What is "Entry Level"?

[Greg Amy]

http://itforum.improvedtouring.com/forums/...opic=8722&st=80 (http://itforum.improvedtouring.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8722&st=80)

In the topic above, the idea of Improved Touring as an "entry level" class was raised and debated. In your opinion, what does that term mean? Can you quantify what "entry level" means? List some factors that would make a particular class/category an entry level racing class; does ITx meet that definition? Do any other classes or categories? Why or why not? It would be particularly interesting to hear opinnions from newer folks, as opposed to the Old Established Guard.

Discuss.

[JeffYoung]

Entry level means I can bolt some parts on a car at a cost of less than X dollars and go race. It does not mean I will be competitive. It does not mean my car will be reliable.

So, I guess the real nitty gritty question is, what is the "X" dollar level? Is it $3k? $5k? $10k?

[Molez93]

Entry level =
- About $5k (or less) to get started
- Modest mechanical ability required for routine issues
- Readily available donor cars
- Ability to have fun on the track as a noobie

Near as I can tell ITA, ITB, and ITC all fit that description as long as there is no expectation of being competitive in ITA (or maybe even ITB) if you spend ~$5,000. ITS seems too expensive to be entry level.

I'm coming up on ~12 months since I formally started this whole "It's time to start racing for real" thing. And the absolute *best* piece of advice would have been to buy someone else's car at the VERY beginning. After starting with a 75% ready for ITA CRX (former Solo2 and HPDE vehicle), I still don't have a finished race car. A ton of circumstances changed along the way and I let other Summer fun replace the proposed 2006 racing schedule when the car didn't come together as planned.

My car build issues asside, who is going to spend more than $5K (or $10K if you're loaded ;-) to get started if you haven't been racing already? As a result, I don't see how any other class (SSx, Tx, or any other) could be "entry level."

Just my $0.02
-Scott M. eventual ITA CRX racer
One school at WGI and one at LRP
Lots &#39;o CRX parts <g>

[RacerBill]

&#39;Entry Level&#39; classes - IMHO

First let&#39;s define entry level. My definition is a class that a person new to driving race cars can start out in quickly, easily, and with minimum expense. We are not talking about a megabuck effort here, complete with motor coach and semi transporter, drive it to the track, tow dolly, or open trailer and a beater van or pickup.
Are you going to win? Probably not. But if your attitude is right, you can have a blast!

What makes a class entry level?

Preparation - Cost - Availability of cars

Preparation - Generally speaking Showroom Stock is/used to be the ultimate class as far as preparation goes. Maybe not always the lowest cost, but potentially the least effort.

Cost - IT probably has an advantage here because cars are generally older than Showroom Stock. Of course the scales can be tipped the other way because more modifications are allowed.

Availability of cars - Here again, I think that IT beats Showroom Stock since SS cars have a finite life.

I know that at times, you can find bargains in some of the other classes, but they are the exception, not the rule.

Entry level is going to mean different things to different people. And there are those who are going to have the bucks to start off at a higher level than others. But even then, unless you roll your car up into a little ball, the total cost of ownership through your use of a car should be lower in IT (by limiting the mods you do) because of the market for prepared cars.

OK, someone elses turn!

Well. Jeff and Scott got in there ahead of my. But yes, overall I agree with their remarks as well. Ones experience with putting your toes in the water will depend on attiude, circumstances and expectations. I could not afford the outlay associated with buying a prepared car, so I found the best deal I could. But that was my decision. I spent years taking every nut, bolt, screw, whatever off that car, and going over it as best I could.

Taking my time has allowed me to get some great deals - set of Kumho&#39;s with wheels - $175, spare engine, trans, shift linkage, - $100 delivered to my garage!, two sets of original Shelby wheels - $150.

I have been in four races, had three DNF&#39;s (two as a result of bad shift kinkage, one for fuel problems), but as the car gets sorted out, it&#39;s getting better. At least the car drives back onto the trailer and off again into the garage, which is better than some. But I am having a ball. Every race, the packing, setup etc. is getting more fun. My family is having a blast, as well. But it is all attitude - if it wasn&#39;t difficult and a challange, it would not be worth it.

