Getting on Track Archives - Love Racing https://loveracing.org/category/introtoracing/ Engineering knowledge about racing in an easy to digest manner Wed, 04 Oct 2023 04:33:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 LR2: Engine Swap?! https://loveracing.org/lr2-engine-swap/ https://loveracing.org/lr2-engine-swap/#respond Thu, 17 Sep 2020 03:19:48 +0000 https://loveracing.org/?p=1903 "We are excited to be one of the first teams in ChampCar to run a Honda K series engine in a B class Miata. We honestly believe this will be a very competitive car in this growing class and we are so excited to see everyone at the track!"

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LOVERACING

LOVE LEARNING BUILDING RACING WINNING
RACE RECAP

Engine Swap?!
LR2: Texas Strikes Back

  • Jacob Hiller
  • August 23, 2020

We are excited to be one of the first teams in ChampCar to run a Honda K series engine in a B class Miata. We honestly believe this will be a very competitive car in this growing class and we are so excited to see everyone at the track!

INTRODUCTION

INTRO

LR1 started out as a very modest 1.6L Spec Miata to ChampCar conversion. Aero was quickly added, as it was the cheapest way to gain speed. Weight reduction and power were valued less than team strategy and reliability, and that formula worked well. LR1 helped us become the team we are today without having to worry about much else besides driving prowess and fuel strategy. It was the perfect way to start Love Racing. After a year and a half of racing with respectable success, we did the inevitable and swapped in a 1.8L VVT engine to mitigate time lost on the straights. LR1 continues to grow along with the team, but we knew we had the capability to really take things to the next level.
Discussions of a second car became more and more prevalent in our team meetings until, eventually, this idea became the obvious way forward. At the end of 2019, our Texas chapter, consisting of Royce and Jacob, took the plunge and bought a barely running 1999 Miata in “Hard S” trim for $1000, delivered. Say hello to LR2!

GOALS

Before digging into any project, goals need to be outlined. We wanted to apply all of the lessons learned from LR1 to LR2 and were very inspired by the guys over at Rugged Badger Racing. Roy, while not only very helpful, also shares our philosophy on rules interpretations. Like them, we planned to push the current rule-set to the edges in order to give us a competitive advantage.

The original goals for LR2 are as follows:

  1. Weight reduction: If it doesn’t make the car go, turn, or stop it doesn’t need to be on the car.
  2. Maximise the engine within the rules: Fresh rebuild, head work, raise compression, Intake manifold, exhaust manifold, dyno tuning. (Rugged Badger Racing absolutely knocks this out of the park with stock engines that put down up to 150 whp. I feel more than anything this is the secret to their pace)
  3. VPI point diversification: VPI is a “performance investment” and just like monetary investments, the safest and most reliable way to see a return is by diversifying and value per dollar.
  4. Egonomics: Miatas are small, some drivers are big. The car needs to be comfortable for all sizes of drivers.
  5. Cost: Total build cost not to exceed $10,000

ENGINE ANALYSIS

Right out of the box, our engine was trash. At some point in LR2’s hard, neglected, previous life the timing belt was changed and the crank pulley hub was not properly tightened to the nose of the crank. As a result, the keyway in the crank nose was destroyed, which left us with a few options on how to proceed:

 

  1. Get the crank nose keyway and hub machined to a larger key size. Rebuild engine.

  2. Buy another used Miata engine locally and hope the crank isn’t ruined. Rebuild engine.

  3. Swap in the JDM BP5A engine under rule 4.5.5.1 in the BCCR. This is the same engine Rugged Badger Racing uses. Rebuild engine.

  4. Swap in a larger displacement engine similar to the ECOTEC LE5 and run the car in B class.

ENGINE OPTIONS

Options 1 and 2 would essentially raise our budget by roughly $300-$500 without offering any real advantages, as compared to the others.

 

Option 3 seemed to be the safe route, proven through Rugged Badger Racing’s experience and success with these engines. The JDM BP5A comes with low miles (due to Japan’s stringent emissions laws), a hotter intake camshaft, and a tubular exhaust manifold without a VPI increase. The downside is that this option is very expensive, $1500 + freight shipping, and would still require a rebuild, head work, and an aftermarket intake manifold. This would get us to competitive power levels (~145 whp), but can cost up to $2,000.

