Miatas are fast on the auto-x..... on a road course not so much. You will get owned by anything with power. I drove one at Road Atlanta and the straights were painful. I was at VIR yesterday for a trackday and the resident driving instructor was in my run group in his Miata..... I lapped him in a 20 minute session.
They are great handling cars with excellent stock brakes but need more power to be fast on a road course.... now one with an aluminum 5.3 or LS1 would be a hoot.

Well Tim I think you have been looking at my search history as I've been looking at aluminum 5.3s and LS1 motors as well!! :popcorn2: :D

Here ya go: http://www.racingjunk.com/NASA-Spec-...SuperSize=true

Trailer too! http://www.racingjunk.com/NASA-Spec-...pec-Miata.html

Then you'll be able to afford and haul that Bosch dishwasher you've always wanted. :whistling:

Tim,

Missed you at SEMA and Scottsdale BTW...

The word "BUDGET" comes with a price..... Being lapped by more expensive cars might be one of those costs. LOL

I think this topic is going to come up more and more in the future. The Pro-Touring racing events are doing what I have always thought they would do and created a divide with the guys who want to try some events to just say they did and give the guys who have racing in their blood fuel to ignite the fire. The it comes down to how competitive can you afford to be for e a given class. And do you still want to try and be competitive in a vintage car. Just like the thread about classes for the USCA.

In the phase this industry or series is in, a guy really needs to define his purpose. There is a world of differences from just going to track days and not being concerned with how competitive you are. And trying to build a car that is goes pretty well and having a competitive car that is fast for what ever group you want to race.

Alot of guys are building very expensive, race cars that really don't have any where to truely race the car unlike if you a had a Miata or Camaro / Mustang Challenge car.

A Miata is not that slow in a field or Miatas. For me it doesnt matter what I race as long as the field is competitive and equal. I like the USCA format of just going out and running what you have for fun, but I also loved racing locally at my dirt track in a lower division just for the seat time. A spec Miata car in a SCCA spec miata class is pretty affordable and gives you a place to race almost any weekend.

Practice Practice Practice.

You nailed it right there. The Fox is probably the best bang out there and they made, what, like 14.8 million of those things? :headspin:

Go on NASAforums, Racingjunk, CL, ebay and you can pick up stockish to ready to race Foxes in the 4 figures and low 5 figures. Find one ready to go in American Iron and go race the next weekend, assuming you have credentials.

Agree with Rodg in the evolution of PT cars/owners turning racy.... most people saw this coming... how could you not? :)

The way I see it is you either:

* stay true to PT and building/keep something streetable with your one car

* can afford 2 cars -- a true PT car and a dedicated race car

* screw PT and go with the race car because you're Cole Trickle, goddangit

* don't give a hoot what anyone says and build whatever you want and let the chips fall where they may

The people who spent 30k on a paint job that is too nice to really use the car. Or the guy who put 100 plus lbs of Dynamat insulation only to realize 100lbs is alot of extra weight. The guys who put a super high dollar interior in the car that only had provisons for lap belts.

I have seen this alot. Heck the level of the bar has changed before some guys could even complete their build.

Ding Ding Ding!!! :thumbsup: that's what I'm looking at, I just want to have fun with something that I don't have $25-45-65-100K invested in as a race car.

That's the whole point of a budget race car!! Sure there is up keep cost and racing cost I get that for sure, but with something like a Miata or ??? I can get in trailer or drive it to the track, parking lot and have fun for the day/weekend.

I'm not looking to go out and try to "win" anything sure if I can get into a class that is evenly matched then that would be fun for sure.

I just want to have some fun once or twice a month and if I brake it no biggie if it sits for a month or two who cares!!

I really like the idea of the Miata because of the price of admission but I'm sure it feels really slow compared to a Camaro or Mustand running the same track. We'll see what I end up doing but I think I have a good idea of what I looking for right now :knokwood: :headscratch:

Now I need to see what's close by as far as what I can race what in, I don't what to get something only to find I have to go two states away to race it :disgusted:

Yes yes yes!! Well said Rodger, I'm looking at just having fun and not have 100 point show car or $100K+ PT car that I get all crazy when I get a chip on it or someone looks wrong at it!!

I just want to have fun a few weekends a years and not care about the winning and losing just fun!!

