What's the best track car uder 40 gs?

[2000v6]

Originally Posted by Zeus

What do you think about STi's

I think that they are nice cars, just don't know about the price, when it comes to sti vs. evo. Both are nice jap cars, but evos are cheaper

[2000v6]

Originally Posted by Rogue Leader

In any way none of the above are a good race car for a beginner. The cost to race these far outweighs any benefit. There are cheaper and better ways to go where you want to.

So what are the cheaper and better ways?

[Mr Twisty]

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".

Your sig never get's old... I everytime I read it

[NJSS]

Originally Posted by 2000v6

Oh that's awesome. What about the club racing? Do I bring my own car?

Yes, you bring you own car. NASA, SCCA, PCA all have various forms of club racing and are probably the most organized. PBOC is having a club race with advanced DE at Sebring this weekend.
Have you driven any type of auto on a track? You may want to start slowly and do a few DE events to get your feet wet. Not sure about your experience level other than carting?

[Rogue Leader]

Originally Posted by Zeus

What do you think about STi's

Originally Posted by 2000v6

I think that they are nice cars, just don't know about the price, when it comes to sti vs. evo. Both are nice jap cars, but evos are cheaper

STI's are great cars, depending what you are using it for. But all this talk of what car to get is putting the cart before the horse.

Originally Posted by 2000v6

So what are the cheaper and better ways?

IMO before you buy anything you need to hit Skip Barber and try out racing a car for real. Next you need to review whats out there series wise and what your budget will cover. Skip Barber even has a national championship where guys like Scott Speed, AJ Allmendinger, and even Juan Pablo Montoya got their start. It will cost you about $20k-30k or so for the season IIRC but that is probably the best way to get going on being a pro if you are serious about it.

For example owning and racing a car, you need the car, a trailer, a tow rig, a lot of time to tow it places, you need money for fuel (obviously a lot of it), tires (which you will go through 1 or more sets a weekend depending on the series), spares, etc. AND you need to realize you could roll the thing and have a $40,000 paperweight. I should know, I ripped the side off a Skip Barber car on the backstretch at Limerock... it happens!

Some of the spec series these costs are lower, or easier to manage since you're very limited. VW TDI cup everything is given to you for your entry after you qualify, so its just a chunk of money and nothing to worry about but driving. If you wanna go single seat cars, Pro Formula Mazda or just below it Star Mazda is a great start.

Either way you need to at least loosely define your path and your goals. You have a LOT of research to do my friend. Where do you want to end up? NASCAR? Sports Cars? IRL? I'm not even gonna throw F1 into that ring.

The days of buying a car, and going out and racing it everywhere in the hopes of getting picked up are LONG gone. You need to decide where you want to go and aim yourself at it, and then buy a race car that can get you started, OR get some money behind you to go to a team to run their cars. Theres soo many options out there, your choice of car should be the last decision you're making.

[Rogue Leader]

Originally Posted by MisterCamaro69

Your sig never get's old... I everytime I read it

haha thanks!

[2000v6]

Originally Posted by Rogue Leader

STI's are great cars, depending what you are using it for. But all this talk of what car to get is putting the cart before the horse.



IMO before you buy anything you need to hit Skip Barber and try out racing a car for real. Next you need to review whats out there series wise and what your budget will cover. Skip Barber even has a national championship where guys like Scott Speed, AJ Allmendinger, and even Juan Pablo Montoya got their start. It will cost you about $20k-30k or so for the season IIRC but that is probably the best way to get going on being a pro if you are serious about it.

For example owning and racing a car, you need the car, a trailer, a tow rig, a lot of time to tow it places, you need money for fuel (obviously a lot of it), tires (which you will go through 1 or more sets a weekend depending on the series), spares, etc. AND you need to realize you could roll the thing and have a $40,000 paperweight. I should know, I ripped the side off a Skip Barber car on the backstretch at Limerock... it happens!

