Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Thinking About Spec Racing 1 2

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  July 20, 2009 5:46 p.m. Salanis SuperDork

  MA2LA wrote: Bang for the buck a spec 7 is tough to pass on.. i paid 1500 for mine and had to do a little work. I have seen many between 2500 and 3500 and those come with spare parts alot of times.. to top it off they are so much fun to drive the crap out of and not worry about. a fellow spec guy still drives his to the track with his shaved tires in the back.

  What is Spec 7? Is that RX-7? What generation?

  ...in the world.

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  July 20, 2009 7:32 p.m. wbjones New Reader

  there's also an in between step you can take with your auto-x / HPDE ready car and that is TT and hill climbs.... solo 1 .... still point bys (at most TT's) but a little more flat out than HPDE....

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  July 21, 2009 12:33 a.m. Salanis SuperDork

  Actually... that's an idea for making my track time more fun. Lapping the track is fun, but I have the most fun when I have something else to measure myself against. So far, that's just been when I happen to find another really comparable driver. But that rarely happens, because if you're lapping within a few tenths of each other, and they are 30 seconds ahead on the track... you'll never see each other. Adding in a clock could help me challenge myself.

  So far, the most fun I've had on track, is when I'm actually able to dice it up with someone and steal corners when one or the other gets a better run through a section.

  My best moment on track has been turn 11 at Infineon. Had another gay in a Miata brake deep on the inside to steal the turn, then oversteer and scrub speed through the middle of it. I had more speed exiting, and he gave me a thumbs-up and a smile as I pulled past him down the front strait. We kept going at it the rest of the track, but that thumbs up was just great.

  ...in the world.

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  July 21, 2009 12:36 a.m. friedgreencorrado HalfDork

  Salanis wrote:

  MA2LA wrote: Bang for the buck a spec 7 is tough to pass on.. i paid 1500 for mine and had to do a little work. I have seen many between 2500 and 3500 and those come with spare parts alot of times.. to top it off they are so much fun to drive the crap out of and not worry about. a fellow spec guy still drives his to the track with his shaved tires in the back.

  What is Spec 7? Is that RX-7? What generation?

  Here in SEDIV, it's FB. This link is from MARRS, so it's probably standard here in the east.

  http://www.specrx7.com/

  How can it be a midlife crisis, when I've driven sportscars my entire life?

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  July 21, 2009 5:25 a.m. ddavidv SuperDork

  I can't remember the last time I've seen a Spec 7 race with more than one car in it. They are pretty much dead around here, and good used rotary engines are really getting hard to find. I know the Wankel heads will keep racing them, but if you want full fields I don't think this is a great choice.

  "Having fun is my revenge on mortality"--Dustin Hoffman

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  July 21, 2009 1:18 p.m. laz New Reader

  WRT dicing it up, this is what spec racing is all about.

  One of the best learning tools is going out with another driver in a car that is the "same" as yours and trying to keep up. "holy crap, he didn't brake til past the last marker, that means I don't have to" moments are excellent in forcing you to man up and take a leap of faith. And when you're mixing it up, you're more likely to make those leaps just to keep up ;)

  IMO owning a spec car, even while learning, is useful in that you'll have a benchmark to compare to. It squashes the little voice in the back of your head that wants to blame the equipment.

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  July 21, 2009 2:27 p.m. alfadriver HalfDork

  Don't forget there's also spec Focus...

  Anyway, buy, but buy carefully.

  I had intended to build a race car, but figured out that my time is getting rather thin. So I bought.

  And it turned out to be a rust bucket, which I'm just barely going to finish this year (after 3-4 years- I forget).

  Time. That's really what you buy. Unless you can convert a car to Spec racing in a weekend, I'd just buy the best you can find (which ever you find).

  Eric

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  July 21, 2009 2:43 p.m. Salanis SuperDork

  alfadriver wrote: Don't forget there's also spec Focus... Anyway, buy, but buy carefully. I had intended to build a race car, but figured out that my time is getting rather thin. So I bought. And it turned out to be a rust bucket, which I'm just barely going to finish this year (after 3-4 years- I forget). Time. That's really what you buy. Unless you can convert a car to Spec racing in a weekend, I'd just buy the best you can find (which ever you find).

  I haven't forgotten Spec Focus. I just like RWD. Plus, there's no shortage of Spec Miata and Spec E30 action around here.

