Ok fellas - I know I am the propagator of many a ridiculous O/T thread, but this is valid and I need your help. My R has, until now, been a street car. I took it to a dragstrip last week but it got rained out. I want to finally start using the R for what it was designed for. Drag racing might be fun, but I don't want to make that my sole focus. The thing that appeals to me most is actual road course driving, more so than autox, but I am concerned about the cost, as well as wear and tear. The thing that makes this situation difficult is that my R is leased. So, any form of racing that I do cannot be taken to extremes. This car is my daily driver. I already have the Comptech Shitbox, so autoxing GS is out unless I remove it (right?). I am unwilling to pour huge $$ into the suspension, so going Street Prepared is not going to happen. I was thinking of doing the rest of the basic bolt-ons but that would take me further from autox and more towards drag racing and road racing. what do you guys think? Should I rip the intake out and concentrate on autox? Or should I complete the bolt-on mods and move toward road and strip racing? Autoxing looks like a lot of fun but the idea of limiting myself to 50 or so mph seems a bit contrary to owning the R. So does racing only in a straight line. Help me out here fellas - give me an idea of what it would require to have the car be a decent racer and daily driver. Sorry for the long post but I have been agonizing over what to do as my R continues to be a grocery-getter...any and all opinions/flames/rants are appreciated.

 

http://www.bsr-inc.com/

 

Go to lapping days in your area. You can run what you brung. No worries about whether your mods put you into one class or another. On top of it all, you should be able to get way more track time than at a Solo 1 competition.

 

Well, I own my car outright, but kinda of in the same situation...

I want to get into road racing, but I"m not sure whether to pour in lots of $$$ to do this. (scared of crunching t00)

AutoX is fun t00 (btw, you should came to our last event. I hit the middle of 3rd gear) but it's really hard to tell if my driving skills (or non-skills) is improving.

So, I've pretty much decided to keep autoXing next year in DS, but also get a race bucket/harness/roll bar for the road courses.

yoshi - who will find out just how far a stock ITR can be taken in racing

 

Hey zyg whats an IT car?

 

The Type R is VERY effective in it's stock form. Save up money and take it to a "track day". Front brake pads, brake fluid, and gas is all you need.

I am glad to see another R heading out to a track that has turns on it. For use at it's intended purpose.

The stock suspension is fine as is! Street prepared is somewhere you do not want your R. Plus it is a lease... Keep it stock.

Auto crosses are fun... but once you have you car bouncing off of the rev-limiter in 4th gear on track.... you may never autocross again.

Upgrade the car once you have upgraded yourself....

Good luck!

Willis

 

I'm not quite sure to what you're referring, but IT is a designation in regional SCCA club racing (Improved Touring).
I don't think you want to go there with a leased R, probably not even eligable in the class till another year or so (the R that is).

Just go and give it a try, just keep a cool head and remember that you want to drive it home afterwards.
Start out with some of the BSR schools like FATT or something.

Be safe and have fun. ed

 

Zyg, under "vehicle eligibility" it lists:

#5. SCCA legal showroom stock and IT cars. Just wondering. Could I still be "stock" with the intake?

 

I would say try out the autocross thing before you decide it is boring.

What makes autocrossing challenging isn't the raw speed it is the rate at which the turns come at you. I heard a statistic once that said in autocross the corners come at a rate 4 times higher than an Indy car on a road course. This really gives you a chance to try out the R's transistional handling If you find you like autocrossing pull the Shitbox and run in G-stock. The gains, if any, from the intake won't help you in autocross.

Once you have done a few autocross events to a high performance driving school. This will satisfy your need for speed and help you develop your driving skills to a higher level.

Shawn

 

Mix it up a little Ross, and do both. Autocrossing is a blast, and the competitiveness makes it even more fun, for me anyways. You can kinda look at an autocross as a car show, where you get to race too!

Also do some track events. Look up your local Porsche and BMW clubs and see if you can get in with them. You might not have what it takes (*****) to do wheel-to-wheel racing. High speed track events are unnerving enuf as it is, then when you throw the wheel-to-wheel element in...well, lets just say, its not for everyone.

As for the R, its classed in SCCA Club Racing in T2 with the M3, Mustang Cobra, etc. Its not real competitive at that level, although wtih the right driver, who knows.

More info:
http://www.tegsportracing.com/tech.html

http://www.itrca.com/faq/index.asp?p....asp?id=racing





[Modified by Tegsport Racing, 10:56 AM 6/27/2001]

 

What about #1 that says street cars on DOT tires (which is where you'd belong, unless you build a race car which would then fit in #5).
They won't care if you have the "$hit box" or any other mods (as long as the car safe, i.e., no leaks, has brakes ...), since it's just a "school" type environment, and there are no trophies, prizes or other awards (other than a friendly pat on the back for a job well done, from the instructor).


