Racing - Your addiction?

[Matra et Alpine]

Can't be much fun if it lasts shorter than the other kind

[DesmoRob]

Pieter, that last analogy was priceless.

As far as racing is concerned, I've always wanted to have a little car just for the track. The only problem is that its better not to use your daily driver as that car, and also that its an expensive hobby when you factor in all the fuel, and the risk of having to fix broken parts. Right now, I'm trying to put away all the money I can, so unfortunately its not the right time in my life. Later on, if an opportunity presents itself, I would like to have another '92 Civic CX fitted with either a B16 or B18, just for tossing around. Those little cars are oodles of fun, and don't cost too much to repair.

[drakkie]

Pieter, that last analogy was priceless.

As far as racing is concerned, I've always wanted to have a little car just for the track. The only problem is that its better not to use your daily driver as that car, and also that its an expensive hobby when you factor in all the fuel, and the risk of having to fix broken parts. Right now, I'm trying to put away all the money I can, so unfortunately its not the right time in my life. Later on, if an opportunity presents itself, I would like to have another '92 Civic CX fitted with either a B16 or B18, just for tossing around. Those little cars are oodles of fun, and don't cost too much to repair.

I am kind of thinking of getting another Fiesta for myself too. Small car, toss a big engine in, great fun. The money is my problem really but the transportation of the racing car too. It'd be impossible to tow behind my daily-driver Fiesta and that'd mean a bigger car, a trailer, another (race) car.. That is way to much for me at the moment. I'll just keep borrowing racing cars

[whiteballz]

This is the potential beast. I'm going to go check it out in person tomorrow (Tuesday) and if it warrants a closer look I'll be bringing my father back out on the weekend to get it mechanically checked out.













I'll be checking is the interior for wear, to gauge if the 138,000Kms are truthful or not, also for exhaust leaks and any unusual rattles/vibrations from the turbo and engine.

Anything else I should check?

[IBrake4Rainbows]

WANT.

that is all.

Check if it's been in an accident, stolen etc.

and if it has an immobiliser. I don't know if it's a requirement but these sorts of cars are used in ram raids etc. so be careful.

[whiteballz]

AFAIK this came off a boat from auctions in japan. so in terms of stolen history it might not go that far OS.

[2ndclasscitizen]

If it's from the Japanese auctions, check it top to tail for rust. They can sit out in the yards there for a while before being sold, and being on the boat isn't the greatest either. Check the gearbbox shift feel and clutch movement if you can, in case some previous owner has gone around dropping clutch on takeoff.

[RacingManiac]

I love the engineering challenge, being able to involve in Formula SAE, as a student in college, design, build and drive your own race car, and luckily enough in the 5 years that I have involvment in to achieve the best result of my school(and win competitions), it is satisfying to no end.

I have to say though working as a mechanic isn't nearly as fun...after doing one summer of that in Formula BMW I think I had enough of that....lol

As a spectator, it is always inspiring to see drivers hustling their cars down the track, accompanied by the color, the sound and the smell....

[G35COUPE]

A thread full of semi philosophical questions for those that race your cars/bikes.

What about it do you love?

What about it do you hate?

Feel free to write up your experiences racing and anything related.

Tips and helpful hints to those less experienced are welcome too.

Knowing the limits of your car, and determining what the manufacturers did right and/or wrong with the car's design, and seeing how it can be fixed and improved, with after-market possibilities. You will be surprised at all the short-comings some of these stock cars come with, that will leave you scratching your head about why and what the manufacturers didn't think to fix or improve.

Knowing when to shift and when to coast and being smart about balancing the desire to win versus the reality of the car's technical limits. Learning discipline behind the steering wheel is another lesson most people do no learn on the track. Its not all about winning sometimes. Its about being safe and making it back home with a car. Trying to be the fastest on a drag-strip is fairly different from doing the same on a track.

