I am starting my racing career

[gogriz91]

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

Awesome advice, do some homework on SCCA's and NASA's webpage. You'd feel really stupid showing up at the track after having spent a ton of time and money only to be told the car will have to be modified to run. Racing is not a poor man's hobby, your homework is figuring out what class you can build something to run in, not what to strap on the car in order to make it a "racecar". You could even check out HSR or SVRA vintage racing although I'm betting they're more expensive. For $10K, you could probably run a competitive Honda in NASA if you're not liking the idea of Pro-Solo. One of the IT series in SCCA might not be a bad choice if your handy with a wrench.

www.improvedtouring.com

$7K for a 75% ITS prepped race car is a steal. Don't let your fascination with the idea of racing screw the reality of fielding and competing in a racecar. If nothing else, befriend someone who does race and go to a couple of track events with them and crew. I watched one guy run 3 laps of a 10-15 lap race only to have the pin break on the cam dropping the top of the timing chain off on a Sunbelt prepped motor $$$$$$. That poor guy worked his a$$ off to field two cars and lost one in 5 minutes plus the cost of reconstituting it. Not for the faint of heart, dimwitted mechanically or strapped for cash.

[SoopA]

i see, well since i am a little broke right now, and im very new at this, and especially after the videos Jmortensen showed me, i think autox is the way to go. and since i already have that 260, the 7K ITS car is a bit out of reach!

[gogriz91]

Pro-Solo is not a bad option and was meant to be accessible to as many people as possible. Pay attention to the classes as modifying your Z may put you into the V-8 realm where you're up against another realm of competition. I'll bet there are a ton of people who would be willing to help you learn the ropes and become competitive if you're serious about running. You may also want to look at the different classes before taking the plunge in a Z unless your'e handy with a wrench. Can't believe I'm saying it but there are alot more opportunities for someone running a Miata than an S30 Z.

[Ron Carter]

SoopA,

I race a Datsun Roadster in Vintage events in Southern California and have a racing 510 and 240Z. Perhaps it would be worth your time to come by and talk to me and a few others I know locally that are into racing older Datsuns to give you an idea of what this is all about.

I am in North County San Diego. PM me and we can talk.

Best,

Ron

[sopwith21]

Some guys have had good experiences in SCCA... listen to them and hear them out. They can offer some good balance and knowledgeable opinions.

However, there is a growing number of racers across the country who refuse to drive SCCA, and for good reason. Some SCCA groups - not all, I'm sure, but some - are arrogant beyond comprehension. I quickly found out that most of the corner workers, half of the spectators, all of the officials as well as their mothers and their pets were all determined to vicariously drive my car for me.

Despite the fact that I finished third in a car that I'd never sat in before, on a track I'd never driven, and never put a wheel off or touched another car, I was continuously assailed by arrogant, obnoxious people insistent on correcting my every move whether it needed correction or not. During the license "application" process I offered licenses from other series (gained from 15 years of driving), at which they egotistically sneered "Well, we don't recognize those sanctioning bodies." The thought undoubtedly never occurred to them that perhaps those sanctioning bodies don't recognize the SCCA because it appears to so obsessed with its own rules that no one is really sure if their drivers ever actually run a race. They also wanted everything but DNA and a retina scan to "consider" your "application."

I found the amateur level to be somewhat enjoyable with the avoidance of a few people, and the pro level to be completely intolerable.

I suggest attending some races and really investigating the officials and people involved in your local group before making a commitment. There's no shortage of people who despite the SCCA, but surely, in an organization with that many people, they can't all be obnoxious egomaniacs. So some comments from guys who have had tolerable experiences in the series would be helpful to provide some balance and I welcome your input.

[Zedyone_kenobi]

SoopA, when you say your ready to start your career, it sounds like your ready to start your hobby. It sounds like you signed up for some GI bill, and are thinking the signing bonus is going to be enough to finance you. It simply will not. Your car as it sits is fast enough. Add the safety devices required and then put ALL your time into you. Your going to be the greatest limiting factor of driving the car quickly. One the car is mechanically sound, you will need to elevate yourself first and foremost. The key to be fast is not to slap parts on a car but to learn about vehicle dynamics, learn about tires and what they can and cannot do. Learn about how to read a course map and study a track. Driving as a hobby is greatly rewarding and fun for a lifetime. But a career is best left to those who are financially backed by copious amounts of money. Whether that money comes from sound investments and hard work, mommy and daddy, or a huge corporate sponsorship. It costs to go fast.

The greatest benefit I can ever stress on you is to improve what you know about driving a car and then practice it over and over. Seat time is gold.

[red_dog007]

Find out about the class you would like to enter first.

Then build your car from there.

www.thezstore.com will have a lot to offer. Just do some research and work from there. There is a lot that you can do to a Z.

