Sticking my toe in....

M

Mike Spencer

New member
OK, I've almost done it. I am haggling to buy an ITA RX-7. The car is turnkey. Unfortunately, I'm not.
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All I have is my SCCA membership and my physical.

I live in NC and the only drivers' schools I could find are in Florida. My intent is to run the double-school at Savanna in February.

My question is this; What do I do between now and February? Do I have any real options other than put the car in my garage and sit in it after dinner?
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I've heard of NASA HPDEs, and that would be an option. Just wondering if anyone has any other ideas. Basically, I want to run the car enough to minimize the chance of breaking something major the first day of school.

Thanks in advance!

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Mike Spencer
NC Region
1986 RX-7 Build In-Progress
1990 RX-7 Convertible In-Driveway
 
Mike,

give me a call and I'll do anything I can to give you a hand. I'll be instructing at the Sebring school and I am usually assigned IT7 drivers since that's what I drive. Who's car are you buying?

let's talk

Mike Cox
IT7 # 37

813-927-9011
 
Mike...

You are very lucky that your ITA RX-7 is supported in your area by the IT-7 class, and I understand they have a good showing of friendly guys.

The main issue you will have is how loud the car is. In our area, the only events my car is legal at noise-wise are the SCCA events. Perhaps the NASA events are looser where you are, or perhaps you can fab up a quieter exhaust.

Either way, get in the car and do some events to shake both you and the car out.

Street registery is an option as well. (It made SUCH a difference when I built my car to be able to run it up and down the road a few times.) The state of Maine has a system where you can register it and get Maine plates, but the car will never see a Maine (or anywhere else) inspection.

Shoot me an email if this is needed and I will direct you.

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]
 
Running some track days and NASA HPDE events I think is a good idea for both car and driver. Driving at these events will allow you to get used to the car before getting to a drivers school where you will have other things to learn.

Learning a how to drive a car and how to race w2w on the same weekend has not been a good experience for a number of drivers I've been to school with. Can be overwhelming to do both.

I had a few track days under my belt before ever going to an SCCA school and knew what the driver and car was capable of as well as the experience of other cars on the track as well. I was able to concentrate on racecraft rather than simply trying to find my way around.

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Bob Pinkowski
Atlanta Region SCCA
OPM Autosports
ITS Honda Prelude (for sale)
 
Depending on where you are in NC, Carolina Motorsports Park might be a reasonable haul. We've done several track days with the "home team" there, Turn One Motorsports. Other clubs also run drivers' ed events there, like the SVT Cobra Mustang Club.

I'm not familiar with VIR, but I'd guess that some of the same things go on there.

And look for us in the paddock. You can see our cars on the web site in my siguature.

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Doug "Lefty" Franklin
NutDriver Racing

[This message has been edited by CaptainWho (edited June 17, 2004).]
 
You really have to get out on the track before doing the SCCA school. I'm not even saying I suggest this, but you NEED to. I've you've done track days already, I would still suggest doing at least one with the car. Figuring out a car at a school just adds to the stress.

If you don't want to take your 7 to a HPDE, take your street car. Kinda defeats the purpose of buying a track car. (Not that I've ever done the I don't want to risk hurting my race car so I bring my street car thing)

I'm sure there are ways you can quite down the RX7 even if it is currently too loud. I instruct at HPDEs (same tracks Jake was talking about) and a bunch of 7s show up. They just add a resonator to the end of the exhaust. I also have to do the same.

Hope you enjoy the car!!!

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Dave Gran
NER #13 ITA
'87 Honda Prelude
 
Get out and flag some local events. This will give you an advantage of knowing the flags, their locations, the line through those corners that you "work", and how your Region does things, registration, tech, social, etc.

This learning process will make your drivers school go much smoother.

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Tim Linerud
San Francisco Region SCCA
#95 GP Wabbit (Bent)
http://linerud.myvnc.com/racing/index.html
 
I faced the same issue. I chose to go to the Panoz "racing" school at Road Atlanta.

Terrific experience, great coaching fun car (Panoz GT-RA) about the same level of performance as my ITs RX7.

Lots of track time. And at the end, if you pass you get your SCCA Regional License.

Be clear, you don't actually "race". Pretty close but NO banging fenders etc.

Costs a bundle but it's a quick easy and effective way to go. There are other acretited schools as well.

Subsequent I took my car to CMP and did a "tuning day" just to get to know the car and Dah, do tuning/testing.

"Real" track time is quite different. Especially the SM drivers. I didn't realize there were prizes and money and awards paid on tuning days.

I'm being facetious, not sure the point of bumping into people and going off the track and "drafting" within inches at 100+ mph on a track day but I got the picture.

