[Cloud9...68]

True. Need to make it a life mission to never get near one of those things, lol.



Going a step further, what about a go-kart? Ultra cheap (in the grand scheme of things), incredibly involving, very fast (I believe a go-kart still holds the lap record at the driving academy I'd been going to), and a workout to boot. In fact, the academy (Driveway Austin) has recently really beefed up their karting activity - Sundays are dedicated to karts, and they host a kart racing series. Once I get my car running, I'm seriously thinking about getting into karting as a supplement, as I'd be driving the kart on the same track I drive my car, so it seems that it would be a good way to augment my skills, and really nail down my braking points, turn-in points, apex and corner exit management, etc. Does this make sense, or is the driving experience between a kart and a track car different enough that they don't complement each other very well?

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[flash]

oddly, that does not seem to spoil things. i know a lot of guys who still kart and race other cars. they are definitely good for honing your skills. they are just about as fast on the track as most production class cars too.



i have given thought to it lately myself. i could load that thing up into the denali with no help, and hang it from the ceiling when not in use. $15k would buy a REALLY nice kart. you can pick up a decent one for a lot less. my machinist owns a kart shop and has been trying for years to get me into one.

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[Cloud9...68]

Yeah, I have to say, they look like a real hoot. Driveway Austin rents them, so I wouldn't even have to buy one. Definitely on my list of things to try soon.

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[craigawoodman]

If you are talking about the geared high capacity karts - then they are rockets. You think you are flying when you are 1" off the ground and doing insane speeds. As Flash points out - these things are normally as fast as a Carrera Cup car on slicks around a race track.



There is like every vehicle a way to drive them to get the best out of them, which is slightly different to a road car (they can slide more and move around more). Although I like the idea - to me it is like racing a motorcycle - it will thrill you right up to the point it kills you. Not having any protection around you at those speeds seems insane.



We have a catagory over here called Aussie Racing Cars. Effectively it is a space frame with a Yamaha R1 motorbike engine in it and some fibreglass panels. Not very wide, so two or three wide into corners. Like a go-kart, but on steriods with protection.

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[Monstrous4Banger]

Shifter karts are just plain sick! Talk about bang for your buck....



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddhrD3a2I1M

[quote name='craigawoodman' timestamp='1343338913' post='130078']We have a catagory over here called Aussie Racing Cars. Effectively it is a space frame with a Yamaha R1 motorbike engine in it and some fibreglass panels. Not very wide, so two or three wide into corners. Like a go-kart, but on steriods with protection.[/quote]



That sounds pretty sweet. What do those go for, and how hard to import?

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[craigawoodman]

In terms of importing, I don't think it would be too hard - just put it into a container. THe whole thing over here is run as a series (a bit like mini-Nascar) and normally supports the premier Touring Car formula - V8Supercars (which is our version of Nascar, but on tracks and street circuits - no ovals).



Webs-site - http://www.aussieracingcars.com.au/about...-sale.html



http://www.my105.com/ListingDetails/tabi...fault.aspx



http://www.my105.com/ListingDetails/tabi...fault.aspx

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[rl968]

Wow, talk about a thread moving off topic

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[craigawoodman]

Not really - to go on the ultimate diet - you would end up with nothing but a shell, motor and seat. Lets build one and call it an Ariel Atom or a KTM Crossbow. Not sure how much weight you can take out of a 968 beyond what has been talked about.



In terms of go per $ - a go-kart has to be up there. When I have seen Motorkhana's - the quickest cars are home made bitsa's that have a very short wheelbase, hydraulic rear axle brakes, etc. Look pig ugly, weigh nothing, very low centre of gravity - but go like stink.



For the feeling of speed - being out in the open, bouncing around, 1" off the ground - it is a sensory overload.

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[Cloud9...68]

Yeah, and I'm especially stoked about the fact that the track I will be doing most of my driving on has a big karting program. Another reason to be antsy as all get-out about getting the 968 done.

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[Cloud9...68]

Something about this topic has been puzzling me, and I'm curious as to the racers' answer to my question, which is, under what circumstances does it make sense to completely gut the interior of a 968 (along with some of the other radical ideas mentioned in this thread, such as re-wiring the car to activate only the essential electrical components) to save every last ounce of weight? The reason I ask is that the main racing classes I'm familiar have strict guidelines for weight and/or weight/horsepower ratio, so after going to all the trouble of getting the car down to some impressively low weight, you'd just have to add ballast to meet the class requirements. And I can't see this approach being done by a whole lot of people who use their cars for non-competitive track days, because most (although definitely not all) DE cars tend to be cars that are driven on the street.



Is it just a matter of being able to move the (ballast) weight to a more optimal (read: lower) location? Seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to for that. Having said all that, please understand that I love the look of the interior of a single-purpose race car. Talk about the ultimate expression of form following function! Just curious under what circumstances this approach makes sense in a 968.

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[flash]

think of it this way: every pound you remove of unnecessary crap is another pound of bracing that can be added

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[Cloud9...68]

[quote name='flash' timestamp='1343874179' post='130413']

think of it this way: every pound you remove of unnecessary crap is another pound of bracing that can be added

[/quote]

OK, that makes sense, but given that it seems to be possible to get a 968 down into the neighborhood of 2600 pounds with the standard full-race prep approach, and, going from memory, race classes that 968s compete in tend to require a total weight with the driver in the 2900 - 3100 pound range, so about 2730 to 2930 pounds for the car with a 170-pound driver. That leaves room for an awful lot of bracing. So while the allowance for a good amount of bracing is certainly a part of the equation, there must be something more, because I can't believe people would go to all the trouble of completely gutting their cars, dipping them in acid, stripping out the wiring harness and re-wiring them for just the basic electrical needs, just to allow adding a 200-lb roll cage.



I suppose that with a fully-gutted race car, you could add ballast to meet the race class requirements, and then remove the ballast for DEs. But there must be more reasons, I would think...

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[flash]

lol - and this is why i don't race production class stuff anymore.



with a car very light, when you have to add weight, you can add weight where it can affect the car the least (like dead center), making it inherently faster than a car the same weight, but with the weight all over the place.

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[Cloud9...68]

Yeah, I had thought of that, and it does make sense. OK, mystery solved, I guess.

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[rxter]

The kart looks like a bike for folks who prefer 4 wheels - insane.

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[pmason]

I didn't put mine on the scales when I had everything out of it but I should be below 3000lbs, as I had to put 180lbs of lead back into the car to make the class weight. As the car and me have to be 3236lbs, and +236lbs is me :-(

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[Cloud9...68]

Your interior is stripped and gutted, right?



Boy, that is one hefty class weight.

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[flash]

i'm thinking a different class is in order. that is one of the reasons i never liked production class racing. i get the idea, but as a tuner, it always bugged me that i had to run a car set up less than what i could do.

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[pmason]

Yes, pretty much gutted including the HVAC unit, but cage, halon, etc put back in.

Agree the car has to be a pig but that is the PCA E class weight the 944s2 and 944t have like a 150~200lbs advantage. Now if I went with NASA I would run with the GTS guys and be a power to weight class and I would drop the weight.

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[Nine68]

My track only 968 is down to 2695, it's taken a bit of work, i'm looking for about another fifty but it's getting tough and more expensive. Between the weight loss, gears, headers and pullies etc the car when in vario is pretty quick and I can now keep up with 911's that are in equal classes. Mucho fun to drive!!!!

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