I just signed up for it this summer. There is a league starting up in Regina, Saskatchewan that I'm checking out. I talked to the guy who is starting the thing up, and he said the Fiero does very well in the RALLY class. Weird.
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12:06 PM
ITA_FIERO Member
Posts: 24 From: Richmond, VA, US Registered: Jan 2000
Hey Greg, Welcome to the SCCA. You are wise to look into SOLO racing with a Fiero, you will find that you have a good chance of being competitive. I'm one of the few people who is dumb enough to try and use one for road racing. It just got reclassed (down) in 1999 so I'm hopeful it will be competitive in ITA. If not, I'll dust off the 240Z (is that blasphemy on this site?) for 2001. I want to try SOLO but head-to-head racing is all I've done for close to 22 years so I don't know what I'd do with a track all to myself. There wouldn't be near as many things to run into and that seems to be my specialty. Edited because I'm stupid and forgot while typing that SOLO II does not run on full road courses, therefore offer to help with track info was totally useless. Bill C.
[This message has been edited by ITA_FIERO (edited 02-09-2000).]
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06:38 PM
Feb 9th, 2000
Standard Member
Posts: 4667 From: St. Cloud, MN Registered: Apr 99
I'm hoping I can start autocrossing my GT this spring/summer. In fact, I just printed out the Solo II Novice Handbook a few minutes before I wandered onto this thread. If anyone has any advice, feel free to send some my way! What's the competition like in the C Stock class, anyways?
If you run in street tire class you will be up against alot of competition. In CS-T you run against everyone in T class (street tire) you just get a different index time for your class. In other words you will be in the biggest class there is, but it's where everyone starts out and the ones that actually run in C stock are running slicks and have been doing it for a while.
If you want some pointers on how to handle your Fiero... here goes. The courses are usually small and will probably never get out of second gear... might click third, but doubt it. They design the course this way to keep speed down. If there is a straight they fill it with cones for a slalom. A Fiero is very tricky at speed in a slalom. Try to find a good constant speed through the entire slalom because you gas it, the front pushes... let off gas, back-end tries to pass you. That is a blast when you have a turn to set up for, but if there ain't no turn... you get 2 seconds added for each of those orange cones you kill . Not to mention you might get the honor of being "Cone King or Queen" for that event and everyone will get a good laugh at you.
Sharp turns are tricky too. I try to go as fast as I think I can hold into the turn and let the back come around some to line up for the next section. If you try to accelerate too fast out of the turn you might end up pushing too much and slowing to get the right apex.
This is how my Fiero handles... yours may be different from my 88. Just put it on the track and learn!! Maybe ask someone that has been doing it for a while to ride along with you and you with them.
[This message has been edited by SCCA FIERO (edited 02-09-2000).]
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09:00 PM
GT Bastard Member
Posts: 2243 From: Rapid City, SD Registered: Sep 1999
Awwwww yeah!!!!! I printed to handbook too and it got me psyched for the SCCA. HERE I CUM! oh yeah.... I have an auto GT. Do you think this will be a major disadvantage?
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10:27 PM
Greg Piet Member
Posts: 855 From: Las Vegas, NV, 89121 Registered: Aug 99
Well I was introduced to this stuff by a guy who races the fieros here in Las Vegas under the SCCA name and all he drives are 4-speed's. I wouldnt think an auto would be too bad especially for a rookie(Hey dont be offended I haven't even run a race yet, so im a rookie too!) If anyone on Pennocks is in the vicinity or does a race over here in Vegas let me know(maybe we could be each others "pit crew"!
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10:51 PM
ITA_FIERO Member
Posts: 24 From: Richmond, VA, US Registered: Jan 2000
In SCCA Road Racing the car has to be a manual. I don't know about SOLO I or SOLO II, but I'm sure somebody here knows. Hey, of you other guys running SOLO II, have you tried your hand at Club Racing? If not, why? If so, where have you run?
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11:00 PM
Feb 10th, 2000
Standard Member
Posts: 4667 From: St. Cloud, MN Registered: Apr 99
Thanks SCCA! mine's probably gonna handle a little different since it's an 86 and doesn't have all of your newfangled suspension bits. I'll definatly look forward to learning!
