I am starting my racing career

[240Z415]

Will be glad to share my last 18 months of the same desire in San Diego. Feel free to e-mail me at stevepharr@cox.net and we can exchange phone numbers. Your welcome to come see my car if you like and I can share real costs with you.

Having smiled 15,000 times @ $1.00 per smile, I will do it differently when I do it over again.

Steve

[Carl Beck]

Hi Joe:

Unless you happen to have family money.. and lots of it... starting a career in road racing really isn't realistic. When these guys say "big money" and/or I say "lots of money".... you can think $100,000.00 to play with, if you want to build a car from scratch, learn to drive it, and get it to/from events. You can also figure you'll really need to spend several thousand on drivers training schools before anyone would let you on a track for competition.

If on the other hand you are serous about wanting to drive competitively for a profession - at 20 years of age you are already a decade behind the competition. Looking at the vast majority of professional drivers that ever accomplish any level of success - they started racing motorcycles and/or go-carts before they were 10.

If your brother and you want to build it your self - have some fun on a budget of less than $25K a year..I'd suggest that you look into local Stock Car racing as a starting point.

Just my perspective...

Carl B.

[SoopA]

oh dang, it seems this might be a lot more expensive than i thought. i am getting $20000 in april, and then combat pay when i get back from afghanistan, so i might be able to do it. other than that, i guess sponsorship is the only way to go. but, you guys are the experts, so do you think sponsorship is realistic?

[gogriz91]

Go with SCCAs pro-Solo series. Alot cheaper and you can use a daily driver.

[jmortensen]

Good advice gogriz91. Autocrossing is relatively cheap, allows you to get your feet wet, more of a run whatcha brung deal (although there are still rules and occasionally you still run across a hall monitor who wants nothing more that to declare your car illegal for the class you're running).

[SoopA]

the only time i ever watched autocross was in the parking lot at qualcomm stadium. and it was boring... very boring. im hoping the people i was watching were bad drivers and that actual racing is faster. and there was only one car on the track at a time! i want to see the looks on peoples faces when i pass them!!!

[jmortensen]

Autox is not a spectator sport. Inside the car is quite a bit more exciting. You always drive 10/10th's at an autox, where you almost never do in a road race with the possible exception for qualifying. The speeds are much lower, and you won't get to pass anyone, that is true. But don't write it off because it isn't fun to watch.

Here are some in car vids. I think you might find these a little more interesting than watching from the outside:http://www.siastuning.com/Video's.htm

You'll NEVER see the other guy's face as you pass in road racing. Your head is in a helmet, his head is in a helmet. Plus you'll be looking where you're going not at the guy you're passing.

Did you see the ad for the ITS car for sale? Ugly color, but looks like a good deal.

[gnosez]

That ITS Z was more than a good deal, it was a great deal. If it wasn't 3,000 miles away I'd have that Z in my garage. It's fast enough and the suspension/alignment set-up is near perfect....

[Red-Eye]

I agree with the Autocrossing idea, great place to start. I'm no expert, like some of the other people commenting, but try it from the driver's seat. I remember someone telling me after my 1st Autocross, that I had a "sh#$-eating grin on my face".

Then I started working corners at SCCA Club races, and that's a blast too. I remember my first race, I was working Corner 1, with several experienced Flaggers, and watching the Spec Miatas coming thru our corner on Lap 1 was unbelievable!

This past summer, I trailered home an ITS 240Z from San Jose, and I'm hoping to get my license this spring, and go racing shortly thereafter.

Go for it...Robert

[rxsleeper]

Some numbers for you to chew on SoopA. I bought my already logbooked, outdated, car for $5k and spent about $300 getting it home. That was with me driving over 500 miles with an empty, borrowed trailer to pick it up. Since that time I have spent over $2k getting it upgraded to meet current standards on belts, cage. etc, another $5k on trailer and equipment and spent around another $3.5k last year in travel, fuel, and entry fees. That does not include the cost of the tow vehicle which added another $25k to this equation. For all of this I got a nice hat, and a few trophies, and a lot of memories. It would have been cheaper to buy my own hat and trophies.

BTW, people like GIRA make driving a Z fast look easy. They are not easy to drive fast and can be unforgiving %^&* if you screw up. Most drivers will tell you that a Z is not a "good" beginner's car.

Long way to say, listen to the advice you have received. Find the SCCA near your home of record, join, and then participate in the autox program. If you want to, buy a Z car and run it in the autox. Then do it! Get your feet wet by working a corner or two and driving the same track at a Performance Driving Experience(PDX) or High perfromance Drivers Education (HPDE) event. Heck, around SeDiv they give workers "credits" that can be used for the entry fees to the PDX's and HPDE's so they become no cost or very low cost.

Now, if your heart is set on racing, I will suggest something that no one else has. Go rent a race car and attend driver's school to get your license. Find out if you like it in somebody elses car. It is not that expensive when compared to campaigning a car yourself and most of the guys renting cars are raceers themselves and the cars will be well prepared and set up. Think of it as an arrive and drive program.

Good luck and I thank you for serving our country in the "sandbox"! Stay safe and come home to go racing!

[SoopA]

thanks fellas i really appreciate it!!! i heard that driving Zs is pretty hard, but I enjoy challenges and until I finish fixing my bike, the Z is my vehicle of choice. As soon as I get the money im going all out on this project and I hope I am successful. But now I have a different set of questions for you guys. So I have this 260Z, and its completely stock. I need to know what of each to get.

1. Motor Internals

2. Exhaust

3. Intake

4. Seats + Straps

5. Other things I need for go-fastibilty

and im thinking about some BRE bodyparts

[jmortensen]

You need to figure out what class you're going to race before you buy ANYTHING.