 

Option 4 was tossed around in team meetings for quite a while. We loved the potential the Ecotec platform offered, but historically, teams running this engine did not fare well with regards to reliability. Multiple anecdotes of engine failures are found both in the paddock as well as the online forums. 

METRICS & ANALYSIS

To provide some clarity on our pending decisions, we decided to take a first principles approach to this problem. We asked ourselves which power plant would offer the best balance of power, VPI points, cost, availability, and reliability.


To start, we decided to dive deeper into the rules. First, we plotted  the VPI point increase for engine swaps at different power levels (Chart 1). We then plotted horsepower/VPI increase against horsepower to attempt to find the “sweet spot” of rated power per VPI points. (Figure 1). This will show the power level where you start to see diminishing returns of power increase per VPI point increase. To plot these, we took the swap formula equation in rule 4.5.2 of the BCCR (Equation 1) and plotted it against discrete steps in horsepower. The HP/VPI Increase parameter will be used in this study along with other non-dimensional parameters to select an engine for LR2.

The “weight” variable here is from the engine swap calculator, which assumes 2153 lbs for 1989-2005 Miatas. Figure 1 offered some pretty interesting insights! It would seem that the architect of the swap calculator was targeting 150 hp (rated) as the target for engine swaps. After this peak there is a sharp drop off in value per VPI point. Interesting to note that the Rugged Badger Racing team is targeting close to 150 whp which equates to roughly 175 hp at the crank (rated). 150 whp also happens to be just about the limit of what is possible with the Miata BP engines within the rules. I would say that the swap rules are well written here and that there is not a significant advantage in swapping in an engine that has a rated power of less than 150 hp. With that being said, the search for an engine began.

ECOTEC

The obvious first contender was the Ecotec series of engines, specifically the 2.4L LE5. These were used on a plethora of different GM vehicles from 2006-2012 (Chart 2) which makes the LE5 the most commonly available and cheapest trim of the Ecotec engines.

 

As you can see, these make fantastic power figures. However, the swap calculator pretty much prices out anything over 170 hp for the Miata chassis, as seen in Chart 1. With the second gen Miata starting at 350 VPI points and our previously mentioned goal of VPI diversification, anything over 100 points is a non-starter for us. In this study we will use data from the 2006-2008 Buick Lacrosse. This is the LE5 with the lowest rated power at 168 hp and an 83 VPI point increase to do the swap (Chart 1). The LE5 can be found in good condition on eBay for around $850 plus shipping. It was far less common than we thought considering the number of vehicles it came in, but it may be more available in local junkyards.

 

As stated before, these engines didn’t have a great history of running in ChampCar. So We continued to look for suitable alternatives. 

HONDA K24

The Honda K24 series of engines has been a very popular platform for the last ten years. One particular trim of the K24 that stuck out to us was the K24A, specifically the K24A4 (Chart 3).

 

At 160 hp the K24A4 nearly hits the sweet spot in VPI value per horsepower at 59 points while keeping similar torque to the Ecotec options. This allows for better VPI diversification by freeing up points for other uses. These engines are also quite a bit cheaper than the LE5, at around $600 at local junkyards and eBay. Honda K-series engines are all based around the same architecture with differences in head porting, VVT, stroke, compression ratios, and intake manifolds. Unfortunately, there is no data on the reliability of this engine in ChampCar.

RESULTS & CALCULATIONS

RESULTS & CALCS

Based on the aforementioned constraints, requirements, and metrics, we narrowed our considerations down to three real engine platforms. Please note that, for the remainder of this study, we will assume an actual vehicle weight of 2000 lbs, as opposed to the overestimated number of 2153 lbs used in the swap calculator.

 

  • JDM BP5A with headwork, raised CR, and aftermarket intake and exhaust manifolds

    • Potential WHP: ~ 148

    • Initial cost: $3,500 ($1,500 + Shipping for engine, ~$2,000 for rebuild, machine work.)

    • Replacement cost: $3,500

    • VPI increase: 50 (Intake and Exhaust manifold at 25 points each)

    • Weight/Power ratio: 13.5

 

  • LE5 Ecotec

    • Potential WHP: ~ 168 (with aftermarket ECU tuning)

    • Initial cost: $3,350 ($850 + $2,500 maximum allowed swap cost per BCCR)

    • Replacement cost: $850

    • VPI increase: 83

    • Weight/Power ratio: 11.9

 

  • K24A4

    • Potential WHP: ~ 160

    • Initial cost: $3,095 ($595 + $2500 maximum allowed swap cost per BCCR)

    • Replacement cost: $595

    • VPI increase: 59

    • Weight/Power ratio: 12.5

We then plotted hypothetical engine replacement costs over time in order to get a better picture of what it would cost to run each engine platform over the life of the chassis (FIgure 2).