See my responses in blue!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Rick
The Miata route wont be too bad, for where we live there is plenty of auto cross areas. For tracks you can go to Blackhawk or Gingerman is not far, you have to stay away from Road America, unless you have lots of HP you will be in for a long day (found out the hard way)

Just remember the faster you go, the more that breaks and the more it cost.

Mike

Yup Mike, we just need to get Marty off the bike on the weekends and go have some fun at the tracks!!! :thumbsup:

Ok so I did a lot of looking over the last few days and have come up with somewhat of a plan :underchair: :disgusted: :headspin: :popcorn2:

Lots of cheap budget mined Miatas and Mustangs out there and 4th gen Camaros WOW!!!

Then I went back to my 73 Camaro and started to think about it again:getout:

The biggest reason I didn't want to use the Camaro is I'm into it for good chunk of cash to start "but" there's always a "but"!!

I have it so what the heck, I'm going to schedule a talk with Ron Sutton and see what he has to say!!:D :trophy-1302:

Seeing everyone is the only thing I regret about not heading west this year but I just needed a break from everything and wasn't up to traveling this year.

Rick --- Sutton is the best "part" I ever bought. Dead serious. I've spent an awful lot of money on cars over the years -- but this guy delivers real results real fast.

Smartest move you'll ever make on this or any other car.

Build that Second Gen Rick! Upgrades..more upgrades....upgrades!

I love the quote that Popp told me one time.. "Seat time trumps all car mods..."
(it was something like that of some sort.)

Obviously there are some things that you would need to have on the car to make it work. But upgrade as you go based on what money and time allows.

:thumbsup:

Maybe we should just build a car together and then I don't have to store it in my garage

and good luck getting me off the bike

There you go!! with a little help from friends you can get it going.

Build your own link suspension, its only welding and bolting stuff on... in the right places that is.

Put the real money in engine and coil overs.

Once your car is somewhat running and in one piece then start thinking if you can use a track car or not.

You're starting with a shell of a second gen. You don't need an interior. You can always add it later. You don't need paint or especially good paint that you're fearful of harming. Your front suspension design is pretty good from the factory and is made better with minor changes or more involved changes like coil overs. Which I didn't find difficult to install honestly. The rear suspension can stay with leaf springs to keep costs down, but since you're a shell, now is the time to build the rear suspension. Brakes are plentiful and easy though not cheap to do right. Rims can be $600 BMW rims which are a very high quality design. You can even build the 10 bolt for cheap. I'm probably preaching to the choir but my point is, just go for it.


BTW, my thoughts and desires always wonder to other projects. I always come back to the TA for the simple reason that any time or money I would spend elsewhere I could spend on the TA to get it done.

Good luck, Rick

I raced the NASA CMC series for years with a Fox body Mustang. It's the most fun I've had in the hobby. You can't go wrong with a 3rd Gen Camaro or a Fox Mustang for road course fun. The Mustangs need springs, shocks, bushings, camber plates, and brakes but they run hard with those changes. Don't worry about the motor, 200-300 horsepower is PLENTY until you really know what you're doing (trust me). If you have a little more to spend, then go C5 Corvette. As others have said, the track days can be relatively affordable. But once you go wheel to wheel competitive road racing, the cost of the car is the least of your worries. I see where USCA is going and I just don't understand why you would risk a big budget PT car when you can run an inexpensive late model under the same rules. Given equal driver skills, you just can't outrun modern engineering with a classic.

Here this should be some inspiration for that Camaro build

https://theblock.com/news/ronnie-new...ck-feature-car

https://theblock.com/sites/default/f...an-Nova-01.jpg

https://theblock.com/sites/default/f...an-Nova-02.jpg

https://theblock.com/sites/default/f...an-Nova-05.jpg

https://theblock.com/sites/default/f...an-Nova-14.jpg

https://theblock.com/sites/default/f...an-Nova-20.jpg

https://theblock.com/sites/default/f...an-Nova-09.jpg

https://theblock.com/sites/default/f...an-Nova-10.jpg

That's the most badass 78 Nova I've ever seen! Thanks for sharing Marty

....if Ricky Bobby had a daily driver.:gitrdun:

You mean his dad. :sieg:

wasn't he a junior making Dad senior?

Is that really a bow tie pillow in the trunk....man you Chevy guys are weird!:peepwall:

no, its a go bag. A pillow would be super strange.

If I remember correctly, its a "jack" bag. But it does contain the fingers of dead Mustang drivers LOL....(just to be p.c., i love mustangs)