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01:55 AM
Greg Piet Member
Posts: 855 From: Las Vegas, NV, 89121 Registered: Aug 99
I remember when I was out there for the first time. I only had my 88GT for about a month or two and I was real nervous I was going to do something wrong and take out one of the corner workers. The car was really easy to drive and I didn't even hit a single cone in the six times I drove around the track. The car was quick! You'll have a ton of fun.
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09:12 PM
Greg Piet Member
Posts: 855 From: Las Vegas, NV, 89121 Registered: Aug 99
Eric is right. Club racing is held at real tracks and is "head to head" racing. So, yes there are walls to hit and sometimes as many as 30 other cars to hit as well. Another big setback to club racing is the requirement to have a role cage and some additional safety equipment. But at a track like Summit Point it sure is a heck of lot of fun to be running with 5 or 6 other guys doing 110-120 mph at the end of the main straight and having to brake down to 40 or so to make a right hand U-turn! SOLO II offers you a chance to simply have fun with your daily driver and still be very competitive.
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11:02 PM
Feb 11th, 2000
Standard Member
Posts: 4667 From: St. Cloud, MN Registered: Apr 99
Could any of you guys give me some information about Solo I racing? I saw somewhere that it's like solo 2 only with less turns and higher speeds. Any internet sites you could point me to? thanks!
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01:04 AM
Greg Piet Member
Posts: 855 From: Las Vegas, NV, 89121 Registered: Aug 99
this is the official SCCA page and it has SOLOI and SOLOII info
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05:26 PM
Paul Kadis No longer registered
Report this Post02-11-2000 05:59 PM
Paul Kadis
posts Member since
Solo racing's okay, but after doing it a few years, my wife and I saw we weren't getting anywhere fast. We would spend a whole weekend at an autocross, and have less than 7 minutes of total seat time to show for it. So you can't really get much practice to get good at it. The race goes to those that have more natural talent for it.
We decided to go full bore and race wheel to wheel in SCCA's club racing. Now we could drive several hours a weekend on a real track.
And let me tell you, there's nothing like close wheel to wheel competition to get the adrenalin going. You get a Toyota in your sites, and the fangs come out; the hair starts growing from the knuckles, and you get a craving for raw meat!
Obvioulsy it's more money, and you really need a trailer. But it's worth it.
Club racing sounds really fun, but to be honest as of present I dont have 2500 to blow on getting a racing license(at least that is how much the closest school wants to go to classes by me), let alone to pay for repairs after all the rubbing, scraping, and general intimate moments with the wall. If I had that spread, i'd be more likely to throw in a turbo and find a more "unofficial" way of amusing myself.
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05:17 AM
ITA_FIERO Member
Posts: 24 From: Richmond, VA, US Registered: Jan 2000
Hey Greg, The 2500 you mentioned is only if you go to one of the "big" schools like Skip Barber or something. Most tracks that have SCCA clubs at them hold schools at least once a year that will range from $175-300. You will have to pass 2 driver's schools in order to race, but that would apply even if you took one of the fancy schools. I've seen guys buy $1500 cars, put in a roll cage (250-300 if you can weld yourself), another 300 or so in safety equipment, 2 schools (maybe 500 total), and they're off. Granted, you wouldn't be really competitve without spending another 1000+ or so on tires and suspension mods, but still you can race for under 3,000 and be reasonably to very competitive for under 5,000 (depending on class). You can also shop around for used race cars and occasionally find a deal that would make you competitve for around 3,500. The Fiero I plan to try this year I bought for 2,000 completely ready to race in ITA class and that included a trailer! Where there's a will, there's a way.
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06:23 PM
PFF
System Bot
Greg Piet Member
Posts: 855 From: Las Vegas, NV, 89121 Registered: Aug 99
OK I just got my SCCA Solo rules book, and from what I could gather, there are no aftermarket turbo's allowed. I was trying to see what goodies will keep me in the street prepared category, since I just put in a rear sway bar which bumped me up into that category. The next higher class (I think its called modified), does that allow turbo's or superchargers? To be honest I wasnt sure after reading that section because it said it was possible, but it also said only for certain cars, and I think there is a production year limitation.