 

Now we needed a way to see the big picture. In order to do that we normalized the weight/power ratio of each engine with the HP/VPI Increase parameter found earlier. We then  added a factor that considered the total engine replacement cost at “Replacement 3” on Figure 2. This left us with three non-dimensional weighted parameters, in which a larger number equals more value to the team. The values of these parameters were then added together to give a final score. The result of this is seen in Chart 4, while the equations used are seen in Equations 2 and 3.


Some interesting conclusions can be drawn. The JDM BP5A is the clear winner in the HP/VPI Increase parameter because it only costs 50 VPI points to get to its power level. It once again wins when the weight/power ratio is thrown in the mix. When cost is considered, however, the K24 comes out on top. As you can see, the K24’s cost advantage overcomes any shortcomings in the other two parameters, making it the most valuable choice for LR2 and the team.

CONCLUSION

Going back to the original goals that were set for LR2, we find that the reasoning in this analysis is sound and it aligns with goals 2, 3, and 5, mentioned initially: 

 

Goal 2. Maximise the engine within the rules: Swapping in a K24A4 adds around 15 hp and     almost 40 ft*lbs of torque while keeping stock engine reliability and staying well within the engine swap rules. 

*One thing that was not accounted for in this analysis was the large torque increase the 2.4L engines have over the stock 1.8L. For the same RPM this accounts for much more power under the curve and therefore acceleration. This unfortunately cannot be measured for the lack of dyno charts on stock Accords, Elements, and Odysseys that utilize this engine.

 

Goal 3. VPI point diversification:  With an excellent score in the HP/VPI Increase metric, we have more VPI points to spend on aerodynamics and suspension while remaining in B class.

 

Goal 5. Cost: Initial swap costs are low and are comparable to rebuilding a stock engine to the limit of the rules. Replacement engines are cheap and plentiful.

CHALLENGES

 

Problem: The K24A4 came out on top, but is it possible to get a running engine in the car for $2,500, as per the rules? 

 

Solution: KMiata just released a budget-minded “Basic Swap Package” that retails for $1,976.00. Unfortunately, the cost of these engines pushes the total cost to just over the $2,500 limit. This is where the resourcefulness of Love Racing comes into play. Chart 5 shows the projected cost to get a running K24A4 into the Miata chassis. By fabricating and/or modifying many of the required parts for this swap, we are able to complete it for well under the $2,500 limit. Fabricated items are tabulated as the cost of materials.

 

We are excited to be one of the first teams in ChampCar to run a Honda K series engine in a B class Miata. We honestly believe this will be a very competitive car in this growing class and we are so excited to see everyone at the track!

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]]> https://loveracing.org/lr2-engine-swap/feed/ 0 RESOURCES & DOWNLOADS https://loveracing.org/resources/ https://loveracing.org/resources/#respond Thu, 07 May 2020 16:38:00 +0000 https://loveracing.org/?p=1617 LOVERACING LOVE LEARNING BUILDING RACING WINNING Downloads This is your central stop for all of the resources and downloads used throughout the site.  Continue to check in for more and feel free to let us know what we missed! iRacing Toyota GR86 Hot Laps: Fuji – GR86 (Ghost) Hot Laps: Tsukaba 2000 Full – GR86 […]

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Downloads

This is your central stop for all of the resources and downloads used throughout the site.  Continue to check in for more and feel free to let us know what we missed!

iRacing

Toyota GR86

Formula Vee

Ray FF1600

Mazda MX5 – ND

Mazda MX5 – NC

Ford FR500S

Pontiac Solstice

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]]> https://loveracing.org/resources/feed/ 0 2019 Sebring 7+7 Recap https://loveracing.org/2019-sebring/ https://loveracing.org/2019-sebring/#respond Fri, 31 Jan 2020 02:07:46 +0000 https://loveracing.org/?p=1307 "Every race begins with the prep of the car and getting it loaded up and delivered to the track..."