[zracre]

Entry level=$2500-$5000. A good donor 90-93 Integra is $500-$2000 add safety gear and you are in the ballpark. The benefit of the teg is cheap entry level parts and a motor that is capable of running close to the front with basic bolt ons. A Miata is more of the same but a built motor is needed for competitiveness...same for the CRX. vdubs can do it in ITB cheap. Any Civic in ITC same. BMW&#39;s can be raced but parts more expensive. OB&#39;s Saturn ran close to the front (good driver) with a stock motor but hipo stuff is harder to come by and custom is in order as is the NX2000 MX3 ($$$) etc. If formula cars are your flavor, F500 is about as cheap as it gets. I&#39;m sure I left cars out but thats about the price to get in the door...just remember there will be far more invested in tires brake pads gas beer hotels beer food beer and entry fees than whats in an entry level car for the first year. Oh and bribing people to come help (see beer). If one needs tires and pads/rotors for a race and it is a long tow with hotels one could spend almost as much for the race weekend as they did for the cost of the car...racing=not cheap

[handfulz28]

"Entry level" to me implies a narrow ruleset, possibly controlled environment, possible low barriers to entry..."easy" for a beginner to participate and within a short time be competitive and successful. I&#39;m not sure if costs/expenses should be part of that or not.
Solo II is entry level, perhaps Solo I if there&#39;s course mods to limit top speed.

I would say there&#39;s no such thing as "entry level" door to door racing. There may be venues/classes that are "relatively" easier/cheaper to get a car on track, but that&#39;s mostly a cost factor and little else. From that perspective, SS/Touring/IT are probably the "easiest" in terms of converting a street car to a "track" car. For most cars in those classes, all that&#39;s "required" are safety mods: cage, belts, fire ext, !airbags, and in IT disabling ABS.

[rsx858]

I would define entry level as a class that is appealing to new racers becasue of relative low financial requirments as well as limited requirments in car preperation to participate and be somewhat competitive. Being competitive with little financial investment rarely seems to be the case in racing with the exception of a few classes where competitve cars can be purchased fairly cheap. These are the classes that i feel are true entry level becasue someone with a limited budget and or limited mechanical skill can get out on the track, have fun, and even visit the podium.

Some may argue that all IT classes are entry, and i do believe that IT is a fantastic place to begin racing, but i have trouble saying that a class such as ITR qualifies as entry level. To me there are three determinants of entry level: financial investment, level/difficulty of car preperation, and speed potential. looking at each class from ITC to ITR you see a steady increase in these determinants.

Though i define "entry level" as being conservative in these three factors, there may be circumstances where a driver does not consider money to be an issue or perhaps is a mechanical master. in such cases the right entry class may be somthing like a slower production class where the speeds arent necessarly the greatest, but the levels of preperation are high. In short, we can generaly define entry level as cheap and easy, but each person must consider his/her own financial position, mechanical ability, and skill behind the wheel to determine the right starting point.

[Andy Bettencourt]

"Entry level" in my book is defined by ease of entry. IT IMHO as a CATEGORY is the best EL class because it is the cheapest category to legally put a car on track. Donor cars can be VERY cheap in any class (sans ITR), and you can build your car at any pace after the safety equipment is in. Prep required is VERY modest compared to other classes which let you build slow...

[JeffYoung]

Agreed Andy, but back to dollars. Almost all "ease of entry" (other than car availability) can be reduced to $$$.

[Z3_GoCar]

I keep hearing that everyone thinks that ITR is not an entry level class. If you&#39;ve got a &#39;93 325 street car with a welded in cage kit in it and a fire extinguisher, you&#39;ve got an ITR car. If you&#39;ve not stripped the interior or taken out the carpet or head liner, if you&#39;ve basically got a street car with a cage. Wouldn&#39;t that be entry level? In another thread Greg you said all of IT is entry level.... I think that cost of the donner car shouldn&#39;t factor too much into considering if a class is entry level. If you run what you&#39;ve got, and are planning on building it up eventually to the limit of the rules, but you&#39;re just starting out, isn&#39;t that entry level?

[zracre]

Entry level is determined by....the person entering. Entry level budget for a Mechanic wanting to race is different than the 7 figure executive. or the small business owner. or the 711 employee. Everyone is different and have different life obligations and skill levels. there is no way to put a real value on it or car type. All cars have hurdles some big some small.

[gran racing]

Show me one car out there that has done nothing but &#39;bolt on a few (safety) pieces and raced&#39;. Name one person whose entire goal for going racing is to simply show up and not worry about being competitive.[/b]

O.k. Greg. Let&#39;s take a walk on Saturday.

And not being competitive - depends on how you define "competitive". When I raced in ITA, I was very competitive. Front runner? No way. If you think there weren&#39;t the usual guys who I really, really wanted to beat and we were all fighting hard to "win", you&#39;re wrong. When you really think about it, it isn&#39;t so different than racing for the "real" win. I will tell you that some of my favorite races were against Jake Fisher (and others) fighting for 15th place.


What I&#39;m saying is, "it may appear that you can just bolt on a few items and go racing, but in the end it just ain&#39;t that simple."[/b]

It also ain&#39;t that difficult.

