1) Build a really awesome car on a not-outrageous budget.


2) Drive fast in the awesome car.


3) Go to your next race and crash on Saturday. Repair crash damage with borrowed parts, a truck, a tow strap and duct tape. Finish 5th of 18 on Sunday.


4) Rebuild the car in time for the next race weekend.


Repeat steps 2-4 until out of money.

Hopefully I can leave out step 3 this time.

I can't say enough about Jude of PFM Racing. They keep pole vaulting my expectations. I'm just glad I wasn't there to see what he had to do to get the thing straight again.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TeamSlowdotOrg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
1) Build a car
2) Drive fast
3) Crash
4) Rebuild
5) Repeat steps 3-4 until out of money.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I fixed it for you.
No charge.

Scott, who says "I beat that bastard Karl to it!!!"

 

Sweet, looks like a fun car.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1) Rent a car
2) "Drive"
3) Crash
4) Pay up to crash damage clause in contract
5) Repeat steps 2-4 until you get tired of ITC cars giving you bump drafts
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Heh.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TeamSlowdotOrg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
1) Rent a car
2) "Drive"
3) Crash
4) Pay up to crash damage clause in contract
5) Repeat steps 2-4 until you get tired of ITC cars giving you bump drafts

</TD></TR></TABLE>

I thought you were talking about Karl until I got to number 5.

 

I think I would like to build a spec miata. they look like fun!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ScreaminTeg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think I would like to build a spec miata. they look like fun! </TD></TR></TABLE>

they're a blast, cheap, rwd, engine can take mucho abuse and some came a torsen lsd. friggin awesome

 

How about this one...

1-) Rent Spec miata
2-) Crash
3-) Crash
4-) Crash
5-) Pay crash deposit

Repeat monthly until you destroy the car, then start from the beginning.

--Karl, who also thought you were talking about me until I read line 5 a few posts up...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by krshultz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How about this one...

1-) Rent Spec miata
2-) Crash
3-) Crash
4-) Crash
5-) Pay crash deposit

Repeat monthly until you destroy the car, then start from the beginning.

--Karl, who also thought you were talking about me until I read line 5 a few posts up...</TD></TR></TABLE>

I call and raise you...

1. Rent Spec Miata
2. Crash
3. Start the qualifying session
4. Crash
5. Start the race with whats left of the car
6. Crash

Write a big check for damage.
Do it again next month.

Scott, who says "Really, I've seen that happen. More than a few times."

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I call and raise you...

1. Rent Spec Miata
2. Crash
3. Start the qualifying session
4. Crash
5. Start the race with whats left of the car
6. Crash

Write a big check for damage.
Do it again next month.

Scott, who says "Really, I've seen that happen. More than a few times."</TD></TR></TABLE>


HAHAHAHAHA


thats too funny!

 

Too funny. I don't think there's going to be much of a turnout at my next race (oh, so sad, less than 15 cars, poor widdle Spec Miata dwiver). I might have to drive around the paddock looking for an EP Miata to run in to.

I really feel for the guys who DNF in televised races due to crashes/mechanicals/whatever. I never knew how much it sucked until this happened to me, and I didn't even get hurt. And my car isn't a gillion dollar Renault. And my DNF wasn't my fault (well, I guess I did decide to race an SM, but aside from that...).

 

I do actually have a top 3. I know their names but will leave them out.

#3 - The guy who crashed into the timing and scoring system at the ARRC last year, shutting the event down for a couple of hours. I don't even know if it was his fault, but even the Spec Miata drivers themselves were making fun of this one.

#2 - The guy Karl refers to as "Your Boy."
All in one weekend at Road Atlanta he ran into me under double yellow, spun at the start of the race in turn 1 (and then tried to get going again while 50ish cars tried to get around him... WRONG ANSWER!!!). Then took out an ITB car one lap later on his desperate drive to get back to the front.
Pure genius.

But number 1 lives on in SEDIV SCCA lore...

#1 - The Arrive and Drive guy who crashed the **** out of his car in practice and watched as the crew busted *** to repair it. Then crashed it again in qualifying, leaving the crew to spend most of the evening repairing it again. Then, yep, crashed it in the race.
By Sunday afternoon there was one straight body panel on the car... The roof.

Honorable mention goes to the guy that crashed into another car on his cool-down lap... In practice.

As Karl so often reminds me... "Its even funnier because its absolutely true."

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by wesisrael &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">they're a blast, cheap, rwd, engine can take mucho abuse and some came a torsen lsd. friggin awesome </TD></TR></TABLE>

I can definately testify to the awesomeness of miata's. I'm lovin mine!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">#2 - The guy Karl refers to as "Your Boy."
All in one weekend at Road Atlanta he ran into me under double yellow, spun at the start of the race in turn 1 (and then tried to get going again while 50ish cars tried to get around him... WRONG ANSWER!!!). Then took out an ITB car one lap later on his desperate drive to get back to the front.</TD></TR></TABLE>

But you forgot some stuff. Your Boy, after driving into you under a double yellow (during a practice session if memory serves), when taken to task, responded with "hey, at least I hit you square."

He then capped off the weekend by driving into the wall on the outside of T5. I heard later this was because the steering box broke. Hrm, wonder if the steering broke because he was crashing the thing three times a day...

Wreck Miata. Good luck Rich...

