5 ms·

Modern modern ones are a bit cramped but are as practical as any other sports car (that is, not particularly.) There is a Lamborghini series (super trofeo) but

by joshu 10y ago

Modern modern ones are a bit cramped but are as practical as any other sports car (that is, not particularly.) There is a Lamborghini series (super trofeo) but not much beyond that. I rarely even see them at track days. Quattro drive (or whatever it is called now) is not really awesome for road racing. It causes too much understeer. That said, I heard the Huracan is much better than previous cars. (I own and have tracked a McLaren but I am thinking of swapping it out for something more practical for track use. It is less fun than racing my 1992 Spec Miata, for example...) They are terrible investments. I buy cars after they have fallen way down the depreciation curve.

cpursley 10y ago
What's funny about supercars is you rarely see them on the track. It's the folks out there with their spec Miatas having all the fun. I've passed more 100k+ Vipers, M5s and Ferraris on track day in a first-gen 130bhp Miata than I can remember. Working on a Chump car (http://www.chumpcar.com/ http://www.chumpcar.com/) build with my brothers now. I've met people racing in that series who've owned every supercar imaginable. But when it's a beater with some safety equipment, what do you have to lose :)
- sundvor 10y ago
  Nice. There's something about showing up people with vastly deeper pockets than ability... I recall finally passing a GSXR1000 on my lowly CBR250RR about a decade ago on Philip Island, last few corners. He repassed me on the pit straight but then I got him back by nailing T1 and stayed there. That felt pretty sweet. (I'm a tall / heavy guy compared to the 250, so suspension etc was not proper; the GPR70 tyres were just about the only good thing)
  - mietek 10y ago
    The CBR250RR is one of the best-sounding bikes ever made. Gotta love screaming about at 20K RPM. I wish I could see one in person; sadly, they’re not too popular in the UK. Greetings from a Cagiva Mito rider.
    - sundvor 10y ago
      Cheers, yes they did sound amazing. :-) I went on and got myself a GSXR600 a year or so after, got it tuned for my weight, and the difference that made the handling was simply astounding. Sadly I was made to sell it... Not a great bike for the road at all, but I have some very fond memories of taking it to the track where it belonged.
      - phillc73 10y ago
        Years ago I raced in the Ducati Desmodue series in the UK. Class B, aircooled, twin cylinder Supersport and Monster 600 bikes, putting out around 50-55bhp. Once you had those things set up properly and on a twistier circuit, like Cadwell Park or even Brands Indy to an extent, sliding past bigger bikes through the corners was a lot of fun. Even if they passed again on the straight, one could often pass back under brakes into the corner. Good times.
- joshu 10y ago
  Lots of people have more money than skill. It happens. The very best part of driving the Miata is the frustrated point by from the Ferraris.
  - arcanus 10y ago
    More petrolheads on HN than I expected!
    - joshu 10y ago
      It gets worse. I ran http://selfracingcars.com/ http://selfracingcars.com/ a few weeks ago, too.
      - rconti 10y ago
        Ooh, awesome. I've never run Chump Car but I've got about 10 24 Hours of LeMons races under my belt. There IS something about driving a not-yours (or at least not-expensive) car wheel-to-wheel vs a trackday.