Entry level racing – A place where the average Joe can get into the sport without having to spend a fortune and overcome numerous obstacles that are unnecessary. It also should be what Andy said in the ITR thread:
To me, the entry level part of IT is that you can build up your car slow. You can progress as a driver along with the progression of your car.[/b]

I think it is so cool that people can buy a safe and decent racecar (not a front running car) for around $3,000. Jon just bought his car that is ready to go racing with a log book, two sets of rims, 2 spare engines, spare tranny, race suspension, the motor’s head is built, nice paint for $2,800. Now that’s awesome!

The problem with ITR isn&#39;t necessarily the initial cost, but the ongoing costs. Typically the faster you go, the more expensive it becomes. The other issue is replacement and repair costs. If I need a new (stock) engine for my car, I can get one for ~$500. That can&#39;t be said for most of the ITR (and many ITS) cars.

[Doc Bro]

For me entry level had to meet certain criteria.

1. Could find a repair manual for the car so I could wrench myself. (That&#39;s why I ruled out open wheel, and NASCAR style cars, which I was strongly considering.)

2. Could find a mechanic who would work on car after I burned the repair manual out of frustration.

3. Could develop the car and the driver at the same pace without having to switch classes.

4. Most importantly... I had people to RACE with regardless of my prep and ability level...I could still RACE!!

5. Could race a car that I liked...something you could explain to others to gain their interest and potentially something they too may be interested in trying. I didn&#39;t really feel like having racing conversations go like:

"...yea, we are racing this weekend"
&#39;oh, really, what do you race?&#39;
" it&#39;a RALT Dx 783.89 AF"
&#39;OOOOH,.......so..what about those Red Sox?&#39; :bash_1_:

R

[DavidM]

I probably still qualify as a newb - season and a half with 8 or so races - so I&#39;ll chime in. I think "entry level" is somewhat of a misnomer as I think any class can be entry level, but I think there are some things that make some classes more attractive to beginners than others.

Cost: I think this is greatly determined by a person&#39;s financial status, but in general I don&#39;t think a beginner is going to want to spend $30k on a race car. People very well off may do so, but most people won&#39;t. I don&#39;t think you can put an exact dollar figure on it, but each person is going to have a limit. I was willing to spend $10-15k to get a well prepped car. A lot of people may have smaller budgets, some may have bigger.

Prep-level/Car modification: Classes that limit what you can do to the car are more beginner friendly. I had no desire to have to take care of some highly modified motor or take apart the transmission to mess with gear ratios every race.

Ease of maintenance/durability: I&#39;m figuring most people getting into racing are doing their own work. This is probably directly related to prep-level, but cars that don&#39;t need lots of work and don&#39;t break are good for beginners. Having to rebuild some part of the car between every race was not what I wanted. I didn&#39;t want to have to be fixing something at the track everytime either.

Speed: I don&#39;t think most beginners will want to be in a high-speed class. I think the radicals in DSR are cool, but I&#39;d probably wind up in a wall if I tried to drive one right now.

Number of cars in the class: I think most beginners would like to be in a class that has a decent number of cars. Racing somebody is fun. Driving around by yourself, while still racing, is not as fun.

Classes that I think appeal to beginners are SM, IT, and SS. I&#39;m talking about people looking for cars with doors and roofs (mostly). People wanting open-wheel or open cockpit (i.e. SRF) probably already have a specific class in mind.

In my case, I wound up in ITA in a 240SX. I knew that I wanted to race a production car that was rear wheel drive. ITS was a little faster than I wanted and I don&#39;t really like Miatas (may have something to do with the fact that I can&#39;t fit in one) or doing body work. That pretty much left ITA. I&#39;m familiar with Nissans and Bob happened to put his car up for sale about the time I was getting serious about racing. There ya go.

David

[Knestis]

Interesting ideas but don&#39;t most of them apply in other classes as well?

** I could buy a serviceable Legends car for $6-8K and run NASA road races AND local short tracks, including televised events from Lowes.

** I could finance a used Acura RSX and put the same kind of safety equipment that IT requires into it, for substantially LESS $$ than it would take to build even the most basic bolt-on IT car

** How about a Formula Vee? Cheap-o-rama.

** There aren&#39;t as many of them out there as there are IT cars, but I&#39;ve seen enough $3000 Production-legal cars with logbooks and current safety equipment to know that&#39;s a possibility.

Tempted to argue that there are plenty of reasons why some or all of the above choices represent bad values, or just dumb decisions? Apply those same questions to IT versions of the same...

K

[lateapex911]

I should probably keep my mouth shut, as I am an OEG, but....