[Modified by zygspeed, 1:59 PM 6/27/2001]

 

My suggestion is start AutoXing...even if you're not competitive who cares. Learn your limits on street tires. Remove your Icebox if you want to run GS and *try* to be competitive. I wouldn't worry unless you're a hardcore competitive type. CSP is usually really tough (CRX's that are very *prepared*), but you could always go to Street Mod.

Next, try some track time. Driver's education events.

AutoXing will help to prepare you for this jump.

If you enjoy it after that...then we can help you out more in getting set up for the road course solely.

I've been toying with the idea of getting an ITA CRX Si for real door to door racing. That would be a blast and I wouldn't have to worry about hitting a wall in my ITR. http://www.improvedtouring.com

 

I would stay away from racing period if you car is leased. Too high a chance of a crunch-up.

Lapping days are inexpensive way to get what you want, which is seat time on the track. Try those first.

 

I don't really understand the rationale that people use when they dismiss the possibility of autocrossing because their car is not in G-stock anymore. Who cares? Go out there to become a better driver and learn your car. You don't need to compete. Or, as a benchmark for "competing" compare your raw times with other cars. That way you can really see how "competitive" YOU are.

Also, go to some driving schools (NOT lapping days). This way you will have an instructor with you so it is relatively low risk. The ITR requires basically NO modification to do this, although it isnt a bad idea to use better pads/fluid.

My suggestion: Dont worry about being competitive. Go to learn and become better. When you are ready, worry about being competitive. Hit up the local autocross and look for some local, reasonably priced driving schools.

 

I was actually thinking of doing the school before anything else. The Skip Barber school is right near me but its pretty expensive. I'm not sure if there's anywhere close where I can show up in my car and get instructions, like the one Zyg mentioned.

 

Ross, I thought you were going to school in DC? (though prolly not in the summer)
Summit point is barely 2 hours from here in West Virginia.

 

Yeah I do go to GW, but I was looking to start before I got there. I just bumped into TypeR1189 today in Cambridge, and he does a lot of local racing, and I went to the dragway in NH with TypeRmsm last week. The summer is the best time to start learning. Maybe I'll go to Skip Barber here and then start hitting the tracks when I get to school. I belong to the ITRCA Mid-Atlantic so it's a given that I will hit the tracks with you guys in Va, it's just a question of how green I'll be when I get there.

 

You can go to schools like the HPCCC (high performance car control clinic) we have here. You have instructors ride with you until they waive you to go on the road course with other cars. It's controlled passing, so no crazy stuff. Plus your insurance should cover you if something were to happen (god forbid).

 

I was in the same situation as you. I really wasn't interested in auto-x or drag racing, but wanted to get into track driving. I would highly reccomend attending a one or two day driving school. The only saftey requirements are a helmet, pants & long sleeved shirt, and a "technically" sound car. At a driving school you will have instruction all day long, which is really nice. Also, the cost is reasonable. Typically around $250 a weekend. Also, you may want to consider "Time Trials", in which you race against the clock, not other cars. You may need additional saftey requirements though.

 

Free lapping is the best my friend! There's is no real competition exept for trying to follow the S2000 in front of you...

You can modified your car as you want and nobody cares! Nothing at stake, just your pride!!! BTW on a road course, a stock ITR is already pretty fast compare to many cars! Start with your car stock, so you will be able to really see the difference after you put some new parts on your baby! Better start with tires, brakes and brake fluid! A lot of time to gain there...

Just my .02$

 

yeh but how the hell would I find one? The closest track to me is Lime Rock, which is where the Skip Barber school is. I'd almost rather do that because they put you in a variety of diff. cars, but I'd also like to do something cheaper and with your own car, like Friday at the Track. How would I go about finding a class like the ones we are describing?

 

Yah I'm not all that concerned with trying to beat other drivers (yet). I bought the R simply because I was concerned with my own driving enjoyment, not with being the king of the strip, parking lot, course, etc. Those Time Trials and free lapping is kind of what I had in mind. Being only concerned with your own driving. That way you can hang the tail out and have some fun.

 

"Upgrade the car once you have upgraded yourself"

I'm a Pentium 100...I need to upgrade

 

One of the funniest racing stories I've ever heard is Paul Gargiulo won the T2 nationals in 1998 driving a leased BMW M3! 2 years later he removed the bolt in cage TC Kline installed, put all of the other goodies back to stock and turned it back in to BMW. You think it was resold as a BMW Certified Pre-Owned car?

 

If lime rock is the closest to you (and it seems you've got the "bug" bad, so time is of the essence ), then find their web site, check their track schedule for Porsche, BMW .... club events, and then contact one for further info.

But just keep in mind that the smart thing will be to take "baby steps" till you're comfortable with yourself in the car, and that you'll need to drive it home afterwards! Don't want to hear another of those "wrecked my ITR" stories. Good luck and have fun.