Escort Zx2 and Newb questions

[jamscal]

Hello all,

I'm looking to get involved in Road Racing in the coming years and have a few questions.

Specifically, I'm looking at ITA. It appears the Integra, 240sx and Miata are top choices, no?

What about the Escort ZX2? It appears to have potential based on the numbers I've seen. Of course, I'm sure there's something I'm not considering. Are there any ZX2 ITA cars out there?

I don't mind having a different car, but I don't want to start in the hole either. The possibility of racing an (Honda/Acura) IT car in the NASA Honda Challenge as well appeals to me too.

What I want to do is buy a car, start the NASA HPDE and auto-x as I modify the car, and work up to racing from there. All very casual, no time limits, have fun as I go...

I'm in Louisville, not exactly a hotbed of racing, but w/i 4-5 hours of some tracks.

Thanks for your time. I appreciate any help/info.

Currently I auto-x and am building a car for this years GRM $2006 Challenge

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2225396

-James

[JimLill]

Buy somebody's old ready-to-race car.... best way to get going

[JLawton]

The Teg and 240 are both good cars for ITA. If you will be racing mostly at a tight track, the Miata seems to be the car to have. Both the Teg and the Miata have great after market and technical support. Not sure about the 240. Any of them can win a race. Of course, I also think Saturn's make pretty good ITA cars!!

Best advice as Jim said, buy one that's already built. With my first I didn't have the budget to buy (or even race). I spent the first couple of years doing HPDE events and slowly building the car. Final step was to put a cage in it and go racing!! But it also put me years behind in the developement of the car and the driver.

You can get a decent (reliable) ITB or ITC car for under $4K.

[gran racing]

The three cars you mentioned sound like good options. If you decide to buy one already built (a great choice!), keep your options open to these and look around. When looking at them, my suggestion is to buy one that is SCCA legal; some of NASA's classes allow additional modifications that are not legal within improved touring.

All very casual, no time limits, have fun as I go...[/b]

Very good approach!

Don't limit yourself to just NASA HPDEs...there's the new SCCA PDX and many other HPDE clubs you can also run with.

[jamscal]

Thanks for the replies.

I've seen various IT cars for sale I'd be happy to own, but I think what JLawton has done is what I want to do... build a car over the course of time.

But it's still early, and I have a bunch of research to do.

Thanks,

James

[JLawton]

I've seen various IT cars for sale I'd be happy to own, but I think what JLawton has done is what I want to do... build a car over the course of time.

[/b]

Ah, Grasshopper, you misunderstand. Learn by my mistakes!!

But it's all about the budget....

Get Dave's book for a starter. it will be a big help!!

[lateapex911]

I took a look at your 2006 build up. you are clearly a guy who likes to tinker.

That said, be sure to understand the genesis of racing.....and the cars role. IF you want to race, you will stretch yourself thin by building. And your families budget. But, some (idiots ike myself) do it anyway, LOL..

And yes, GET DAVES BOOK.....it's in his sig (Dave Gran, the expert on how to get started for next to nothing in IT racing)

[gran racing]

James, I decided to build my car for a bit of a different reason - I previously had no idea how to work on cars so this is one way that forced me to. And I thought I could just build it up slowly at my own pace. I learned a ton from it and for me, I still think it was the right decision. That said, I could have saved myself a TON of time to get where I am now not to mention money - in the long run. (My wife got mad at me for how much time I spent working on that darn racecar.) My theory was I could do the basic safety stuff including a cage and run the car pretty much stock so my initial investment wasn't as much, which worked at least until I wanted to go faster and faster. Then the money "savings" turned around. As long as you go into this knowing the pros and cons of each route and can make your decision based on that.

Or you could race that RX7. Oh yeah, you want to be competitive in ITA.

[jamscal]

I might be one of those guys who has to learn the hard way

I guess there's all sort of ways to look at it financially.

On one hand, I see the cars for sale and think: There is more money in just a few high dollar parts than they're asking for the whole car. If such a deal should come up (when I'm finished w/ the challenge project) I just might jump on it.

OTOH, I'm looking at maybe a $2000 street car, casually and slowly bringing it up to specs, doing the work myself, and doing it right, over several years. Yes, it would cost more, but I LOVE working on cars...it's an important part of my hobby. Driving: I know I'll get hooked, apparently everyone does. Heck, I'm hooked on driving auto-x...just not standing around all day.

I don't have the time or funds to start a whole season of racing right off the bat anyway.

Finally, I think there is a conspiracy among you guys to keep a market for used-up race cars going.

That Rx-7 has a Turbo V6 in it. Wouldn't be legal, but it could be competitive.

I'll check out the link for the book.

Thanks again.

-James

[x-ring]

That Rx-7 has a Turbo V6 in it. Wouldn't be legal, but it could be competitive.

-James
[/b]

It would be legal in ITE, if your division has such a thing.