The best "Entry level racing" is.... (drum roll, please)

NASA&#39;s PT category. Because it is flexible enough to be many things to many people. I do doubt though, if it can satisfy the true racer, as the system that classes cars is full of inconsitencies, and it&#39;s impossible to police. That said, it&#39;s barriers to entry are probably the least. Flexible standards, race what you&#39;ve got.

Second has to be SCCA IT. I think IT caters to a very wide demographic. There are &#39;subsets&#39; within IT that aknowledge that they can&#39;t run at the front, but are still racing hard for their respective place. Guys like Dave Gran and Jake Fisher who felt that their cars, no matter the development, could never be front runners, coined the term "ITA Lite", LOL. And the RX-7 guys felt the same way, and came up with the coveted "RX7 Cup", a perpetual trophy given to the fastest ITA RX-7. Then there are tons of guys that choose IT to race because they can get on the track with a cage and some brake pads and be racing. I know a guy like that...me!

To this day, my first season, in my woefully underprepped car, is my favorite. Drove it to every race and finished as high as 5th at the first IT "Mini Stock Challenge" at Lime Rock to support the Busch race. To me, that was as good as a win.

Here&#39;s a category you can find great competition at many levels in, has an allowance that you can be racing with minimal mods, and has plenty of donor cars that are very inexpensive.

SS or Touring is MUCH more difficult to call "entry level". New cars are hugely expensive, and one mistake/wreck can throw $25,000 away. Not a comforting thought to an entry level guy. Used SS cars are cheaper, but come with the caveat that their "lifespan" is used up. IT cars can go a long time.

Open wheel has limited "entry level" appeal, because of the increased danger with the open wheels, whether thats actual or perceived.

So, for low financial cost of entry, low finaincial risk, deep fields that give a newbie a chance to actually race against someone, low mechanical mods required, and lots of car choices, IT is hard to beat.

Finally, the "Entry level" racer often looks to grow, and looks for a category with room to grow into. IT fits that bill as well.

[Racerlinn]

I&#39;m with David. I&#39;m definately entry-level and a season and a half into my race career. Took a car I knew well (bought off the showroom floor) and was already competing with (Solo and track days).
Very budget-concious build due to having a real life (ie wife,kids,mortgage) so all my money was spent on safety equipment rather than new suspension, motor, etc. I&#39;m certainly a middle of the pack racer because of it, but some of us in the middle of the pack are sure having fun burning the tires of these cars!
Of course when people ask what I race and I say "Sentra", they usually reply with "how &#39;bout them Cubs?"
I think for "normal" people living "normal" lives, IT is certainly a great place to start for those looking to race a sedan they can afford.

Edit: and another big concern for "entry level": I can financially walk away from the car if I ball it up. This is the next thing I have to tell people when they ask why I don&#39;t race a Corvette or Porsche - that is if they don&#39;t ask about the Cubs instead.

[gsbaker]

Entry Level is something low risk in terms of time, effort and money, so one can get on the track with a minimum investment of each. That way the new driver can give it a shot and have some fun but back out easily if, for some reason, they feel it&#39;s not for them.

In this regard Jake makes a good point (You make good points in most all regards, Jake :)) with the reference to the NASA class, i.e. a thin rule book lowers the effort portion of the investment so anything simple is necessarily attractive to the noobie.

I think any class that allows a safe, minimum-prep car qualifies as EL. If someone has a spare Ferrari back in the barn, hey, so be it.

[tom_sprecher]

Hello, my name is Tom and I am a newbie. Rest of the support group, “Hello, Tom”

There have been many good comments on the attributes that constitute an "entry level" class. For many it appears that cost is a concern as it was for me. I did not want to make a large financial commitment only to find out that racing was not for me.

Others have mentioned the easy of maintenance and durability. Although somewhat of a concern this did not come into play as, with some exceptions, I have found that racing beats the hell out of anything involved with it. We are pushing everything to the limit or should be. This in turn requires vigilant maintenance in order to provide a reasonable level of reliability no matter what you race.

As far as level of preparation or modifications I have found that the more "stock" a car is required to be in racing trim the more difficult it is to prepare/modify. In my point of view there is just less “stuff” to get in the way. I find working on purpose built race cars much easier for that very reason. Especially Formula cars.

The biggest factor for determining an “entry level” class is that it allows the new driver to develop his on-track racing skills at a reasonable rate just as an entry level job does much the same. The class should, as best it can, allow learning the necessary skill set without causing bodily harm or expensive vehicle damage to him or fellow racers. Either one is a buzz kill and inconvenience at the least and financial disaster or death at the worst. Entry level is not about learning during the first time in a race car how to roll on 400HP in T12 at Road Atlanta. As much as I wanted to, this was the biggest reason that kept me from starting off with a Formula, GT or SPO car.

