What's the best track car uder 40 gs?

[hb35man]

Best under 40K.......it's what you build not what you buy

[Rogue Leader]

Originally Posted by 2000v6

Actually that's the thing, I happen to be lucky enough to afford a daily driver which is a going to be a m3, and a winter car/tower which is a trailblazer. So the track car(s) will be only used at the track, I'm not going to drive it(them) on the street or anything like that.

I also agree with you about the lotus. The only thing is that I tried sitting in one and it was very uncomfortable, and I'm only 5'9". Other than that, I agree that the car should already be built for the track when I'm going to buy it. There is no way that I will build one a track car, way to much time, financial resources and energy wasted. The only thing is that I'm not sure if a lotus will be good enough on the drag strip.

My possibility is that after college I will be able to have a good amount of free time. I also happen to have a good amount of the financial resources to put up front for this very tough road.

IMO give up on the drag strip. If you're gonna go drag racing buy a drag car. If you're gonna go road racing by a road race car. You can't buy one car that will be versatile enough to be competitive on both. You will have to make compromises on suspension, weight, etc. The Lotus by far is your best way to go, its great for building experience, so you can step into some pay rides.

As for the finances to get in, I was in the same spot as you coming out of college, except without so much finances. Heres a few things I learned:

1. For every $10,000 you have, you need $20,000 more.
2. Kids who have grown up with a kart strapped to their ass since they were out of the womb will make your life hell on the track, theres no room for an older guy (and by older I mean 21/22) to make a name when 16 yr old johnny has been doing this since he was 10.
3. The word no happens at least 30 times a day.
4. Prepare for broken promises, from "sponsors" who never show up with the cash to team principals who "promise" a test only to blow you off when you expect to actually do it even though you dropped their two regular drivers like a bad habit during a Skip Barber test day.

Theres some books you want to get:
http://speedtalk.com/great_money_hunt.html Best sponsor hunting book available. I ended up using the author as a sponsor hunter. You NEED a sponsor hunter, getting through to decision makers at companies is tough.

http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Mind-Gr...3300397&sr=8-1
For the mindset you will really need to win.

Theres also a book called "Fit For Motorsport" which has perfect workout routines http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Motorsport...3300438&sr=1-1 you need to search a bit more you should be able to find it cheaper elsewhere.

Go to Skip Barber racing school. They have former F1 drivers, current Grand Am and ALMS Drivers, and more as coaches. www.skipbarber.com the 3 day school will get you your license, or a coffin, but either way you will know what you are made of.

In the end the opportunities will come down to money. I had an opportunity to run a Porsche 911 in the 24 at Daytona... for $25,000 in sponsorship, and a full season of Grand Am GT, for $12k-$20k per race.... I ended up hooking up with a new team in Pro Formula Mazda and we worked hard to get the funding together $250,000 for a season. We never got the cash together.... just the way it is these days.

[hb35man]

I will agree with everything Rogue Leader had to say. One of the things he forgot to mention that can not be bought that you will need.........talent.

[Super83Z]

Buying Lotus' and Z06's is stupid if your going to build a car to race. Your spending more money up front for a collector edition vette that will perform marginally better than a base vette.

If your serious about racing you have to pick the circuit your going to race in NOW, then pick the car you want to use to compete in that circuit.

Personally a 4th gen or (if you want to spend more money)a 3rd gen F-body can be great road race cars. They are cheap to get and (if you get an LS1) make a good foundation for a performance car. The car is going to get beat and possibly crashed, don't spend all your money initially on the car then have nothing to go racing with.

[will69camaro]

If you want to become a "pro" and need to build a name for yourself, get into an already established series. NASA and SCCA have classes that you can get into for not a lot of money. AI/CMC is a NASA series in Camaros and Mustangs that can get you used to wheel to wheel racing and start building your experience for cheap.

Get into a class and PRACTICE with wheel to wheel and see if you can hack it. Dominating an already existing sanctioned racing series will be a HUGE step towards being recognized for professional driving.

Many have the opportunity to become professional drivers, most have been racing sine they were kids in carts as mentioned above and many aren't limited to a 40k budget to do it.

Best thing would be to start lapping days and have FUN rather than worrying about being a "pro."

[Rogue Leader]

Originally Posted by hb35man

I will agree with everything Rogue Leader had to say. One of the things he forgot to mention that can not be bought that you will need.........talent.

Talent is extremely important... but after being in the world its amazing how far those with little talent but a lot of money can get (ex: JC France, Paul Menard, any number of F1 backmarkers over the years)..

[Rogue Leader]

PS I agree with all of the above about possibly going with a cheaper car to start with. It doesn't sound like you like to work on cars, so this could become an expensive proposition for you. The Lotus may not be bad for you if you can find a class to run it in that requires minimal modification. A Z06 or any other higher end car is a bad idea all around. But you can go racing and get experience in far cheaper cars. Spec Miata is the up and coming amateur series these days, and you can buy one ready to go for what seems like your budget, and be possibly competitive should you have the talent to back it up as everyone has "basically" the same car. Its a way to get into pro style racing without having to do as much "car building".

[full of days]

You can find some used racecars for 50 cents on the dollar now a days. Check out dupontregistry as I remember lots of GT and modified cars for sale in that mag. Also there's bound to be a race car auto trader type website-- bing it or google it.

[2000v6]

Originally Posted by will69camaro

If you want to become a "pro" and need to build a name for yourself, get into an already established series. NASA and SCCA have classes that you can get into for not a lot of money. AI/CMC is a NASA series in Camaros and Mustangs that can get you used to wheel to wheel racing and start building your experience for cheap.

