sounds like it could be a lot of fun to run a car like this....
http://www.specmiata.com/specifications.htm1

too bad there isn't a Honda spec class of some sort that i know of. Whether that be a 5th gen civic HB, or S2000. But it would have to be "affordable" type of car. So a civic would do. Again...they need a Honda class of some sort.

 

I hate to bust your bubble, but "affordable" racing really is a pipe dream.

I asked Tom Fowler up at OPM yesterday his opinion on what you hear about being able to competitvely build a spec miata for less than $10K. His response was "bull."
He said you could build one for that, but unless you were phenominally better skilled than the other drivers you could never run up front.
For a competitive one... $16 to $17K.
That is no cheaper than a good ITA car (you can buy Louis Boustani's CRX for $11K right now) and you could get one helluva ITB or ITC car for much less.

Maybe in a few years folks will start selling good SMs for around $10K... who knows.

 

well, I never thought of racing to be "cheap". if someone wants cheap, go street race.

just wonder why they don't have a spec class for honda's.


[Modified by YodaIsGod, 8:37 PM 1/22/2002]

 

 

Cheap until the legal fees start piling up. But of course when you're worried about whether or not Bubba is gonna stop by your cell tonight for a "date," who cares about money!

 

But a real hardcore street racer has mAd SkIlLz y0! so he won't get caught therefore it is cheap.

 

Well... the sad truth is that most late model Honda "enthusiasts" aren't interested in road racing. They are interested in standing around in parking lots holding up their baggy pants and street "racing" as you so keenly pointed out. Now, before anyone gets pissed at that statement, keep in mind what Dennis Miller said about generalizations... "Generalizations are dangerous, narrow minded, and unfair... unless of course they happen to be true."

In the meantime there is the Honda Challenge and SCCA ITA (which is pretty much a spec CRX thing).

 

RoadRacer is 100% correct. I bought a 1990 Miata last year with dreams of Spec Miata. Once I added up the real costs (buildup of car, maintenance, tow vehicle, etc.) the cost was too much for me.

The best bet will be to wait a year or two. People will start selling already built Spec Miata cars because they can't afford to race anymore.

Right now, my Miata will turn into an autocross CSP car and a track day car. Also, maybe Solo I.

 

News flash: I'm a part Mazda guy now. Yesterday we talked with Tom and put something together at OPM for a Spec Miata for this year. OPM has one built already and are building at least three more, one of which I'll be driving in the ECR series with my friend and long time CRX co-driver, Louis. The first three races of the season at R.A, VIR and RR are a definite as of now for us and if things go well, the option is there to run the rest of the season with OPM. I'm quite exited at the chance to run a TOP car managed by OPM which is the best team around. I've already heard of a bunch of really great drivers making the switch to SM for this year (partly because of all the contingency and year end prize money in the ECR), so I wouldn't be surprised if SM might even top ITS as the single class with highest number of entries at an scca race some time this year. It sure like it will be extremely tight and I hope we do well. I'll still be doing a couple of local ITA races here and there with the CRX and we're planning to be there at the first Honda-Challenge event in April.

And Scott is right about the cost of building a TOP Spec Miata. $16K is what it takes. You can find a used SM for about $8.5K with stock engine, transmission and bolt in autopower cage. But keep in mind that all the top cars are first torn down to pieces and then rebuilt anew. So yes, there will be spec miatas out there which are more "spec" than others - that's always been the name of the game in competitive racing, unfortunately.


[Modified by Hracer, 5:09 PM 1/22/2002]

 

Spec miata is pretty cool..
a friend of mine races...
I will get around to racing spec miata once I'm done banging door panels with stock cars
I think it's a great class...
more about driver less about $ and car

 

I've been eyeing this class for a short while, and assuming I get the job I want upon graduation in May I'll probably be building/buying one for the following season.

Competitive Spec Miatas are just like competitive showroom-stock cars. There's not much "showroom" or "stock" about them. The cool thing is that there will be a ton of cars built to the rules, by talented people, so I think cheaters will be easy to spot. The fields, especially down here (SEDIV), look to be huge. One thing that drives me nuts about autocross is racing against 3 people, 2 of whom has no clue and the other is still a ways back. If all goes well (nationally-recognized rules) there should be a whole bunch of these things around, with packed fields and tight racing.

