choices?

hey, my name is Joseph. I was introduced to this forum (and IT racing) by my neighbor who runs in a CRX in ITC. I race karts and I autoX, but in a few years, I'm wanting to step up into cars and I figured he IT class would be a good place to start. but, I really have no idea about what is good and what isn't. I'm looking to run in the ITA class, and I want something RWD. but, are RWD cars even competetive in ITA? and if they are, what is the quickest car to be in? my neighbor recommended that I get a Miata so I can also prepare it for Spec Miata to run nationally, and run double the amount of time I would normally be able to. any help is greatly appreciated.




Joseph.

you're neighbor is a bright guy.

like you, i pretty much insist on a RWD platform, and I think you're on the right track wanting to race in ITA. if you don't care about going to the Runoffs (the National Champioships), ITA is the best class out there.

with that in mind, there are a couple choices, with my personal favorite being the 94-95 1.8L miata. proven and developed chassis and engine will make it relatively cheap and easy to just write checks, bolt on parts, and have a good car.

another good RWD option i think could be the E36 BMW 318. I don't know of any of these around yet, but the chassis has been well developed already from the ITS guys, the motor might take some development and time to get power from though, I'm really not sure.

the last option is an interesting one. the 2nd Gen Toyota MR2 NA 2.2 liter looks like it could have potential on paper, but nobody has really put a bunch of effort into building one to my knowledge. this one will probably be the most difficult and expensive to get to be really fast, but it also has potential to be the "coolest" ITA car out there.

depending on where you are and what tracks you run might dictate what car you decide on building.

you can run a 2nd gen N/A MR2? I actually own one as my DD in real life. haha. I'd like to race on of those, but I'm not sure if I would have enough money to properly build a race car. I need a make/model that has ran up front and won races so I have the best chance at winning possible. any opinions on a 240SX?



Joseph.

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you can run a 2nd gen N/A MR2? I actually own one as my DD in real life. haha. I'd like to race on of those, but I'm not sure if I would have enough money to properly build a race car. I need a make/model that has ran up front and won races so I have the best chance at winning possible. any opinions on a 240SX?
Joseph.
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most of us don't have enough money to properly build a race car, but general rule of thumb is that you can buy used cars for $.50 on the dollar.

complete oversight on my part for not mentioning the 240sx. it most certainly can be a fast car and is fairly well established on how to make them go fast. certainly moreso than the BMW 318 and MR2. there's some good ones around for sale at reasonable prices too.

other nissan guys will be more qualified to answer than me, but i think there's something about the rear suspension that makes the spherical bearings a bit of a wear item, and i think there are some sacrifices you have to make in order to really tune the motors for power....but don't take my word for it.

http://itforum.improvedtouring.com/forums/...?showtopic=9574
http://www.roadrace-autox.com/bbs/forums/t...posts=2&start=1

for my money, i still take the miata. but i'm bias. :D

Another BMW option that's actually proven is the e-30 325e. I think some ITA track records have been set, the chassis parts are avalible and unlike the M-42 powered 318, it can make weight and is competitive there. Best bet is to start with a race car, you may have to build on it more, but at least the most expensive and painfull stuff with already be done.

That being said, why don't you run a formula car? It'll be much closer to the kart experience than any IT car.

James

I would love to run a formula car, but I don't have the money to. I figured as long as it has 4 wheels, I will just drive the shit out of it, regardless of it being a kart, car, truck, w/e. I want to step out of karts by at least 2009, and since I'm paying for my racing at the moment, with a "college job" paycheck, the IT class seems the best option. if I had several hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on a single season of racing, I'd go to FF2000 or Star Mazda or something. but I'm broke, so I can't do that. *sigh*




Joseph.

In regard to formula cars that may be closer to your budget, check out F500. 100hp or so, 850#s, and inexpensive tires, engines, etc. Only downside (to me) is no shifting as they have a snowmobile CVT tranny. These are very close to a kart with a cage (unless you're accustomed to running shifter karts). Just my $0.02 worth.

Scott

Hey Joseph, I would say the miata is an excellent choice, as it is a favorite among many racers, its relativley cheap, and can be prepared in a variety of trims.. SM SSM ITA ITS. I was in your shoes a few years back, and also wanted RWD without question. I took the rx7 route and picked up a prebuilt ITS rx7. I got the car cheap and it wasent particularly competitve, but I have really grown with the car and with a bit of investment it has become a great ride.

I would definitly suggest going prebuilt, especially if your on a tight budget. It certainly makes things easier and gets you on the track sooner. Also take a look at the GCR at www.scca.com just search for it. this is our rule book and its quite large but you can find a list of available cars for each class etc. If your looking for a competitive edge, look at what the top guys are running. Good cars mentioned above.

good luck

Yes, I am biased but I still think the 1st gen RX-7 has got to be one of the cheapest RWD cars out there to race. Look at the Classified here and you will find numerous examples in the 5K and less catagory. Plus with the factory support at MazdaSpeed you end up buying your parts at practically wholesale.

Now being at the pointy end of the field that's a different story but racing on a college job budget might make for a case of beggars can't be choosers.

Captain Who and I have a 1st gen Rx7 with a freshly rebuilt 12A(by Dale Caldwell from Sunbelt) and serviced by OPM. It has the 2007 annual done, just finished 2nd in the SARRC race at CMP, and comes with a spare tranny and a complete spare car. If you're interested, check dubya dubya dubya dot NutDriver dot org and look at the listing in the menu for the "91" car (that's the car's number, not the year). Car also has Ultra Shield seat that's nearly new, as well as a brand new Safe Quip 6-point harness. Check it out! You won't be disappointed.

Scott
www.NutDriver.org

.02 from a newbie.... I bought a first gen MR2 last fall knowing that it wouldn't be competitive but would be a good car to learn wheel to wheel since my track car had been a second gen MR2. I'm glad I bought my first racecar already prepared, but I wish I had kept my second gen MR2 to build as my second racecar some day. (so far I'm about 1-2 seconds slower in my 85 ITA prepared car than in my stock 93).

That being said, the Miatas own the ITA record at my local track with a time I don't see either MR2 ever reaching. So if you want to be competive, buy a Miata. Then if you want to drive a fun car that doesn't look like a dozen other cars in your class, build your MR2 into a racecar.

my karting has gotten me used to going wheel to wheel. so, it looks like I'm getting a Miata when the funds are present.


Joseph.

***That being said, the Miatas own the ITA record at my local track with a time I don't see either MR2 ever reaching. So if you want to be competive, buy a Miata. ***

steve b. what track did the Miata ITA car set the track record & with what organization? The ITA Miata setting records is not the normal at any track other than a momentum track with a BEST prepared car.

The last time I looked, the Summit Point SCCA ITA record was a Miata at 1:28.16. I've never heard of an ITA MR2 running under 1:31.