What race/fun car..

[james n]

Hi guys,
Firstly, sorry for starting yet another what car thread, but i have a bit of a dilemma...
I want to get into some form of motorsport, now i'm not 100% sure what!
I currently have a classic Impreza Turbo, which i love, its stripped out & caged, & lightly tuned.
I was thinking of entering a few sprint events in the Impreza, but after looking closer at the restrictions it seems engine mods are pretty open, so i'd have to spend quite a bit to get my car to a competitive level.
Now i know motorsport is expensive, & thats not the issue, what i'm now thinking is rather than spending that much on the Impreza I could buy an SW20 MR2, and enter the 750MC MR2 championship.
The dilemma is that i also want the car for track days/nurburgring trips etc, would an NA MR2 feel a bit slow compared to the Impreza?
I am on a bit of a budget (not really a budget as such, just can't spend a rediculous amount), so racing a porsche 911 or TVR isn't happening!
Also the car must be able to be road legal, it'll be extremely rare that i use it on the road, but I want to option to drive to trackdays etc if I need to..
I may have overlooked a few options, either for a reasonable (in motorsport terms!) formula to race the Impreza or a race series.
I know a LOT of you race, so this seemed like the place to ask!
Thanks everyone,
James

[McSam]

Pick yourself up an MR2! If you start trying to make the Impreza faster, you'll spend a massive amount on diminishing returns and find that, at the end of it all, someone else has even more money than you've spent so you still can't win. Series with tighter restrictions are where proper racing is at.

As for the MR2 feeling slow, recreational track driving isn't about the outright pace of the car, it's about what you personally can get out of it, and I think an MR2 - even a naturally aspirated one - is going to be far more of an experience than an Impreza. Just go easy on a wet Nordschleife if you happen to end up there

Developing yourself will return ten times as much as developing any car.

[BuzzLightyear]

Would have thought the Caterfield option would be favourite?

[rallycross]

You aleady have a car so the thing to do would be try a sprint and try a race and see what you enjoy.

Could you get your car through scrutineering for this series for Jap cars?

http://www.nipponchallenge.co.uk/index.asp

Dont worry about not being fast enough, you will have someone to race with with similar lap times.

The 750mc Mr2's do feel slow, and have far too much grip, that does not matter when racing as you are in a big grid of similar cars, its the close racing thats fun. But if you take your spec' race Mr2 off to do track days it will feel a bit slow after a quick Impreza.

[james n]

Cheers guys, good advice there.
I've been on a wet Nurburgring, its slippery as hell in a 4wd Impreza!
I've always enjoyed the handling of the SW20, although the lack of track day performance could get frustrating.
I appreciate that learning to drive the SW20 would be great fun in itself though.
Its a tricky decision..!
As for the Nippon Championship, I'm not sure the power restriction would enable me to enter in the Impreza!
I guess a sprint or 2 to see how i like it may be the way to go, i mean i have my National B Non Race license etc already!
Anyone posting here do either sprints or MR2 racing?
As for the Caterfield option, I'd LOVE to race one of those, but i'd imagine thats a lot of money...
Thanks guys,
James

[McSam]

Since someone mentioned Caterfields, depending on what sort of budget you were looking at for modifications and races in the Impreza, I think the official Caterham Academy weighs in at a touch over £20k for a season, including a 1.6 Roadsport which you can keep.. Even with your ARDS National B Race thrown in! It's seen by some as the stepping stone to greatness, and while it seems lot of money for not that many events.. The car is supposed to cost almost exactly the same as the Academy seasons anyway

[james n]

That sounds awesome, unfortunately just over 20k is beyond budget, although thats not beyond the possibility of saving up for...
20k isn't bad at all for a season, car & ARDS test.

[McSam]

Have a look at it here - it seems seriously steep for the number of races but when you see the list price of the car is £19,450 it makes a lot of sense. They do offer finance, so it might be worth giving them a call

Anyone here done Caterham Academy themselves? I've only seen them race, and damn good it was too!

[rallycross]

[quote=james n
Anyone posting here do either sprints or MR2 racing?

James
[/quote]

There's a few Mr2 racers one here, its a great series (have not raced in it since 2009 and its grown since then, well supported with big grids, a friendly bunch).
They have their own forum if you want more info

http://mr2championship.freeforums.org/

Cost wise you can get a car from £3k to £5k which is cheaper than building one, and a racing weekend costs under £500 (race entry around £300).

Also look at 750mc Stockhatch, BMW's, SEMSEC saloons, MX5 series, BRSC tintops, Northern Saloons, Production BMWs.

No need to spend a fortune to have fun racing!

[james n]

I like the look of production BMW's or MR2's i think...
Maybe do a sprint or 2 first.
What do the MR2 championship cars go like? I mean MR2's ain't too bad, so i guess stripped out they could be pretty quick..?
James

[HustleRussell]

I'm running a slow 100bhp Caterham in a single spec championship. I'm spending about £6k/season but I'm able to run at the front even on my budget. If you can find a car they're about £8k but it won't depreciate at all.