It is "enlightening" if not immature and childish to be that aggressive when you're testing but now I know.

tbtapper
ITs RX7
 
You have all kinds of things that you can do:
You have to make sure that the car will run for the entire school, you will not have time to change anything. Go over the car with a fine tooth comb. Check lines, belts, hoses....if it takes more then 5 minutes to fix that will be too long. You are a very busy guy while you are there. Only if your car is leagal for driving on the street then I would run it around. Change the fluids...all of them. Put new tape (or whatever) on the lenses, make sure the lenses are very clean...expecially the brake lenses, the bulbs nice and bright, lots of people there with different ideas about what the school is to be about. You will have lots of fun, but do every little thing you can think of to make sure that all you have to do is chuck lug nuts, tire pressure and turn the key, check everything else out in advance as much as you can.
 
Seat time... run the NASA HPDE's. This weekend they are at Road Atlanta, (may be to late to get in, but you can try).

Upcoming events in the Souteast:

July 30 - 31 NASA-VA is at VIR.
Aug 14-15 - NASA-SE is at Road Atlanta
Sept 25-26 - NASA-SE is at Roebling Road

Good Luck
8)
 
Originally posted by Mike Spencer:
What do I do between now and February?
Click to expand...

That's easy: Hit all the parties!

Let's see, we have the ARRC in November, and rumor has it that there will be another Rolex party in '05.

Jake is in charge of the ARRC entertainment, so he can give you the details.
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Gregg
 
WOW! 11 replies in just about as many hours. I guess I picked the right place to ask the question!

Thanks for all the great ideas. FWIW, I have already done F&C several times. My first time was at a school, so I got to use ALL the flags.
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I feel pretty good about what goes on there now. Also, I've done a fair amount of crewing, including some Enduros and once at the Runoffs. This October I will be at the 13-hour VIR Charge of the Headlight Brigade working for an IT7 team. Some of these guys have already volunteered to help me learn the car.

My goal is to have some seat time "at speed" before the school, so I will probably go the HPDE route. The VIR and Roebling events are probably my best choices, due to distance and the fact that I intend to go to Roebling for Drivers' school. I will also try to get to CMP, just because it looks like such a great track! (based on in-car videos I've seen)

And Cherokee, I intend to do exactly as you've suggested. The only way to know for sure how long the oil or brake fluid have been in there is to put it in there yourself!

Once the car is actually in my garage, I'll change my signature. Thanks again for all the replies! Hope to see you in the paddock soon.


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Mike Spencer
NC Region
1986 RX-7 Build In-Progress
1990 RX-7 Convertible In-Driveway
 
Originally posted by jrmock:
Seat time... run the NASA HPDE's. This weekend they are at Road Atlanta, (may be to late to get in, but you can try).

Upcoming events in the Souteast:

July 30 - 31 NASA-VA is at VIR.
Aug 14-15 - NASA-SE is at Road Atlanta
Sept 25-26 - NASA-SE is at Roebling Road

Good Luck
8)
Click to expand...

I started looking at the NASA website(s) and "Group 1" requires an instructor to ride with you. That's not going to work unless I put another seat in... and another harness.... and the cage isn't in the way...

Or are there ways around that?

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Mike Spencer
NC Region
1986 RX-7 Build In-Progress
1990 RX-7 Convertible In-Driveway
 
Isn't there an SCCA school at VIR in the fall usually? It's not a double, but it's track time and will be "insurnace" in case you don't complete the whole weekend at Roebling in February.
 
Originally posted by JeffYoung:
Isn't there an SCCA school at VIR in the fall usually? It's not a double, but it's track time and will be "insurnace" in case you don't complete the whole weekend at Roebling in February.
Click to expand...

That was my first choice. There was one last year. I worked F&C. Unfortunately, I recently heard there is not going to be one this year. Not sure why. None of the South East schedules show it happening either.
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Originally posted by grega:
Drive your street car until you get signed off out of that group.

GA
Click to expand...

Yeah, that would work... Yeah, I feel stupid...
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<EDIT: respond to grega's comment as well>
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Mike Spencer
NC Region
1986 RX-7 Build In-Progress
1990 RX-7 Convertible In-Driveway

[This message has been edited by Mike Spencer (edited June 17, 2004).]
 
If he gets signed off quickly, that is! Different groups do things differently.

And part of his goal is to get miles on the car to get it reliable.

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]
 
Another option - Panoz holds track days at RA, your car, no in-car instructor required, and at $225 about as cheap as you're gonna get for seat time (Unless of course you want to schlep up to Summit Point, where BSR has FATT (Friday at the Track) days for $195 - what a bargain!!).

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Earl R
Aspiring 240SX pilot
 
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