Who here races autocross or open track road course

J

jmn444

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jason
I've noticed in a few threads that there seem to be a number of pilots here that also like to play race car driver... So thought it'd be neat to start a thread to show what you drive and where you are and maybe even organize a track day if enough of us are in the same general area... I do mostly autocross but trying to get in more open track.

I've only been doing it for a year and a half roughly, and I'm located in n/w indiana... here's my baby:

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I did 15 years in SCCA club racing in a number of different classes, my favorite being Formula Ford. Then I got married.

Before I got married, I thought a race car was expensive...
 
Hahaha! That's funny!

Mine has been fairly cheap so far, but I'm not doing any wheel to wheel and more concerned about just improving than winning anything... still on my first set of tires even...

I did blow the first engine in less than 1k miles, but that was me being dumb about the tune...
 
Slowly working through getting a Ion Redline up to NASA PTD standards
 
I race 1320ft only but am considering hitting the road cross type tracks.
 
Raced SCCA Nationals many moons ago. Oddly enough with the same car number as the OP. Did OK (3rd in the NE, 4th in the nation) for a self-funded entry. Winning at Watkins Glen was the most exciting.

Was lots of fun, but mainly for me. Except for riding along on victory laps at half-speed, the crew just got to watch me go by at regular intervals.
 
Been there........ Done that........

LOVED every minute of it too....

Motocross till the knees gave out ...

Hydros till fellow competitors started to die...

Crewed for SCCA C & D sports racers at Road Atlanta and all the southern tracks..

Some ARCA and NASCAR cup stuff

Outlaw dirt car stuff.

Swore off racing when I moved to Jackson Hole... That lasted about 3 months until I modified the blender to 220 v to make margaritas faster.;).

Then built a methanol burning snowmobile that will run the 1/8 mile in 4.87@ 101 mph..

Am I over the racing stuff yet...:dunno:

Well... NO... Considering I built a experimental kit plane and stuffed a NASCAR V-8 Ford in it......


My journey continues...:wink2::)
 

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N801BH said:
Been there........ Done that........

LOVED every minute of it too....

Motocross till the knees gave out ...

Hydros till fellow competitors started to die...

Crewed for SCCA C & D sports racers at Road Atlanta and all the southern tracks..

Some ARCA and NASCAR cup stuff

Outlaw dirt car stuff.

Swore off racing when I moved to Jackson Hole... That lasted about 3 months until I modified the blender to 220 v to make margaritas faster.;).

Then built a methanol burning snowmobile that will run the 1/8 mile in 4.87@ 101 mph..

Am I over the racing stuff yet...:dunno:

Well... NO... Considering I built a experimental kit plane and stuffed a NASCAR V-8 Ford in it......


My journey continues...:wink2::)
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holy cow that thing must scream out of the hole and fall on its face after the 330'

I've ran a 6.90 @ 103 with my vette a while back.
 
Jhernandez04 said:
holy cow that thing must scream out of the hole and fall on its face after the 330'

I've ran a 6.90 @ 103 with my vette a while back.
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Ha.... at the 330' lights.. I am at 500 AGL...:yes:;)

The plane that is.....


The snowmobile is still pulling strong at the traps, hence the good ET and low mph........... Keep in mind these are grass drags in a pasture in the middle of summer.. The thing will NEVER hook up that good on snow..:nonod:
 
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Ran one of these for three years in the mid 90's on the ovals.

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1993 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4

Upgrade list is too long to list, and I'm not done yet. :eek:
 
I've autocrossed with a few different clubs, won a couple class championships, and have an SCCA Porsche road racer.

Lousy economy has hurt my income, so I parked the race car (in the back of the hangar), and kept flying the airplane.

Sorry, no pics on this computer....
 
Non Compos Mentis said:
I've autocrossed with a few different clubs, won a couple class championships, and have an SCCA Porsche road racer.

Lousy economy has hurt my income, so I parked the race car (in the back of the hangar), and kept flying the airplane.

Sorry, no pics on this computer....
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lucky dog! They wont let me park my airplane in my hanger....
 
Jhernandez04 said:
lucky dog! They wont let me park my airplane in my hanger....
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The hangar is a bit bigger than a standard "T"- Extra garage door in the back.

Park in the back, pull the airplane out the front. Pretty slick setup.
 
Long time autocrossing - Rabbit, Scirocco, BMW 2002tii, MR2, Miatas, Civic Si (2).
Then, lots of track days and time trials, mostly with a turbocharged Miata.
18 months in a shifter kart.

Finally, road racing! A Honda CBR929RR-powered Formula Ford with Formula Continental wheels and slicks. Highly awesome - still have one track record.

More road racing with a SpecRx7 and a few years of IT-A Rx7. SCCA and NASA. A little Chump and LeMons, too.

Now? Renting airplanes!!
 
10+ years on an SCCA national license, mostly Formula Fords. Earlier autocrossing in a Shelby 289 Cobra. (A real one, not a Mustang.)
 
