Cool! You should come out to High Plains when the Utah boys come out next year. A few minutes talking with Dirks dropped my lap times by 3 to 4 seconds. He is really amazing. Guessing you could school us just the same! Did you recognize that Blue Z on the track from my album?

 

Dirks is the regigning Spec Z National Champ and he'll school most of us. Since my Z is configured for SCCA T3 competition, I won't be eligible for Spec Z. Didn't recognize that light blue Z in your pics, should I be familiar with it?

You never did mention what diff you're running?

 

The blue one is Ashley at High Plains turn 2, may be new from when you saw him last. We are all pretty much running the stock VLSD for now. If the Nismo diff was more readily available, we would have them switched out by now. They seemed to be working without issue this summer though.

 

https://my350z.com/forum/autocross-road-305/ lots of into about Spec Z posted here. We have a few racers in out community

 

figured I would post this up here.

Great thread Erik.

 

Haha! Didn't know you were on here! Thanks for adding the video!

 

haven't been long, but good forum.

 

More footage from the outer loop TT run in October.

Miller Outer TT Day

 

awesome! I like the app you use!

 

Yeah, I really like it. Not as fancy as what you guys have, but it works pretty well. Acutally, just got it working, they had some technical issues with the GPS. It's working better than Harry's, which wasn't working at all on the outer loop when I tried to compare them. I just need a better mount and some more memory so I can put the resolution up!

 

Posted some more pics in my album from last season.

 

Hexed - Thank you for the post, very interesting to see the cost break-down. I have a couple questions if you have a minute.

I am very interested in doing this in a couple of years when I have more funds (and I will be moving to Colorado). I started HPDE last year and have done 8 days so far, and absolutely love them. I am slowly modding my car for track use, although I think my Akebono brakes and JWT flywheel are against the rules. I’m still on my stock suspension at least, so I’ll be sure to follow the rules for that upgrade.

My main question is how much more risk is there to your car racing in Spec Z compared to HPDE? Do cars “trade paint” on corners or anything like that?
Did you ever race prior to Spec Z?
How many HPDE days did you complete before racing?

Sorry if a question was already answered, I read through but could have missed something.

 

The answer to your main question is yes. Door-to-door competition ratchets up the risk dial by several degrees. Spec Z racing can result in significant body damage if passes are not made cleanly. You must be willing to risk damage to your Z and have confidence in your fellow competitors at the same time.

When I first got started, I spent the first season (ten days total) in time trial racing before I decided to do full D-2-D racing. In today's NASA, I would have progressing through HPDE 1-4 and on the time trials before starting racing. It all depends on

 

Glad to see you are interested. There is definitely a risk of a bit of damage, so it is best to start with a car that is wrecked, pick it up for cheap and build it up. Not sure if you saw my door in my photo album. Got clobbered from behind by a Miata. Had it fixed in a weekend though. You will basically need to rip the whole inside out, which you probably don't want to do to your nice street car. I ran a 370Z through HPDE and TT for a few years and then decided to get a car to race. There were quite a few Zs that made it through without any damage, but you need to be prepared for it to happen. Like DK said, I would definitely run more HPDE events and then TT for a while. Then go to the competition school at High Plains. David Dirks out there runs the school I believe and it is a real bargain price wise. Plus David is the National Spec Z Champion so you will be learning from one of the best.

 

Cool. Definitely sounds like I will want to get another Z to race with. Thanks for the responses. I didn't even know about the TT before.

 

You will need to replace it soon. The Wavetrac diff is also allowed, and I personally prefer it over the NISMO now that I've raced SpecZ with both diffs. Sidebar - I have a Wavetrac diff for sale as well if interested.

Yes, quite a bit more risk. You are driving harder, IMO, and you are driving closer. You aren't on the TT line, but on a race line. The risk increases exponentially in a real racing condition.

Hi David!

 

Hey Scott,

I sure would be interested in that diff. Just need to catch my breath as I am still reeling from all the money I spent on the car last summer. I will be sure to check in with you when I get all my bills paid in the next month or two.

Erik

 

Sounds good!