        cpursley 10y ago
        I bet that was a blast. Did you complete the race and what type of car were you running?
        joshu 10y ago
        This is why I race SCCA spec Miata too.
- mysterydip 10y ago
  I raced a Chump car back in 2011, and it was the best racing I've had in my admittedly limited experience. If you're not going for first place but just to enjoy some competition endurance racing, it's great value for money and a good time.
- astrodust 10y ago
  If you take your car on the track there's a very high probability it will get seriously fucked up. Unless you're cruising around casually you're going to be taking chances, and when you take chances you'll eventually go off the road, grind into something, or worse. Fixing your Porsche is expensive. Fixing your Ferrari is stupidly expensive. If you want to have fun on the track take out a car you can afford to wreck. A Porsche with a track setup you can really let loose on is going to be way more fun than a Ferrari you need to be gentle with. There aren't many people that have enough money to not worry about wrecking their Ferrari, and fewer still that have time to bomb around on a track in one. Plus, if you run your tuned up track Porsche into the wall and it's a write-off, hey, shit happens. If you do that with a Bugatti or an Enzo you're just being a dick. Those sorts of cars are rare and deserve some respect. There's also another factor: After-market modifications for cars more commonly made are easier to source. You can mod an Audi or Porsche easily, it just takes money, but doing the same with a Ferrari is significantly more complicated, you'll probably need to have a lot of things custom fabricated.
  - joshu 10y ago
    That said, you will find yourself backwards in a 911 at some point and wonder why. There is something to be said for front engine cars for non-pros.
    - dsfyu404ed 10y ago
      Nobody who owns a rear engine car wonders why. XD
    - astrodust 10y ago
      That's why people need to work up from karts to more and more powerful cars. By the time you're ready for a 911 you shouldn't be wondering, you should know.
      - cpursley 10y ago
        Yep, karts will teach you how to drive. Especially breaking.
- elmar 10y ago
  Why Spec Miata is America's most popular club series http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/features/a25615/why-spec-miata-is-the-most-popular-race-series-in-america/ http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/features/a25615/why-...
asimuvPR 10y ago
Its hard to beat a 911 gt3 cup. Well, the miata might but it fares better than any supercar. They are affordable and don't cost that much to operate. Its a Porsche so the thing is reliable. Its hard to top the spec miata if you are doing club racing. I think the Porsche can offer somehow similar enjoyment while being faster. If you are feeling lucky then try out rallying. A miata will also work but its quite a different experience.
- joshu 10y ago
  A gt3cup is expensive to maintain. IIRC 100k/yr for engine and trans rebuilds. (I have a GT4 car from another mfg and it is much less onerous)
  - asimuvPR 10y ago
    That sounds about right. I don't think its that expensive given the car itself. I've personally turned wrenches on street cars with higher maintenance costs than that (due to big turbos and pump gas). Still way more than a Miata, though. :)
    - joshu 10y ago
      Used 997 GT3cup cars sell for approximately the same as the one year engine and trans rebuild. Too much.

