NASA PT

[mbuskuhl]

I'm curious what your ITS 2nd Gen came in for NASA PT. Base class is PTE, did you stay PTE or get bumped one or two classes to PTD or PTC?

I'm trying to get my final classification down with little to no changes and am barely making PTD...and that's with Toyo RA-1's. How successful is the 2nd Gen in these classes? I don't have any lap times to compare.

We don't have much of a regional program so I'm going to run some NASA until SCCA can figure things out. Thanks. :cavallo:

[crushed]

FWIW my ITA 1st gen is pretty solidly in PTD. I haven't really had a whole lot of competition to say if it's competitive there or not.

[IPRESS]

Mark,
If you can find anyone to race with in PT at a NASATX event it would be nice. The problem in the events I have run (only a couple), was no other cars to run with. There are just very few IT type cars at their events. AI,CMC, SM, SRX7, and the FMs have their own series within NASA so they have decent car counts. IT not so much. It is a shame since three or four years ago (when SM was regional) SowDiv SCCA tried to offer more for the Reg.only groups cause SM was racing NASA instead of SCCA to some degree. The competition caused some thinking out of the box by some of the old guard. When SM went national things reverted back. I live in the Metroplex but I am a Member of both Tex Region and MidSouth. This year I will run mostly out of state (MidDiv) because they have a much better regional program. I am not picking on SowDiv as the car makeup (more national) makes it tough to have a good regional program. I served on the BOD for a while and I didn't have anymore answers then anybody else. With a larger number of SowDiv races being run at MSRH I decided going to Hallett was a better drive (Houston traffic is the devils work). Now the other MidDiv tracks are a little far, but I don't race but about once a month so I make it an event and take an extra day off.
NASATX is run by a lot of SCCA people and they are great. If there were enough cars to race with I would run with them a good deal more often. I think my car (ITA Miata) ended up being a PTE class. I ran a Protege one race at MSR and had a good time with the SRX7s, but no other cars in my class. Make the trip to Hallett next month and run the two days of regional racing on a great track.

Mac

[mbuskuhl]

I agree with what you said Mac. I looked at some race results earlier from recent NASA TX and saw a few PTC cars but other PT cars where sparse. It's not going to get big over night, nothing does, someone has to be their in the beginning though. IT isn't big in the SOWDIV, at least not ITS. ITA gets a couple cars, or at least they did at this weekends race.

So - neither SCCA or NASA really have many cars similar to yours or mine running right now. We have to race against other classes. But ... NASA at least gives me a schedule that encourages me to come out.

My options....

This weekends SCCA race at MSRH - 270mile drive one way
Qualify 8:00am, race at 11:00am, weekend over. Go home, thanks for coming. No thanks, have fun w/o me.


April 28-29 NASA at TWS- 170 mile drive one way
Sat - practice sesssion, quailfying session, race 1, race 2
Sun - qualifying session, race 3
That's 6 different sessions on the track!

I don't want to beat up SOWDIV. I don't want to complain. I can't change the world but I can go where I feel wanted and welcome. Maybe others will follow to NASA or maybe SCCA will change. Maybe you want to run on April 28-29?.... at least we could race each other! The PTC cars will be out there as well. I've considered the MIDIV race at Hallett in mid April, if my schedule permits I am going.


Back on topic... I managed to find some times from a PTD driver at a track I have ran....looks like it would have been a run for the money. Unfortunately I don't know what kind car it was exactly. I know of him to have at least 2 race cars. My guess is his PTD car may have also been the ITE Audi A4 I've seen him bring to an SCCA event.

[lateapex911]

Qualify 8:00am, race at 11:00am, weekend over. Go home, thanks for coming. No thanks, have fun w/o me.


April 28-29 NASA at TWS- 170 mile drive one way
Sat - practice sesssion, quailfying session, race 1, race 2
Sun - qualifying session, race 3
That's 6 different sessions on the track!

