Can I afford Solo1?

[MastaDeeMon]

Although I really enjoy Solo2 and running the PITL series, I think I will be looking for a newer challenge next year. I believe Solo1 could be that challenge. I must say that my current budget is very, very small and I run a very generous friends car(which I will stop doing very soon), so I am looking for the true costs for Solo1 based on the car I run. I own 2 cars that could be raced. A 1987 CRX Si and a 1991 Eagle Talon TSi AWD. What car would be better? What would a realistic budget be? My CRX already has 87Teg front brakes(with S/S lines), a lightened flywheel, and I am quite willing to pull most of the interior out for some weight savings. The Talon is bone stock. Can I do this somehow? I know I need R-compounds, and some decent shocks, but what else should I do?
Thanks for any help.

Darren

[Rob McAuley]

Neither will affect your class, and both will seriously affect your lap times.

Start off by seeing where your cars will be classed in their current (or stock configurations). Given that you're on a budget, look at doing mods that won't move you up a class. Try to maximize your points within your chosen class. Make your mods wisely to get the most performance for your dollar. Springs are a good place to start, but at 4 points, will likely move you up a class.

Check out the current results. See what (and who) you'll be running against.

You may want to try it out this year. We offer a weekend special. You can walk in and pay $110 for an event at the door (avoiding the usual $20 late fee), and get a CASC Weekend license for $10.

If you already have a CASC license, book your entry 10 days ahead of the event, and you can still run for $110. You can run 3 times this year, and still retain your Novice status for next year.

Hope to see you at the track!

[Chris P]

If you preregistured at the open house event entry fees were $100 per weekend. So $1200 there. Lets say you run Hankooks on the car, a little over 400 a set and you'll need 1 and a half sets..........lets say 2 sets since you'll do lots of lapping in your first season. up to $2000, you'll want some rims, atleast 13x5.5, hopefully Tom can help you find something, say $300 for a set. You'll get away with about $40 of gas per weekend and that includes driving to the track plus another $20 per weekend for food fri and sun night. 2300+240+120=2660. You'll need 1 set of brake pads, metal masters are like 40 a set and brembo blanks are.......ummmm 60 a set..............so 2760. Perhaps you'll want to buy a tent and stuff? say 200. $2960. Plus whatever modifcations you do to the car..........

I might suggust you run the car in its root class for your first few events, it starts at 47.6 .'. you can do 2 points worth of modifcations. Have a look at the results and pick a class to run then try to build the best package for that class. This classification system is so open that any assortment of modifcations may work, you gotta read the rule book and design your car. That is if your goal is to optimize, if its to make a cool street car and run where you run then count point and see where it puts you. Just try to keep your car modications cost down, i say this for 2 reasons. 1) spend the extra money that would have gone into the car on lapping, do lots of it!!! 2) The more modified the car, the harder it is to drive. You will already be learing the tracks and car dynamics at higher speeds. Once you've figured this stuff out then try adding stuff and see what happens.


Alright Darren, hows that?

[Chris P]

PS, cut the front axels on the talon and have some fun RWD stlyz :o

[Dave]

(Edited to reduce redundancy since Krispy and I posted at the same time)

Darren, with a fairly stock car that isn't likely to meltdown and cause some big repair bills the costs will be something like:

$110/event registration fee (so $220 per weekend)

$50 CASC basic race license (fixed cost at the beginning of year)

$40-60 in gasoline depending on the distance to track and length of track for the weekend

$40ish for food/drinks for the weekend

$800 for one fresh set of Toyo RA-1s (which will last at least one full season) or $200-400 in used r-compounds for the season

$200 for a good set of race brake pads like Hawk Blues or similar

Other incidental costs like brake fluid, engine oil, and that sort of thing, obviously.

