What do I do with this car?

[autotec]

Hello all,

I'm new to this site, so just a little backround on me. I was never a wheel to wheel kind of guy due to me not wanting to wreck my daily driver. But I have competed in many autocrosses, both high speed and the parking lot style. To make a long story short, I bought a 89 Mazda MX-6 GT that was built by Team Highball back in the late 80's. I bought it because it was a good deal. ( kinda ) What class would this car fit into? Would it even be competitive in said class? I have always wanted to try some wheel to wheel, so here is my chance. But I just do not want to be in the way of other people just so I can go out and have some fun. Any ideas would be great.

Thanks, Justin

[JimLill]

what class did it previously run in? Did you look at the ITCS section of the GCR?

[autotec]

In the pictures that came with the car, it was raced in GT-2 in the past. The prior owner said it can be classed with the ITE cars now. Looking at the cars I would be up against, I think I would just be in everybodys way.

[dickita15]

GT2 seems odd, at least SCCA GT2. That would be a full prep race car with a fuel cell, fire system and such.
What motor is in the car? I assume it is a unibody car not a tube frame. What part of the country are you located in?

[Kolin Aspegren]

Team Highball was Amos Johnson, car was raced in the Luk Clutch
Challenge/International Sedan Series. Cool cars

k

[RacerBowie]

Probably also a turbo, if I remember correctly.

ITO perhaps? SPU? It is very likely a regional-only classes kind of car, but still fun.

[Wreckerboy]

In the pictures that came with the car, it was raced in GT-2 in the past. The prior owner said it can be classed with the ITE cars now. Looking at the cars I would be up against, I think I would just be in everybodys way.

If that's the car I am thinking of it was raced in GT2 with EMRA in the early 90's when it belonged to Bruce Hollander, who I think owned it before the owner you are talking about. EMRA classing was/is different than SCCA classing.

Big ass turbo on it at the time.

[gran racing]

Justin,
Start off by doing some HPDEs then transition into the w2w thing. Do you have any pics of the car?

[lawtonglenn]

not THIS monster, is it??

http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...06-04g-071.jpg

http://www.racingsportscars.com/phot...06-04g-045.jpg

[lawtonglenn]

or this slightly meeker version?

http://web.mac.com/jfroehl2/iWeb/nasamx6gt/Welcome.html

http://web.mac.com/jfroehl2/iWeb/nasamx6gt/Photos.html

[Knestis]

I saw the ad and, while it was a lot of car for the $$, it's kind of a motherless child in SCCA regional racing. If anything, it would be an ITE car or SP(whatever), but the answer completely depends on what your region does. Get a copy of your local "region-specific" class rules, and figure out where it fits.

KK

EDIT - I get to invoke Old Guy status here and relate the story that we actually raced one of those cars in the old ESCORT showroom stock series in the mid-80s. It wasn't as modified as this example but it was a really fun car. We had to run almost NO camber in the front, to keep the tires on the ground. With an open diff (required stock), it would spin a tire the entire length of the straight at Portland or Seattle. It was really a gas to drive.

EDIT EDIT - if that blue/white car is the one you bought, it's NOT the one I saw advertised. The Luk cars were not turbos. The one I saw was, as was our SSA ESCORT car.

K

[autotec]

No it wasn't the white car. It was the yellow one. I was actually looking for a simple "school" car just to get my feet wet, but this one just seemed right. It is a turbo. It's going to need some work to get it up to par, but it should be a fun car for a few track days. I'm located in WI. I'll have pictures on Sun after I clean it up a bit. Thanks for all the info.

Justin

[Tom Donnelly]

Any chance his car could run in DP?

[jhooten]

Any chance his car could run in DP?

No, Prepared cars have to be less than 10 years old.

[autotec]

Here are some pictures guys. Sorry, I still have not had time to even touch it. So it's filthy.

Justin


Rear side.jpg

dashboard.jpg

Interior.jpg

Engine.jpg

[Knestis]

Yup - that's the one I saw. Again, lots of cool parts (I really like the wheels) for the money but it's kind of a dead-ender in terms of an SCCA Club Racing class.

I'd like to think I know something about race cars of that period but I'm at a loss as to where it started life (in terms of sanction/class). All of the IMSA ChampSpark, IS, and Luk cars were NA; it doesn't have enough craziness to be an IMSA GT car. I *think* it might be an old ChampSpark car retrofitted later with the blown motor.

K

[Ken Grammer]

Justin, whatever you do, make sure the roll cage material (wall thickness and diameter) is proper. Many cars built to non-SCCA used cage material too small to meet SCCA requirements today...

I'm thinking "ITE" except not every region supports ITE or allows turbos in IT classes. If not ITE, then SPO (using SEDiv definitions here).

Good luck with the car!

[RX3]

No, Prepared cars have to be less than 10 years old.

Check next years rule 2009 I think it goes back to 86

[frscca]

I have sent this link to Bruce Hollander, maybe he will respond to you.

[autotec]

Thanks for all the help and advice. Starting next week, I'm going to start going through the car to see what kind of shape it's really in. From what I've been told, it hasn't seen a track in quite some time. Plus it's been passed around for the last 5 years. Worst case, it would make a fun track day car for my wife and I. Thanks again.

Justin