i have raced solo II (autocrossing) for over three years but have been seriously contemplating trying out road racing, which i thought used to be solo I. i checked out road racing on ner.org, since i am in the new england region scca, but couldn't really get the information i was looking for.

what i really want to know is what kind of preparations would i need to do to a crx in order to do the road racing. here is what i will have either by next summer, or the following year:

1990 crx dx
si mpfi intake
integra 1.6 pistons
header, intake, exhaust
lowering springs
adjustable kyb's
and some sort of racing tire set (what do you reccomend for that car?)

is that something that i can road race without changing anything else, except for maybe some safety features? what else do i need to have in or done to the car in order to road race.

also, how many laps do you do in the road racing? or does it go by milage (which turns into laps, of course)? what do i need to have with me in order to road race (other than the licensing and stuff listed on the site.)

any help would be appreciated guys, thanks.

 

Road racing and SoloI are not the same.

Road racing (club racing) is wheel to wheel.

SoloI is timetrials, hillclimbs, etc.

Which are you interested in doing?

 

There are 3 levels of track events:

Open Track/Driver's Schools a la Car Guys etc: These are you and an instructor in your car on a track where you are learning the fundamentals of performance driving as well as track driving. Although there are other cars on the track passing is restricted to at the least a point-by before you can pass someone. These typically run $200-$500 a weekend and although don't require much beyond a helmet I recommend rollover protection, upgraded brake pads and a harness. Some will say you don't need this right away but if you want to be as safe as you can then get the stuff.

SCCA Solo I: This is On-Track driving but you no longer have an instructor. The laps are timed (which insurance companies can and will reject a claim as soon as a stopwatch is put onto the event). The only time you are on the track near other cars is in the practice/warmup sessions. The SCCA REQUIRES SA-Rated helmets, Fire Suits, Rollbars (at a minimum) and fire extinguishers (NOT mounted to the A-Pillar). Costs are about $300 an event.

Road Racing: This is wheel to wheel competition against other cars. Full safety preparations are a must. A complete cage, firesuit, SA-Rated helmet, fire extinguisher etc as well as serious car-prep such as racing brakes and tires. Road racing is by far the most expensive overall and I would not recommend doing it with your daily driver because it is very easy to total it.
My first bit of advice is to run some Driver's Schools. Get the tracktime under your belt before you do any mods. Once you have a feel for it look into the different organizations ie: NASA, SCCA etc. There are different classes and your mods will bump you into higher classes where you will be destroyed. Get a rulebook and read what you can and can't do. One series which is getting press is the NASA East Coast Honda Challenge. The rules for car prep can be found at http://www.honda-challenge.com.

Before you start modding also talk to someone who does it. For your car talk to Speedracer33 since he road races a Gen. 2 CRX. He can tell you what works and what doesn't. Don't go spending money based on magazines or the internet. Talk to experienced people.

All your safety equipment is required for road racing (as stated above)

There are too many variables. Every event has different amounts of track time. I know that some people have seen 200+ miles in a track event. Typically a road race is 30 minutes so the number of laps depends on the track.

 

In either case, safety should be your first concern, because without the proper safety equipment you won't be doing any SOLO1 or RoadRacing. (Cage or Bar, seat, 5-point harness, Fire extinguisher, suit, gloves, shoes, padding).

 

Also required, for wheel-to-wheel roadracing:

-battery master kill switch
-window net
-steering lock removed
-fuel cell (not required but not a bad idea)
-bigger, button-type fire system (highly recommended)

As you can see, it's a much bigger deal in terms of preparation and financial commitment than Solo I or track schools.

I think the point everyone is trying to make is that you should definitely do a ton of research, and go to a bunch of events (of either type you mention), and talk to a bunch of competitors before you spend a dime.

Also ask yourself, what are my goals? If you just want to blast around a road course like Watkins Glen or Lime Rock, build the car however you want it (but with all the safety stuff) and do schools/lapping days, and enjoy.

