NASA Road America Aug 4-5

[Elvenhome21]

whos all planning on going to this event. I really want to, but with me getting laid off again Its hard to justify $375 but If I do go I will skip fbody in october for sure.

I hope I can get signed off for hpde at autobahn so I can do TT and race against the pooper if he goes.

 

[schemauer]

Hey Elven- can someone enlighten me again as to how I could run NASA events. I have the Archer car and track experience. But no racing license.

Do I need a racing license? Can this be acquired by running a few NASA events first as a "novice?"

I assume full safety equipment is required? (Which I currently don't have). Suit, shoes, gloves.....

How can I make sure that my car will have no issues in tech? I would not want to show up for an event and then have some minor issue in tech keep me from running.

The car is classed by horsepower and modifications? I believe somewhere I saw a list of modifications that added "points" and moved you up classes? Is this irregardless of horsepower? The reason I ask is that my car is fairly heavily modified from a suspension and prep standpoint, but because of the class in which it originally raced it runs only about 200 hp to the wheels.

 

[stealthTT]

To run with NASA you must join at the cost of $40/year. You can join here:
https://www.nasaproracing.com/joinrenew.html

With that membership fee you get a year of Grassroots Motorsports magazine and discounts at some places. The benefits list is here:
http://www.nasaproracing.com/aboutnasa/member_benefits.html

Then you go to your region's home page and register for the event like this one for the MidWest Region:
http://www.nasamidwest.com/

Then you have to pick your class. They have HPDE, Time Trial, and wheel to wheel racing classes. To run Time Trial you have to pass HPDE4 and get approval from the director. To run wheel to wheel you have to have a competition license from NASA. But you won't be stuck in HPDE for long if you're skilled or learn quickly and wish to move up. Or you can stay in HPDE as long as you want. It's up to you and your ability to demonstrate that you have the skills to be safe, know the rules, and not be a moving pylon.

For safety prep in HPDE, you don't need anything but an M95 or better helmet, long cotton pants (jeans), and long sleeve cotton shirt. For safety prep in Time Trial, you can stay like HPDE or modify it to be a full race car. For the wheel to wheel racing classes, you need the full works of safety prep. But if you have a passenger whether it's an instructor or just a ride-along, I'd suggest installing the same safety equipment as you have. I've heard of instructors refusing to ride in a car that has a cage & driver's side racing seat, but only a stock passenger seat. It's just not safe.

Here's a link to all the rules:
http://www.nasaproracing.com/rules/ccr.pdf

The Time Trial and Peformance Tuning classes (where a dsm will run after hpde) are structured by giving a car a base class and then assessing points for mods. When your points total 21 then you move up one class. It's a pretty ingenius way of matching up wildly different cars. You can end up with a wildly modded dsm against a fairly stock ZO6. And you know what? They end up running similar laptimes. But you have to be careful. Using mods that provide little or no advantage will send you into a higher class than you can be competitive in. You may have to de-mod to be competitive. But those things will become more clear as you run HPDE's and see what kind of laptimes you're running in comparison with the guys running Time Trial and wheel to wheel.

All the classing info and rules are here:
http://nasa-tt.com/Rules

If you want, total your points and send me a pm. I'll check your work. That goes for anyone.

I don't know if you still have the stock turbo, but to keep the playing field level, there are a couple of exceptions to the rules. If you change your stock turbo (even just the wheel), you need to dyno it and submit those numbers with your weight for re-assessment. Based on your weight to power ratio they'll give you a new base class. Then you still have to take points for your other mods like brakes and suspension. SlowOldPoop is on the rollers right now getting his dynographs for reassessment.

Also make sure you get your car accurately weighed and use the alternate method for weight reduction points. Taking points for each individual item will kill you in the points. By using the alternate method, you'll 90% of the time save a lot of points.

I strongly urge anyone remotely interested in roadracing to go do an hpde. It's fairly inexpensive. You get a talented instructor. It's also much easier to see it with your own eyes and ask questions of people actually there running. 95% of the people I've encountered are more than willing to answer questions and help you get into the sport.

