After following some mates down to Wakefield Park Raceway recently, I've been thinking more and more about getting involved in giving circuit racing a red-hot-shot.
That's said, I don't want to take the bug, and my chick magnet daewoo lanos doesn't quite cut the mustard!
I discussed the idea with the old man and as it turned out, he was quite interested as well, so we've decided to start scouting to see if we can find something we could take down, thrash around, and drive back on a regular basis.
I've been trying to think of some cars but have you guys got any suggestions? we don't have a large budget, like 7k, and it doesn't need to be quick, just something good to learn on. I was thinking trying to find a decent MX5? Honda Civic? Any drive type is fine really!
Formula Vee is one of the best and lowest cost ways to learn, and enjoy the track. There are quite a few 1200 Vees running 2nd GEAR, and Wakefield Park race days. A AASA licence is all that's required. MX 5 is also worth a look.
I'd rather wear a Beetle out by racing it than by polishing it!
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Polly- 86's are awesome, but I want something relatively stock, and they've all be 4age'd now!
Sides- I completely agree with you there, just kinda want something with just a tad more poke. I know I've mentioned I'm only starting, just figured it could be better to start with a more performances based car for handling etc
Yeah, can understand that... my mind is skewed a bit obviously by so many Excels circuit racing regularly up here.
Don't underestimate the handling of the old Excel tho... the guys in 'em who know how to drive are doing 61's round Lakeside, which ain't exactly messing around !!!
🥷
A first gen MX5 would be a pretty good bet for doing sprints and hillclimbs, but wouldn't want to circuit race one (have heard panels can be exxy). In stock trim they're a bit underpowered but very nimble (and RWD)... plenty of hop up bits available too as enthusiasm and budget allows. Good luck carting track rims/tyres in the boot tho !!!
😀
VWDCQ vice pres & web dude - vwdcqinc.org.au
Join a car club - get car peeps
My toys
'70 Hillclimb Bug 'Jezebel' w/- Haltech EFI - http://bit.ly/VwTNtQ
'60 KG Coupe - resto kinda started
01 New Beetle - gf's car, but I turn the spanners
Ollie wrote:Polly- 86's are awesome, but I want something relatively stock, and they've all be 4age'd now!
All AE86s came with a 4AGE in them as stock, that's what separated them from lesser RWD Corollas and made them into legendary cars.
If you're on a low budget and want the car to remain street registered, there's only so fast you can go. Using the Beetle which you already have will save a lot of budget! It depends on whether you just want to have fun at track days, or actually race and compete. If you want to be competitive in real races, then you have to buy or build something which fits an existing class. At your budget, I would say that pretty much any circuit racing will be a stretch. The only two obvious categories which I know of that fit the bill are HQ Racing and Formula Vee. If you want to compete in an actual circuit race then having a road-legal car isn't really an option. Personally, I'd be looking at either Formula Vee or go-karts. In fact I have recently been strongly considering both of these options, but have decided it's still too much of a financial stretch for me.
Once you move to an unregistered track-only car, it all gets a lot harder and more expensive than grass-roots weekend speed events. You need a trailer and a car which can tow it, as well as space to store the race car and trailer. So your minimum racing set-up requires commitment of three car-spaces worth of parking. For me that would obviously mean that I would have to drive the tow car as a daily (in my case a Holden ute) and then sell my weekend-driver Beetle to make both space and funds for the racer. A lot of extra effort compared to just taking the Beetle to a few hillclimbs or track days now and then.
Tarmac circuit or would u be interested in starting in speedway?
eg: like the sigma series? cheap as chips... although dirty and the circuits aren't more than a loop, but none the less would be fun to start on a very basic budget.
Ollie wrote:Polly- 86's are awesome, but I want something relatively stock, and they've all be 4age'd now!
All AE86s came with a 4AGE in them as stock, that's what separated them from lesser RWD Corollas and made them into legendary cars.
If you're on a low budget and want the car to remain street registered, there's only so fast you can go. Using the Beetle which you already have will save a lot of budget! It depends on whether you just want to have fun at track days, or actually race and compete. If you want to be competitive in real races, then you have to buy or build something which fits an existing class. At your budget, I would say that pretty much any circuit racing will be a stretch. The only two obvious categories which I know of that fit the bill are HQ Racing and Formula Vee. If you want to compete in an actual circuit race then having a road-legal car isn't really an option. Personally, I'd be looking at either Formula Vee or go-karts. In fact I have recently been strongly considering both of these options, but have decided it's still too much of a financial stretch for me.
