Well the recent incident with my car and summit's turn three tire wall has left me with plenty of time to think and reflect about what i want to do, and what i realistically can do in the near future - concerning motorsports, life, finances, etc. While our perspective on past events always allows us to paint a much better outcome if we had changed this or that, we must always deal with the choices we've made and make our best judgements on where to go next.

A few thoughts - my incident could have been much worse, leaving me with a totalled car that i still owe money on and left me in very bad physical shape. My helath insurance doesnt so well cover illnesses and a visit to the doctor whenever i have a sniffle, but it does cover me in the event of a serious injury. I'm glad i have this. For those of you who do not know the details of your health policy, you ought to review them and make sure you're covered.

I think that my impact with the tire wall could have been avoided, and all the scenarios have been replayed in my head countless times. Whatever the hindsight outcome is, the reality is that i hit the wall pretty hard and i have a busted kar. I'm probably looking at $2500 at the body shop but i have the confidence that the work will be done right the first time. Its also nice to have a peice at home that you can drive to work while kar is in the shop.

After the kar is fixed, the roll bar will be coming out, all my OE parts are going back on the kar and i'm putting it up for sale in the local paper cheap - enough to get it out of my hands and to start thinking about another kar. The simple economics of it is, its cheaper to modify and build a honda as a track/race kar than it is a saturn. Parts are readily available, setup assistance is a post or phone call away, and everything is alot cheaper when compared to custom peices (shock housings, camber plates, $160 brake pads) which i'd need for my current ride.

I think the most important thing i bring to the track with me next time i go (other than a different car) is going to be my attitude. I would like to be more focused and set more definite goals for myself next time i go out for each session - and work at them slowly. I was driving very hard the last few track events (CMP, VIR, SP) and probably harder than i should have been driving in my primary vehicle. I would back it off to 8/10ths or so - sliding your car around through T3 and T8 and using most of the tire's useable slip angle probably isnt a good thing. I remember several times on saturday morning the tires were making that "thats about all the grip i got" noise and i would have to make (small) corrections in my steering angle to keep the kar going the direction that i wanted to as the tires would look for grip across the track surface, which can be inconsistent at SP.

I would like to instruct and gain more experience as a driver, and work on all the things that Dan tells us to in classroom (eliminate shifts and turns, unwind steering sooner, apply throttle sooner) on track in a non-competitive environment.

I was thinking this would be a possible route to take: Buy a decent car as a daily driver - i was considering a '90-'93 accord. I figure they're really fuggin reliable, cheap to buy ($2000-$2500), cheap to maintain and pretty comfortable. Would serve me well while...... I buy another car for track use. Car wouldnt see many street miles and kept under cover/garage mostly, but would like it to retain streetability (a/c, windows, heat, interior). It would probably be easier to buy a car already built for said purpose than to buy one and modify it. Anyone have any better ideas for this, or know of any kars for sale? I think i might have one lined up but i cant be certain (dont put all your eggs in one basket, keep options open). I dont know that i'd be ready to buy a built-and-caged race kar just yet. I was thinking of a CRX, or possibly a Prelude and building it slowly over the spring/summer and, if possible take the comp school in the fall. I know its always cheaper to buy built but i know i wont be going wheel to wheel this season. The eventual goal, however is to run in ECHC.

Thoughts, comments, or welcome...

RJ

 

Now that you're at a good transition point in your life, why not take up crack and hookers? It's probably cheaper in the long run

Dude, seriously... Find a cheap car you like, buy it, fix it, track it. Plan to have 2 cars eventually -- one for street, one for track. Just like you said! It's the perfect plan! Then save up for a truck and trailer eventually.

 

!!!!!Spec RX-7!!!!!

Al, who still doesn't get why you sold that nice one you bought last year.

 

About your car choices... I'd recommend doing the opposite of what I've done... Rather than buy a car, label it a "track car", and gradually build it up, here's what I propose: Buy an adequate "track car"... either ready to run, or finish it off very quickly and call it done. By this, I mean maybe you buy a civic/crx/sentra/nx2000... install a rollbar/cage, a decent suspension and call it finished. The idea would be that you'd bought it cheap, and will be able to sell the car and parts at a minimal loss somewhere down the road. When the time comes to race, sell this car and parts and go buy a racecar. My thinking is that with this initial car you won't be putting wear on parts that you want to race on later... you won't have a constant money pit into which you can throw all your extra cash/credit... you can possibly invest the money you would have spent... and you'll be able to take advantage of the rapid depreciation of "race cars" when you're ready to take that step.

 

Sadly enough it is. Probably less addicting too....

Because its cheaper to buy a built car, and much less hassle with trying to sort out issues that lie beneath a 20 year old street car.... that and neil's peice was such a headache to build.

I was thinking buy a car that would serve as reliable transportation, and buy a car that i can build (slowly) into a honda-challenge ride for late '03/'04. If you've invested enough money into putting a cage into a car and getting it track ready (sourcing and fixing all known problems so that its reliable) then its probably advantageous just to gut it and put the saftey gear in rather than sell off what you have and buy a built car. A crx would be cheap, however i have always been intrigued by the 94-97 preludes. Especially in that deep blue/green color....

 

If it's gotta be a Honda, you can't go wrong with the 88-91 CRX Si. I saw one the other day for $1300. I almost bought it, but my garage and driveway is full.

