My Dad wants to race

[Rob Liebbe]

Some of you have seen my dad at the track. Well he's got the bug pretty bad now and wants to start a car build up. He has a partner and they are thinking of starting with a streetable car in time trials and then move it into CMC (more likely CMC2) in a year or two.

Soooo...we are looking for a car and thoughts/advice.

Right now they don't have a trailer or a place to store a race car. Dad does have a Navigator that he could tow with. His partner is in San Antonio, dad is in Dallas. Dad is relatively thin, his partner, not so much.

My suggestion would be to buy a decent late model Mustang or Corvette that could be driven to the track and back home with a/c, stereo, good seats, etc and have minimal maintenance and good reliability. I really think a Corvette is the way to go here, maybe a later model Mustang Cobra. When the time is right, buy a built race car like the Tony G will likely have for sale in a year to a year and a half based on his car sale history.

Thoughts and encouragements are welcomed.

[Wirtz]

One thought off the top of my head with any street / track combo car is storage and ability to carry the gear to and from the track. Having owned several Corvettes I know there is not alot of room for clothing bags, cooler, minor tools, nevermind a spare set of tires. Not so sure about Mustangs.

Maybe carrying track tires is not desired in an effort to try to keep it simple, but I think it is the right plan. That way you don't trash your street tires and your not in a bind if you cut one down at the track.

A simple converted lawn tractor trailer is a good way to go. Now you just need space to store that.

[GlennCMC70]

i really think an LS1 4th gen (98-02) is the ticket . i would do this long before a vette for many reasons. it would be easier to explain why if you give me a call.
Steve Mulder can likely validate my opinion.

[David Love AI27]

streetable TT cars are fun but if something major happens you scramble for trailer and truck to get back home. Uhaul rents trailers.

I have two project cars that I'm either going to sell or rent. I may have a trailer for sale by tomorrow... pics in the works

[edrock96GT]

streetable TT cars are fun but if something major happens you scramble for trailer and truck to get back home. Uhaul rents trailers.

I have two project cars that I'm either going to sell or rent. I may have a trailer for sale by tomorrow... pics in the works

Yup, been there. When I lost my transmission at ECR, Richard Fekete (another TT guy) was nice enough to trailer my car to my house and let me drive his WRX, so I was lucky.

Just before that event, I got a AAA membership that included one free <200 mile tow every year, which I used to get my car from my house to the place where was going to fix my car. I got a pretty cool driver and I was thinking of working out a sponsorship deal with him for the next time I break something, since it's not really feasible for me to get a truck & trailer to use 6 times a year.

[ShadowBolt]

I would like to sell mine and purchase Tony G's.


JJ

[Al Fernandez]

Starting with the car you eventually plan on racing is a great idea, but I'd move away from the streetable concept asap. Safety, for one, cannot be matched without a full cage, and I would not drive a car with a full cage on the street. Reliability is not guaranteed, so having a way to get home comes a close second in my book.

[Rob Liebbe]

Keep the good info coming guys. Thanks.

[AI#97]

Keep the good info coming guys. Thanks.

Well from what you have said, he seems to be progressing quickly so buying a street car then moving to a race car later is a waste of development time and money.

does he want to race in our group? Little 4cyl cars? Honking Corvettes?

Hell, he should just buy Glenn's car... Works out for both of them....even if he doesn't use it as a race car, it's already figured out and ready for the track. You two could always do a lemons team too!

I am sure there are plenty of track cars/racecars that could be had for cheap right now.

[michaelmosty]

If he is going to be open-tracking it and then moving into racing I would look for a newer model (LS1 or 99+ Mustang). The cars seem to be very easy to track right out of the box with few mods. IMO, Randy is doing it the best way with a reliable track car and then adding a cage and other safety equipment when ready to race. Check over the car for any issues, flush your fluids, put on some good brake pads, and hit the track.

[Wirtz]

Keep the good info coming guys. Thanks.

My car is for sale....

[David Love AI27]

Keep the good info coming guys. Thanks.

My car is for sale....

Rob... buy it for dear old Dad, he really deserves it and if you get it soon he can drive next week at TWS, plus Jeff needs to sell it before Sept 1st to get refund from Nationals


Jeff..... NO SOUP FOR YOU!!!!!

[RagingAardvark]

Rob,
just a thought: he could get started with a safe (read: roll-cage already in) track car, and flat-tow it behind the Navigator? If something bad happens, he can easily rent a trailer to get the car home. Also this would give him room for spares inside the track car, tools, cooler, clothes, etc inside the Navigator.

Now before you guys call me crazy, bear in mind a lot of our 944 crowd flat-tow their RACE cars every race weekend.

-erik