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LOVE LEARNING BUILDING RACING WINNING
RACE RECAP

2019 Sebring 7+7
Love Racing #647
ChampCar

  • Nicholas Love
  • January 30, 2020

Every race begins with the prep of the car and getting it loaded up and delivered to the track…

UNTIL NOW...

Our previous race at Harris Hill in Tx went very well leading to a 7th and 4th place overall finishes (2nd place in class each day). The only major item we wanted to address from that race was the front tire braking grip as we ran more negative camber than ever before (-4 deg) and ended up flat spotting the tires.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE

Before any event, it’s important to make sure your car is fast and safe. New front tires, engine oil, and alignment hardware were purchased to re-fresh the car for Sebring, a track which we have never driven before. With the car aligned and everything packed up and I began towing the car from South Carolina to Florida with Charles, also known as the STIG.

ENDURANCE

Just like any race from the SAE Student days, the journey to the actual event is an arduous one and an event all in itself. Dragging the trailer filled with a race car and plenty of tools and spare parts, the 7.5 hour journey was without issue and we made it to Sebring, only stopping for gas and a nap in the back of the truck.

DAY 1: RAIN & ISSUES

Rain and a wet track made for a very interesting time to learn the track for all our drivers. We sent out our fastest/most experienced driver for the first stint who quickly mentioned that grip levels out there were very low. The two hours were littered with cars exiting turn 17 and hitting the slick drag strip lines near start/finish and crashing into the walls. 4-5 cars ended up completely totaled here so we made sure all our drivers knew to stay in the middle line or get off throttle if needed. Typically, we can only make ~1:40 stints due to fuel but with the rain and cautions we were able to run a full 2 hours. Our second and third drivers finished their stints with a few offs, spins, and a very close slide near the wall. We were around the top 5 in class when it was time for my stint with only an hour left in the race. Pit stop goes well and everything is good until I exit our pit stall and the engine will barely run. I’m able to limp it back to our paddock where we begin to diagnose the issue. It’s extremely lean and won’t run. It was raining pretty good during our pit stop when we had the hood up so we decided it was either the fuel we put in or something shorted out in the rain. We swapped the fuel pump, checked fuel pressure, checked injectors, etc without finding the cause. I decided that we just needed more fuel for some reason, so I tuned the engine to basically have 100% duty cycle at WOT to get to our AFR targets and we had a running car before the Sunday race. I took some logs and it seemed passable.

DAY 2: TESTING & CONTACT!

Sunday morning, I pulled out the laptop and did a couple more pulls in the pits to see how she was running and we were still getting pretty lean above ~6000RPM. We bumped up our fuel pressure and were finally able to hit our targets. Car was ready to go for the start of the race and I hopped in because I didn’t get a stint the day before. I went out for the parade laps and the car is running WAY too rich. I pulled back in the pits and leaned the fuel tables out and went back on track. Car was still running way too rich and bogging over 5000 RPM and I just so happened to pull out of the pits right in front of the fast leaders. Exiting turn 3 I stayed far right to let everyone pass when a Camaro hits the door with its front right tire, my first ever contact in over 7 races. I get around the track and pulled back into the pits and re-iterated some tuning and a few pulls into the paddock until she was running well enough. This took us ~15-20 minutes and we were in last place.

DAY 2: SOLVED...KIND OF

Finally, I made it out on track where I missed some braking zones and spun once but it started to dry out and I learned the track and had a good solid session of mostly dry weather. I pull the car into the pits and when the next driver hops in, the same issue pops right back up. Too lean and won’t rev up. We decided we must have had bad fuel maybe contaminated by water. We decided to drain the tank and get fresh fuel from a local gas station. Upon inspection of the car while we were waiting we found that our wing mounts welds had begun to break so we decided to remove the win and in ~30 min we were back on track. We knew we were no longer in contention, so we just went out and had fun racing. Overall, we finished the race with no other major issues and had tons of fun.

WRAPPING UP

While we didn’t finish well, the car didn’t have any mechanical issues and each driver was able to have stints so overall, we were pretty happy with the event. This is more of a power track and with our little 1.6l engine, we now know that we probably won’t be able to be competitive here in the future.

