Hey guys, after borrowing a friend's prepped 924S at the Road Atlanta DE a few weeks back and having much more fun than I did in my 300hp 951 I think it is time I start down the path of building a proper car for the track. I am leaning towards building rather than buying just so I get that experience, plus the build process sounds fun and I have plenty of time to get things finished.

The question I have is which car/class should I aim for? I'd like to build towards a more popular class, even though it will be probably later next year before I am ready for comp school.

I am leaning towards SP1 as it seems like the costs are pretty low. How is this class in the Southeast? Is it growing? I'm in GA so I will be all over Road Atlanta and the surrounding tracks. Is there a better choice to start with? SP3 looks pretty popular as well and an S2 sounds like a lot of fun but I'm sure the ongoing costs are significantly higher.

Thanks!

Brad,

I am the Series Director for the NASA Southeast region of 944Spec which is the exact same rule set as SP1. This past week end at Road Atlanta we had a field of 9 cars racing and almost had 11. There are a few other cars in the region that we can get out on occasion. We typically have a field of at least 5 and are starting to grow to a field more consistently of 7-8.

I am unsure of the field of SP1 cars in this part of the country, but I know there are a few more travelling SP1 racers from around the country that show up at any PCA race so its always likely to have 3-5 SP1 cars at a PCA race.

The difference between SP1 and SP2 is minimal, so an good launching point might be to build to 944Spec/SP1 to race that for a season or two since the build costs are less, then jump to SP2 if you want a little more performance/speed. On the SE region tracks, including Road Atlanta, I am only just barely slower than the fastest SP2 cars. If you do build a SP2 car, you would have to switch to running the GTS series based on power to weight. Just remember, the faster you go, the more money it takes.

If you are in the Atlanta area, we have a class parts stockade called the 'Chicken Shack' owned by a pair of brothers who races 944 Spec. They have access to a lift, body shop, and many 944 parts to help get you started. We usually do a build party in the fall/spring time frame in order to help a new racer or fix an old one.

Hope some of this helps and let us know how we can help!

Thanks for the info, I think yes that SP1 might be the best way to go. I did see that the time differences from last weekend were pretty slim between the two.

Is the Chicken Shack the group up in Cumming? I've seen some posts but didn't know anyone from the group. I live in Cumming right off of 369 so I'd love to come help turn some wrenches at the next build party.

Once I start tearing apart whatever I buy I'm sure I will be looking for help on which bits to go with/setup/etc.

Thanks!
Brad

Hey Brad!

You are correct, the "Chicken Shack" is located out in Cumming just off of Bethelview Rd. We'd love to have you out at our next build party! I think we're still trying to get something planned but I'd imagine at this point we'll just wait for our annual PARToberfest in the fall. In the interim, if you'd like to get together and chat about 944-spec or what you can expect building one of these cars, let Brian or I know and we'll be more than happy to meet up over a beer.

brad.t wrote:


Welcome, Brad!

Our hobby shop/clubhouse, the "Chicken Shack," is in Cumming, off Bethelview/141, just south of Hwy 20.

We'll be having another parting/engine build party soon, I'll be posting here when a date is set, probably sometime in July.

In fact, we may have a painting party at the same time- I know Alan wants to repaint his car and our new shop has a paint booth we tried out for the first time last night:

That picture looks pre-clear coat. Where are the good pictures?!