Once you move to an unregistered track-only car, it all gets a lot harder and more expensive than grass-roots weekend speed events. You need a trailer and a car which can tow it, as well as space to store the race car and trailer. So your minimum racing set-up requires commitment of three car-spaces worth of parking. For me that would obviously mean that I would have to drive the tow car as a daily (in my case a Holden ute) and then sell my weekend-driver Beetle to make both space and funds for the racer. A lot of extra effort compared to just taking the Beetle to a few hillclimbs or track days now and then.
Yeah good points 🙂
Oh and AE86's came with 4ac (or 4k- cant remember) engines in aust, not 4age- Jdm models were equipped with them.
Oh, the other thing that I was going to say is that you shouldn't be fooled into thinking that the cost of a road car equals the cost of taking it racing! A bloke that I work with has a Chrysler Galant Improved Production car. The original base car would be worth less than a thousand dollars, but to build it up to run Improved Production cost him $30 grand. A set of racing slicks will set you back a minimum of $1000 and last for one season at a stretch. If you are competing in a class which requires a roll cage, obviously that will add a few thousand onto your build cost, once you have the cage, seat and harness. Then you need the race suit, boots, gloves, helmet and so on. Almost everyone I've ever spoken to about it has said that it's cheaper to buy a car which is already built than it is to build your own. Try having a look around this place: http://www.my105.com/
I guess I'm just looking for something relatively cheap, some sort of performance basis, that I can throw around the track with mates. Silvias and skylines are good, but theyve all been boosted etc and I figured I just wanted something stock I can throw some decent tyres on and have fun.
Maybe the excel is a good idea... Though an mx5 is looking like the pic at the mom
there's plenty of cheap one's about and from the change you can upgrade the suspension and brakes....
then as you get more confident you can then upgrade the power, and as you know, there are heaps of options in that department.
easy enough to rego as well.
Flnstone I would get another bug but I'm already modifying one bug and I don't really want to have to to any modifications to the car I get, if you get my drift.
Aussie dubbin I was thinking about a rex, but as with Skyrines and Silvias, too many hectic mods have been done to find a really clean one.
And also, (hate saying this :P) could be too much power to learn with?
Are you a Volkswagen man at heart? If make doesn't matter to you, then all these suggestions by the other guys are great - BMW, Hyundai, Nissan, Subaru, whatever. They're all OK.
But what if you want to stick with Volkswagen but, as you say, don't want another Beetle?
What about a Golf then? Extremely popular for this sort of thing in the UK and Europe where there are millions of them. Here you'll have difficulty in finding a good Mk1 ('76-'81), as we only got the LS and GLS. The Mk1 GTI was not sold here. As for the Mk2, we got the 77 kW 8V GTI in 1990-92 but there aren't many of them about.
But there are plenty of Mk3s here (1994-98). Our GL models have a 2.0-litre engine with 85 kW - the previous Euro GTI engine in fact. That's 114 hp bog stock, more than enough to start with. Then there are unlimited things you can do to it later to double and triple that. The cheaper CL has a 66 kW 1.8 litre engine. Or of course you could start with the 2.8-litre Golf VR6 - 128 kW (172 bhp). Give Matt at Camden GTI a call http://www.camdengti.com/
Don't be scared of buying an already modified car, you can save the $1000 that other people have blown on a car.
We bought my sons R31 Skyline with a heap of mods already done for a bit over $2000, it had $1200 worth of coilovers on it, race seats, upgraded front brakes, big wheels, extractors with 2.5 system and it was an almost one owner car. It got my son to uni in Wollongong and is now a weekday commuter and weekend drift car.
1303Steve wrote:... it was an almost one owner car.
🙂
That's a bit like being almost pregnant, isn't it Steve ???
😀
It's definitely true... if you don't care what brand/model the car is, you're gonna be better of buying something already modified... we all know you can't sell a modified car for anywhere near what you spend on it.
E36 and a Golf are nice cars and yes you can get them up and running cheap, but being German parts costs will be pretty scary.
Same goes for a HQ... all the good used parts have been used by now, so you're talking new or repoop bits for most everything, which is why the HQ series is going the way of the dodo.
