I thoroughly enjoyed racing SRFs. Here in Cal Club we have multiple national champions running in the class (Miserendino is the current SRF champ) so the competition is intense and humbling. Typical starting fields were 20 to 25 cars and you always have someone to race with regardless of your experience level. I went from class championships in NASA U3 to mid-pack (at best) in SRF and it was so much harder then the racing I did with my 240Z. One little mistake (missing an apex by 6") and two cars will get past you on the next straight and it will take 5 laps to pass both of them and get back to where you started.

The cars themselves are tanks and I can't image getting hurt in a wreck with one. I went off at 110 mph in the Riverside turn at Buttonwillow (missed the apex by a foot) and just kept my foot in it, got back on track, and only lost two positions. Car was undamaged. You have to be careful with the 4-5 upshift because its easy to hit 3rd if you rush it. That will bend valves and cost $1,500 for head work.

They are underpowered for their weight and you learn how to not use the brakes and turn as little as possible. The class champs will tell you "... that corner you're braking for can be taken flat out if you hit the turn-in and apex spot on..." and they are right, but it takes you laps to finally work up the courage to keep your foot in it and months to get the level of concentration and focus to hit your marks lap after lap. A car with lots of power can cover up little mistakes. A SRF will highlight every little mistake.

Setup is critical and alignment is a black art that no one talks about. Toe changes are made in increments of 1/32". The cars hold their value well if they are maintained and updated and the SRF that anyone want's to buy will be $18K to $22K regardless of the build number.

If I didn't need my race car to also be a marketing tool for my business I would have bought an SRF.

 

Thanks for your detailed response. Your remarks about the level of precision required, and the race-position consequences for not being precise, are pretty much what I've found in Spec Miata. To paraphrase something I saw on another board, "you can spin 3 times in H Production and still end up on the podium, but miss a shift in a spec series and you'll lose 5 positions!"

I like the sealed-engine and tranny, closely-controlled spec aspects of Spec Racer (it seems to be way more 'spec' than the Miata class), but the primary factor that will likely keep me from looking at those too hard (sadly) is the lack of much competition here in the Rocky Mountain Division. I look at Spec Racer numbers from other divisions (anywhere from 20 to 50), and cringe when I realize that I think I've only ever seen a total of 5 on track together here in RmDiv. If we had more competition out here it would be easier for me to stomach the higher purchase cost, but I don't like the thought of having only a handful of other cars to compete against.

Thanks again for your thoughts...it's helpful to hear from someone who's run the series, but hasn't actually bought in (and would therefore just be trying to get more local 'meat' to compete against).

 

Laguna Seca and Sears Point, err, Infineon.

I got "kicked up" to the FMazdas when the chief instructor recognized me and had the other instructors asking "what are we going to teach this guy?"

Oh, and going racing in SRF will teach you TONS about driving. They are very much a momentum car, so everything you learn there WILL make you a faster driver when you have more power.

 

Raced a 1995 BMW M3 for 7 years in SCCA Touring 2 before switching to the 350Z in Touring 2.

 

Thought you sold your T2 350Z? Are you planning on campaigning T2 in 2007?

 

How do you like the switch? I know 2 people going the other way.

 

i'm running a specmiata in NASA mid atlantic. only been doing it for a couple of years, but been doing HPDE's for 6. love the SM - great way to learn to be smooth.

ahm

 

The car is still for sale but as long as I have it I am planning on doing some races this year.

 

What are they moving to?

The BMW was a great car. The 350Z is a great car for the money but the M3 had soul (thats the best way for me to describe it), dont get that same feeling with the 350z even though it is faster.

 

They went from 350Z's to better prepped E36 M3's. One s changing the car from touring to ITE/IPB. It will give him more venues to race at. Both feel the E36's have more potential and seem faster when prepared well. It may be the fact that establishign an E36 is fairly known while the 350Z is still new enough there isn't a set formula.

One other is going to T1 with a C5 Z06.

 

Definately a lot easier to build a racecar out of a E36 M3, they have been racing them since 1993. There are a tone of parts available, BMW Motorsports has a whole catalog of racing parts for them. Also a lot lighter car and easier to get weight out of them.

 

Great to find other Spec Racer and Spec Miata guys on the board. I drove both for years and there's nothing quite like racing in a spec class to see where you really stand as a driver. For the past couple of years I've been picking up SCCA and NASA enduro rides where I can, and I'm presently working to put together a D Sports Racer campaign as well.

Hey Alex, once you have the Z sold, what then?

Ahh the memories...

 

Not sure, I have two small children now (2 & 4) and they take up a lot of my time so I would like to get something that I can take out occasionally and have fun with and not worry if it is going to be competitve from season to season.

The new D-Production class looks like it might be fun and an ex-World Challenge car would be fun to run in it.

Also been kicking around a possible "Vintage" car. Some ex factory BMW's (SuperTouring and Group N) have been coming up for sale at reasonable prices and I thought that might be fun.

Who knows, I might be dumb enough to build yet another T2 or T3 car!!

Until I sell the car and have money in hand I wont make any decision.

 

I'm going to be running a Mazda 323 hatchback in this event come July:

http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/

I eneded up building the roll cage and doing some other fab work on the winning Road and Track Team Corsa Uber-Fantastico 1982 Toyotal Corolla. I think I'm the only fabricator in the US that's put a roll cage in a 4 door 1982 Toyota Corolla.

 

There have been a lot of ITS and ITE cars coming up for sale recently. Fun class with Plenty of competition.

 

Did the Ferrari Driving Experience in Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada. 2 days of driving Ferrari's with ceramic brakes around a track like you stole it, including a skid pad session. I got in trouble for speeding on the track during the braking and slalom session, it was awesome! Experience of a lifetime.

 

So what did the "experience of a lifetime" cost?

 

It costs $8500US to do the weekend package, but I got to do it for free!!

 

That sounds like a great, fun event. If you need another endurance experienced, qualified driver for that event, let me know...

 

2 ITS BMW's (one E30, one E36), and we also were involved with a World Challenge E46 (more work than fun as we just could not compete lol)