I was interested for a while, but never seriously, and eventually I figured that I just suck at car racing. At some point I spent a lot of time at go-kart tracks and was always making 108..106% for the week's best time, never improving any.
 
zaitcev said:
I was interested for a while, but never seriously, and eventually I figured that I just suck at car racing. At some point I spent a lot of time at go-kart tracks and was always making 108..106% for the week's best time, never improving any.
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Racing's one of those things that if it won't kill you not to do it, you probably shouldn't. For most of us it became pretty much all-consuming. For that reason, it also tends to use you up, to the point where it's time to stop.

I was in it for 15 years over a 22 year period, but at the end I'd had enough. Now I just spectate, though I am planning on doing a track day next year.
 
I spent 20 years doing Pro-Rally and Formula Ford before realizing that racing is a stupid, time consuming expensive hobby.
Then I took up flying...
 
snowbird said:
I spent 20 years doing Pro-Rally and Formula Ford before realizing that racing is a stupid, time consuming expensive hobby.
Then I took up flying...
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:rofl:

Q: What's the difference between a racer and an alcoholic?


A: You can reform an alcoholic.
 
I've done a bit of everything. Though these days I typically just watch. I enjoyed autocross when I had a car with cheaper tires. Road racing is pretty dang fun even though I'm pretty slow at it. Drag racing is fun until you hit 3rd gear and your car goes sideways and you see the wall.

On an Autox course back the first year I bought her.
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My car. Upgraded turbos (and fuel system), exhaust, carbon fiber driveshaft, poly motor mounts, giant front mount intercooler, coil-overs, front strut tower brace, solid differential bushings, and next weekend I'm planning on also putting on the solid subframe bushings and bigger rear anti-roll bar. Other things as well...

makes around 450 HP on pump gas and 15 PSI boost.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
View attachment 32652

My car. Upgraded turbos (and fuel system), exhaust, carbon fiber driveshaft, poly motor mounts, giant front mount intercooler, coil-overs, front strut tower brace, solid differential bushings, and next weekend I'm planning on also putting on the solid subframe bushings and bigger rear anti-roll bar. Other things as well...

makes around 450 HP on pump gas and 15 PSI boost.
Click to expand...

Now get on that magic E85 to make some big power!
 
PBristolJr said:
Now get on that magic E85 to make some big power!
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Actually I'm plenty happy with the power it produces, but it's a bit laggier than I want. The intent is to replace the 3L with a 3.8L+ and bring the boost down to 10 psi with the same turbos and 9.5:1 pistons. Should be almost instant and help the torque substantially.
 
In a couple years, I'd like to get a Ninja 636 and start racing. I'd also like to put a crate ZX14 pistons and twin turbo kit on my Connie.....I'd be pushing 230hp.....


But until I get about $15k, neither of those things are going to happen.
 
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I keep kicking around the idea of putting an LS7 into something like an Ariel Atom and running that at a track.
 
First I started out with AutoX in my daily driver
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I started to have fun so I bought better rubber
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Then I started to get faster
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And that was when I started to see wrinkles in my roof and I knew I needed something cheaper and not my only car to beat on so I bought this
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it didn't take long to start tinkering
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It's fun, and stupid, and expensive.

But FUN!!
 
EdFred said:
I keep kicking around the idea of putting an LS7 into something like an Ariel Atom and running that at a track.
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Nah. Put either a 6.0 or a 6.2 then build the crap out of it. Ls7s are a little limited in some capabilities like forced induction because of the thin cylinder walls. However having a dry sump is sweet. I'm sure you can put a dry sump kit in a 6.2 though, and you'd save several thousand.
 
I started racing Dwarf Cars 15 years ago, stepped up to 360 Sprint Cars, then into 410 Sprint Cars. I injured my back at work and had a artificial disc installed, no more open wheel racing. I took my last 410 engine, dropped the compression a few points and built a Pro Street Chevy LUV "street" car. Not as much fun but I have to protect the back.
 
Duncan, maybe I should follow you to the track some day. I could win the award for "Fastest car with slowest times." :D
 
Back in the 1970s, when I was in graduate school at the University of Washington, I autocrossed a 2 liter Invader/VW in A modified in both the US and Canada. I'd drive to events with two mounted race tires inside the car and two bungeed to the top of the car. Many happy memories of driving home covered with tire dust.
 

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EdFred said:
I keep kicking around the idea of putting an LS7 into something like an Ariel Atom and running that at a track.
Click to expand...

Honestly given what the LSJ engine does in my Saturn I think it would be more than sufficent in a glorified gocart:yes:
 
I've done some track days at willow springs and autoclub speedway. I've also done a lot of sim racing on iracing. Hope to get the chance to race wheel to wheel one day. Sometimes I wonder why I have such expensive hobbies...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Z06_Mir said:
Nah. Put either a 6.0 or a 6.2 then build the crap out of it. Ls7s are a little limited in some capabilities like forced induction because of the thin cylinder walls. However having a dry sump is sweet. I'm sure you can put a dry sump kit in a 6.2 though, and you'd save several thousand.
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Smart guy! I have a LQ9 forged ASE 390 with the LS3 topend.

Makes 650rwhp on a little juice. Going FI in the spring.
 
Porsche Cayman R with ipd plenum, fabspeed exhaust, cup car subframe and suspension
 
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