Gerard Salmon
New member
Why or why not ?? 1.8 twin cam 132 HP 4 wheel disc`s mazda availible parts (protege')a little heavy 2430lb`s Comments please pro`s & con`s
91 Escort GT ITA
- Thread starter Gerard Salmon
- Start date
Gerard, like most cars if you throw enough money at it, you can make it competitive. The biggest problem you will encounter is Ford doesn't really support the car, Mazda treats you like an unwanted kid and the after market is mediocre at best. Now after saying all that, I feel the car has potential. I have been able to keep up with the ITA Honda's and even win a few races. You can email me at: [email protected]
Gerald, I tried to do it with '91 EGT and just found that the hurdles were too much. Weight is the biggest issue but the lack of good parts also hinders you. We built headers, various exhaust systems, rebuilt brakes, fabbed susp bushings, etc and while I could pass every RX7 on track and run with everything else, you could not get to the rear bumper of CRX's or the really good 240SX's. Part of it may be my driving style which was developed in RX3. You've really got to throw the car around to get it all from it. SM came along and I lost interest.
Tim now has my car in Mich.
Tim now has my car in Mich.
Gerard Salmon
New member
I ran for 3 years a V8 mustang then tried ITC escort with all the goodies but kept blowing motors. Then tried a 84 rx7 was not impressed . So here i am after 6 years of not even going to a track, and looking to do something a little different. I`m looking to develop a car as i develop my driving again, i even look at my X1/9 for a posible choice BUT i`m a ford fanatic and hate to stray to far or maybe even a Protege' hey at least ford has a hand in it. And bigger wheel wells to fit the 15x7 wheels. What kind of spring rate did you use F&R and struts ? and what about swaybars. I have herd from thicker in F&R to thicker in rear and stock up front or no bar at all in front. Your help would be apreciated . Gerard
Yup. I suppose I ought to check in here.
Couple thoughts.
The EGT compares well to the CRX in power:weight, torque:weight, and brake:weight. It is heavier though, and since all ITA cars get 7" wide wheels, it gives up some there. It also gives up some in it's height, CRXs are 2 seat sports cars, EGTs aren't. The CRX also has a double wishbone suspension, better than the four struts on the EGT.
So, my goal with the car (when my wife lets me drive) is to be faster than all the ITB cars at Waterford. My first time out I was about 1 second of the ITC track record, so I have some work (about 2 seconds) to do.
And yes, a letter to Denver needs to be written for all the years to be eligible. The only difference I know of that might make any difference, is the '96 cars used a Mass Air Sensor, vs. the Vane Air Sensor on the earlier cars, still the same rated power though.
Tim
[email protected]
[This message has been edited by tderonne (edited August 19, 2002).]
wildhorsesracing
New member
I just picked up two 91 GT's and was considering the same thing - a friend locally (ITA CRX!) told me that it would be competitive...
http://www.wildhorsesracing.com/cars/gttwins.jpg
Are they competitive on a national level?
http://www.wildhorsesracing.com/cars/gttwins.jpg
Are they competitive on a national level?
Those look like racecars waiting to happen. Non sunroff GTs are farily rare too. Don't expect to win though, as I mentioned above.
By the way, they are 1.8 Mazda motors, not 2.0 Zetec (on your website), and they don't have rear axles to bend, they are multilink. Only one rear toe link is adjustable stock, but the service part is the adjustable link for either side. Cheap to fix. How many miles on either car? 5 speeds? They'd make good winter rides up here in Michigan...
By the way, they are 1.8 Mazda motors, not 2.0 Zetec (on your website), and they don't have rear axles to bend, they are multilink. Only one rear toe link is adjustable stock, but the service part is the adjustable link for either side. Cheap to fix. How many miles on either car? 5 speeds? They'd make good winter rides up here in Michigan...
What, an Escort GT wins ITA and no one mentions it? (I guess Jeff mentioned an ITA Escort that was fast, but he didn't say he won.)