Personally, I think running the CRX is the smart way to go on a number of fronts. The CRX will be slower but still competitive in its class, so you'll be in a car that will make it easier/safer to learn all the tracks/configurations we run on while at the same time giving you a good gauge of how you stack up against the competition. Krispy's 87 Rex is still a competitive car, so there's no reason to think yours can't be. I also tend to think the CRX will be more reliable (assuming the engine is in good shape, the bushings/shocks/springs are reasonably fresh, an the chassis isn't rusted through anywhere structural), but maybe that's just my Honda bias showing through :) The Talon may be more likely to overheat or have other turbo-related challenges associated with it and the 1g Talons are notoriously difficult to hustle around the track due to some oddities in suspension geometry (from what I've been told by a couple of guys who race these cars). I used to have a 90 Talon TSi and really enjoyed the car (though the torque steer was nutty!), so I could certainly see why you might prefer to bring this car to the track. Ultimately, I think you need to consider which car will be easier to maintain and repair given all the wear and tear track use puts on a car, which car will be more confidence inspiring while you learn the tracks, and which car you can live without for a while if you pop the motor or go into the wall.

Solo 1 can certainly be done on a tight budget. You only need to do 7 events to score maximum points for the season. You can camp (and have a lot of fun with the HADA freaks), you can bring your own food, run on used r-compounds, keep the car relatively stock, and still be competitive and have just as big a grin on your face at the end of the day as the guys in much bigger dollar cars.
I think you should figure $2-3k for seven events and a few lapping days, with r-compounds and good race pads, maybe upgraded shocks and few other small mods.

[Dave Barker]

My budget is remarkably low. 7 events, 1 set of tires (with possibly one or two extras) 1 set of serious brake pads and likely 2 sets of front rotors. The tires and rotors are usually still good for at least 2 lapping events as well depending on where they are.(To be fair I may need 2 sets of brake pads per year but my car is MUCH harder on brakes than either of the 2 cars you have suggested)

I agree with the other guys that likely the CRX is the way to start althought the Talon would be sig faster.

BTW , you will be happy to make the jump to Solo 1. Comparing Solo 1 to Solo 2 is like comparing rollercoasters to merry-go-rounds. Which one do you think is more fun ?? ( Sorry Marsh )

[MastaDeeMon]

Thanks for all the info guys, very much appreciated. Based on the info given, here is what I would like to do to have the most fun per dollar spent. The CRX is a great car, but needs some work. Based on the work I want to do, and the mods already performed, I would be in Touring 2, which looks like a pretty competetive class. Here is the tentative list of mods:
lightened flywheel(already installed)
87 Integra Front brakes with S.S. lines(already installed)
Bushing Kit
I have KYB GR-2's but I know Koni's are pretty much a neccessity for racing, so I would at least spring for fronts.
rear coil-over conversion with some much stiffer springs
I already have some nice light 13x5.5 rims so I could get some R's for those rims.
Adj. panhard bar

That is all, I'm pretty sure I'd get smoked in class, but I do know some of the tracks already due to my motorcycle racing career. What type of safety inspection is performed at the track? I'm pretty sure I could only due about 7 events, but that would surely keep me happy. I have all the camping gear I need so I'm set there. Would I be able to bring my 4 yr. old son? Are kids allowed at the events? This would make life 1000 times easier if I could. I hope this is doable, I soooo want to run at the track.

D.

[Dave]

tech inspections basically consist of making sure there's nothing loose (ie. battery tied down, hoses and wires, no noticeable wheel bearing or tierod play, etc.), nothing missing (ie. lug nuts), and nothing broken (ie. cracked windshield that wouldn't pass a safety). The scrutineer also checks the Snell sticker on everyone's helmet to make sure it's at least M95 or newer/better.

Given your skill as a welder, putting a roll bar in the Rex wouldn't be a bad idea at all, plus you'd get 'Body & Trim' prep points back which you could use to lighten the car however you'd like. Krispy can surely give you some solid advice about spring rates given his experience tracking his 1g Rex.

You can bring your son to the track, you wouldn't be the first to do so, and I'm sure with all the HADA peeps around you won't have any trouble finding someone to keep an eye on him while you're on the track or out marshalling. We've got a growing collection of canopies for shade too, so he should be able to find a good spot for an afternoon nap :)

[MastaDeeMon]

I'm using the info to try and gear up for next year. I spoke with my brother today and he is very interested in participating in his 944. I'm also quite confident TomL will bring the SilCiv out and try his hand at Solo1 in his monster. My wife still needs convincing, so if any of you have any good advice on that front, please pass it along. It looks possible so far, my next question is; how much track time(laps) do you get? Are there practice sessions? How many cars are there at an average event? What is the deal with crashes, from an insurance perspective? Are the fires really that mental? I'm kind of afraid of big fires:D

D.