Well, that and the money.

[JimLill]

maybe I am the "newest"bie...

bought a well used turn-key ITB car that I could take to track for $2500, what could be easier. Slowly fed in bux to make it mine own.... 1 race under my belt. Enjoy having a car that I can make a few changes to yet afford.... thus, it is at least "my" entry level.

[Speed Raycer]

If we&#39;re talking entry level W2W racing, then IT is definitely not entry level on the $$$ end. It&#39;s so far from entry level it&#39;s not even funny. I&#39;ve talked with local dirt trackers racing their "hornets" (their version of "IT") and they laugh out loud at the $2500 tag on "entry level" cars, $800-1?00 cages and most of all the $300 entry fees to race and the $100+ just to be a member, nevermind the towing X hours just to get to a track. One of them asked me how much for a cage and I shot him the lowest price I could and got laughed at. "I&#39;m in a $500 claimer class. That&#39;s more than the whole car&#39;s worth!"

Of course, if we&#39;re talking entry level racing where you turn the wheel both ways, IMO, Karting&#39;s where it&#39;s at.

[Daryl DeArman]

Some may consider me an OEG with 16 years of w2w racing but I still compete in what I would consider an Entry-Level class (FV).

To me, Entry Level must be as painless as possible in order to set the hook.

Low budget, easy to work on, easy to obtain parts, low prep time:drive time ratio with bonus points for a small penalty paid for mistakes that are going to be made.

The easier all of it is on the racer, their family and wallet the longer we are likely to have them active in the sport.

In SCCA road racing ITC, ITB, ITA, SM, FV would be good candidates by my criteria. You can get a pretty good car for less than $10K with a reasonable budget of less than $750/weekend.

I arrived at those numbers, not through some magical formula, but by looking at the number of classes that those numbers would exclude while still giving you a handful of choices.

I also feel that, while a car needn&#39;t be capable of winning, because the driver won&#39;t be, I do feel it should be reasonably close so that the evolution of the entire package is easier. In other words a $10K ITB car for a newbie is a better choice, IMO than a $10K ITS car--looking 2 years down the road---we do want them around for awhile, right?

We&#39;ve got to attract those 30-35year old karters that have $8K karts and are spending $500+ a weekend to run mid pack--a lot of them want out, but don&#39;t want to hang up the helmet. They love racing!! They are under the impression that cars are too expensive!

[88YB1]

As many have said, entry level means different things to different people. No one has mentioned the marque owner/driver. I have brand X I want to race. Where can I? What tacks can I run? etc. To some entry level is getting to run the car of your choice.
I was advised to purchase a built car, but for me part of the fun is doing it myself.

Chuck

88 Pontiac Fiero #34 ITA

[iambhooper]

Speaking from experience.... "Entry Level" is exactly whatever it takes to get started in the sprot/business/hobbie/whatever you choose to call it. For Tom, entry level my be a T1 Vette; for Dick, it might be a Spec Wrecker; Harry might buy a Miata to get started... and I might have to buy the cheap X 1/9 for $2200 in Memphis.

That&#39;s exactly how my school at Nelson Ledges in &#39;04 was. Entry level is all relevant. Is IT Entry Level? Heck, for a lot of drivers, CART is entry level... or Grand Am, ect.

It depends on your budget, and your abilities. My budget for the past 3 years (and the next 2) has been ITC. My Honda has served me well. It&#39;s been competetive (several 2nd places, and at 1 point was 8th in the rain at Lowes last year) in class, with plenty of development to be had. You may ask, is it the car or the driver? Eh, doesn&#39;t matter... it&#39;s done what it was supposed to do.

Can IT be cheap? Yes. You can spend $600 on personal safety epuipment, plus what ever car you want and go learn how to race. Can IT be expensive? Hell yes!

On the other hand, Autocross can be damn&#39;d expensive.

It&#39;s all relative.

[BobsAuto]

From someone from the beginning of IT, entry level meant for us, we had a car that we had had for many years, ran autox and time trials and wanted to do more. Couldn&#39;t afford a "race" car so took what we had and developed an IT car, which in it&#39;s day was a VERY competitive ITA car. 1973 Capri 2600. Raymond and Stephen&#39;s Dad won the 88 NARRC Championship with said car after just one year of development. Average cost per year in development? $5000, not counting entry fees, travel, etc. Just right for a newbie who wanted to go racing. Any other class (Prod, GT, SS, F cars) were cost prohitive. It seems that IT, today, is still a true entry level category for the up and coming racer. Now, if the guys with the money could see what talent lies within the IT ranks and offer them rides, we&#39;d finally see guys and gals in the pro ranks who started in IT.
Trish

[PeteK]

IT is the gateway drug to the &#39;hard&#39; stuff! :P



3. Could develop the car and the driver at the same pace without having to switch classes.
[/b]

That a good point and was important to me when I started. It also helps you develop as a racer to buy a new go-fast part and see how it affects your car.

