driver's school/lapping day there for 10 years and probably have nearly 800 laps there although none have included passing in anger. Hopefully that should be some "home track" advantage.

Need to read the rules and see what to do and what class I'm in. Not thrilled about the tire requirements since my car is being set-up for true slicks but I'll crank in a ton more negative camber and try the Toyos.

 

Cool, you can check out the rulebook at http://www.honda-challenge.com goto the West site and that's the rules we're using. BTW, for MWHC, there is no required tire until the August 30 event at the beaver.. although Putnam Park will have one. I'll be finishing off some Kumhos before then.

I got maybe 300 laps at Gingerman so hopefully I can do well there.

 

National Site is http://www.hondachallenge.com no -

 

Oh yea, I forgot about that spec tire crap after August! I doubt I'll be doing any MWHC races once the spec tire rule goes into affect. Partially to protest a rule that I don't agree with. Partially because our cars are SCCA race cars first and all my wheels will only have Hoosiers. I'm not going to go out of my way to buy more tires that I probably won't need and won't like (as much)!

 

I plan on attending the Mid-O races, at the very least....

of course, I am ECHC..... so that is at least one H1 entrant!

 

Since Im new to NASA events I Plan to run the HPDE at Mid ohio in April then the next HPDE at Beaver Run in May, then the Competition School at Gingerman in July. Then I will actually be able to run the MWHC, so I won't be able to compete till later in the season. I look forward to meeting a lot of you guys!

 

Looks like my racecar is an H1 with either of the race engines in it as they put SCCA production cars their automatically. What sucks is that with the removal of the racing slicks and going with the DOT tires, you have just removed much of what will make the car faster so the car will be hopelessly outclassed I expect.

If they move IT cars up one notch from their normal class, it would make sense that they would move an SCCA Production car up two spots from it's normal class since it is not even allowed to run the race tires it was designed for. That would make it in H2. Not that I've seen these HC classes run but since the car with slicks will only be turning 2-4 secs faster than the ITA times (M-O at least), cutting off the good tires and throwing it in with NSXs, hybrids, and a basic unlimited class will just make it fodder.

 

Ah yes ... yet another ``I have yet to turn a wheel in Honda Challenge, but here are 100 reasons why I think the rules and the series suck'' thread.

Where is Scott to say ..... Froggy Panties ..... when you need it!

 

Back off...I never said this was going to keep me from trying Honda Challenge. I've already acknowledged that I'll buy Toyos (that I wouldn't otherwise want and probably yet more rims too) to run HC. I've been roadracing for 15 years and know well that if a car is not classified where it has a chance, the first thing that you do is run a proper effort to prove the true competitive level then petition the sanctioning body with evidence to adjust appropriately.

I doubt there have been many SCCA Production Hondas yet run in H1 to get a true reading. One of the longest current threads going is about how strong the H1 competition is going to be.

 

No harm meant .. really.

True. We had one GP CRX run at round one in H1. I believe he was on the Hoosier slicks and it was his first time running the track.

http://www.honda-challenge.com/cgi-b...on=2002&race=2

He qualified and placed rather well though. This year, that car would run in H2. That was the only prod car that ran. No FP/HP cars ran last year.

EDIT: Little url trouble.


[Modified by SPiFF, 12:23 PM 1/30/2003]

 

I plan to run the Summit Point event in June.

 

Yeah, I talked to Blake right after that event and he was pretty positive even though he was two sec. back of the other car and on slciks (I thought I'd remembered that). He is an OPM Motorsports employee with a nice car and a good driver so it was probably pretty representative of Prod car. So add some DOT Toyos and it will slow down a few seconds at least. Basically what I was referring to ....but again bitching without proving is just bitching. If the car will be H2 this year (I didn't see that in the rules last night) then it makes more sense.

 

Next week I am visiting Lucas Motorsports near Cleveland. They build and run many Grand Am Cup, World Challenge, and IT prepped Hondas. I have also visited Phoenix Motorsports who run Integra LS cars in Grand Am Cup (and also run http://www.theracesite.com ). They will be making some events that don't clash with Grand Am Cup. Look for them to bring one Integra LS to Mid Ohio. A lot of the drivers for Lucas and Phoenix were instructors and racers with us last year. Some H-T members may remember the very fast Yellow 1990 Civic Si that almost won the first ever BeaveRun/NASA exhibition race 9/2/02. Some strong drivers, that have proven to be very helpful instructors. Should make for a good year of racing, and mentorship.

 

Yea .. I went to high school with Blake and was up at CMP for the race. The 2003 ECHC & National rules have FP in H1, GP in H2, and HP in H3. Though don't those cars run bias ply tyres making it kind of a PITA to switch at all?

 

My car is EP or FP depending on engine so it's still H1 for me. The race slicks are bias and prefer very little negative camber (under -1.5) and tend to slide sooner and more consistantly. The DOT radials like lots of negative camber (-2.5 or more) and tend to stick better before sliding but have a harder line to break away. The big thing is that the slicks are just softer compounds and really wide with the Goodyear having 10.5 inches of tread rubber width on a 23/0.9 x 15 cantilever slick. Back when I had Toyo Proxes RA1s, they were so hard and wore so long that you gave them away before they actually wore out. We did a the Longest Day 24 hr. at Nelson Ledges in an RX7 on only 8 13 inch Toyos. Not realy ideal but if everyone has the same rubber then it make it more equal and economical.

 

someday hopefully.......

 

Blake also ran the GP 1st gen. CRX at LMS in September
http://www.honda-challenge.com/cgi-b...on=2002&race=7
http://www.honda-challenge.com/cgi-b...on=2002&race=8

I thought he did pretty well.

 

I'm going to try to make the event in April at Mid-Ohio. I want to check out a NASA event and the cheap track time will be great R&D for me. I think we'll have 2-4 cars there. (2 for racing and maybe 2 for HPDE)

Hope to see you there!

 

I am pretty sure that Ryan & Karl decided that SS & Production cars will run using the tires mandated by their SCCA class. I will need to check my notes @ home later today.

 

Very true! Again, the good thing about HC is that IS a mechanism to make changes in PLACE.

Krbobcat, in your statement you make sound like you haven't even run the RA-1 @ all. How can you condem them? For the price of ~ 2 1/2 Hoosiers, you can buy a set of tires that should last the whole MidWest schedule. Did you see CRXLees post about them making sense? In addition, there will be another reason that people will want to run them.

 

You're right, I've never run them and could probably stand to give them a shot. However, I just don't like being told the one and only tire I can use so someone else can make some money. I realize that they're also cheaper if you pay the regular price. But with my relationship with Hoosier, I don't. Being that the Toyo's are the spec tire, I highly doubt you could work anything out with them on a price break since you don't have a choice.

It's the same thing that happened to Realtime when the WC took on a spec tire. PD told me that he use to get Hoosiers for next to nothing and is now paying "face value" for every tire on any of their cars so they can go a couple of seconds slower. Also, my cars are already set up to run the Hoosiers. I remember going back and forth from Kumho's to Hoosiers and the ideal set ups were pretty different.

Just my $.02

 

Thanks for your honest post. I do understand your position.

Unfortunately, most of the racers out there are not individually supported by tire companies. Of course, I am not saying that your aren't worthy of it or didn't work hard to get it. The spec tire honestly was gone to so that most of the people would be able to save money. As CRXLee pointed out, it also helps to even out the competition if everyone is running a spec tire. I also know that it takes some time to figure out the optimal alignment settings for different tires. I think that you will find the diff. between the H & T tires is less radical than the H & K brands. I would urge you to see if you can score some take offs to try out.