 

You know, I had a pretty below-average weekend this past weekend and I started looking at how much other classes cost to get in to to run at the front. I have a pretty good opinion of myself as a driver and others do too, so I want to run at the front because I feel I have the ability to with a little experience. The car was performing poorly and I was thinking, man, I can't afford the motor in that Jim Daniels/Sunbelt Special that's kicking my *** all over the track (My car gets its butt handed to it on straightaways by IT7's...it's the other way around for him ). So, I looked around and was thinking that ITC would be fantastic, I'd love to race a Honda since I know them so well.

But it's not a National class and never will be, and at least around here, you can just tell the game is at another level just between Saturdays and Sundays on the Regional/National weekends. I want to be out there for that. So, SM it is, because I sure as hell can't afford a Z4.

Then again, I might get tired of the bumper cars really quick next year and come play in ITA where I have seen a lot of clean, fun racing between some great people without contact or protest. And it's cheaper for entry fees, too.

PS: Replace your bushings when you build a car. We thought we'd be fine with the ones on the car going by the ol' eyeball and thumbnail test. I murdered them in 2 races and they all collapsed, causing the really bad handling I experienced this past weekend. D'oh. I looked like a drift hero when I wasn't understeering horribly.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by krshultz &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
1-) Rent Spec miata
2-) Crash
3-) Crash
4-) Crash
5-) Pay crash deposit</TD></TR></TABLE>

Isn't that the name of the spec miater newsgroup? alt.spec-miata.crash.crash.crash

I think my spec miata driving coworker is gonna kick my *** for that one.

 

Oh yeah, here's the car all back together and painted.



I didn't crash into anything. I feel so un-hardcore.

 

Well, you'll never be able to totally escape asshattery, its just very apparent some classes (cough, SM, cough) have more than others.

Lots and lots of competition in a high profile class is great if you have the money to play there. Otherwise it can just be extremely frustrating for a competitive person.

Competitiveness seems to vary by division. In the Southeast the IT classes are just as tough as the National classes. IT and SM are very popular down here and where many of the "fast" drivers choose to race.
But I've heard other divisions tend to lean more towards the National classes. I guess your region is one of those.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">....Lots and lots of competition in a high profile class is great if you have the money to play there. Otherwise it can just be extremely frustrating for a competitive person.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I don't get it.

Are they frustrated because it's so hard to win in SM?

Scott, who is definitely going to SM...just as soon as he finishes sorting out his Rrrrrrr....

 

dibs on the straight body panels!!!!!

 

To win in SM in the SEDIV will cost you at least $25000. That number has started inching closer to $30000.

You simply CAN NOT go out there in a $10000 car and break into the top 10. I don't care how good you are, it won't happen.
If you want to run SM, and you hate losing, you'd better be pretty damned liquid.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">To win in SM in the SEDIV will cost you at least $25000. That number has started inching closer to $30000.

You simply CAN NOT go out there in a $10000 car and break into the top 10. I don't care how good you are, it won't happen.
If you want to run SM, and you hate losing, you'd better be pretty damned liquid. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Awww, now come on...that just sounds like the kind of sour grapes talk you hear from guys looking in their wallet for something else they don't want to admit they lack.

Scott, who understands that you "don't care...it won't happen"..."remember when racing was cheap and competitive and I always won on pure talent alone?...No?...Me neither."

 

Well, here we go again.

See Scott, I own a "no excuses" race car. Thats the reason I decided on an ITC car in the first place. I can't afford a "no excuses" ITS car or Spec Miata, and I don't want to have any excuses. I like winning, I'm a competitive person, and I'm not well-off enough to spend $25K on a 15 year old Miata.

Get it?

Scott, who is still convinced that ITB and ITC are the ticket for those of us with average income and average family situations.

 

Scott (arrr scott), trust me, as somebody who doesn't completely suck and is out there in a 10,000 dollar Spec Miata...beating a good driver in a very good car ain't happening no matter if I drive the wheels off of my car and cross start/finish on the rotors sideways in front of him. Here, we have 15-30 car fields, so a top 10 for me is no big deal and all of my finishes have actually been in the top 5. But the closest I've ever gotten to a good car + good driver lap time wise was 3 tenths. My first time at Hallett in OK, I did pretty well, qualified 5th after 20 laps on the track. My best time of the weekend was 1.5 seconds slower than a good driver driving last year's ARRC winning car. I finished 5th of 18.

Yes, my region and I would argue, my division, are more National oriented, probably just because there are a lot fewer racers here than in SE. Fewer people looking for a niche means more room for people to find it in a National class.

So yeah, I'm still thinking hard about an IT car for next season. But I never, ever want to build a racecar again. *eyes Catch's signature covetously*

I've resigned myself to never winning a race this season. It makes it easier to sleep.

 

We get 40 to 50 Spec Miatas on the bigger weekends in the SE. That looks great on the surface, but if you look closely you see that 9 of 10 races are won by the same 4 or 5 guys.

So SM has 40 cars with 5 guys that are typically going to win it.
ITB has 12 cars with the same 4 or 5 guys that are going to win it.
ITC has 8 cars with the same 4 or 5 guys that are going to win it.

In all cases, the race comes down to a small group of drivers, regardless of how many total entries there are. SM grids might look good on paper, but most of the time the actual "race" isn't much different than any of the other IT classes. If you're a competitive guy, those 5 spots at the front are the only ones you care about. If you are fast, those 5 spots at the front are the only ones you'll ever see.
&lt;shrug&gt;
At least this is the case in my division (which I'm pretty sure is the biggest one, so its likely a good indicator). Not sure about the rest of the country.