I had a shop build the car for the most part, but did a lot of the work myself so that if something broke at the track, I would have some idea of what to do. I&#39;m not a mechanic by trade, but found a certain Zen in working on the car every weekend. It was almost as fun as actually racing it.

Having said that though, it is far cheaper in the long run to just buy one that&#39;s already built. It also emotionally detaches you from the car. For me, I know that I may have backed off a little more than I should in a couple of instances simply because I&#39;ve put so much time and effort into building the car and I didn&#39;t want to risk balling it up.

[tom_sprecher]

Forgive me for not being familiar with the initials OEG, but having seen it twice in this thread I am curious as to what it stands for, Over Energetic Geezer?

[zracre]

Forgive me for not being familiar with the initials OEG, but having seen it twice in this thread I am curious as to what it stands for, Over Energetic Geezer?
[/b]


Old Established Guard...us geeks that have been in it for a while

[Z3_GoCar]

I came across this last night from the BMWCCA Rondel 1988. It&#39;s a long read, but I found it very informative:

"Preparing a car for Improved Touring"


By Larry Resnick

from BMWCCA Roundel April 1988


PART FIVE


*******

In this fifth and last installment, Larry sums up their experiences building and racing an IT BMW, considers the costs in tlme and money, the wins and losses, the delights and the disappointments. Was it all worth it? Read on.

*******


The development of the car seemed easy, in retrospect. Deciding what to change to make the car better was difficult, but once we decided what to do, getting it done was far easier. The idea behind the IT class was to provide a relatively low cost entry level class for race teams with modest budgets. But taking the stock, street car and changing it into a race car was a lot of work. Many of the difficulties ahead of us were in determining what to do rather than how to do it. There were as many ways of accomplishing any particular goal as there were cars. Every race car was built by a different crew, with a different budget. We came to look at problems with the car in a different way, too. The car eventually became a tool to allow the tires to do their job, and little else. We wanted the car to look nice, but finishing closer to first looked better to us than a shiny paint job.


As we raced, we got to know other drivers and crews at the tracks, both in our class and others, and the discussions after each race were at least as much fun as the actual race, especially when our car was still running after the race was over. I could go on about on-track body contact incidents, but unless you were there, driving or timing in the hot pit lane, the discussion would not mean much to you.


We found that the car was reliable, not as fast as we would like, and not as expensive as we expected. We were doing all of our own work, so a large part of the cost, the labor of car preparation, was not there. At least the cost in dollars. We found that a good ratio of shop time to track time was about forty to one, which meant that we worked on the car forty hours for each hour on the track. This included preparation, testing, rebuilding things that broke or were damaged on the track, and chasing the large number of go-fer jobs. If you had to pay someone even minimum wage for just the go-fer work, it would just about double our modest budget.


Our biggest expense was tires. We could get between three to four races on a set of Yokohama A001R tires that were shaved to racing depth. We found that the less tread we left when we shaved them, the longer they lasted. The only alternative tire which we could have used was the Mickey Thompson &#39;Competitor&#39; in the same size. The later, 008R tread design was not out yet.





Including preparation of the car, spare parts, tires, a trailer and tow vehicle, gas for towing and other expenses, it cost us about $800 for each race. While this was not cheap, it was at least manageable. If we had continued another year in the same class, this cost would have been lower, perhaps as low as $600 per race, since much of our equipment was paid for after the first year. This would not include replacement of the car if it was rolled up into a ball in one of the faster turns. Our weekend race cost was very close to one day of professional drivers school in our area, using a school-supplied car. Fortunately, we got a whole year of racing out of the car.


The first engine we built lasted the entire season, although it was getting pretty tired, so we did not need the back-up engine. We slowly raised the rpm limit, ending the season with the red line above 7500 rpm. This is higher than the factory limit, but if we used a lower limit we would be passed by two Mazdas coming out of every turn. We attributed much of this long life to keeping the oil clean and the temperatures down. We had installed an oil cooler, we changed the oil after each race, the engine had the benefit of an easy break-in, and we did not abuse the car. As the car was developed further, we realized that the class we were in was very close. Other cars in the class had different combinations of acceleration, braking and cornering, but on balance, were very close in lap times.