You can always get the engine machined, stroked, bored, and get a racing cam. Will you go carbs, maybe tripple webbers? or go fuel injected?, dizzy upgrade, cooling upgrade, 280zxt oil pump, new pumps all a around

Then get a nice 5-speed tranny from a 1980zx, a LSD that is at least 3.9 though a R200 4.11 would be great.

Toyota 4x4 vented calipers from the front, rear disc conversion in the back.

Racing suspension, new bushings, new anti-sway bars top and bottom for front and back.

Body panels, spoilers, anything to improve aerodynamics, carbon fiber hood, ect.

The list can just keep going and going. If you are doing racing you are going to want to get some nice cream of the crop parts when you do order parts. Don't settle for the cheaper part, get what needs to be got.

The Z car, even in racing forum seems to be one of the cheapest to work on and easiest to work on as long as you have one in some good condition. A Z car imo is a great choice, but will require a lot of money.

Though, what I would try to do is find a 240z. They are the lightest Z so will help out a lot there.

Though, these are your main options.

Pimp out motor, maybe even a pimped out L28

Find a L28 Turbo motor

Or Swap in a V8 or RB26DETT/RB25DET

[josh817]

Hey dude, go by the general rule my dad always tells me. Only race what you can afford to win. When he raced Spitfires and TR6's for the enduro/sprint races he had a choice to run the highest class or some middle class. Highest class being double and triple 50mm weber setups where the dudes have $50k into their... british car... He had to compete up against some rich kid whose father had tons of money (just shows for it because he owns AJ's last indy car). Dad chose the middle class and he ran twin SU's. Yes he was slower than the other class but he was 1st in the class he could afford to win in.

Oh and with todays standards, unless if you have a bank account with a stockpile of money don't hope for anything big. Here in our club we have Porsche guys just kicking everybodies arse but they have $150k in their cars. Its just rediculous these days. Dad had $13k in his Spitfire and was fighting for 1st back in '92... I think you should go out there and have fun. Even if you are a grandma on the track, depending on how your club runs things, you will always have a lower class, slower car to race with until you can get better.

Lastly, follow the rule book. As I said, in our club we have some stupid money flying around but you really have to question yourself how you can spend that much and still have a legal car. Thats just it though. You may see some dudes way up in the front of the pack, but at the end of the season they don't even place well because they had point deduction. Depending on the club again, you will have points taken off, maybe not even allowed to run. As I said, Dad was fighting for 1st. Thats because 1st place guy had small 13 inch slicks. Even though Dad made 2nd place, in the championship points he made first because he had an authentic car. Had an alternator, had the right (clunky) tires which were treaded. Things like that. To this very day there are guys in our club that constantly make last or close to it but will win 1st in the points because of a period correct car and attending all races. We're building a BMW 1602/2002 for the track, we were going to race with other 1602's but there will only be 2 people to race with, both of which have stupid money. Throw a 2 liter in there and now we're 2002 with 8 people to race with, and only 3 with stupid money (really really stupid, like keep up with Porsche stupid). By doing this we can not only avoid scca standard rules, but we can run hotter stuff because we will be doing 1968 trans am (can am? no idea) rules. This means double webers and 300lbs lighter, but Dad wants to be able to have it as a weekend car so the motor won't be a grenade and the cam will be mild.

Get your suspension all worked out first rather than a hot motor. Then build a mild motor unless if you feel like you can support a hot one. Hot motor = big money, and not just initial fees but continuous fees since you will probably want to rebuild it frequently (however much that is for a datsun).

Good luck and remember, Datsun was a factory team. Those awesome race results back in the day were backed by the company, not by a soldiers pocket.

[josh817]

And Zedyone_kenobi I agree with you immensely. If he doesn't feel the need to jump in a Z this very second what you can do is go out and rent a little Formula Vee. By doing so you will learn everything he listed and it should make a hell of a driver out of you. Those little buggers barely have any power to them and the only fast way around the track is to learn the track, and learn how to control the momentum of the car to your advantage. Fortunately for me I did karts back when I was 8 (now 17). I don't see it as being a big help but apparently I learned according to Dad.

[gogriz91]

If you find yourself un-broke in the near future...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/615214296.html

[Streetstock72]

I sure like the idea of meeting with Ron Carter since he is in your area and check out the classes he runs and meet the other teams...start with helping a team out and learn what you like and can afford from there.I have a 19 year old crew man that thought when he was 17 he could build and race a street stock himself in 2 years but 2 years later he is still trying to get things together but he is making connections that will help him when he does have it together and experience at the track as well.

[Ron Carter]

Thanks Steetstock72, there is a big learning curve to racing....and it is an involved process...

Here are a few photos from our last outing at California Speedway.

http://www.datsunracing.us/RC-World/Fontana08/index.html