A Sylvia or Skyline would be OK - heaps of aftermarket bits, and you can pick 'em up pretty cheap. Another big benefit is their boot is big enough to carry track rims... only drawback is they go "issh" when you change gears, and Constable Plod may pay you more attention than you want !!!
Craigy's suggestion of an older Ford would be OK - heaps of them built, so parts will be fine.
That Datto could be interesting... ditch the FJ and throw an SR20 in it, and you've got virtually a bullet proof combo that will go great !!!
👍
VWDCQ vice pres & web dude - vwdcqinc.org.au
Join a car club - get car peeps
My toys
'70 Hillclimb Bug 'Jezebel' w/- Haltech EFI - http://bit.ly/VwTNtQ
'60 KG Coupe - resto kinda started
01 New Beetle - gf's car, but I turn the spanners
Crikey, can't believe what I'm reading......well I can really BUT my opinion.....go Volksie, either get another one or play with your present one. If later it's too fast for the street (yeah right), get another one for your driver.
I love Volksies bacause they are not considered fast but can be easily made to go that way. Look at Craigs (EDIT or was it Glen; oops😂) 'wrecker racer' now that car didn't cost too much....
any beetle, even a swinger, once lowered with decent tyres goes round corners better than most cars, add to that a 1915, even a second hand one can go well, and your racing.
Good advice getting someones project tho, VW or otherwise, still be the best way on a budget.
Matt Berry Motorsports...air cooled advice, repairs and mods Ph 0408 704 662
OFF-ROAD,CIRCUIT,DRAG,STREET,ENDURANCE
Oh I'm with ya Matt that it should be a Volksie, but since Ollie has already decided NOT VW... what can ya do ???
Hilcllimb's and Sprint's are ideal for a worked Beetle, but when it comes to circuit racing I think like how Eric Bana said it... "don't go racing in something you care about".
Oh and wrong Torrens... it's Glen with the wrecker racer.
😵💫
VWDCQ vice pres & web dude - vwdcqinc.org.au
Join a car club - get car peeps
My toys
'70 Hillclimb Bug 'Jezebel' w/- Haltech EFI - http://bit.ly/VwTNtQ
'60 KG Coupe - resto kinda started
01 New Beetle - gf's car, but I turn the spanners
Ollie wrote:After following some mates down to Wakefield Park Raceway recently, I've been thinking more and more about getting involved in giving circuit racing a red-hot-shot.
That's said, I don't want to take the bug, and my chick magnet daewoo lanos doesn't quite cut the mustard!
I discussed the idea with the old man and as it turned out, he was quite interested as well, so we've decided to start scouting to see if we can find something we could take down, thrash around, and drive back on a regular basis.
I've been trying to think of some cars but have you guys got any suggestions? we don't have a large budget, like 7k, and it doesn't need to be quick, just something good to learn on. I was thinking trying to find a decent MX5? Honda Civic? Any drive type is fine really!
Looking forward to suggestions!
Cheers boys and girls,
Ollie
😂🤪😂🤪😂
car forums. where a lot of peoples good intentions end up taking a good old car off the road forever never ever to see the road again. 🥲
Steve I'm digging that Skyline!
I just worry that I'll spend money on a modified jap car it and poof! Some shitty FMIC that bob hasn't installed properly will fly off and destroy an engine. Plus if my old man and I did split it, he might drive it to work every now and then, and although he'd hate driving an excel, he isn't a man that is keen on jap cars
I really don't want something that I have to pour money into (Yes, we've all heard that before!), and something that I can just get used to driving quickly around corners.
Mat don't get me wrong I love the dubs, and couldn't agree more, but I know that I'll have to spend time and money getting it to handle and go like something I could already buy. PLUS I'm still trying to muster the funds to complete my 2276cc swap, so all funds and going into that.
That said all this inputs been fantastic, and the golf wouldn't be a bad idea (albeit parts). hmmm....
if you dont want anything turbo'd an early NA silvia will be cheap as chips, and parts cost sfa thanks to the drifting popularity, and yes theres a reason, they handle very nicely, both straight and sideways 😂 - use the lack of interest in the non turbo models to your advantage
Volkswagen Drivers Club of Queensland - member 🙂
STIDUB - yep its still a work in progress
Vwdcq club car racing/ and crashing while my bug isn't finished.
Obviously won't have heaps of power, but handling wise could be quite fun. Cut your teeth on it and then sell as a package when you upgrade to another race car.
(no its not mine if anyone is interested, I just love surfing fleabay!!)