[Dave]

track time: you normally get 4 timed sessions that include 1 warm up lap, 3 hot (timed) laps, and 1 cool down lap. With each lap being about 1 minute or so, that works out to about 20 minutes track time. There's also an hour of open (practice) lapping at the beginning of the day (usually from about 9-10am) and we've also added about an hour of lunch time lapping along with lapping at the end of the day if time permits. On average, there is about 2 hours of practice lapping time available, though during the busy morning lapping sessions you may only get 10-15 minutes of track time so that other competitors can get out there (cars are spaced out on the track for safety, so we only get 6 or so cars out there at any one time). Lunch hour lapping seems to be less busy, as Jason Altimira can attest! That dood does more lapping at Solo 1 events than I do lapping at lapping days! There is often roughly an hour (sometimes much less, depending on the track and weather) of lap time available at the end of the day, which tends to be under-utilized so you can stay out there as long as you'd like.

There are about 40-50 competitors at each event, though a few years ago the numbers were higher. Once the economy picks up, I suspect we'll see numbers growing again.

Crashes: Solo 1 events are insured for liability reasons, but you're on your own in terms of covering the damages. Generally speaking, if you're involved in timed race events such as Solo 1 insurance companies aren't too eager to cover the damages. Damage occuring at lapping days or driving schools, however, are often covered because they're not considered 'race' or 'timed' events. There have been, however, cases of competitors having crash damage at a Solo 1 event covered by their insurance company, so a lot depends on your relationship with your insurance company.

Having only seen the aftermath of the fires, I can't say for sure how big they are...but the tales are legendary :p

Convincing the wife? You're on your own there, buddy! I understand women less than I do live rear axles and panhard rods...

[MastaDeeMon]

Well then, that's a heck of alot more track time than I was expecting, which makes it seem like a much better value. As far as crashing goes, i kind of assumed that damage wouldn't be covered, but what if you hit another car, or worse yet, a marshall? Anyway, thanks to all for the info, and I really hope to see you all next year at the Solo1 events!!! For this year, I'm just going to continue my dominance of B-mod at the PITL series...oh one more question. If I win my class at PITL, that has no effect on my Novice status for next year in Solo1, correct??

D.

[Dave]

Solo 1's insurance would cover an incident where a marshall (who are your fellow competitors by the way...we do our own marshalling) is injured. Car to car contact is extremely unlikely, but I'm guessing that would be dealt with in a similar fashion to an acident on the street (assuming both parties are insured). Both scenarios are extremely unlikely though, so I wouldn't worry to much about them. If any damages occurs to your car, it will in all likelihood be from an off-track excursion or some serious curb ridin' stylez, y0!

Your PITLing around does not affect your status as a Solo 1 rookie, even if you win your class and/or the series...some come on out next year and take home some Novice award hardware like Kenneth is doing so regularly this year!

Maybe you can sneak out on August 23rd or 24th (Cayuga) to check out a Solo 1 event this summer? You'll get a much better sense of what it's all about if you see it for yourself, of course. And I'm sure some of the HADA guys would be happy to take you for a ride as a passenger during the practice lapping sessions. Bring a helmet! :)

[tanney]

I'm just going to continue my dominance of B-mod at the PITL series

Darren, I may have something to say about that in the remaining two events:D

[Triumphracer]

While deferring to Krispy and Dave, who know better than I do what it costs to run a Honda, I think you can do it on a pretty tight budget.

A CRX should be pretty easy on brakes and tires as it is a light car, fairly low powered and doesn't slow down much for the corners!

I only do 5-7 events a year, but get 2 seasons easily from a set of tires and brakes, Cayuga is tougher on brakes though. A day there is worth 3 days of brake wear on any other track.