Miatas are stone reliable, add to that the spec nature of the series, and it becomes very driver-oriented as opposed to $$$ or tuner or engineer. For me thats a plus. Down the road I'd love to put my BSME to work and play with DSRs but for now I think this type of series is more within my means.

 

I think it would be cool to have a spec B16 class. The rules are as follows. You can use any Honda chassis as long as it is heavier than 2100lbs with driver. This includes:

Every year Civic
Every year Integra

You must have a B16 longblock with factory intake manifolds.
Any 5 speed factory Honda tranny is allowed
15"x7 Wheels
All lights must remain in place for there will be racing at night as well as in the rain

That would be cool

#18 ITA CRX
95 (gifted) GSR

 

http://www.racernetwork.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000892.html

 

Mazda supports grassroots racing better than any other manufacturer. All parts can be bought at cost through Mazda Competition Parts in California. The Miata was a logical progession of the Spec RX-7 concept which has been around for 5+ years (same manufacturer, RWD, momentum cars). And who really wants to race a FWD economy sedan anyways?

What is "spec" about a class that allows multiple engines, chassis, etc? It would be cool, but it would also be expensive (think Foo's Civic).

 

We've built 4 spec Miatas and they all end up about 10-12K parts only for front running cars, so 16K for a reputable shop to build one is about right. You can build them for about 8K if you want an open dif, handheld fire ext, stock wheels, y donor car, etc. You may not win but it's a lot of fun for 8K. As David said though, tow vehicle, safety equip, trailer, tires, entry fees, there's just nothing cheap about racing.

 

I should have my spec rx7 put together for well under $4K... front runner? who knows, the engine seems strong. Dont count on that, but i do plan on having lots of fun And its one of the few cars you can drive to the track...

-Ryan

 

new mazda motors are around $1500...
used honda motors $3000
rebuild of honda motor $1200

I'll be racing miatas as soon as I can

 

I retired from street racing after i got 9 points on my liscense!

later,

aj

 

I wish the D16Z6 cars (5th gen Civic) weren't classed in ITA. Kinda hard to be competitive there in the platform. If the SCCA took a look at lap times & made some changes, there might be more of the 'newer' models/gen. out there. Of course, there would still be too many 'rice boys' making life hard for everyone. Mmmm, cops love 'rice', taste like tickets!

 

Aren't the new Civics in SSB or SSC? I KNOW I saw some when I was watching the run-offs on Speedvision.


Matt

 

I would vote for "Spec DX". 1992-1995 Civic DX (HB, Coupe or 4dr), stripped to an IT kind of level, with stock rebuild engine/trans, spec'd bolt-on suspension parts and brake pads, weighing in at around 2400# with driver. Think "ECHC Light". To keep everyone honest, 1/2 through the season, the two points leaders would be required to trade engines and transmissions with two entrants drawn randomly off of the list...

My logic is based not on ultimate performance but instead on a bang:buck ratio. On my one-mile bike ride to school, there are seven of these cars being neglected by college students, waiting to become race cars. SCCA's defined weights make them (and many other Honda products) uncompetitive in IT.

Kirk

 

Heh I'm sure a lot (actually all) 240SX ITA owners would love that implemented in IT when Stretch ran. Still that's not fair since Stretch put his own money (lots of it of course) into making those $$$$ motors, so I'm sure someone running off the pace with a stock motor would love the trade. Even in a Spec DX, there would be plenty of ways to raise the costs to that of Spec Miata. There's just no way around it.

 

True.

I don't think they are. My car is classed as ITS with the sohc vtec motor (d16z6).

 

hmm...i would really like to see a Spec Civic HB class.

5th and 6th gen Civic HB can participate. It'll be fairly easy to get the specs down, but using the Spec Miata as a guide for MOST of the required parts.

As much as many people would like to use the B16A or the B18C1 (B18C5 would not be very cost effective) for the motor...it would make more sense to use the a motor that was more wildley available for the HB. D16Y8 (or was it the D16Z8?!) SOHC VTEC 1.6L motor. Ahh...the motor would be an big issue.

Another really big issue that i see is equiping the cars with a LSD. What do you guys think?


[Modified by YodaIsGod, 6:55 PM 1/23/2002]

 

well damn. that is even worse.