1st School

What is the minimum need for an RX7 to go thru an SCCA Drivers School to get a Novice License?

All I had in my car was the cage, seat, belts, extinguisher, and master cutt off. You will need all of the above except of the cutoff to go through school. School tech doesn't really look at legality of a car, other than all the safety equipment.

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Chris
IT7 #88
PowerTrip Racing
http://www.geocities.com/ptripracing/

Rbomar,
When are you planning to go to school? Do you currently have a streetable RX7? Is it first generation or second?

Your first priorty should be attaining an SCCA rulebook. If you are starting on the car immediately, a 2002 will work rather then waiting for the 2003. I have not heard about any major rule changes regarding safety equipment coming our way. The rulebook will prevent basic mistakes such as buying a M rated helmet rather than the legal SA helmet.

To get the car smoothly through tech, they will mostly be looking at the safety equipment. If your car is recently converted to road racing, you will need to get a log book issued. You can get this done at a school, but I would not reccommend it. The school experience is intense, and at the two I attended, I was either on the track, in class, or dumping fuel/torquing tires/checking the car in an effort to get back to the grid. If you contact one of the officials in your region, they can direct you to a tech inspector that may be willing to do an annual tech prior to school.

Your car will need an SCCA approved cage. Autopower makes kits for RX7. Depending on where you are located, you may even want to get it professionally installed by a prep shop that does SCCA racing. You do not want to pay for a cage constructed out of the wrong tubing.
You will need a racing seat mounted to floor and cage, SFI rated belts, and a window net. You will also need a SCCA approved fire extinguisher or fire suppressant system. You will need to install a cutoff switch with the appropriate decal. Under the hood, the tech inspector may look for the mandated fuel test port. You should install a T in the fuel return line. The car should be sitting on set of Kuhmos, Toyos, or Yokahoma tires at full tread depth so that they can be used also in light rain and resist flat spotting. Stay away from Hoosiers initially. Although they are lighter, they flat spot more easily and are better left to more experienced drivers.

For school, you want durability from the race car. Do not do any thing mechanically to the car that may compromise this. Yet, you may need to replace rotors, brake pads etc. prior to school.

I am sure I missed some things that others can add or emphasize. Most requirements are covered in the rule book and what you have questions about will generally be answered here in current or past posts.

Bill Emery
ITA#23

Take friends that know their way around the car. That way they can get it off the trailer, make sure it starts, top off the fuel, torque the wheels and make sure everythings a go.

After all the safety issues already talked about, dependability is the next key.

Is there an open track day that you might take the car to? If it's a newly built car (new or JY motor or tranny, radiator, suspension, etc..) an open track day would be a great shakedown run, plus you'll actually get a chance to drive the car before the school.

We had a fuel pressure problem with our new car on the first lap out at my drivers school. The car idled and pace lapped fine so problems didn't start until it was at speed and the floats ran dry. An open track day will bring these problems up in an environment that's not high pressure like a drivers school.

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Scott
It's not what you build...
it's how you build it
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