Our car, like many Bimmers, had suFrior handling and brakes when compared to our competition, but was low on power. This meant that we could not pass anyone coming out of slow turns. We could pass other makes going into turns, however. This required an aggressive driving style which took some time on track to develop. It was easy to judge things incorrectly. The penalties for this were quite severe. Going into a turn with too much speed meant that you would not complete the turn without a problem.


Other cars, those with better acceleration and poorer handling and brakes had a more forgiving environment to deal with. They could pass slower cars on the way out of a turn, where the consequences for miscalculation were less punishing. The differences in lap speed between us and the Mazdas were less than a sescond in a Solo I environment, with no traffic. During a race, with race traffic, the differences were vanishindy small. Traffic made things more difficult, and many times there were no opportunities to use the small differences at all. This was probably caused by the somewhat non-aggressive driving style our driver used.


The reasons for this style were several. First, if the car was totaled it would be the end of our race effort for a long time, until the car could be replaced. Second, there was a lack of the go-for-it approach, more commonly seen with male drivers. Our approach was one of working on each section of track until we found the best way of driving it. We spent a lot of time at this, and it sometimes tested our patience to the limit. However, once a second on a part of the track was found, it was there for good. It was particularly rewarding to finauy &#39;get&#39; a turn, finding the way to drive it at the best time, and this approach eventually paid off.


*******

Note the giant idiot light for oil pressure to the right of the tachometer.

*******


There were as many different driving styles as there were drivers. Perhaps with a car which cost $50 as an ITA Mazda did, our style would have been different too. Other drivers who had gone to the same drivers school at the beginning of the season had totaled, in some cases, two Mazdas in the same season on the same tracks we were racing on. This, if nothing else, was an indication of some very different styles of racing.


We had our share of problems. Once while at Laguna Seca the car came into the paddock, late, with the engine not running and the entire front of the car covered with oil. With this problem, the crew started the process of going through all the things that could cause this symptom, from the worst to the best. It did little good to dwell on the worst. Closer examination of the engine showed that the nut holding the front pulley to the crankshaft had come loose, allowing the front pulley to come forward out of the front oil seal. This allowed the key inthe crankshaft to no longer engage the pulley, and the pulley stopped turning. This stopped the fuel injection pump from turning, and the engine stopped. When the pulley was pushed back into the front timing cover, it engaged the key, which meant that the key was still present.A brisk drive home, 128 miles each way produced a new crankshaft nut and washer, and this time the nut was Loctited to the shaft. Everything else was working, so we just continued on.


Another time we had a slight collision by a slower car and the bottom of one fender was pushed in by the offending car, a Pinto, if I remember right. And we were developing a driving strategy which cannot be found except on the track. We felt that just finishing a race was enough. Placing anywhere above last was an additional bonus.


During the race season we went to all the Solo I events on the calendar. This turned out to be some of the best track time available. Many of the IT group of drivers looked askance at Solo I events. So we sho ved up at all of them, and the worst we did was third. This was good enough for us to win Solo I in our class for the year. The checkered flag is still hanging from the ceiling in the garage.


We also found a hierarchy among drivers at the tracks. At the top were the formula car drivers, with the sorting in this group mostly by lap speed. The Atlantic cars were on the top, followed by the Super V&#39;s, and then the Formula Fords, with the Formula V&#39;s next and the 440&#39;s last. The formula 440 were actually faster, but, being newer, were held in lower regard than the formula V, one of the oldest classes. Then came the fendered cars, again sorted by lap times, with CanAm cars and sports racers first, Sports 2000 next, followed by all the GT classes, the production classes, and the IT group bringing up the rear.


The reasons for these feelings were mamy. It is only after becoming a little familiar with open wheeled cars that I can see some of the reasons for them. You see a healthy respect by open wheeled drivers for each other&#39;s tires, and after you have seen what happens when two cars at speed touch tires, you begin to understand why. And the feeling by the open wheeled drivers that there was a lot of &#39;door handle rubbing&#39; by the fendered cars was accurate. As mentioned above, the average for a regional race is about one IT car on the trailer for the last time, per day of event. With the starting field limit of 25 fendered cars per mile of track a typical race would have from 45 to over 50 cars in each starting grid. This large a starting field looks like the Santa Monica freeway during a weekday commute, before the green flag is dropped, and can resemble a destruction derby once the green is out. This is especially true the first race after the drivers school in the spring, when there are many cars with N&#39;s on the sides.


The typical racing career of an SCCA driver lasts four years, from the first drivers school to the last race. It takes that long to completely run out of money. Racing is not a cheap hobby. Even doing our own work, which is typical of many low budget race teams, it cost about what the payments on a new 7 would be. Whether it was more fun than driving a new 7 is a matter of opinion. A racing experience of even four years is certainly worth more than none, especially if it is something you have always wanted to do. An article in Road & Track by Peter Egan, within the last year, which elaborates on this very topic comes to mind. In it, the author explores the thought that many enthusiasts choose not to go racing because they mistakenly think it costs so much they "cannot afford it". It certainly costs less than buying even a new bottom level Bimmer. So many people who do not go racing because of incorrect cost estimates are making a mistake. They may have other valid reasons for not doing so, but cost is not one of them.