by joshu 10y ago

cpursley 10y ago

What's funny about supercars is you rarely see them on the track. It's the folks out there with their spec Miatas having all the fun. I've passed more 100k+ Vipers, M5s and Ferraris on track day in a first-gen 130bhp Miata than I can remember. Working on a Chump car (http://www.chumpcar.com/ http://www.chumpcar.com/) build with my brothers now. I've met people racing in that series who've owned every supercar imaginable. But when it's a beater with some safety equipment, what do you have to lose :)

sundvor 10y ago
Nice. There's something about showing up people with vastly deeper pockets than ability... I recall finally passing a GSXR1000 on my lowly CBR250RR about a decade ago on Philip Island, last few corners. He repassed me on the pit straight but then I got him back by nailing T1 and stayed there. That felt pretty sweet. (I'm a tall / heavy guy compared to the 250, so suspension etc was not proper; the GPR70 tyres were just about the only good thing)
- mietek 10y ago
  The CBR250RR is one of the best-sounding bikes ever made. Gotta love screaming about at 20K RPM. I wish I could see one in person; sadly, they’re not too popular in the UK. Greetings from a Cagiva Mito rider.
  - sundvor 10y ago
    Cheers, yes they did sound amazing. :-) I went on and got myself a GSXR600 a year or so after, got it tuned for my weight, and the difference that made the handling was simply astounding. Sadly I was made to sell it... Not a great bike for the road at all, but I have some very fond memories of taking it to the track where it belonged.
    - phillc73 10y ago
      Years ago I raced in the Ducati Desmodue series in the UK. Class B, aircooled, twin cylinder Supersport and Monster 600 bikes, putting out around 50-55bhp. Once you had those things set up properly and on a twistier circuit, like Cadwell Park or even Brands Indy to an extent, sliding past bigger bikes through the corners was a lot of fun. Even if they passed again on the straight, one could often pass back under brakes into the corner. Good times.
joshu 10y ago
Lots of people have more money than skill. It happens. The very best part of driving the Miata is the frustrated point by from the Ferraris.
- arcanus 10y ago
  More petrolheads on HN than I expected!
  - joshu 10y ago
    It gets worse. I ran http://selfracingcars.com/ http://selfracingcars.com/ a few weeks ago, too.
    - rconti 10y ago
      Ooh, awesome. I've never run Chump Car but I've got about 10 24 Hours of LeMons races under my belt. There IS something about driving a not-yours (or at least not-expensive) car wheel-to-wheel vs a trackday.
      - cpursley 10y ago
        I bet that was a blast. Did you complete the race and what type of car were you running?
      - joshu 10y ago
        This is why I race SCCA spec Miata too.
mysterydip 10y ago
I raced a Chump car back in 2011, and it was the best racing I've had in my admittedly limited experience. If you're not going for first place but just to enjoy some competition endurance racing, it's great value for money and a good time.
astrodust 10y ago
If you take your car on the track there's a very high probability it will get seriously fucked up. Unless you're cruising around casually you're going to be taking chances, and when you take chances you'll eventually go off the road, grind into something, or worse. Fixing your Porsche is expensive. Fixing your Ferrari is stupidly expensive. If you want to have fun on the track take out a car you can afford to wreck. A Porsche with a track setup you can really let loose on is going to be way more fun than a Ferrari you need to be gentle with. There aren't many people that have enough money to not worry about wrecking their Ferrari, and fewer still that have time to bomb around on a track in one. Plus, if you run your tuned up track Porsche into the wall and it's a write-off, hey, shit happens. If you do that with a Bugatti or an Enzo you're just being a dick. Those sorts of cars are rare and deserve some respect. There's also another factor: After-market modifications for cars more commonly made are easier to source. You can mod an Audi or Porsche easily, it just takes money, but doing the same with a Ferrari is significantly more complicated, you'll probably need to have a lot of things custom fabricated.
- joshu 10y ago
  That said, you will find yourself backwards in a 911 at some point and wonder why. There is something to be said for front engine cars for non-pros.
  - dsfyu404ed 10y ago
    Nobody who owns a rear engine car wonders why. XD
  - astrodust 10y ago
    That's why people need to work up from karts to more and more powerful cars. By the time you're ready for a 911 you shouldn't be wondering, you should know.
    - cpursley 10y ago
      Yep, karts will teach you how to drive. Especially breaking.
elmar 10y ago
Why Spec Miata is America's most popular club series http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/features/a25615/why-spec-miata-is-the-most-popular-race-series-in-america/ http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/features/a25615/why-...

asimuvPR 10y ago

Its hard to beat a 911 gt3 cup. Well, the miata might but it fares better than any supercar. They are affordable and don't cost that much to operate. Its a Porsche so the thing is reliable. Its hard to top the spec miata if you are doing club racing. I think the Porsche can offer somehow similar enjoyment while being faster. If you are feeling lucky then try out rallying. A miata will also work but its quite a different experience.

joshu 10y ago
A gt3cup is expensive to maintain. IIRC 100k/yr for engine and trans rebuilds. (I have a GT4 car from another mfg and it is much less onerous)
- asimuvPR 10y ago
  That sounds about right. I don't think its that expensive given the car itself. I've personally turned wrenches on street cars with higher maintenance costs than that (due to big turbos and pump gas). Still way more than a Miata, though. :)
  - joshu 10y ago
    Used 997 GT3cup cars sell for approximately the same as the one year engine and trans rebuild. Too much.