IMG_8736
IMG_8720
IMG_8702

- DRIVERS -

Nicholas Love
Thomas Love Jr
Sean Suputra
Charles Kowalczyk

- CREW -

Thomas Love
Mary Love

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]]> https://loveracing.org/2019-sebring/feed/ 0 NOT ALL FUN & GAMES https://loveracing.org/not-all-fun-games/ https://loveracing.org/not-all-fun-games/#respond Thu, 23 Jan 2020 04:22:00 +0000 https://loveracing.org/?p=1344 "Do I need to take out a large life insurance policy before I start racing?"

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LOVE LEARNING BUILDING RACING WINNING
GETTING ON TRACK

Risks & Rewards
of
Racing

  • Nicholas Love
  • February 9, 2020

Do I need to take out a large life insurance policy before I start racing?

INTRODUCTION

Nothing happened to Charles (recently), but what risks are inherent in racing? Do I need to take out a large life insurance policy before I start racing? With any type of racing, there is inherent risk. These cars are built by amateurs and raced at triple digit speeds (sometimes) by amateur drivers. Each series attempts to make safety a major priority with controlling cage design and mandating certain levels of safety gear.

NO SURPRISE, THERE

If you race your car in any of these series, you have to expect to experience contact at some point whether it is your driver’s fault or not. When and if you do get into contact, you don’t want to question the design or manufacture of your roll bar. Please do some research and look into reputable cage kits and/or use a quality builder who will provide quality welds. Something many teams do a poor job of is the ways in which your seat is mounted. No matter how good the roll bar is, if your seat breaks on impact, you will be sure to incur many injuries.

SAFETY

What happens if my car springs a fuel leak or gets hit and catches fire? This is probably the scariest thing in a driver’s mind, which means that you should plan all eventualities before racing. All these series require SFI gear. Google for details about how the SFI rating correlates to contact time to fire without burns. Buying the highest rating you can afford is well worth it in the case of an accident. Some series mandate a fire suppression system while others only require a fire bottle. In my opinion, you should just purchase the fire suppression system and make sure that the pull levers are well within reach of the driver and outside officials.

Something that is often looked over in race cars is the possibility of an exhaust leak that can cause CO to build up in the cabin. Many racers have gotten CO poisoning and have gotten into contact because their minds were so clouded. Do the smart thing and provide proper ducting for the driver so they can get fresh air in any eventuality.

& REWARDS

I hope that this post has been informational and has given you some motivation to begin your wheel-to-wheel career, even with the many considerations associated with racing. Please let me know if you have any questions or wish for some more info to be added. I strive to put the best content forward to help you be able to make informed decisions to race. In the next series of posts, I am going to be going over some vehicle engineering, both vehicle dynamics and engine performance.

 

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]]> https://loveracing.org/not-all-fun-games/feed/ 0 ENDURANCE RACING? https://loveracing.org/endurance-racing/ https://loveracing.org/endurance-racing/#respond Thu, 16 Jan 2020 03:14:34 +0000 https://loveracing.org/?p=1329 "This is the MOST exciting racing for amateur racers that I think is out there. So how do you get involved in the racing process?"

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LOVE LEARNING BUILDING RACING WINNING
GETTING ON TRACK

Endurance
what is it?
Racing

  • Nicholas Love
  • January 15, 2020

This is the MOST exciting racing for amateur racers that I think is out there. So how do you get involved in the racing process?

INTRODUCTION

You’ve done some track days or some autocross and are addicted to both the speed and adrenaline of driving your car at the limit. You want more and you need to know how to do it. Well that is how I felt and I solved this by getting into amateur Endurance Racing. This consists of racing a car on a racetrack with a variety of other cars with open passing.

WHO OFFERS THIS?

A few series offer endurance racing for amateur racers include World Racing League (WRL), American Endurance Racing (AER), 24 hr of Lemons, and ChampCar. I’ll go through a few of the advantages and disadvantages as I see them.

WORLD RACING LEAGUE (WRL)

WRL is a pro-racing style amateur endurance racing series where cars of all shapes and sizes can compete (with the proper safety equipment). Most of their races for the 2019 season are in the central and eastern regions with races at major venues. Cost of these races range from $1300-2100 depending on the duration and exclusivity of the track. An interesting thing to note about this series is that classes are structured based on power to weight ratio. This means that you must get some dyno time prior to racing. The benefit of this is that you should be competing against cars with similar ability as yours. WRL requires a competition license or similar experience based on HPDE solo time. This means that the other drivers should be experienced enough with other cars on track. This leads into their no-contact policy with penalties based on any contact or unsafe driving. Overall this is an exciting series with a large speed differential between the fastest and slowest cars which should simulate how a pro-series race is run.

