Anyone play in Spec 3 or Spec MX5?
 

I'm not likely going to make anything happen here but feel like i need to go through the motions of researching it to get it out of my system.

Interested in doing HPDE's maybe 4-6 times per year. Have a tall torso so headroom with helmet is important. Don't need to go faster than my ability or wallet. Figure if i'm gonna build or buy a track car might as well get something built towards an existing series in case i find the $$ and time to compete. Should also help with resale if i opted out.

Any thoughts on cheaper and simpler options for this? Miata would be a first choice if i can fit with helmet and I see NC's going for dirt cheap locally. Don't think i'd want to go faster than the e36 bimmers. Spec 3 looks like fun for sure. Can i get on the track for $15k + consumables? Is it reasonable to buy a street car and drop in spec suspension, race bucket and cage then enjoy HPDE's for a few years before building to race spec?

After racing in friends’ spec miata cars for endurance races, I bought one last fall.

My first race is in 2 weeks… if I can still race this year.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1684430404.jpg

Miata is always the answer.

I've been racing in ChampCar (previously ChumpCar) since 2014. We currently run an E36 (similar to Spec 3, but the car is actually cheaper to put together.

The cheapest way to put a race car on the track and race is to buy a car already built. We bought our E36 (raced another vehicle before that that we built) as a finished - but older - race car and that was the way to go. I think we paid $7k for the car ready to race with quite a few spares.

And, in a plug for ChampCar, I think it is by far the best $$/lap value out there. You'll need at least a couple of teammates for the races as they range from 7 to 14 hours long, but we can do a whole race weekend easy for $3500 or so.

Our next race is Carolina Motorsports Park in June.

The beast about to pull out of pit lane at Road Atlanta last Feb:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1684430606.jpg

^^^ I started in Chump Car in 2010 and this allowed me to race at some awesome tracks including Watkins Glen, Laguna Seca, Daytona and lots of others.

We do Lucky Dog now (started by Cathy and Chris formerly of Chump). It is a way better experience, more fun, and it’s all about the racing.

The big difference is that classing happens after the race starts and is based on lap times. Adjustments can be made. This prevents ‘cheating’. There are 3 classes and it’s awesome!

I haven't looked into Lukcy Dog, but checking out the schedule they have very little in my neck of the woods. We typically do Road Atlanta, NCM, Barber (before they kicked us out), Charlotte Motor Speedway (all within 3-4 hours of me) and then I've also done AMP (don't like that track), Sebring, and Indianapolis.

Need to check out Lucky Dog. We race for fun only, so I don't get caught up in the cheating drama.

When it comes to track time your wallet will always be faster than your car :D

That’s the thing with lucky dog… there is no cheating. You can’t cheat in a series with no technical specs.

You are classed according to lap times and if you have a ringer who runs faster, you may get bumped up to the next class.

The ‘SuperDawgs’ that show up and are way faster than everyone else, are discouraged and I recall that they don’t get a trophy…

Wow $7k track ready?! I’d buy that in a heartbeat. Found one spec 3 at high teens or 20 with enclosed trailer.

What suspension are you running?


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They're small. Check if you need to lower the seat pan.

I started Chumpcar racing back in 2010. The seat time for the buck was suberb ! I did HPDE through PCA prior to SCCA, Lemons, Used Car Racing, and then Chumpcar. I had 2 different teams and helped set up others. I also worked as a pit marshal. I wrote their pit marshal guide ( they didnt have one previously and working pit lane could be very chaotic). John Condren offered me a driving position in his IROC Camero for the 14 hours of Daytona (May 2012). Unfortunately, due to a death in the family, I couldnt make the race. Too bad, I had my airline ticket down paid by a wealthy widow that wanted me to bring her car up from Florida. A friend had dropped his travel trailer at the track for my use. Everything was set for a remarkable event. Oh well, such is life. I worked with Mike Chisek at a number of races, until I gradually faded out. Due to a serious spine injury, I had to give up driving. That really sucked, but I got to do what many only dream about.

I was at that Daytona race in 2012… we raced in a tropical storm.

In the end, it was a good thing that I missed it.

^^^ there was a big wreck and a fire in the pits at the end of my first stint. Red flag. Then downpour then mandatory driver change.

Chumpcar Calgary 2010

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1684458116.jpg

Chumpcar Spokane 2011

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1684458178.jpg

Daytona 2012

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1684458305.jpg

Laguna Seca (we ran here twice)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1684458418.jpg

The Ridge Lucky Dog 2019

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1684458510.jpg

Lots more pics but not on my iPad…

Being 6'-4'., I never considered a Miata, but would say E36 or E46 non-M. I track my 2005 E46 330. I can run all day on a tank of gas. The cars are affordable and easy to work on.

There is a tub modification if you are tall and fat, otherwise you will fit in a spec miata at 6’4”. 3 of the guys I codrive with regularly are taller than my 6’ stature.

The standard Bilsteins (B8s?) and H&R race springs. We have some different-sized antiroll bars that we mix and match, but there is disagreement amongst my team as to which setup works best.

Basically, the car is "stock". Gutted, cage, fire suppression, all that. 2500 lbs. We are just a bunch of old guys out there having fun, but generally finish in the top 25%. The main thing is that we generally finish the race and pride ourselves on quick pitstops, no mechanical issues, stay out of trouble on track, stuff like that. Had a third place overall at Charlotte Motor Speedway a couple of years ago. I think our fastest lap at Road Atlanta last February was just under 1:46. A 1:45.8 or something, so not the fastest car out there, but competitive and lots of fun.

A perfect strategy. Ours is similar but we have a couple older ‘hotshoes’ in the mix which keep us in the top 4 if we finish.

We are a beer drinking team with a racing problem…

That's a perfect strategy... SmileWavy

spec MX5 is quite expensive right now. not sure what used builds are going for, but they are solidly 40-50k builds right now.

Spec 3 is dead here, i wouldnt jump in for that reason alone.




spec miata is always the answer:

https://i.imgur.com/0wJHtAM.jpeg

you can race them anywhere, cheaply.