Jump to content
HybridZ

So I want to get started in a local racing league...


nissan2ner831

Recommended Posts

As I said in the title, I think I am going to start racing in a local racing group. Theres a dirt track in the town just south of me, and they have several different classes of vehicles that race there, from 4 bangers to 360 Sprint cars with nice Chevy 350s running 600 hp eek.gif

 

Well the 4 banger class is designed to let anyone start racing, being all the cars that you can race must be 4 cylinders and FWD. No power adders, just stripping the vehicle, welding in a roll cage and putting in an aluminum racing seat....Oh forgot to mention, at the end of the race anyone can buy your car for $1300. The idea is to keep you from buying a newer car. Its a beginners racing league, hence why I want to get into it.

 

Just wondering, if you guys had to choose a car for this league, what would you choose? It's a dirt/mud track, so traction isn't great, but you can't do a bunch to help with that anyways. Just wondering what you guys would choose to race in this league. Also, Honda's newer than 1990 are not allowed.

 

My Short List so far:

1990 Honda Prelude Si

1990 Honda CRX

1990 Acura Integra

Possibly an older VW

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A neon wouldn't be a bad choice?

 

I've heard some places the owners are required to sell their cars if the amount (1300 in this case) is given to them whether they like it or not. If thats the case here, Id buy the cheapest thing you can then save up 1300 and try to buy a car from the other drivers that strikes your fancy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the midwest they call them Hornets. Most seem to be Saturns, Neons, or some two door fastback that I cant quit place what they are. I dont thing I've ever seen a Honda? There are even pro and amateur divisions and a national points championship series. Some take it pretty serious, others not. I've thought about it as they look fun but there is a LOT of beating and banging going on. Tempers also tend to be high with the dirt roundy round crowd. You can find gently used (there is no such thing) 'race ready' ones for a couple hundred $ if you want to jump right in without a lot of work.

 

Cameron

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In the midwest they call them Hornets. Most seem to be Saturns, Neons, or some two door fastback that I cant quit place what they are. I dont thing I've ever seen a Honda? There are even pro and amateur divisions and a national points championship series. Some take it pretty serious, others not. I've thought about it as they look fun but there is a LOT of beating and banging going on. Tempers also tend to be high with the dirt roundy round crowd. You can find gently used (there is no such thing) 'race ready' ones for a couple hundred $ if you want to jump right in without a lot of work.

 

Cameron

 

Yeah they do get banged up a BUNCH, contact in the races is almost a gurantee, partially because of the lack of traction on the dirty/mud.

 

Yeah, I've considered going and buying one that is already prepped, but I'm in no rush as the season just ended last night and won't start again until spring =P At least at the local track. So I've got time to decide if I want to buy one that is already prepped (theres a 1990 Prelude Si for sale through the tracks classified ads with several sets of tires and the aluminum bucket seat and belt harness for $1400, which wouldn't be a bad plan).

 

Because I do have a lot of time to make a decision, I'm not going to jump on anything quickly, and hence I can make a decision if I want to buy a prepped car or if I want to get a car and prep it on my own. Just tryin to get some ideas lol.

 

And I'd say the majority of cars in these races are Hondas/Acuras, at least in the top 5 (the main cars they announce) hence why I am leaning towards one of those cars. Though if I could find an older VW GTI I'm thinking that wouldn't be a bad idea, depends on how much they weigh when stripped. Power to weight would be a big factor I think in this kind of race.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most seem to be Saturns, Neons, or some two door fastback that I cant quit place what they are.

Cameron

 

In Colorado, the Ford Probe seems to be the dominant car. Maybe that's the two door fastback you were talking about?

 

Our Hornets started with a similar claim rule, which I am not a fan of. People from the stands would buy the winner and after a season no one had a car left. They changed the rules so that only the top 3 could be claimed and only by a driver in the same race, so the cars were simply swapped. Seems to be working a lot better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You would be surprised how much traction you actually have with dirt tires on a prepped track. If you can get into it, I would suggest a pure stock or pony stock class. It's a little more expensive to run, but used cars that already conform to the rules can be bought cheaply.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Go tot he local track and see which cars most folks run, then buy one of those models. When you're starting out it helps to have a commonality of parts and a good experience base to draw from.

 

Yeah, it seems to be a lot of Acura Integras, which has me leaning towards that car. It's obviously capable of winning the races. (from the races I've been to at least)

 

I am starting to lean away from the idea of an old GTI, as they are going to be a bit more difficult to find parts for, and as these cars get banged up a bunch racing, parts availability would be nice.

 

And to be honest, I've never seen someone from teh stands go buy one of the cars. I think you have to be certified to race on the track before you can by one of the cars, but I am not positive about that (the description is not all that clear to me). I think the general idea again is to keep you from buying too new of a car.

 

Oh I guess I should link to the website for the track, here's the different divisions:

http://oceanspeedway.com/divisions.php

 

And I would think about jumping into one of the higher classes, but if I had the money for that I'd have the money for a Spec Miata =P And I would rather race on a track. The idea is just to get started on this, see if I like racing on the dirt/mud. And you have to use street tires in this class, so grip is an issue. It really is meant to be a very cheap way to get into racing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

To claim you must present $1300.00 cash to on track official within 5 minutes of end of main event. Numbers 1 through 5 will be put in a bag and a number drawn. If the number 4 is drawn, you get the 4th place car; number 2 would be the 2nd place car, etc. If a driver refuses a claim, then the car that they refused to give up can no longer be driven at Ocean Speedway in the Four Banger division for 12 calendar months from date of claim refusal (even if the owner of the car changes). Also, if a driver refuses a claim, then he/she has forfeited any points or prize money for that night. If more than 1 person claims, numbers will be drawn in order money was received.

 

those are the rules for claiming.

basically you randomly draw a number from 1-5 and you get the car that came in that position.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Original Mini Cooper... ;)

 

As a Mini owner, you'd die if you hit an over fed squirrel in one, much less a much larger piece of metal than yourself hurdling around the racetrack.

 

Besides, to drive a mini is 2 hours of work to take it to the grocery store in back, then you have to re-wire it when you get home!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a Mini owner, you'd die if you hit an over fed squirrel in one, much less a much larger piece of metal than yourself hurdling around the racetrack.

 

Besides, to drive a mini is 2 hours of work to take it to the grocery store in back, then you have to re-wire it when you get home!

 

haha yeah, reliability is a key factor for me...having something break down too often would suck. like I said, Acura Integra seems to be a good choice. Tons of available parts, reliability, I know it places well at the races (at least 2 of the top 5 cars in the last race were Integras).

 

And yes, I know the claiming process and how that works, I meant I'm not sure on if their are any restrictions on who can buy your car, and if I'm not mistaken it can be anyone watching the race, the race organizer, the promoter, if I remember correctly from the claim rule

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honda Prelude seems a regular dirt drack basher car here. I had an '88 twin carb prelude that blew a head gasket. it sat for a while in the grass beside the yard until a passing driver stopped by and made an offer to get some replacement panels for his drit track racer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I've also found Dodge Neons (anywhere from 96 to even a 2001 if I'm not mistaken) that would be in the correct price range as well. Might be an interesting proposition, they have more power than most other cars I've been looking at and I'm sure if I strip them off all their amenities it shouldn't weigh much more than the other cars...Definetly and interesting possibility.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...