Get into a class and PRACTICE with wheel to wheel and see if you can hack it. Dominating an already existing sanctioned racing series will be a HUGE step towards being recognized for professional driving.

Many have the opportunity to become professional drivers, most have been racing sine they were kids in carts as mentioned above and many aren't limited to a 40k budget to do it.

Best thing would be to start lapping days and have FUN rather than worrying about being a "pro."

I am not limited to a 40k budget, that's just my budget per car

But I will definitely look into the associations that you have mentioned

[2000v6]

Originally Posted by Rogue Leader

IMO give up on the drag strip. If you're gonna go drag racing buy a drag car. If you're gonna go road racing by a road race car. You can't buy one car that will be versatile enough to be competitive on both. You will have to make compromises on suspension, weight, etc. The Lotus by far is your best way to go, its great for building experience, so you can step into some pay rides.

As for the finances to get in, I was in the same spot as you coming out of college, except without so much finances. Heres a few things I learned:

1. For every $10,000 you have, you need $20,000 more.
2. Kids who have grown up with a kart strapped to their ass since they were out of the womb will make your life hell on the track, theres no room for an older guy (and by older I mean 21/22) to make a name when 16 yr old johnny has been doing this since he was 10.
3. The word no happens at least 30 times a day.
4. Prepare for broken promises, from "sponsors" who never show up with the cash to team principals who "promise" a test only to blow you off when you expect to actually do it even though you dropped their two regular drivers like a bad habit during a Skip Barber test day.

Theres some books you want to get:
http://speedtalk.com/great_money_hunt.html Best sponsor hunting book available. I ended up using the author as a sponsor hunter. You NEED a sponsor hunter, getting through to decision makers at companies is tough.

http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Mind-Gr...3300397&sr=8-1
For the mindset you will really need to win.

Theres also a book called "Fit For Motorsport" which has perfect workout routines http://www.amazon.com/Fit-Motorsport...3300438&sr=1-1 you need to search a bit more you should be able to find it cheaper elsewhere.

Go to Skip Barber racing school. They have former F1 drivers, current Grand Am and ALMS Drivers, and more as coaches. www.skipbarber.com the 3 day school will get you your license, or a coffin, but either way you will know what you are made of.

In the end the opportunities will come down to money. I had an opportunity to run a Porsche 911 in the 24 at Daytona... for $25,000 in sponsorship, and a full season of Grand Am GT, for $12k-$20k per race.... I ended up hooking up with a new team in Pro Formula Mazda and we worked hard to get the funding together $250,000 for a season. We never got the cash together.... just the way it is these days.

Well I actually am one of those kids, I just have never raced go karts professionally, nor have I been professionally rated. However, I have raced go karts and atvs/quads since I was 10.

I am very interested in the skip barber racing school and actually want to attend some of their courses. I will also get/read the books that you have mentioned, hopefully they will have them at barnes&noble

I'm also ok with the word no being said to me... I'm in college lol

[2000v6]

Originally Posted by hb35man

I will agree with everything Rogue Leader had to say. One of the things he forgot to mention that can not be bought that you will need.........talent.

I definitely agree with you that talent is necessary but I also happen to agree with rogue leader that money is more important. It's fascinating where money can take a person

[2000v6]

Originally Posted by Super83Z

Buying Lotus' and Z06's is stupid if your going to build a car to race. Your spending more money up front for a collector edition vette that will perform marginally better than a base vette.

If your serious about racing you have to pick the circuit your going to race in NOW, then pick the car you want to use to compete in that circuit.

Personally a 4th gen or (if you want to spend more money)a 3rd gen F-body can be great road race cars. They are cheap to get and (if you get an LS1) make a good foundation for a performance car. The car is going to get beat and possibly crashed, don't spend all your money initially on the car then have nothing to go racing with.

While I do see your point the difference is that I would prefer not to have to build a track car, that's why I happen to like the exige. However I do see your point and if I can find a camaro built for the track then I wouldn't mind having the exige be a "backup" car and use it once I'm established in the racing circuit

[MrIcky]

Are you talking track days or are you actually going to prep this thing for course work? If you are talking track days then whatever.

If you want to go to something like SCCA, I'd consider a Solstice GXP for the cost to performance ratio. They need some set up (which is inexpensive) but they have a really good SCCA record. Corvette's and Solstice GXP's are both class A cars though (I think) so you'd be thrown in with the big boys right away, and some of those guys are really really good.

I'd look for a class C or D car that's been pre-set up for half your budget for a year or 2 then upgrade when you're used to the format. Personally I only autocross though so I'm just going through what I hear at the events.

The SCCA events won't require the commitment Rogue Leader is talking about.

[2000v6]

Originally Posted by Rogue Leader

PS I agree with all of the above about possibly going with a cheaper car to start with. It doesn't sound like you like to work on cars, so this could become an expensive proposition for you. The Lotus may not be bad for you if you can find a class to run it in that requires minimal modification. A Z06 or any other higher end car is a bad idea all around. But you can go racing and get experience in far cheaper cars. Spec Miata is the up and coming amateur series these days, and you can buy one ready to go for what seems like your budget, and be possibly competitive should you have the talent to back it up as everyone has "basically" the same car. Its a way to get into pro style racing without having to do as much "car building".

It's not that I don't like to build a car, I can do it and I know how to, I just would prefer to buy a built track car in the first place. I'll definitely look into the spec miata series though