AMERICAN ENDURANCE RACING (AER)

AER is another serious endurance racing series that boasts fixed cost structure, simple rules list, and good racing with experienced drivers. They don’t have a large quantity of races scheduled for 2019, 7 total, although they do hit some really great tracks like Road Atlanta and Watkins Glen. You are looking at around $1900-2000 for all-inclusive costs to perform practice day and the full race. This is more simplistic than other series and ensures you get practice on track for every race before the official race. Classing in AER is unique and is based on a qualifying session at the end of the practice day. This is my personal favorite way to class cars because it equalizes teams with thousands of dollars to spend and teams on a $500 dollar budget. Drivers are required to have a competition license or equivalent experience to compete so you can be more confident that your brand new racecar won’t get wadded up in the first corner. This series will also have a large speed differential during the race due to no cap on cost of prep of the cars.

LEMONS

The 24 hours of Lemons is an interesting endurance racing series that attempts to combine humor, satire, and racing into a single event. It is common to see cars that have campers or houses built around them for the race and having a theme for your car or team is required at some races to be accepted to race. They have varying race durations from 8×8 to 24 hour and compete in 24 races in 2019 all across the country. The point of this series is not to bring your car and attempt to squeeze out every tenth of a second for lap times but to have fun on the track without worrying about competition. This creates a different atmosphere and attracts a completely different crowd of racers, which could be good or bad based on the type of person you are. Classing is based on a dollar system with only being able to spend $500 on your car. This does not include the purchase of any safety equipment. This means that cars will be much more similar in speed on the racetrack and you won’t have to worry about a Porsche passing you on the turn with a 20 MPH speed differential. The cost of entering a race is typically $1400 for the car and 4 drivers with each additional driver costing $195 and each crew costing $75. This series does not require other unexperienced driver at some point so prepare a competition license for some contact. If you are looking for a more lighthearted series to race your 70s Dodge Dart or econobox, this could be the series for you.

CHAMPCAR

Champcar (formerly ChumpCar) has been around for 10 years and has transformed from a series that required a $500 car to a point based classing system which allows the racing of cars like Spec E30 and Spec Miata. They have x amount of races in 2019 with races in every region and even include a race at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. You can expect a field of anywhere from 50-110 cars on track with many different models of car. The cost of these races depends on race duration and track exclusivity but typically ranges from $1200-2100. ChampCar does not require a competition license which means that you can expect to have some unexperienced competitors on track with you leading to a higher possibility of contact at some point. Class structure is based on displacement and since there is a point structure for modifications, cars should be somewhat similarly prepped if built to the limit of the rules. This is my personal series that I compete in since they have a large amount of tracks that I prefer, costs are among the cheapest of the other series, and they draw large fields of cars of varying makes and models which is much more fun in my opinion.

BMW E30
BMW E30
NA Mazda Miata
NA Mazda Miata

CHOOSING YOUR CHARIOT

If you want to get into endurance racing, you are going to need to choose a car unless you have one sitting in the backyard. The first thing you will hear is that the answer to every car question is Miata. If you’ve been living under a rock for the last 30 years, the Mazda Miata is a front engine, rear drive two seat sports car. They are perfectly balanced and make for an easy to drive and fun racecar. They are the most raced car by a large amount and have many popular race series. This is what I drive so I may be biased but this is the perfect car for a started in endurance racing. I recommend buying a mid-pack Spec Miata and making a few small changes to meet the rules of any of these series above.

Another common choice is a BMW E30 (Second Generation (1982-1994). Many different engine and platform designations make it confusing for any non-BMW enthusiast to understand although they are a very capable platform with a huge aftermarket support. They are a front engine, rear drive configuration that has been proven to be very successful in multiple endurance series. Spec E30 is a race class specifically for these cars and these forums can provide a ton of information on what to look for in a chassis and other technical aspects of the build.

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]]> https://loveracing.org/endurance-racing/feed/ 0 BUYING LR#1 https://loveracing.org/buying-lr1/ https://loveracing.org/buying-lr1/#respond Tue, 07 Jan 2020 23:30:33 +0000 https://loveracing.org/?p=1209 "I had many discussions with my friends about starting a race team but getting four or five people together to all put money together to purchase a car proved to be insurmountable...I finally decided that if I ever wanted to begin wheel to wheel racing I would have to purchase a car myself..."