Some of the spec series these costs are lower, or easier to manage since you're very limited. VW TDI cup everything is given to you for your entry after you qualify, so its just a chunk of money and nothing to worry about but driving. If you wanna go single seat cars, Pro Formula Mazda or just below it Star Mazda is a great start.

Either way you need to at least loosely define your path and your goals. You have a LOT of research to do my friend. Where do you want to end up? NASCAR? Sports Cars? IRL? I'm not even gonna throw F1 into that ring.

The days of buying a car, and going out and racing it everywhere in the hopes of getting picked up are LONG gone. You need to decide where you want to go and aim yourself at it, and then buy a race car that can get you started, OR get some money behind you to go to a team to run their cars. Theres soo many options out there, your choice of car should be the last decision you're making.

I definitely agree with you. I only want to get a track car to practice in, not really race in.

Personally, in the beginning, for the big leagues, my preferred choice is Nascar, and that's where I'd like to set my goals. Obviously, it's too late to even think about F1. Like I said, I prefer rally, but I understand that there is no money here in the states, except for block and pastrana.

What I don't get about skip barber is the contract in case of damage. Obviously, I understand that the car is given in my hands, and I'm liable for it. What I don't get though, is how much I would need to shell out in case shit happens.

I also prefer the VW TDI cup, rather than the mazda cup. But what it comes down to is that eventually I will need to sign up with a team, or heck find enough sponsors and start my own, which I just don't see the TDI or mazda cups eventually leading to. I just don't see SCCA leading to racing with someone else's money.

[Rogue Leader]

Originally Posted by 2000v6

I definitely agree with you. I only want to get a track car to practice in, not really race in.

Personally, in the beginning, for the big leagues, my preferred choice is Nascar, and that's where I'd like to set my goals. Obviously, it's too late to even think about F1. Like I said, I prefer rally, but I understand that there is no money here in the states, except for block and pastrana.

What I don't get about skip barber is the contract in case of damage. Obviously, I understand that the car is given in my hands, and I'm liable for it. What I don't get though, is how much I would need to shell out in case shit happens.

I also prefer the VW TDI cup, rather than the mazda cup. But what it comes down to is that eventually I will need to sign up with a team, or heck find enough sponsors and start my own, which I just don't see the TDI or mazda cups eventually leading to. I just don't see SCCA leading to racing with someone else's money.

The problem with getting a track car to practice in is it is a lot of money to spend on something that will be vastly different from what you are racing, better off learning in what you need to race.

Skip Barber has a damage deductable, when I went, during the school the deductable is waived, meaning you can wreck a car and its covered. Once you start racing with them the deductable starts at $1k, and goes up to $5k and then $10k depending on how many wrecks you have and how dangerous you are. They can give you the full chart. Eventually if you keep wrecking you will get an OSB license (OSB meaning "Other Sports Beckon"). I heard they actually gave a guy a tennis racket once after he wrecked his 5th or 6th car. All those amateur series have something like that.

Skip Barber National Championship is still definitely the way to go if you're looking for NASCAR too. After that, everything we have discussed is useable, but you may have a better chance to go NASCAR if you go short track racing. Buy a used stock car or see if there are any teams looking for a pay drive and cut your teeth in that. The TDi cup can be a steppingstone as well and is a bit higher profile because its national. But if you're lookin to run NASCAR the SCCA is generally a bad direction to spend your money and buying any sort of Track car, Lotus, Z06, etc is a waste too. Buy yourself a stock car, DuPont Registry, Racer, even Autoweek always have a ton for sale, Racingjunk.com as well.

As for Practice, you're a kart guy.... Ask any pro driver whats the best way to hone racecraft? a Kart. Sounds like you have the cash to get a really nice one. I would do that. Thats where all the top drivers started, and all of them go back to at some point.

[2000v6]

Originally Posted by Rogue Leader

The problem with getting a track car to practice in is it is a lot of money to spend on something that will be vastly different from what you are racing, better off learning in what you need to race.