Unfortunately, many rules structures for roadracing are very specific in terms of what they do or don't allow. They also allow things that most folks (myself included) can't comprehend, like acid-dipped tubs and $2500 custom chromemoly rollcages and $1200/set wheels, of which you will need 3 sets with various kinds of tires for whatever weather conditions you might experience at the track.

Long story short, if you want greater risk but greater rewards, learn more about roadracing. If you want to compete for times with an autocross-like rules structure, get into Solo I. But if you simply want to drive fast and have fun, get into the schools mentioned above. No matter what, you will have a blast, I promise.

Jon

 

I would highly recommend track events before you try out road racing. In my opinion at least 10 before you start road racing. Granted you can get your license from the SCCA in three days (Fri, Sat, Sun - i.e. February at Roebling Road almost every year there is a double school offered), then the next weekend you could be road racing. Autocrossing is great and teaches you a lot, but there is a difference in traveling 40 mph into a turn and 120 mph into a turn. I would strongly recommend NASA and the NASA ECHC, but you need some experience under you belt for the ECHC. Good luck and hope to see you on the track! I will assure you, it is a lot of fun and highly addicting.

 

Guess that's my cue! First and foremost, the Integra pistons won't work in that engine. The valve relieves on the Integra piston are too shallow for the DX/Si head. Si pistons won't work either because the stroke is different. It's either stock DX ones, or something aftermarket that I'm not aware of.

The CRX, regardless of trim level and modifications (short of FI or an engine swap), is never going to be a very powerful car. The concentration has to be on handling, so you can carry as much momentum as possible everywhere on the track. GC coil overs and Koni sports have worked well for me. The DX only has a front sway bar, and I replaced mine with the smaller HF sway to reduce understeer. If you want to race it, brakes have to stay stock. I use Carbotech Panther Plus pads, stainless steel lines, ATE Superblue fluid, and home made brake ducts.

Have you put this new MPFI intake manifold on yet? If not, be prepared for a wiring nightmare! You need a new ECU, new engine wiring harness, an injector resistor box, and somebody who knows a LOT about wiring. Where do you live? If you are anywhere within reasonable distance from the Philly area, I know who to send you to. There is a reason that there is a Meyer's Motorsport sticker on the side of my car!

Get as much weight out as possible - seats, carpets, insulation under the carpets, all interior trim, radio, speakers, a/c, etc. CRXs can get down under 2000lbs (even with a full cage inside) without that much effort. Mine is 1930 with about 1/4 tank of fuel, but it will be under 1900 by next year - at least that is my goal.

I've been running the last two years on 185/65/13 Toyo RA-1s on stock alloy wheels, but for next year I'm looking at the same size Hoosiers on Panasport wheels to cut down unsprung weight and improve grip.

What else do you need to know?

Matt

 

first, i have my own honda specialist to help me with the mods to the engine, and everything i listed above, he has done to a crx engine at some point. the only thing he hasn't tried is going from dx to si with the wiring. he knows the head and everything else will bolt up, but we are going to play with the wiring later. as for the crx not being really fast, i already knew that, but also knew that i have a great handling car and that is definately somewhat of an advantage. i am not looking to go all out with this the first couple of years. i just wanted to try something new and that seemed like something to try. i am also not worried about wrecking my daily driver, since between the six machanics in my family, i am sure we can fix it up when and if i wreck it.

i knew there were a lot of safety things required for road racing but i wasn't sure what they were. you guys have been a lot of help with your information. thank you for it and i hope you all do good next season.

what i am really looking into doing is just doing something like the half hour or so driving, something like 10 - 15 laps or so. i don't know if i could do the 200 laps for over an hour at a time. i get bored going around the same track over and over again and again for long periods of time. but doing it for the half hour or so would be perfect.

are there any sites that i can look into other than the honda-challenge for more info and research on what i am looking for?

thanks again for all your help.