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LOVE RACING #1

Buying LR#1

  • Nicholas Love
  • January 7, 2020

…I finally decided that if I ever wanted to begin wheel to wheel racing I would have to purchase a car myself…

I had many discussions with my friends about starting a race team but getting four or five people together to all put money together to purchase a car proved to be insurmountable. There would be disagreements about what car to buy, whether to buy a race car or build one, what series to race in, where the car would be stored, and so much more.

I finally decided that if I ever wanted to begin wheel to wheel racing I would have to purchase a car myself. After scouring craigslist, racingjunk, and ebay, I came across a clean low mileage 1990 Miata. 

This car had less than 90k miles and had been raced in Showroom Spec Miata (SSM) and had completed a ChumpCar race. After a quick test drive, I purchased the car for $6500 and went to rent a U-Haul trailer.

  • Engine: 1.6L 4-Cylinder
  • Transmission: Stock 5-Speed
  • Suspension: Spec Miata Bilstein Coilovers
  • Differential: Mazdaspeed Limited Slip
  • Safety: Bolt-in Roll Cage, Kirkey Aluminum Seats
  • Weight: Estimated 2064lbs by previous owner
  • Wheels: Spare set of 15×7 Kosei K1s

After owning over 5 Miatas this 1990 was by far the cleanest engine bay I’ve ever had. I knew that working on this would be many times better than my grimy turbo Miata.

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]]> https://loveracing.org/buying-lr1/feed/ 0 STARTING WITH KARTING https://loveracing.org/starting-with-karting/ https://loveracing.org/starting-with-karting/#respond Tue, 22 Jan 2019 17:26:25 +0000 https://loveracing.org/?p=1257 LOVERACING LOVE LEARNING BUILDING RACING WINNING LOVE RACING #1 STARTING WITH KARTING Nicholas Love January 22, 2019 …you can race more, learn what lines work and which do not, get used to braking on track, and, the best part of all, compete! INTRODUCTION We’ve all been there on the couch watching Ayrton Senna fly through […]

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LOVERACING

LOVE LEARNING BUILDING RACING WINNING
LOVE RACING #1

STARTING
WITH
KARTING

  • Nicholas Love
  • January 22, 2019

…you can race more, learn what lines work and which do not, get used to braking on track, and, the best part of all, compete!

INTRODUCTION

We’ve all been there on the couch watching Ayrton Senna fly through turns, Jeff Gordon fighting to win at the last moment, or watching Jeremy Clarkson in a caravan race and we’ve all thought about how awesome it would be to do this. Well we may not all have the ability or the budget for these specific races but we can get the same feel in many other forms of racing.

THE VERY FIRST STEP

So you’ve just gotten your driver’s license and want to go racing but there is this small thing called a budget. Before you do anything else, you need to learn the fundamentals of racing and this is where literature can come in handy. There is a pretty comprehensive list of racing books organized from low to high cost and is a treasure trove of useful information (I will be sharing this list soon). Ok, you’ve done a bit of reading and understand how to take a good line and maybe some amount about passing but you have a completely stock car, hopefully a Miata, and don’t really have the skills yet to jump onto a race track. Well don’t worry, there is a form of racing for you! Kart tracks are in almost every city and provide a huge amount of fun for not a lot of money. Electric and Gas karts are the two choices in these categories.

GAS KART RACING

Many people have raced in a gas kart when they were younger and may think that these are too slow to get any experience in. Well they are definitely wrong. Most common karting tracks utilize gas karts because they have a few benefits over their electric brethren.

Typically cheaper:

This means you can race more, learn what lines work and which do not, get used to braking on track, and the best part of all, competition!

Longer run-time compared to electric:

Since gas karts are typically slower than the electric karts, it teaches you to keep your momentum up to obtain fast lap times, which is a lesson you will need later in your career/life.

ELECTRIC KART RACING

Electric karts have started to take over in popularity in larger cities with indoor facilities that you can race in year round. Anything that allows you to be able to practice your race craft more is a very useful tool. Electric karts have the advantage of instantaneous torque upon acceleration, which takes a different type of skill to drive. Driving with more power teaches you car control skills and techniques to keep your car on the fast lines. Karting is often full of very tight and technical tracks where you might encounter many combinations of the three turns shown here.

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