Newbie car classification

[Gold Finger]

Hey all....I have been Autoxing for 2 years and would like to get into on track racing...the 'IT' series sounds somewhat inexpensive. I have a 1986 Honda Accord, 2 litre, sedan....From what i can tell it would be in ITB....Is this correct, and is this a decent car???? Also, where do i go to get the rule book for these classes....Thanks

[planet6racing]

First, WELCOME!! You'll love IT racing.

Second, rulebooks can be found either at your local region or direct from the SCCA at http://www.scca.org

Lastly, many people will tell you to consider buying a car already completed. This is an effective means to save money and to get on track faster. I recommend sitting down with a spreadsheet and adding up what it would take to build your car and how much time it would take. Then, double both these numbers. Then, determine if you want to built the car or if buying one is more appealing.

I built mine and, as a result, I know every nut and bolt of the car. My next car, however, will be purchased race ready, but I will take several months to completely disassemble and re-assemble the car...

Feel free to ask any questions. We will encourage you to purchase the GCR (general competition rules) and to read them thoroughly before going any further.

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Bill
Planet 6 Racing
bill (at) planet6racing (dot) com

[Gold Finger]

Thanks Mr. Bill for the quick reply. As far as time to build a car, late next year is what i'm looking at, so that would give me a year(hopfully it wont take that long)?? Double everything huh! WOW!!!!!! Any opinions on the Accord??? Thanks again

//

[Jake]

I've posted all the current classings on my site at www.racerjake.com

Hopefully that helps.

[Jake]

You can now do stuff like clicking onto "Make" and sorting for "Accords" etc.

[planet6racing]

I have no experience with the Accord, so the only thing I can say is that it looks good when it is behind me! Then again, every car looks good in my rear view mirror!!

Check out your region and others around you to see who is running what. Find a way to contact them. Try to meet them at a race and crew for them. You'll learn a lot about the car without spending a dime!

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Bill
Planet 6 Racing
bill (at) planet6racing (dot) com

[mlytle]

bill is right about doubling your estimates. no matter how much you think you accounted for everything, it will cost more.

i bought my first car already built. very glad i did. it was already set up and reliable so i just focused on driving for a couple years.

i just finished building my second car. three months of non-stop after hours and weekend work. it is great, i know every bolt and nut in it and i set it up the way i want it (based on driving an "already built" for a while). it cost just under double what i had estimated and took about 50% more time to do.

marshall

[dave parker]

Marshall,
The new car looked good. How did you finish?
dave parker
wdcr itc#97

[racer_tim]

Goldfinger, the 1986-1988 12 valve 2 litre Accord and Lxi is ITA. I don't think that an Accord will be that competitive, but if that's what you got, then go for it.

As many have stated here, it's normally cheaper to "buy" your first car than to "build" it. I have to assume that if you've be autox'ing it that you've done some work to the car already.

If all you want to do is have fun and enjoy the racing community, and play with the back markers, go for it. We all can't be winners the first time out.

I'd suggest 1 thing. Don't skimp on safety. Have a GOOD cage built, and do the suspension first. Since your autoxing it, you should be aware of the FWD driving style, and how to setup a car to do that. Keep in mind, that autox'ing a FWD car is like driving a light switch. Either full on or full off. Road racing is MUCH different, and the balance of the the car will be different. The concentration level is totally different as well. You have to maintain a different level for 25-30 minute sessions vs 45-50 second "runs".

Welcome to the money pit.



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Tim Linerud
San Francisco Region SCCA
#95 GP Wabbit (Bent)
http://linerud.myvnc.com/racing/index.html

[lateapex911]

I second and third what you've been told.

The Accord USED to be in B, but, the story goes, some guy named Randy pobst gave one a pretty good ride at Road Atlanta one year during the ARRCs, and poof! Next thing you know, its "ITA here we come"!

Trouble is, the CRXs, and Integras eat it for lunch. It is a mid packer, and that is bad news. You'd be happier if it was a back of the pack car 'cuz then you'd stand a chance of getting moved back to B.

So, the best idea is to sell it and put the money towards a built car with a strong following. You'll be dollars ahead, and you can concentrate on racing, rather than wrenching and towing, and paperwork and...

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[ITSRX7]

...or, if you think it SHOULD be an ITB car, then write a letter to that point to the CRB.

