SKJSS (formerly Klayfish) said:
In reply to jh36 :
You're not an outlier. I totally agree with you. For HPDE days, a good set of front pads, proper brake fluid and good/safe tires and have at it. You don't even need to use 200TW tires, just solid high-performance tires will work...especially if you're a relative newbie. I plan to track my 128i in the very near future and that's all I'm doing. Porterfield pads, high temp fluid and send it! Am I going to hang the car at the absolute ragged edge lap after lap? No, but I guarantee you I'm going to push it hard enough to have a damn good time.
LeMons weekends aren't even as expensive as ShinnyGroove said. I'm in a top ten finishing A class car and I don't spend even close to $3k-$4k per weekend. I'm probably around $1600-$1800 all in. I could do it for less if I wanted, but I'm a diva...I fly to most of my races, I like to have my own rental car and stay at a hotel instead of the track.
How does that $1600-$1800 break down? I am interested in trying to rent a seat for a lemons race this year. Do you do any other activities besides these weekends?
I love this board and the people on it, I really do. Here are the data points that I am now considering:
- Base models of the last-gen Focus and current Fiesta can be had with a manual for pretty cheap, both in hatch form.
- I can wrench on small Fords.
- If I buy a cheap used one that is street-legal, I can drive it to the track.
- It won't be my DD or autocross car, so I can pull everything except what I need to keep it inspected.
- I have many sets of wheels that fit this platform already, just add tires.
- All I need to have fun is decent brakes, I don't care about power, I just want to hit the track and have fun in my class.
- I don't NEED a cage for the occasional time trial, but if I WANT one, I can bolt one in.
Yes, there are B-Spec cars and other fully-built cars out there, but most are not street-legal or would not work in a pinch as a third car, which is a nice bonus. I can swap in some used SVT or ST suspension bits, add brake ducts and 100TW tires and go have fun. I am going to stop looking for race cars, and start looking for a car that works for me and make it a track rat.
pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) said:
- Base models of the last-gen Focus and current Fiesta can be had with a manual for pretty cheap, both in hatch form.
If you end up with a Fiesta, I really liked the Bilstein B14 shocks/struts on mine. This allows you to drop it the amount you desire for track use and raise it back up a bit for winter driving if needed.
Let the Fiesta begin...| Builds and Project Cars forum | (grassrootsmotorsports.com)
In reply to ClearWaterMS :
I won't go into the details of what my seat costs simply because that can vary from team to team, and I've been on the same team an awful long time. A seat for a weekend will typically run $800-$1200...you can occasionally find one for less, even in a decent car. For sake of discussion, let's call it $1000.
- Flight from ATL to Boston (for example) - $200
- Rental car - $250
- Hotel - $250
That adds up to $1700. It can be +/- depending on rental car costs, hotel costs, etc... Do I do other activities besides LeMons? Not particularly. I run 4-5 races per year. I have a taste for having cars in my driveway, so I guess you can call that an activity.... That and spending big $$$ on my kids travel lacrosse, which also limits my racing ability simply due to time.
pinchvalve,
I don't think you need to carry it even that far. Like you said, you just want to hit the track and have fun. No need to pull everything out of the car, no need for 100TW tires or brake ducts. Focus won't go fast enough, and sessions are too short to really need ducts anyway. Buy a car, make sure it's generally solid, put brakes and fluid on, good tires and go for it. See if this car is still available... For sale on GRM boards
pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) said:
I love this board and the people on it, I really do. Here are the data points that I am now considering:
- Base models of the last-gen Focus and current Fiesta can be had with a manual for pretty cheap, both in hatch form.
- I can wrench on small Fords.
- If I buy a cheap used one that is street-legal, I can drive it to the track.
- It won't be my DD or autocross car, so I can pull everything except what I need to keep it inspected.
- I have many sets of wheels that fit this platform already, just add tires.
- All I need to have fun is decent brakes, I don't care about power, I just want to hit the track and have fun in my class.
- I don't NEED a cage for the occasional time trial, but if I WANT one, I can bolt one in.
Yes, there are B-Spec cars and other fully-built cars out there, but most are not street-legal or would not work in a pinch as a third car, which is a nice bonus. I can swap in some used SVT or ST suspension bits, add brake ducts and 100TW tires and go have fun. I am going to stop looking for race cars, and start looking for a car that works for me and make it a track rat.
This sounds like a really good plan. Between the two, the Focus seems like the better option. Yes bigger and heavier, but if you end up running stickier tires the narrow track width of the Fiesta can become an issue... rollovers have happened.
This week I took a friend of mine to the track for the first time and coached him in my stockish ND Miata. It had Michelin all-season tires (PS-A/S3+) and sporty pads (Wildwood BP-20) and did great. The tires held up fine and were easy to manage near the limit. The brakes didn't grip as well with a lot of heat in them but they stopped the car fine, I could still get the ABS to pulse even at their hottest. After 5 sessions I could barely notice any wear at all on the tires or the brakes. Obviously he had a blast, but I did too and I'm used to driving a fully prepped sport racer that's over 20seconds a lap faster. Fun and outright speed don't correlate the way most people would expect. The race car is a total thrill but the stakes can be very high if things go wrong at those speeds. It's a serious responsibility, physically demanding and not relaxing at all.
Tom1200
UltraDork
2/18/22 11:35 a.m.
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
This sounds like an excellent plan.
No one has ever won an HPDE; as long as you're pissing yourself laughing the whole time you're out there, that's all that matters.
ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:
pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) said:
This sounds like a really good plan. Between the two, the Focus seems like the better option.
To be clear, I mean the older Focus which is about the same size as the newer Fiesta.
Tom1200
UltraDork
2/18/22 4:25 p.m.
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
Go with what you know.
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
I don't know how anyone can wrench on one of those and still choose one. Good God are they terrible. MAybe I'm just spoiled with how easy Korean cars have been to work on.
Is there an indoor go kart track in your neck of the woods?
pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) said:
ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:
pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) said:
This sounds like a really good plan. Between the two, the Focus seems like the better option.
To be clear, I mean the older Focus which is about the same size as the newer Fiesta.
You should book a trip to Florida and bring this rust free car home for $1000 - https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/cars-sale/fs-2003-ford-focus-w-mods-orlandofl/186288/page1/
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
I'd try to hold out for one with the 2.3L engine, for more future performance upgrade potential.
johndej said:
Race ready neon in your area for $4k
I may have totaled his previous Neon...
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
Buy this one through a proxy? lol
I have a 2002 Focus SVT I'll sell you for $2500. I'm in Pittsburgh close to you, I think. It's in overall good shape but will need some TLC from sitting.