Going to a track with the drag-strip mindset, in my opinion is very dangerous and deadly. I always advice others to run the car on the track once or twice before the race begins, simply because, you want to know where to place your tires for the best balance and acceleration, as you go into and/or come out of turns. This is a safety concern and consideration. Also, understanding your steering inputs and how it modulates with increased or decreased torque in the turns, is especially critical to ensure you don't spin out. Too much torque in a car without the right suspension set up will make your track experience a nightmare and a safety concern. You can't add all that power and yet do nothing to the suspension of your car to handle the torque. Handling is everything on a track.

Furthermore, as you get better at the twists and turns, you immediately realize that your main concern is how to go through the same twists and turns at higher and higher speeds and at lower and lower times. This to me, is the unusual joy of tracking a car. Once I am incapable of achieving certain turns at specific minimum speeds, then I know that something is wrong with my suspension set up or that my tires are almost gone.

The other issue I have discovered about tracking a car in turns and twists is physical conditioning. When I hit unusually tight turns, I tend to get some cramping in the muscles right beneath my rib cage as a result of the g's being pushed. It can be disorienting atimes, as i come out of those turns and twists. I would suggest being in good physical and mental state before tracking a car. Thinking clearly and being physically fit is too important on a track. I will NEVER take my car out on a spin on my special track, without checking my state of mind relative to my body. Tracking a car is not the same as normal driving. On a track, you are generally on a hair pin, knowing that all and anything can go wrong. Most people cannot handle that level of adrenaline rush for too long.

Lighter cars with great suspensions, have a huge advantage on the track even if they may have less horsepower and torque. As long as there isn't too much straightways where they have a power disadvantage on the track, they are capable of beating many cars their own size and horsepower. Its all about balancing power with handling.

The truth about most cars on tracks is that they almost always provide feedback. Pay attention to what the car is saying to you---don't ignore what the car is saying. If you notice diminished power or torque, back off. If you notice diminished handling, back off. You don't want to go home without a car or without yourself, do you?? Just my personal experiences so far on a pseudo track I use for free all the time. This track has 8 nice twists and turns of about 2 miles. I usually track my car with the super bikes. The Superbike guys seem to have also discovered the track I use, and I love to go at it with them.

If you want to be thrilled on the track, just ride in your car behind those super bikes as they negotiate the turns and twists---they are literally lying on the ground, a few inches from the floor, and they literally bolt away once they approach the straightways. Its a heavenly sight to behold.

My car is my daily driver G-35 Coupe and I love it. One of the few cars I know that can take abuse all day long and still make it home in oe piece. I keep my tracking to no more than 20 minutes in any session---this is a result of potential brake fade which tells me that its time to go home, and no more than 2 track sessions a week.

[whiteballz]

Looked at the WRX today, Its pretty awesome. The interior is immaculate. It is a special edition after all, to commemorate the '97 WRC championship (not sure which part).

So it has a roof vent, is 180ish kilo's lighter than other STI's.

[charged]

I thought race/rally import a cams 3R or 3C or higher lic was required and proof of previous race experience. Mightpay to check with DOTARS to see if they have relaxed the laws.

Anyway good luck with it, if the suby falls through I would look at a FD RX7, can be made very light and plenty of aftermarket equipment available..... and they look porn.... a mates FD that is making many Porsche GT3 owners very sad in Adelaide for about a tenth of the cost

From the DOTARS website http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roa...f/VSB10_09.pdf