 

[Elvenhome21]

Hey Elven- can someone enlighten me again as to how I could run NASA events. I have the Archer car and track experience. But no racing license.

Do I need a racing license? Can this be acquired by running a few NASA events first as a "novice?"

I assume full safety equipment is required? (Which I currently don't have). Suit, shoes, gloves.....

How can I make sure that my car will have no issues in tech? I would not want to show up for an event and then have some minor issue in tech keep me from running.

The car is classed by horsepower and modifications? I believe somewhere I saw a list of modifications that added "points" and moved you up classes? Is this irregardless of horsepower? The reason I ask is that my car is fairly heavily modified from a suspension and prep standpoint, but because of the class in which it originally raced it runs only about 200 hp to the wheels.

aIf your thinking of buying safety equipment let me know. I know of some package deals that are good quality and really cheap.

 

[underradar92]

I should be there, blackcar now runs, and should be on the ground and aligned early next week at the very latest.

Writeup to follow soon.

 

[Elvenhome21]

I thought you were racing at autobahn this weekend

 

[underradar92]

The time it took to get this stuff done won't allow that. Plus I'll still need some street time to sort out some details.

Just put her on the ground a few minutes ago, for the first time since October...

With the new wheels, tires, splitter and being what seems even a bit lower, looks wicked.

I'll post pics and a new thread with links, when I can get decent light.

 

[Racer--X]

I'll be there. and in the fall with F-body. Its my favorite track.

 

[Slow old poop]

If we don't break the car at Autobahn this weekend, I'll be there. My goal is to see 150+ mph on the straignts...oh, and to win my class, which should be TTS.

I want to see 150, so I'll have another tale to tell when they take me away to the Iowa Home for the Bewildered.

Rich

 

[Slow old poop]

If we don't break the car at Autobahn this weekend, I'll be there. Rich

Looks like we will be skipping Road America. The wastegate froze up, we screwed up the rear lugs, and had some other minor problems, so we'll skip RA and run Hastings instead.

Rich

 

[Ludachris]

Yayyyyyy!!!!!! Anyone else wanna go to Hastings?!?!?!?

 

[Elvenhome21]

I highly doubt I will be racing RA also, If I do it will be with the mid-am because I hurt my race motor in the talon.

 

[Dave532]

I will be there racing in PTC. If you are going, find a room soon as they are filling up. Rumor has it, and you didn't read it here, that RA may open up the Friday before as a Test and Tune day.
Huge thanks to Rich's (slow old poop) crew on Saturday at Autobahn helping me track down a strange brake light problem...I missed Qualifying but I wouldn't have made the race without their help.

-Dave
#532

NASA PTC
Rally America PGT

 

[Slow old poop]

Huge thanks to Rich's (slow old poop) crew on Saturday at Autobahn helping me track down a strange brake light problem...I missed Qualifying but I wouldn't have made the race without their help.
-Dave
#532 NASA PTC
Rally America PGT

And a huge thanks right back at you for helping us get that wheel off at the end of the day. We all help each other. We had four DSMs at Autobahn! Things are looking up.

Rich

 

[Elvenhome21]

who was that 2g, I never had a chance to stop over by him and saturday.

 

[Dave532]

Guys,

It is confirmed, Friday Aug 3 WILL be a Test and Tune day at Road America.
I do not know if you have to have a NASA license and I do not know the cost.

A perfect opportunity to dial out that push once and for all!

-Dave
#532

NASA PTC
Rally America PGT

 

[gsx roadracer]

That was me. I was there both days. Sorry I didn't get around to say hi on Saturday. I did get to talk a couple minutes with Rich and his crew on Sunday.
I was fighting overheating issues all weekend and had very little time to socialize.

I did manage however to get signed off from group 3 up to group 4. My lap times were awful however due to getting use to the big step up from the one group to the other. I did alot of "mirror" racing to keep from getting run over by some of those crazy fast TT cars!

 

[Elvenhome21]

well I am working out a deal right now to race a thunder roadster for the weekend at RA.

 

[Ludachris]

Hey Dave532 and gsx_roadracer,

Glad to see you guys posting. Please do submit some photos of your cars to the Gallery. We need more road racer photos!