[Modified by crxplus, 2:41 AM 10/25/2001]

 

http://www.scca.org http://www.improvedtouring.com http://www.grassrootsmotorsports.com http://www.opmmotorsports.com http://www.zenautoworks.com

Before you start touching the engine, decide if you want to race Honda-Challenge, Improved Touring, or another established class/series. Usually engine rules are quite restrictive.

Safety items requird by the SCCA for club racing:
6 or 8 point cage (see GCR for specs)
5 or 6 point harness
engine kill switch
fire extinguisher
window net
seat back brace

NASA has very similar safety rules, as do most other clubs.

 

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think you might be off with your projected time table. If you have never been on a track before, you are looking at about two years of instructional driver's ed events before you even think about actually racing. Even if you think you do, you can't possibly understand how much goes into driving a racecar until you are out on the track and either see somebody get in your car and run it about 10 seconds/lap faster than you can, or when you see somebody in a slower car blow past you like you are standing still. I'm very sorry if this is sounding condescending at all, that isn't my intention. I'm just trying to make it clear that what you want do to is a process that takes a long amount of time. You have to "pay your dues" and go in knowing that you have a LOT to learn.

As for the car, when you are getting started I highly recommend doing NOTHING to the car. That's right, nothing. Improving your brakes is going to keep you from really learning how to use them right. Improving your handling is going to keep you from being forced to run the perfect line every time. Improving your power is going to keep you from learning how to take the most speed out of a turn as possible. Street tires are going to teach you to find the limit of adhesion without disasterous results. Road racing is about the driver, not the car. Go out there and learn how to be a better driver, then modify the car to take it to the next level.

Oh, and if you are planning on going out on a track with the attitude that you don't care if you wreck because you have mechanics in your family, I will never be on the same track as you. Your number one goal must ALWAYS be preservation of your car, the cars of the other people on the track, and most importantly, the well being of everybody there. I will tell you as one of the board members of the ECHC, we will not allow any racers on the track if we think that there is a good chance that they are going to cause a wreck (even if it is a single car wreck). Even ignoring the physical threat to yourself and other drivers, we aren't going to lose our track time while they pick up the pieces of your car.

Road racing isn't easy. Road racing isn't cheap. Road racing is better than sex.

Matt

 

WELL SAID MATT!!!!

 

just to clarify, i am not saying that i don't care if a wreck my car - cause i really wouldn't want to, nor do i have the attitude that i don't car. i was just saying that if i race my daily driver, i would be a terrible loss, since it could be fixed, unless i really destroy it, and then i would have to use my other car. and i think i would rather wreck a daily driver than a car that i took lots of time into making into a race car. that would be much more discouraging, and a big waste of time.

i knew that road racing was a lot of skill and not something that i could get myself into right away. i was not planning on jumping into this without being ready. i am doing the research now so that in a couple of years i will have the experience and time and info that i need to compete in some of these types of races.

as far as modifying this car, i am going to be doing those modifications and more to this car. i did not buy this car just for road racing. i used it for autocross, daily driver, and now it is time to redo the engine and transmission. so, while i was at it, i decided to spiff it up a little bit. since that is going to be my new autox car, i was curious if i could use it for road racing.

and if i am coming off as being one of those people who doesn't think they have a lot to learn, i am sorry. i seem to have that affect on people. i know i have a lot to learn and i take everything that is said to me into consideration. i try to do as much as i can with what everyone tells me, but i also believe that everyone should have there own way of driving. something that makes them unique. how i approach one corner could be totally wrong to you, but heh, if i get through it faster than you and you have been racing for ten years, then maybe there is something to say about that. but, if i take that corner and i am slower than you, then i will ask for help and how i can get through it faster. then i will try it and see if i can do what you said.

once again, thank you for the information. you guys are still answering my questions more and more and i really appreciate it. please just be patient with someone who is new to this topic (road racing) and let me soak up the info.