Import applications for rally/race use will only be considered where the vehicle will be used in
serious competition, generally at professional level. Where a particular vehicle model is readily
available in the Australian market, an Import Approval will not be granted unless there are compelling
reasons to justify why it is necessary to import a vehicle to compete in events in Australia. The fact
that a vehicle may be on an eligibility list for an event is not, of itself, a reason to justify the granting
of an Import Approval.
At a minimum, the following criteria must be met:
 Eligible vehicles for rally/race use are those homologated by the Federation Internationale de
l’Automobile (FIA). These vehicle models can be found listed at
www.fia.com/homologations/Voit_Pays.html.
 Under normal circumstances, applicants will be restricted to importing a single vehicle and acceptable
reasons will need to be provided to import another vehicle for rally/race use.
 Road vehicles for rally use are imported on the condition that they will only be used in the course of
competition, practice associated with competition and transport to and from a rally location.
 The applicant must lodge with their application a statement that the vehicle will only be used for rally
purposes together with a copy of a current CAMS R3 or higher-grade licence. For closed circuit racing
the applicant must lodge with their application a statement that the vehicle will only be used for closed
circuit racing purposes together with a copy of a current CAMS C3 or higher grade licence.
In addition, the applicant will need to provide evidence of a professional or high-level involvement in
rally/race sport, including:
 details of events in which the applicant has driven a rally/race car;
 details of specific events in which the applicant proposes to compete in the car for which the import
application is submitted;
 details of the rally/race club or organisation of which the applicant is a member and the length of
membership; and
 if the vehicle is a model available in the Australian vehicle market, justification for the need to import
the vehicle (cost of the vehicle in the domestic market will not generally be considered an acceptable
justification).
Documents required to be submitted with the application form:
 $50.00 application fee
 purchase documents
 copy of CAMS R3 or higher licence or CAMS C3 or higher
 evidence of participation in rallying or closed circuit racing and
 evidence of vehicles homologation,
 certified picture ID of the importer or responsible officer if a company (if you have not imported in the
last 12 months you will need to provide your ID again)

[whiteballz]

Thanks for the info charged, it was imported under rally use rule "18, DC" so from what I read of the above whatever they said to import it was obviously adequate to get through..

We actually test drove it on Saturday - And I can report its one fast little f*cker.
Obviously we couldn't drive it on the roads but they opened up the gates and let us drive up and down their warehouse access road (maybe 80 meters). I can report it accelerates like a bat out of hell, and stops twice as hard as it goes.

Doing some sleuthing about the model we have come up with a list of supposed special parts on this model (Type R - V-Limited)

Basically it was built to celebrate the three consecutive victories in the WRC ('95 '96 '97)
(thus "V"ictory "Limited" edition) with added benefits including light weight super supportive seats, close drive ratio, an approximate 180Kg weight benefit over the four door STI. Apparently achieved with aluminium body panels, lightweight seats, and reduced sound deadening.

It has an uprated gearbox designed to take a beating along with a lighter flywheel. I'm not sure on the engine, but we do know its pushing 13pounds of boost over the stock 9 pounds.

A few nic-nacs, The roof vent is a whole bunch of shenanigans waiting to happen, and as it has a 5zigen cat back pipe it's loud and has a beastly burble and roar when on boost. This particular car is build #95 out of 1000 Worldwide of the V limited Type R's, meaning my dad and I look to be owning our own little piece of Subaru history (We're both WRX/WRC fans since 95).

Its obviously been modified very mildly at some point in its life in japan, As it has a Cuzco strut brace, the a fore-mentioned exhaust, among a few other bits in and around the car. but is in remarkable condition. The underside of the nose and engine and exhaust has not got a single scratch, so its obvious the car has been taken care of. Which understandably puts our minds at ease it hasn't been driven within an inch of its life.

I Think that's about it for now, I'll be sure to post videos from the test drive up once i figure out how to pull them down to my computer with a blue-tooth key that isn't working properly.

[clutch-monkey]

sounds awesome. fingers crossed for limited/club rego.

[whiteballz]

We're leaning to tow it everywhere anyway, so if something breaks we don't have to worry about fixing it in the dark or paying 500 dollars from a tow home from Wakefield.

[charged]

Sounds good mate, hopefully it has the STI box in it, 13psi would be a nice little upgrade from the 9 psi and would liven it up. Hopefully you get it mate

And on the original question, there is nothing better than not having a steer for a while and heading out on the first lap, dropping a skid through 1st and 2nd and heading into the first corner..... I always have a massive smile on my face and a tingle in the guts .