Ok, he would have been 4th in ITB. But 9th out of 63 IT cars isn't bad no matter what you're in.
And anyone know him? James Stockburger out of Clinton TN? I don't think Wayne mentioned the guy.
Ok, he would have been 4th in ITB. But 9th out of 63 IT cars isn't bad no matter what you're in.
And anyone know him? James Stockburger out of Clinton TN? I don't think Wayne mentioned the guy.
Jim Stockburger
New member
That would be me.
Wayne probably didn't mention me because he knows the truth. I was not the winner that day. I wish I had actually won ITA as posted in the provisional results, or could lap VIR in the low 2:21's. Neither is true. According to my in-car video, the best times I turned in the SARRC was Mid 2:27's. (By Sunday's ECR I got into 2:24 territory). I have written Teresa Hill (timing and scoring) and she has acknowledged my message and my crew chief's message to the same effect.
Apparently there were some serious malfunctions in the scoring system. Although I didn't see them, early postings had the winners completing 12 laps out of 10! Also, there are four new lap records supposed to have been set during that race, one of them by an IT7 in the 2:17's. He's a phenomenally gifted driver, but is he that good? The way we entered impound, I was 2nd and John Snook, another East Tennessee racer, actually won ITA using an RX3 that used to belong to Stan Hinds. Stan Hinds, who didn't actually enter the race, was scored as having finished 8th in IT7. Teresa is aware that Stan wasn't in the race and said she will attempt to determine who # 18 actually was.
As for the Escort GT I now drive, it is more capable than the driver but I have great hope for expoiting its full potential next year. The car was built by John Brown who drove it to a podium finish in the ARRC a few years ago. I'm a 57 year old retread who drove an RX7 in the early nineties. This has been my comeback year. Not too bad. My 2nd school was waived. 5 races. 4 podium finishes. Three seconds and a third, near as I can figure out. No wins, however.
Interestingly, I just noticed that in the only race I didn't score well in (due to an unfortunate metal-to-metal with a friend who spun into my path) I was credited with a 1:47! Kershaw. Impossible. I'm now officially declaring myself a transponder agnostic. Perhaps we could augment transponder scoring with a video camera at start/finish? Just a thought...
Wayne probably didn't mention me because he knows the truth. I was not the winner that day. I wish I had actually won ITA as posted in the provisional results, or could lap VIR in the low 2:21's. Neither is true. According to my in-car video, the best times I turned in the SARRC was Mid 2:27's. (By Sunday's ECR I got into 2:24 territory). I have written Teresa Hill (timing and scoring) and she has acknowledged my message and my crew chief's message to the same effect.
Apparently there were some serious malfunctions in the scoring system. Although I didn't see them, early postings had the winners completing 12 laps out of 10! Also, there are four new lap records supposed to have been set during that race, one of them by an IT7 in the 2:17's. He's a phenomenally gifted driver, but is he that good? The way we entered impound, I was 2nd and John Snook, another East Tennessee racer, actually won ITA using an RX3 that used to belong to Stan Hinds. Stan Hinds, who didn't actually enter the race, was scored as having finished 8th in IT7. Teresa is aware that Stan wasn't in the race and said she will attempt to determine who # 18 actually was.
As for the Escort GT I now drive, it is more capable than the driver but I have great hope for expoiting its full potential next year. The car was built by John Brown who drove it to a podium finish in the ARRC a few years ago. I'm a 57 year old retread who drove an RX7 in the early nineties. This has been my comeback year. Not too bad. My 2nd school was waived. 5 races. 4 podium finishes. Three seconds and a third, near as I can figure out. No wins, however.
Interestingly, I just noticed that in the only race I didn't score well in (due to an unfortunate metal-to-metal with a friend who spun into my path) I was credited with a 1:47! Kershaw. Impossible. I'm now officially declaring myself a transponder agnostic. Perhaps we could augment transponder scoring with a video camera at start/finish? Just a thought...