Welcome to the madness Keith!
You hae a great backgound for what you are about to embark on.
I don't consider myself an expert on the E30, but, to some degree at least, the results speak for themselves. Rarely do we see one near the front.
So, the question becomes: why?
Is it because not many were built? That nobody has discovered the "magic formula" to make that particular car fast? Or that it has intrinsic issues that hold its performance down.
I personally think that they made enough of them, that there is a ton of development work done on them by the various aftermarket supppliers and club guys like yourself. So.....that leaves the last one.
It could be that the car can do very well, but everyone knows the E-36 is the car to have, and BMW guys naturally choose that one, leaving the rest unloved.
So....you need to ask yourself a few questions-
1- What does the knowledge base for this car suggest it can do vs. the E36? ie: what will the IT developed power to weight ratio be? Can it handle and brake with the E-36? If you find that it compares well, then you know it won't be a back-packer.
2- You also have to soul search...how invested in the car will YOU become? After a year or two,if you decide it isn't cutting it, will you be able to sell it for whatever you can get and find something else?
3- Finally, money is an issue. You will need to develop the car further for racing. If it doesn't run well enough, you will need to sell and buy anohter, and perhaps develop that one...$. So, it could get pricey. Look at used ITS E30s for an idea of the worth the car will have.
ITS is currently the fastest of the IT category classes, and thusly the most expensive.
SM is a known issue, and for the most part, the fast guys wind up near the front. (Another proof of "the big nuts always rise to the top of the jar" theory) Talent counts a lot. So that makes it a great place to learn. The guys at the front are very fast, and spend a lot of money extracting the last few tenths from the car, but the guys who do well regionally have a more controlled budget. Plus the class will be going national in '06 (?) (can you say "Runoffs Invitation"???? So that might be a factor as well.
I can see you spending (depending on what you've done so far) enough money on your car to make it fast in ITS to buy an SM.
So, and I hate to say this(!), you can't go wrong in an SM from a learning standpoint, and financially it is probably more viable than ITS.
Now, that said, I also think ITS is probably not the first place I would send a first time driver. IF you love BMWs, and have plenty of funding, perhaps it could work for you. Or if you love BMWs and IT, look at buying an existing BMW for another IT class, like ITA. You can sell your current car to a club guy, you'll be far ahead financially that way, and will be in the sme position competively as you would in ITS.
Keep in mind the number one rule of race car buying: It is always cheaper (by a lot) to buy a finsihed car than it is to build one yourself.....
It IS hard to beat SM for economy, close racing, huge fields, and as a fast learning tool. The mindset is different, and there is a bit of a reputation for "rubbing" (some call it crashing). Plus you don't have to work on your car much. But you will learn paint and bodywork more quickly in that class than any other!
That's the long answer...
The short answer? The E30 will easily run mid pack or better, if prepped and driven well, but it's doubtful it will see the speed of the E-36. And it could be pricey to get there.
Good luck!
------------------
Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]