I. [/b]


Wow...that IS a no brainer! ONE session, and a race and thats it? Uggg! Sucks worse if you're not a morning person!

[IPRESS]

Jake,
That is what we are up against down here in IT. SRX7 and SM sort of strongarmed SCCA into RRs on national days for a short while before SM went national. Now with that gone, NASA tries to cultivate the SRX7 group. Don't get me wrong, we have folks that are regional racers who are SCCA officers. They are trying, but for some reason it just doesn't come out very well for the regional racers. I started the WHEELS AMERICA SM series (thanks Bob) just to get the regional guys a better shake. SRX7 & SM had about 30-50 cars that could show up at a SCCA race weekend or a NASA race weekend. With only one day offered to you (as is Mark's case above) by a SCCA weekend, and two days plus a national length race by a NASA weekend, it was easy for NASA to gain ground in Texas. SCCA stepped up and found ways to get the regional guys races both days after that, but now it is back to one day. With more national racers skipping regional days and less regional cars overall, Mark and me have to find our fun elsewhere. On the flipside, It allows me to run some great tracks outside my state, meet some pretty cool and fun people who talk funny, polish off some great thriller audio books, and see lots of our great country. (Not to mention contribute to the many Toll Road Systems we are so lucky to have!) Although I have an F350 (no gun rack) SCCA racing always makes me hear (in my head) Anita Bryant singing "See the USA in a Chevrolet..."

[mbuskuhl]

I got my NASA license today - a "Rookie Permit and Provisional License". Huh? The CCR online 2007.19 (most recent place they say to go) specifically states in section 14.1.2 that holders of an SCCA regional, national, or pro license get a NASA comp license. I hold a SCCA regional. I called national and they didn't offer much explanation other than the rules had changed but not been updated. ??? Shouldn't the rules be updated if a change has taken place??? I could not get any answers other than to contact my local region who can override this - email pending and treading lightly. Rules are rules...I thought.

What's the big difference in licenses? A 48" sq bright orange marking on the back of the car along with a 3" "R" on all 4 sides of the car for 8 races and a sign off after each race.

Anyone else experience this?

I'm also having trouble getting classed in PTD, looks like I may have to strip a few parts or run PTC where I'd take back of the pack.

[Knestis]

I think you are going to find that policies, procedures, etc. vary more among NASA "regions" than they do among SCCA regions. Some are pretty autonomous. Regardless, the rookie permit gets you everything that a full license does.

K

[IPRESS]

I'm pretty sure they will waive the 8 race deal for you. NASATX folks have always been pretty easy to get along with. Go see Adrian next time you go to one of their races. She has been around club racing all of her life. She will treat you fair. She is either race director or CS. Not sure of the title. You can catch her on the Texas SRX7 BB a lot of the time.
Make that tow to Hallett week after next, we need some IT cars to show up. It is an easy tow from DFW.

[mbuskuhl]

NASA TX agreed no need to have the Rookie "R" or orange decal. They did say run a weekend with them on the provisional license and they would sign off for the competition license. Very agreeable by me. NASA has been good so far, they have a great attitude.

Mac - I won't be going to Hallett this coming weekend, busy at work and I did a little off-roading at MSRC on Easter day. Not sure how I did a nose dive and slammed the rear down which detached the fuel cell. I left it at Shannon McMasters shop and I'm hoping he can get a new cell in it soon so it'll start, I'll take care of the rest. He wasn't in but the shop said they were slammed for an upcoming Pro race. I'm just trying to get it back together for NASA at month end now. Any strings you can pull would be greatly appreciated :)

[IPRESS]

I doubt Jason and Jules or Shannon can get to it for a while. They are going crazy trying to get everything ready for the Pro MX5 race schedule. I am going out there tomorrow and I will talk to them. If they are going to be real long getting to it I may can find someone else to fix you up. I wouldn't want to steer any business away from them as they help me a lot. email me at macspikesataoldotcom.