mom'sZ Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Hey group: Just wondering... does anyone know what sanctioning body and class John C. raced his rusty old Datsun in? Also, what SCCA classes do people race 280Zs in now? Are they competitive? What class would a 280z fit into if it had coil overs and stand alone EFI. What other sanctioning bodies do folks roadrace their Zs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preith Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 I beleive John has some good info on his web page, which is linked in his profile. Buy an SCCA GCR if you're seriously shooting for actual wheel to wheel racing, and no time trials or Solo 1. The GCR is $65. Many other clubs run with the SCCA rules in mind. With that said, and no rule book in front of me, my guess would be ITS, but you have run either the stock FI or I beleive you may be able to run SU's. I beleive you can still run a stock fuel tank. Another spot that I can think of with a unibody car would be the production classes (EP for the Z), where the cars are much more prepared, or modified, but only the 240 and 260's are allowed. You can run the 280Z in GT2, but that's a very expensive class, and you'll be hopelessly outclassed against the tube frame cars. On the other hand, the GT2 fields are pretty sparce, and depending on your region, you may be the only one, which isn't any fun either. Going one further, a variant of GT2 would be SPU (under 3 liters) or SPO (over 3), but these are wildely modified cars which are typically tube frame to start with. This is gaining popularity in the souteast I hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom'sZ Posted June 9, 2005 Author Share Posted June 9, 2005 Thanks preith for replying. I do believe I have heard John mention ITS. That would be internaional touring sedan or something? in the SCCA? And I'm not sure but I swear that car had a big ol' custom intake manifold and throttle body. Does that mean you can use custom manifold, TB and injectors but must retain the stock electronics to run it? I don't get it. What about the AFM? I don't recall seeing that either. I have an older copy of the GCRs somewhere but the whole thing is online now anyhow. I wouldn't mind autocrossing some, but would like to race it. SCCA is only 'club' racing after all. Being competitive would be great, but winning races isn't that important. At a club level race there is always somebody to race with. Driving the car fast, on the track, with no chance of getting a ticket sounds fun to me! I'm just in the first stages of race preparing the car and don't want to do something that would preclude the car from a certain class. I've heard of E production also but did notice that the 280 isn't listed. I've seen a 280Z with a turbo that was suppose to run in the super modified class you mentioned. I've seen a 240 that had coil overs and megasquirt that supposibly runs in vintage. Anyone else who knows more about the class structure, other sanctioning bodies or just any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preith Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Like I said, check out the rule book. Maybe John can chime in, but I believe he had raced in ITS, but his last car was definetly not legal for that class. He was in some sort of open track challenge. ITS (improved touring) S just being the letter designation for the particular group which the Z is in, is very strict with how much you can do. The motor can be .040 over and balanced, but everything else MUST be stock, including the intake, AFM, etc You can't even run forged pistons, but I hear many guys are anyways. Vintage is another venue, and can be very liberal depending on the group, but I doubt megasquirt would be legal and or would be frowned upon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 Get onto corner-carvers.com or some of the other road race and track day specific boards and join a few of the track day clubs in Florida. They have a ton of track days scehduled in Florida. You want to look for key words like "HPDE" or "high performance driving education" in the searches you run. I'll be with the advanced group of the Mazdadrivers.com club Next weekend at VIR and then back at Summit Point raceway with FATT (Friday at the track!) through BSR on July 15th. You can also check with NASA.com or SCCA.com Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted June 9, 2005 Share Posted June 9, 2005 I agree with Mike. Before you worry about competitive racing, do some HPDE events, commonly called track days. You will learn a TON...about your car, and your driving skills, and how to improve both. A good link: http://www.trackschedule.com/index.html John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom'sZ Posted June 10, 2005 Author Share Posted June 10, 2005 Mike and John: Thanks for the links, very helpful indeed. I'm no stranger to a road course though. I'm really trying to find out more about the class structure in SCCA, how the 280Z would fit into those classes and any other sanctioning body that might host races in the SE. So I can make intelligent decisions about what modifications to make to the car. Anyone currently roadracing a Z car wanna talk about what class they run and what is done to the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 I've done quite a bit od research on this topic as well, and I can tell you that being competitive in a Zcar in anything other than historical racing at this point is hard. Even SCCA ITS has made the Zcar a less than formidable car to race. Can it be done? Yes. Will you be very competitive? Even the best Zcar drivers are struggling in this new century! Goodluck! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 I think VARA's CP3 and CP3M are the classes to go for. These are vintage classes. My understanding is that CP3 is based on the C Production class that the 240 dominated for a decade. CP3M is for classes that are too highly modified to fit in the CP3 class, like 240's with 280 engines, illegal brake and suspension modifications, etc. I don't know if the 280 is eligible for any of these, but the 240 is. If I ever find myself willing to risk the door to door carnage, CP3M will be my first choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rc's240z Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 John Coffey ran his car in the OTR series on the West Coast. His car was purpose built to run in this series, and John can give you the details... There are many classifications you can run with your Z, in the South East you might be able to run Vintage. On the west coast TCRA will let you run your 280 FI. I would look at SVRA, TCRA, HSR and NASA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted June 10, 2005 Share Posted June 10, 2005 The Rusty Old Datsun was built for NASA/OTC Unlimited 3 Time Trial class. Basically anything goes. Cars similarly classed were Honda S2000s, Turbo Miatas, Lotus Motorsports Elises, Second Gen RX7 Turbos, Subaru WRXs, Pre 1975 Porsche 911s, and others. As others have posted, the days of a 240Z being competitve in ITS are most likely numbered, although the new restrictors have slowed the BMW 325s down a bit. A 280Z was never competitive in ITS (too heavy). Its really time for the 240Zs to move into the Vintage racing circuit. Most organizations welcome them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom'sZ Posted June 12, 2005 Author Share Posted June 12, 2005 Thank you for replying John. Thank all of you who have helped. I am in the process of checking out all the leads. I have no illusions about winning races with my 280z. Years ago I went to a lot of SCCA races at moroso. They usually ran many classes at once. I'm sure you would have someone to race with, or at least chase, and to me... that's club racing. I want to put coil overs on it, I've already got them. And although the stock FI runs excellent, I want to install a stand alone. I've already built one tube car although it was for drag. I'd like somewhere to drive the car fast. Let's face it, (don't flame me people) but stock bodied, it doesn't make a very practical street car. With no metal in the doors to speak of, and all those SUVs out on the road, you get my point. I'd rather do with it what it was made to do. So... with that in mind what class would the 280z fit best in you opinion? They're going to have a SCCA race at moroso next month and I'm going to check it out. See what other people are doing, if there are any Zs. (there was back then) thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted June 12, 2005 Share Posted June 12, 2005 Dude I'm with you on that comment abou the thin doors and SUVs... I'm having a cage installed in two weeks, and I'm thinking about blowing out the door framework in favor of some serious door bars. Go spectate and take lots of pics... Then you'll have something to work off of. I know when I went to a club race at Road Atlanta two years ago there were five Zcars running! You should see a few! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom'sZ Posted June 13, 2005 Author Share Posted June 13, 2005 Mike: A cage sounds like a good idea and I had one in a streetable drag car (not a zcar) some years ago. But a week or two back a comment John made about roll cage padding being made to protect a helmeted occupant made a lot of sense. Like I said, I had one, and nothing bad ever happened, but in an accident it easily could. If you go that route, make sure your seat mounts are top notch, pad that thing big time and always wear your harness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katman Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 The ITS rules are very restrictive as to what you can do to the engine. A stand alone EFI for example is prohibited (although reprogramming the stock ECU is not). Be sure to get a copy of the rules before you commit to any class. If you chose to race SCCA keep in mind it is very competitive, especially in the southeast. You must be willing to write off the car the first time you put it on the track. In racing, feces happens, whether its your fault or not. In Vintage you are more likely to keep your car intact for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom'sZ Posted June 13, 2005 Author Share Posted June 13, 2005 Katman: Thanks for the info. And having watched my beloved (at that time) GSXR750 kartwheel over the tire wall and into the canal as I slid along on my belly at a hundred mph in the rain, I know what you mean about racing. So do you SCCA race? Anybody else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 I drove a Zcar on the road for a number of years with a full cage in it, and it was totalled in a bad accident and I DID have contact with the cage padding... without a helmet on... You can never have enough PROPER safety equipment! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom'sZ Posted June 13, 2005 Author Share Posted June 13, 2005 so Mike... then you were OK? If you had one in another car, and had a bad accident and you're installing one in your current ride, then you're happy with how it protected you in a traffic wreck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkspeed Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Where are you in Florida? The SCCA classes are covered in above posts. I will add HSR is strong in the south east if you want to go the vintage route. A 280 will only be allowed in the IMSA class though which is a lot of prep. 240's can run production. Another alternative is NASA. They are just starting up in Florida. I'm not familiar with their classes. The race director is a Z guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 My car was stopped in traffic, behind a Ford Taurus Station wagon. I had a Van loaded with plumbing and HVAC Equipment slam into me at 45mph... It drove me into the Taurus. The doors wouldn't open and the rear hatch and front core supports were severely damaged. However, The passenger compartment was in tact. This was a BOLT IN cage, which really impressed me. The cage was distorted within the car. However, When we cut the car up for disposal, the cage was cut out of the car in one piece, cutting the footers loose with the sheet metal intact. The cage was then Xrayed and found to have no structural issues. I was amazed... The car was a total loss but the cage survived an amazingly hard hit... Although I got a bump on the head from hitting the roll cage padding, I walked away from the accident and was fine. A cage in a street driven Z (Not just a four point bar) is something every street Z should have... These cars are to darned thin... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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