AB

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Andy Bettencourt
ITS RX-7 & Spec Miata 1.6
New England Region R188967
www.flatout-motorsports.com

[Jake]

FWIW, the 87 Prelude Si is basically the same car and has basically the same engine and suspension. It was originally classed as an ITA car. All it took was one letter to the CB, and it is on its way to becoming a B car next year.

[Gold Finger]

Thanks for all the responses....I am actually Autoxing a 1987 BMW 325e in G stock. The Beemer is so clean, i didnt want to put it on the track. The Accord is a spare car so i thought i'd see what ya'll thought. Thanks again

[planet6racing]

Well, if you really want to race an Accord, check out the classifieds section on this site. There is a former World Challenge car that will be set up with all the goodies (former RealTime Racing car) for $6000. It'll cost you at least 3X that to duplicate!

I know it is a chunk of change (versus slowly building a car), but it will save a ton of money in the long run.

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Bill
Planet 6 Racing
bill (at) planet6racing (dot) com

[grayracer]

Hey GF...you may also want to try lurking around honda-tech.com for some additional input.

I concur with the sentiments about building vs. buying a race car. Advantages to either track. That being said, you will have a hoot in IT racing regardlewss of your car prep or personal experience level largely because with the groupings as they are you will likely always have someone to dice with whether you are a frontrunner, mid packer or dead ass last. May not be in your class, but it's still a hoot.

[lateapex911]

Beware of a World Challenge car.....the rules in WC are constantly evolving, and in fact vary from car to car, and month to month. So there are plenty of unknown issues that could exist and be very expensive and time consuming to bring into compliance with IT rules.

One of the biggest is that the cage specs in WC allow seam welding and attacment locations are nearly unlimited. Undoing a WC cage is a huge mess.....

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[mlytle]

hi dave!
managed 3rd on grid, third place finish and third fastest race lap right out of the box...and i hadn't been on a track in 9 months. it was a great weekend!

thanks,
marshall
wdcr its #64

Originally posted by dave parker:
Marshall,
The new car looked good. How did you finish?
dave parker
wdcr itc#97

[ed325its]

Gold Finger,

If you are happy with the 325e. C-TECH Racing Rentals (sponsor) has an ITA 325e car built and ready to go. It has been used in driver schools but has yet to be raced. The car was built in 2003 and has an SCCA logbook. It is also available for rent at driver schools or races if you would like to try racing without the expense and time of building a car. Arrive and drive can be arranged in the Northeast.

I'll also help crew...

Ed


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Ed Tisdale
#22 ITS '95 325is
Racing BMW's since 1984

[gsbaker]

Originally posted by ed325its:
...It is also available for rent at driver schools or races if you would like to try racing without the expense and time of building a car. Arrive and drive can be arranged in the Northeast.

I'll also help crew...

Ed

Goldfinger,

Hey, do this. When I first considered SCCA racing it took exactly four days from, "I wonder...", to "This is a hoot!"

Borrow, rent or steal a car for your first time racing. Yeah, rentals can be a bit pricey, but it beats spending two years and a wad of $ building a car from scratch only to discover that wheel-to-wheel is not your cup of tea.

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Gregg Baker, P.E.
Isaac, LLC
http://www.isaacdirect.com

[gran racing]

Renting a car is nice if you are in the right situation. Assuming everything goes well and you rent from the right people, it works out great. My biggest concern renting a car is what if...maybe you lose it in a turn and damage the car. You need to be able to come up with the funds to replace / repair the car.

My opinion - take your car to a few high performance driving events. Even if you decide you want to do w2w racing, the experience you gain here will be very valuable. I personally did about 1 1/2 years of it before doing SCCA racing. If my first driving event was an SCCA school, I probably wouldn't be racing now. A HPDE lets you learn and obtain instruction on the right line. The SCCA school isn't about that.

The best part is you can take your Accord out on the track this summer! Put some high temp brake fluid in, check your brakes, oil, ect. and you're good to go. Where are you from? I'm sure someone can give you some names of good HPDEs in your area.

After doing a year of that, see how things stand. If you have the money, buying a pre-built car is definately a good route to go. I can't even tell you how much time I've put into my car and there is still work to be done.

I also recommend that you go to some SCCA events in your area and learn as much as possible. Most people are more then willing to talk to you about their cars. Soak up as much as possible.

You could also volunteer and become a worker. Another great way to learn more!

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Dave Gran
NER #13 ITA
'87 Honda Prelude