Otherwise, 95 to 98 Neon ACR. These cars are dirt cheap and they just plain rock nadz. Parts are disgustingly cheap ($110 for a set <yes, A SET> of Mopar competition springs) and contrary to the myth they hold up pretty well. Renee's has 125K on the odo and has only needed front wheel bearings and a timing belt.

They don't have the fit, finish, and smooth hum of a Honda product, but what the hell, they cost half as much.
Brakes? Much better than what I have in my GSR. MUCH better.
I'm amazed every time I drive that car at an autocross. I always get out thinking "I can't believe that car cost $11K brand freekin' new."

 

1. I have a '91 Accord in amazing shape (minus rust) that you may want. It's auto, has no pw or ac so I'm guessing that's a no.
2. Has anyone ever told you how annoying reading "kar" repeatedly is?
3. Get a hatch (92-95). Roomie enough for all ur junk, yet fun enough for the track.

 

jmu boy has a good accord he'd let go of!! l\

 

I go along with the suggestion of 2 cars, one for street and one for road racing. As to my suggestion for the 2 cars
Interchangeable Parts
Not only for spares, but also familiarity of drinving and trouble diagnosis.

 

I would concentrate on school first then worry about all this "track experieence"

 

I would pass on the accord , its big and bulky......

the two best choices would be 88-91 CRX/Civic Si
- or -
90-93 Integra - ample power , features galore , etc.


[Modified by Doctor CorteZ, 2:00 PM 11/13/2002]

 

I got your big and bulky.................

 

Interesting.... The guy who was supposed to buy my CRX seems to have disappeared. So one could buy the $1300 CRX, and what's left of my racecar for $1500. Then swap over the engine, tranny, ECU, and wiring harness from the $1300 one, sell everything left over (like the seats, body parts, interior parts, etc), and have a fully built H4 car for about $2500.


Matt

 

an excellent point Ryan, if you plan on going to grad school then that is going to take a considerable amount of time and money from your racing plans. Better to concentrate on one than to halfass both.

 

FWIW, I started doing track events in August 1998. I also started my MBA in August 1998. I never had a problem doing both at the same time, as well as working a full time job. Yes, there were a couple of times when I brought a textbook with me to the track, but for the most part it wasn't in issue...

Matt, M.B.A.

 

I knew you'd stick up for the tank......

 

would prep an ITR again if he had to. I just love it. I like the hatchbacks as well as I daily drive a '95 CX/SI, but I love racing the R. I don't believe I'd have as good of a time racing a hatchback, or any other car for that matter. ITRz 0wn...except for those damn red Preludes

Jason-
who doesn't regret the car decision in the least

 

the one I worked on is mainly fast and competitive because of the driver, it would be really hard to set the car up for the beginner racer

 

Ummm, I gotta add something that I really can't believe no one has mentioned yet:

http://www.rivergate5speed.com/for_sale.html

You won't find a better built track/race car, you would have to nothing to it to make it ready for ECHC competition. It's affordable, 3g Accords are drop dead reliable (I know, I've had 3 of 'em), junk yards are FULL of them if you need spares, it was professionally built by a top notch race team, and it can be driven to the track if you so desire!

Buy this car before you miss out on it, get another one for your daily driver. You'll grow intimately familiar with the car that way. The 3g Accords really are pretty good cars, comfortable and decent size-wise. And they're inexpensive.

Did I mention they're inexpensive? Oh, and that Rivergate Accord was professionally built, if I forgot to mention that.

You won't regret it......

 

if you're interested, there is a former Speedvision Touring Car Prelude for sale in GRM for 10k.

 

All these choices...

Here's another: You mentioned you want to maintain streetability (I doubt a WC car or the Rivergate Accord fall into that catagory). Friend of mine is selling a track-ready SE-R. Cage, belts, some suspension and power goodies, as well as full interior, A/C and a pimpy sunroof!! Probably could be had for ~$3000. Let me know if you want more details. Owner would really like for it to go to an enthusiast who will use it as intended (track, autocross, something).

And nobody mention that Rivergate Accord again, dammit! (sez Matt, waiting to close on his new house so he can check his financial situation )

Edits: because I can't fookin spel fer krap.
[Modified by MaddMatt, 11:13 AM 11/13/2002]


[Modified by MaddMatt, 11:14 AM 11/13/2002]


[Modified by MaddMatt, 11:19 AM 11/13/2002]

 

Not true. I learned on a Prelude VTEC without ever dropping a single wheel off the track, let alone spinning. They are extremely fast, and very easy to drive.

Matt (wondering if there will be a black tank in ECHC soon when somebody buys mine)

 

Its for sale????

No really, look on ebay, you can find Prelude SI's like mine, a good H3 car, for 2500 - 3000k.. count on spending at least 2k more for the VTEC motor..

George, I did do a lot of work to the car, but everything was pretty much done by myself, in my own given time.. Basically, I stripped it, put the cage in, and everything else was built to the cheapest stuff I could buy... Just like that, it was fast out of the box.. There is no more prep in my prelude then what Franza has in his ITR, or Shultz in his GSR, or even Jack's/John's Hatch..

 

Once I get the new cage in the car, with an Adjustable seat, have at it...

 

I know you said you'd like to try Honda Challenge. But if that is not a requisite, I'd recommend a 91-94 Nissan Sentra SE-R. 140hp, LSD, plentiful parts and upgrade options. It's a great performer out of the box. It's every bit as reliable as a Honda product, and generally much cheaper to boot.

I just bought a 1992 SE-R in great shape with only 75,000 mi from its original owner last week for $2000.

I've read about a possible spec-SE-R series starting on the east coast...

Andrew