  I appreciated the earlier suggestion about, having a pro shop handle anything that relates to the safety of the car. So, I contacted a local race shop with an excellent reputation, Evil Genius Racing, and asked for estimates on converting a car to SM. Apparently they also sell pre-built SM cars with overhauled racing engines, trannys, and diffs. And it would cost almost as much to have them convert my car as it would to buy a car from them. Buying a car would be more cost effective if I were to go ahead and sell my Miata.

  I'm liking the idea of just going ahead and buying a race-prepped car, even if I'm not ready to race yet.

  ...in the world.

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  July 21, 2009 2:46 p.m. The Brown Stig SuperDork

  Salanis wrote:

  alfadriver wrote: Don't forget there's also spec Focus... Anyway, buy, but buy carefully. I had intended to build a race car, but figured out that my time is getting rather thin. So I bought. And it turned out to be a rust bucket, which I'm just barely going to finish this year (after 3-4 years- I forget). Time. That's really what you buy. Unless you can convert a car to Spec racing in a weekend, I'd just buy the best you can find (which ever you find).

  I haven't forgotten Spec Focus. I just like RWD. Plus, there's no shortage of Spec Miata and Spec E30 action around here.

  I appreciated the earlier suggestion about, having a pro shop handle anything that relates to the safety of the car. So, I contacted a local race shop with an excellent reputation, Evil Genius Racing, and asked for estimates on converting a car to SM. Apparently they also sell pre-built SM cars with overhauled racing engines, trannys, and diffs. And it would cost almost as much to have them convert my car as it would to buy a car from them. Buying a car would be more cost effective if I were to go ahead and sell my Miata.

  I'm liking the idea of just going ahead and buying a race-prepped car, even if I'm not ready to race yet.

  See if their prebuilts have titles. Make your car street legalish while getting ready to race for real.

  Broppabroppabroppa... kuhwhrOPPPPaa... POPPOP... Broppabroppabroppa... kuhwhrOPPPPaa... POPPOP... KROBBADAROBBADAROBBADAWHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA pop pop pop KUHWAAAAAAAAAAAA

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  July 21, 2009 3:04 p.m. alfadriver HalfDork

  The Brown Stig wrote:

  Salanis wrote:

  alfadriver wrote: Don't forget there's also spec Focus... Anyway, buy, but buy carefully. I had intended to build a race car, but figured out that my time is getting rather thin. So I bought. And it turned out to be a rust bucket, which I'm just barely going to finish this year (after 3-4 years- I forget). Time. That's really what you buy. Unless you can convert a car to Spec racing in a weekend, I'd just buy the best you can find (which ever you find).

  I haven't forgotten Spec Focus. I just like RWD. Plus, there's no shortage of Spec Miata and Spec E30 action around here.

  I appreciated the earlier suggestion about, having a pro shop handle anything that relates to the safety of the car. So, I contacted a local race shop with an excellent reputation, Evil Genius Racing, and asked for estimates on converting a car to SM. Apparently they also sell pre-built SM cars with overhauled racing engines, trannys, and diffs. And it would cost almost as much to have them convert my car as it would to buy a car from them. Buying a car would be more cost effective if I were to go ahead and sell my Miata.

  I'm liking the idea of just going ahead and buying a race-prepped car, even if I'm not ready to race yet.

  See if their prebuilts have titles. Make your car street legalish while getting ready to race for real.

  Good one- ask Kieth how it's driving his race car on an Island.... Sounds like a good time.

  (I was kinda joking about the Focus part- dead serious about finding a car you can race this weekend instead of 3 years of weekend work).

  E-

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  July 21, 2009 3:15 p.m. Salanis SuperDork

  alfadriver wrote:

  The Brown Stig wrote: See if their prebuilts have titles. Make your car street legalish while getting ready to race for real.

  Good one- ask Kieth how it's driving his race car on an Island.... Sounds like a good time.

  (I was kinda joking about the Focus part- dead serious about finding a car you can race this weekend instead of 3 years of weekend work).

  Yeah, street legal would be nice. If it's not quite legal, I can convert it. I'll want to trailer if I go wheel to wheel, but that doesn't seem necessary for an HPDE 1:30 away.

  No, I actually have thought about Spec Focus. I like the Ford Focus. If I wanted to do rallying, that would likely be one of my first choices for a car. I am currently thinking a Focus will be my next DD. That's another reason it doesn't excite me as a spec car.

  ...in the world.

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  July 21, 2009 4:41 p.m. Strizzo SuperDork

  why not use the miata you have, or buy another, either way, and start tossing spec miata parts on it, then start into time trials. this will get you experience in an open passing wheel to wheel environment while you slowly build your skills and your car up to compete in spec miata. if there are a lot of folks in SM in your region, then it seems like an easy way to ease into it.

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