Starter Hillclimbing car?

My short term plan is to have fun with the thunderbird build, do some autocrossing, do the challenge etc.

However I've always loved Autocrossing and always wanted to do Hill Climb. 

Thanks to tail of the Dragon being nearby I feel like I should look into a car that can do decent.  I.e. not the thunderbird... 

I do not fit in a mx5 unless it's a NC.  Even then it is tight and I doubt I could have a roof on with my helmet on. 

sn197 GT? 

(I want something safe to learn on, so no super high hp or anything like that.)

It's a fun run, come on out in May even if you're not ready with your car, walk through the paddock, stop & say hello when you see the Z31 300ZX.  Suggestions:  E30, E36, 2nd gen RX-7, 944,  something inexpensive with a good following so that parts are cheap.  First rule of hillclimbing, never run anything you're not willing to walk away from when you run it off the side of the mountain.  I totaled a supercharged '96 M Edition Miata at the Crow Mountain Hill Climb years ago.  Ended up buying a 2nd gen RX-7 and running it for a couple of years before getting back into Miatas, then moved over to 300ZX's.  

Buy somebody else's racecar so that all the hard stuff is done and you can just drive it.

Yeah, if you can trailer a car, buy somebody's old club racing car. It already has safety equipment and is likely already banged up but is also likely pretty sorted.

HoserRacing said:

It's a fun run, come on out in May even if you're not ready with your car, walk through the paddock, stop & say hello when you see the Z31 300ZX.  Suggestions:  E30, E36, 2nd gen RX-7, 944,  something inexpensive with a good following so that parts are cheap.  First rule of hillclimbing, never run anything you're not willing to walk away from when you run it off the side of the mountain.  I totaled a supercharged '96 M Edition Miata at the Crow Mountain Hill Climb years ago.  Ended up buying a 2nd gen RX-7 and running it for a couple of years before getting back into Miatas, then moved over to 300ZX's.  

Ted Theodore has been trying to get me to join since my CSCC days... To the point of me wanting to name any car I run "blame it on Ted"

In reply to Mad_Ratel :

i love Ted, he’s a hoot and understands that playing with cars should be fun.   He keeps trying to talk me into going and doing a Pennsylvania Hillclimb Association event with him, may end up doing that yet.

What the requirements for the hillclimb? How many of them do they have a year?

http://dragonhillclimb.com/

Minimum gear to compete in a street car (CSP in SCCA standards) is a roll bar, fire extinguisher, harness, driver's suit, helmet, gloves & shoes IIRC.  SVRA has also started running some hill climbs, and they may require full cage.  I run my Chumpcar 300ZX at the events these days, no issues with tech.  You can run as a novice with SCCA, not sure on SVRA.  I'll get Ted to check in here & give the lowdown.  It's a blast.  Imagine a family reunion where you like everybody and you spend the entire weekend playing with cars.  That's a hill climb.  At the Dragon, they close off a 2 mile stretch of asphalt going up to the Maple Springs Overlook outside of Robbinsville, NC.  At approximately 30 second intervals, they send a car up the mountain to see who can record the best time.  In that instance, it's similar to autocrossing.  The major differences are that you don't have to shag cones, and if you hit something, it's not as likely to be as forgiving as a cone.  You'll be running 100 mph up the mountain, using both sides of the road, watching out for guardrails, loose gravel, bumps, etc., and praying your reactions haven't left you, because your common sense sure as heck has.  

How cool it looks from in-car camera

What you hope DOESN'T happen

Vermont has several hill climbs and you can drive your dd.

Mad_Ratel said:

http://dragonhillclimb.com/

That website looks like it has not been updated since 2014 :(

Ted has a sweet TR3 for sale that would be a good Hillclimb car.  

I know a guy that has a REALLY prepared amc that would make an excellent hillclimb car.....

In reply to HoserRacing :

The site is well outdated. 

Any idea if you need a license for this event? 

In reply to HoserRacing :

That looks like a lot of fun.  I was surprised at how bumpy the road seemed and by the number of spectators on the outside of curves .

In reply to Shawnb :

Yep, I'll give them that the SCCA hasn't kept up the website with info for new events.  Love the guys, but only so much you can get out of volunteers.  

For the SCCA event, no, you don't need a license, you can run as a novice.  They have a class they conduct the evening before with educational bits about not wrecking, then go play.  Not sure about SVRA.  

In reply to Stampie :

Actually, they only have 2 spectator areas, one halfway up the mountain behind some barriers (that's where the video of the Miata incident was taken from)  The other spectator area is just past the finish line.  The other people standing on the side of the road are the corner workers, and we've had some media folks in the past as well.  Yes, you don't want to go in expecting racetrack smooth services, that's one of the things that makes it tricky and exciting 

"Blame it on Ted"... the story of my life. LOL Well, if you get in to hillcimb, I'll accept the blame and you'll thank me for it. Hillclimb is some of the funnest racing I've ever done... and it gets even better with time. Let me explain... it's fun because it is competitive, more social than most racing, there is time between runs where you can relax work on your car and think about your line and work up to your fastest runs. The variable of the other guy on track is removed and you are focused on getting all you can out of your car on that track. It makes you LOVE F1 Qualifying more than the race. It gets better with time because hillclimb rewards experience. The more you run a hill, the more learn little tricks, nuisances. You can be setting records when you are old, gray and wrinkled like me... and if you don't believe, come up to PHA and look at the champions and the record setters. It's not just a "money race"... where if you buy this suspension, this mod  and that tire, you will win. It is truly the drivers skills. 

I do highly recommend running the Dragon and ... if you like it, I'd be glad to have you caravan up to a PHA event. Social, friendly and a great family. At Weatherly, there is parade where drivers drive through mainstreet on Saturday night, race all Saturday, free dinner for drivers and crew and race Sunday. Nice trophies and crowd of 1500 to 2000. Towns folks love us up there and appreciate the tourism. You are running in class, as well as over all, and against every driver that ran it since the 50s. Great history. Entry fee is around $160. I run 6 to 7 events of their schedule (just the hills) and it is a long way up... no complaints. Worth every mile. Made a lot of friends and memories on those hills. And if you feel really really froggy, Mt. Washington Hillclimb is a few more miles north of PHA. 7.6 miles major elevation and drop offs...1 mile dirt. More turns per mile and more elevation per mile than Pikes Peak. You will find out there what type of negotiator you are. My trip up, I made some deals with God and I'm keeping them. 

Interested, shoot me an email. Glad to to help share the passion.  Ted             editor@thesoutherndriver.com