Joined
·
329 Posts
Ok Spec racers tell me all I need to know about the spec racing events cars etc.etc. All the details rules to do and not to do's. Anything that will help get a person into the spec series.
Thanks
Guy
Thanks
Guy
Spec Racing ???
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
Joined
·
2,897 Posts
I will skip the build and leave that to your more technical questions. The FFR has the current rules posted under the Spec Racer section.
You need a NASA license to compete in the series. There are three ways to do it:
1. Go to two SCCA schools (separate weekends) and get signed off for a novice permit. Most SCCA regions do this at the beginning of the year and the end of the year - so you have to wait an entire year to even drive the car. You should be able to do a little work and find different regions with Spring or Fall weekends pretty close to each other. (i.e., Region A one weekend, Region B two later). You get two different tracks and you may not pass since not everything is even. You must have a race car.
2. Go to an SCCA-approved school. I think Skip Barber, Bondurant, etc. all have schools to signed off. Figure $2.5-3K or so. This is the most expensive way to go, but it also probably the fastest.
3. Come up through the NASA ranks. You can go to the HPDEs with Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced as you move up. It will take over a year, but you don't need a race car and it teaches better driving skills (not necessarily racing skills). The nice thing is that you can drive your street car (car, not truck or SUV) for the schools while you are still building your Spec Racer. In fact, don't wait until your Spec Racer is done because the instructor probably won't be able to sit in your car (no windshield on the passenger side makes for a long day for the instructor). That means you play lead-follow which is fun, but takes longer.
Once you get your license you will need an annual inspection. The spec racer community will help you through it and it won't be a big deal.
From there you will have a Novice permit and get to race with the group. There are a few rules for novices, but for the most part you are done and into the regular racing.
What else do you want to know?
You need a NASA license to compete in the series. There are three ways to do it:
1. Go to two SCCA schools (separate weekends) and get signed off for a novice permit. Most SCCA regions do this at the beginning of the year and the end of the year - so you have to wait an entire year to even drive the car. You should be able to do a little work and find different regions with Spring or Fall weekends pretty close to each other. (i.e., Region A one weekend, Region B two later). You get two different tracks and you may not pass since not everything is even. You must have a race car.
2. Go to an SCCA-approved school. I think Skip Barber, Bondurant, etc. all have schools to signed off. Figure $2.5-3K or so. This is the most expensive way to go, but it also probably the fastest.
3. Come up through the NASA ranks. You can go to the HPDEs with Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced as you move up. It will take over a year, but you don't need a race car and it teaches better driving skills (not necessarily racing skills). The nice thing is that you can drive your street car (car, not truck or SUV) for the schools while you are still building your Spec Racer. In fact, don't wait until your Spec Racer is done because the instructor probably won't be able to sit in your car (no windshield on the passenger side makes for a long day for the instructor). That means you play lead-follow which is fun, but takes longer.
Once you get your license you will need an annual inspection. The spec racer community will help you through it and it won't be a big deal.
From there you will have a Novice permit and get to race with the group. There are a few rules for novices, but for the most part you are done and into the regular racing.
What else do you want to know?
Joined
·
12,654 Posts
FREAK,
http://www.factoryfive.com/table/whatsnew/bondurant/bondurant.html
Maybe this is the route you need to take FIRST...
earl
![]()
http://www.factoryfive.com/table/whatsnew/bondurant/bondurant.html
Maybe this is the route you need to take FIRST...
earl
Joined
·
12,654 Posts
How many of the HPDE events do you have to attend. Obviously at least 3. How do you advance from Novice to Intermediate to Advanced in the HPDEs??
Question 2. the spec racer, can you get one, build it, spec it, race it. Or is there a lot of stuff you have to do to it to get it ready to spec.
Question 3. is there a lot of stuff you need to do to it to make it competitive??
DAN, That may have been SpeadFreak passing you in that footage.
earl
Joined
·
2,897 Posts
How many of the HPDE events do you have to attend. Obviously at least 3. How do you advance from Novice to Intermediate to Advanced in the HPDEs??
Question 2. the spec racer, can you get one, build it, spec it, race it. Or is there a lot of stuff you have to do to it to get it ready to spec.
Question 3. is there a lot of stuff you need to do to it to make it competitive??
[/QUOTE]
The number of HPDEs depend on the driver. My suggestion is that your first few schools be in a two seater - you will learn faster. My guess is that it will take 6-7 HPDEs if you are starting from scratch.
Getting the spec racer ready to race doesn't take a whole lot. You basically build the car, probably do one testing day (a lot of Fridays have test days before the weekend) and you are ready to go. One of the biggest pluses to the spec racer is that it requires less work than a lot of other race cars. Almost everything is in the kit and comes from the Mustang donor, so there isn't a whole lot else that you need.
As for making it competitive, there isn't much that you CAN do. The idea behind the spec series is to keep costs down and I would have to say FFR has done a pretty good job. On top of that, the spec racer community is very devoted to keeping costs down.
All spec series are designed to minimize money as a factor in the equation. It helps, but I won't be naive and say that money isn't a factor. Even if you can't really spend more money on the car itself, money helps by getting you additional track time (which makes you better), gives you a crew who might be able to fix things or find problems before they become big problems, or just buy fresh tires for every weekend. It hasn't been a real issue in our series so far, but anyone that wanted to throw down some cash could certainly move up a few places in the standings.
-Dan
Joined
·
8,070 Posts
a well built car to the rules, no parts falling off and everything working like is should.
A fairly simple setup and alingment. I can help with that.
LOTS AND LOTS OF SEAT TIME!!!
A SMOOTH CONSISTANT WHEEL, PEDAL, and LINE....
David
Earl Just get out and do it
I have registered for the VIR HPDE in oct, would like to see some more of us out there, and since you and I have twin hoops we should get to have the instructors ride with us. In my mind even if it takes lots of these events thats lots of seat time at an afordable rate instead of one or two expensive events = less seat time and more money spent, heck I just wanna get out there and not worry about cops
Greg
![]()
I have registered for the VIR HPDE in oct, would like to see some more of us out there, and since you and I have twin hoops we should get to have the instructors ride with us. In my mind even if it takes lots of these events thats lots of seat time at an afordable rate instead of one or two expensive events = less seat time and more money spent, heck I just wanna get out there and not worry about cops
Greg
Joined
·
329 Posts
What have you guys done to the cars that FFR didn't. Upgrades and such?
1 - 17 of 17 Posts
Join the discussion
Join now to ask and comment!