Skip Barber has a damage deductable, when I went, during the school the deductable is waived, meaning you can wreck a car and its covered. Once you start racing with them the deductable starts at $1k, and goes up to $5k and then $10k depending on how many wrecks you have and how dangerous you are. They can give you the full chart. Eventually if you keep wrecking you will get an OSB license (OSB meaning "Other Sports Beckon"). I heard they actually gave a guy a tennis racket once after he wrecked his 5th or 6th car. All those amateur series have something like that.

Skip Barber National Championship is still definitely the way to go if you're looking for NASCAR too. After that, everything we have discussed is useable, but you may have a better chance to go NASCAR if you go short track racing. Buy a used stock car or see if there are any teams looking for a pay drive and cut your teeth in that. The TDi cup can be a steppingstone as well and is a bit higher profile because its national. But if you're lookin to run NASCAR the SCCA is generally a bad direction to spend your money and buying any sort of Track car, Lotus, Z06, etc is a waste too. Buy yourself a stock car, DuPont Registry, Racer, even Autoweek always have a ton for sale, Racingjunk.com as well.

As for Practice, you're a kart guy.... Ask any pro driver whats the best way to hone racecraft? a Kart. Sounds like you have the cash to get a really nice one. I would do that. Thats where all the top drivers started, and all of them go back to at some point.

I'm got tired of karts, though. Sold mine a year and a half ago, and I really don't want to go back. They bore me.

So how is the deductible covered, since I've never raced professionally. Is there insurance that I buy, or do I have to give them that amount of money?

Also, do you know if I will be able to buy a stock car like the ones that they use in NASCAR, or would I have to buy one of them ugly ass ones that they use in short track?

[Rogue Leader]

Originally Posted by 2000v6

I'm got tired of karts, though. Sold mine a year and a half ago, and I really don't want to go back. They bore me.

So how is the deductible covered, since I've never raced professionally. Is there insurance that I buy, or do I have to give them that amount of money?

Also, do you know if I will be able to buy a stock car like the ones that they use in NASCAR, or would I have to buy one of them ugly ass ones that they use in short track?

They hold a deposit (I think its $1000) which is then spent once you wreck the car. You also sign a contract, so if you wreck again they have you legally liable for the deductible (either your $1000 deposit, or say if its gone up to $5000, they you owe $4k on top of what you paid already). If you don't pay you can't drive, and I'm sure they'd happily sue as well.

As for going NASCAR racing, honestly you should check around at some amateur NASCAR forums, what I've shown here is about the extent of my knowledge. I known theres like the Whelan All American series ( http://localracing.nascar.com/series/3 ) which is like a junior NASCAR before you'd move up to ARCA, thats where you need to start. Check out the Forums there maybe you can find someone who can point you in the right direction to start the Whelan series.

If you want to be a NASCAR driver (and youre hell bent on not buying a Kart) , after youve done Skip Barber, this is where your money is best spent. Anything else is a waste.

[Epitaph]

1/4 mile - just for fun, you should ride in a modded SRT8 Jeep. There are people that spend less than $50k to go 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds...with over 1k pounds of guys sitting in it.

[Zeus]

Originally Posted by Epitaph

1/4 mile - just for fun, you should ride in a modded SRT8 Jeep. There are people that spend less than $50k to go 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds...with over 1k pounds of guys sitting in it.

You had him at 1k pounds of guys

[Rogue Leader]

Originally Posted by Zeus

You had him at 1k pounds of guys

LOL

[VelocityC6]

Buy a 2006 Z06 for 40 or less. Then a set of DR's for the 1/4 mile.....10 sec potential, there's a stack of 10 sec Z06's with just DR's listed on the vette forum. Then a set of tires +upgraded dry sump tank for a roadcourse (larger capacity)......you'll be swatting away Lotus's like flies in a modern car with stock driveability.