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A few friends and I were looking into
starting a ITS Rx7 for endurance racing.
What are the costs that we'll be looking
at. Entry fee, tires, fuel, brakes. Of
course this would also rely on how long
the race was. 6, 8, 12, 24 hours.
Any help would be great.
Thanks.
let's see if this helps...
IT's EXPENSIVE!! and TIME CONSUMING!!
we have done the 24 down to the 8 hour in a CRX ITA car. we learned alot along the way. there are many things to consider depending on the length, night/day, and number of drivers.
make clear goals for the team!!
1-have fun
2-finish
3-win
car:
the first thing is to prep the car to make it..meaning go thru EVERY nut and bolt, EVERY electrical connection, EVERY hose..etc. make sure you start with good stuff, don't skimp on things. nothing worse than having a $5.00 part end your race at the track. when possible try and make it easy to access and fix anything that comes up. remember..you might be fixing things on pit row at 3 a.m. with very little light. try and start with a clean car inside and out. the engine and engine bay should be spotless...much easier to see leaks and problems when they start and where they are comming from..and easier to work on in a pinch. the interior should be the same..try and route wires so you (or your crew guy) can follow them without problems...we go so far as to color code our connections. try and keep clear areas where you think you may need to access during the race (fuses, drink system, seat adjustments..etc) you get the idea..
night/day:
if you will be driving at night spend the $$ for a good lighting system..most places allow up to 4 additional lights...you'll need all 4. if you can make it so you can put them on, or attach them when you need them that is better...nothing sucks worse than busting your lights mid day bumping a car and then your at a disadvantage at night. if not try and mount them so they can take a hit or 2 and still work....again 4 is better just in case. wire the switches seperate from each other so if one set has problems your OK. don't use colored bulbs and may want to have switches that light up when on. aim a set as apex lights that are mounted to shine to the side to see corners. have backups...if you can't see you can't race!!
if others can't see you...you can't race. most races require at least 1 working tail lamp. we have a rain light that doubles as a backup system in case of tail lamp failure. it is switched seperate and yes..we had to use it one time. it saved our ass!! backup systems thought out before hand will save time in the long run.
you can see where i'm headed with this. think of it this way...if it can go wrong..it will at the worst time. you can take a proactive approach while your car is sitting in the garage or you can kick yourself at the track while your wishing you took the time do do this or that.
spares:
have lots of them. things will break..wear out, bind up, overheat, melt, fall off or just get used up. i would recomend having enough spares to rebuild every corner of the suspension if needed. have spare fuses, bulbs, bolts, screws, hoses and clamps...JB weld is always a good thing to have on hand. SPARES can win or lose a race. pack everything in bins and label them so any one of your crew guys knows where to look for specific items. pick up the yellow pages and find a local parts store..know how to get there on a moments notice. see who is running your same car in the race..make friends with them..there will come a time when you need them and they need you to continue...we're all out to have a good time and most are willing to help in the parts dept. spares, spares, spares.
crew:
treat them good!!! feed them, make sure they have the tools to keep things rolling and have one guy who knows the car inside and out. many times you will have between 4-10 guys..make sure they know what they are to do at every stop. have them keep track of the tools they use throught the race. before the race get everyone together and give a worse case...example..the car hits the wall and the left front corner is balled up. when the call comes over the radio or race control your car has heavy damage do the guys just wait in your pit stall or do they go to your padock spot and prepare to fix the car. get the spares bin ready..jack stands, heavy tools for banging out sheet metal, where's the racers tape? when the car gets towed back to your spot are they ready or are they asking each other where this or that is? have a few guys doing the major stuff while the rest are getting tires changed, fueled up, check the pads, oil etc. you can lose time by completing the major repairs and you soon discover that the car is ready to go but you have the same tires, bad brakes and no fuel that you came in on. maximize your time. you came there to race...is that what your going to do? FEED THEM..take them to dinner..or the titty bar.. pay for what you can afford....without them you are changing tires, fueling, and fixing the car yourself. make sure they understand the car can come in at any time. make sure they tell someone if they will be leaving the pit area. who will be covering their pit stop duties if the car comes in. did the wheels get torqued on that stop?? we have a dry erase board hanging with times of a scheduled stop and what needs to be done. are the tire pressures set for the next stop? do we have enough gas to go in the car for the next stop? have all of these things ready to go if the car comes in the next lap.
radios:
it's a must!! make sure you have enough batteries to go the distance. if you have extra radios, let a few guys listen in...get them into the action. have 1 guy doing the talking to the driver and 1 guy only. the others can listen and know what the car is doing. it can get boring to sit around for 10 hours and just change tires and throw gas in the car every few hours. if you can rig a speaker so everyone can hear...do it. if you have only 2 radios keep the chatter to a min..it uses batteries up.
drivers:
you may have a few drivers in the car...some familiar with the setup...some not. make sure they know the basics. go over all the safety items....how to get the fire system going...how the window net works...the camlock belts...the guages..temps...problem areas..etc how will they communicate with the pits if the radios fail. talk to them..make them comfy
i'm getting tired of typing and i don't want to give all of our secrets up. an endurance race is a thinking game. the fastest car doesn't always win. a team that thinks it can win will win because they will know how to keep the wheels turning. expect to spend a few thousand dollars for the weekend. the race will be won in the garage. the largest cost you should incur will be before you leave for the track on spares, tires, brakes, rotors. have a good time and remember that it will be a team effort.
hope this helps..
Slacker~J
Drop me an email, we were running and ITS RX-7 in the ECR and it is currently for sale.
We are now running an Acura in the ECR.
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#73 ITS Acura Integra GSR
SCCA ECR