After our first year of IT racing we looked at the cost, the class and the alternatives. We could quit. Some racers say that being on drugs is better than racing, because drugs can be cured. This is true. We were having too much fun to consider this choice. But we began to look at other classes more closely. Many of the comments about the IT class were true. There was some cheating. There were also some cars that were prepared by teams that were on budgets even tighter than ours. That had to be pretty tight!


There were other things which we had to consider. Some teams were able to take advantage of factory support which was available for some makes, but not ours. There was modest contingency money available from some factories. If you place, you get a small award from the company. It is not a large amount of money, but it is a help, and it shows that the factory is behind you and your efforts to bring their cars to the winning circle. The benefits in brand loyalty far exceed the modest cost, especially when this cost is compared to the advertising expenses of even the smallest importer or domestic manufacturer of automobiles. There was no such support from BMW. This is not criticism, but only our observation. Obviously, our racing would not help BMW sell more cars, oreven sell them to race fans. We were not kidding ourselves about this. But some support would have helped a lot.


Making a street car into a race car causes problems. Some of them were mentioned above. Others are that the IT class was intended to be restrictive, and was becoming more so. Unfortunately, some of these restrictions were interfering with our goal of developing both the driver and the car. Finding a class which would allow more attention to racing and less on the car was becoming our goal. Finding such a class was difficult, and in the end we concluded that there is no perfect class, but there are some that are better at meeting our requirements than others. Finding this class was more difficult than deciding to race a BMW had been a year ago. We eventually chose Formula Ford. This class has progressed over the years so the differences between cars are vanishingly small, and the big differences are between drivers. And, it is a real race car.


Exploring our new car and open wheel racing could be the subject of a series of articles about racing, but it brought racing a BMW to an end. We enjoyed the year of racing a BMW, the experiences and the friends that we still have because of it. And we went on to race a formula car, with the chalilenge an open wheeled car represented to both the driver and mechanic.


Ed. note: Few Roundel articles have run as long as this one, and few articles of any size have garnered so many nice comments. Many people have said "Even though I had no intention of racing an IT car, I enjoyed reading about it." Our thanks to Larry Resnick for his efforts. Watch for his next article on his ten years as Tech Rep.


Note that some things never change, like the cheap to ball up Mazdas :P

[lateapex911]

It&#39;s too bad they bailed after a year.

Their costs were already paid in the build up, but they never got to enjoy them!

[BobsAuto]

Over Energetic Geezer?
[/b]

OEG- I think Old Established Geezer would be more appropriate.... :blink:
Trish

[AntonioGG]

IMHO, entry level = SRX7. There are guys selling two cars and spares for less than $3000, they&#39;re easy on tires, and you have good competition.

[ddewhurst]

IMHJ, within the closed wheel cars Spec Miata is an entry level class just the same as Spec-7 was when it started back in 1994 in the SoPac. The cost of the doner is some what more but after that it&#39;s ALL ABOUT what part of the race group you want to run with. The fact that the Spec Miata rules were left open more so than Spec-7 is really against the grain of a Spec class. Going National raised the bar (motors, clutch, transmission, rearend, shocks, fill in the blank _________) but had the class not gone National the same people would be at the sharp end.

I would also include open wheel class of F500 & FV as entry level.

Have Fun ;)
David

[charrbq]

When I joined the SCCA, entry level was a Spridget or Spitfire in G/H Production or a Formula Vee (Formula Ford if you had bucks). Showroom Stock took that place when it was just 5 or 6 cars in a regional class. Once it went National and they gave us SSA, SSB, and SSC, that entry level went the way of the Gooney Bird.
Improved Touring is really the best entry they&#39;ve come up with since then. I fear that if it goes national, the less subscribed classes will die and the bigger bucks classes will join GT and SS in the big bucks/car of the year groupings.

Entry level varies greatly. I&#39;ve seen people jump into IT in every class offered as their entry level. You sorta mix desire to race a particular type car, with the availability of said car, with the depth of the pockets, with the various levels of mechanical knowledge. Stir those into a bowl of opportunity, and you have entry level for a particular person.

I&#39;ve seen $10K BMW&#39;s and $10K Honda&#39;s used for entry level. Oddly, even though the Honda tended to be more competitive than the BMW, it was hard to say who enjoyed their racing more.