wenger828

Vette noob here... I own an auto repair shop and want to get into HPDE/road racing. Have the opportunity to purchase a 97 C5 for a decent price, already has racing seats, harness bar, LG GT2 coil overs. It's a "track beater", exterior isn't in that great but no structural issues.

I want to know, is this a good base car to get into the sport with? I have to stop taking my daily driver ('12 GT500) to the track! Are the FRC's more desirable for road racing? Should I skip this and look for a z06?

Just want some input before I pull the trigger! Thanks!

johnny c

any corvette is a great way to start. miata's are too :P

on the C5's many of the early cars came with batwing pans. they perform great to reduce oil starvation. get yourself some race pads, an acusump and enjoy it.

johnny c

post a picture of the "race seat" i'm interested as to that it is and how it's installed.

brkntrxn

With the rule changes of recent years in NASA, the C5Z06 no longer has an advantage over the coupes. In fact, the base coupes actually have a better coefficient of drag figure.

Buy it if it is worth the negotiated price.

wenger828

Thanks for input, I was thinking about the Miata too but honestly, I need something with a little more power, especially coming from a 644rwhp Shelby haha. I will post up a picture of the chairs he has installed

wenger828

Can you elaborate on these rules?

johnny c

don't worry too much about rules, just show up with a stock car, and safety equipment. once you are there you can see what class you want to run in, and mods you'll want to do.

loudes13

It will be awesome, just get an oil pan baffle.

brkntrxn

In NASA, C5 Corvettes are relegated to Super Touring only. There are some rules to follow, but the main key is Super Touring are power to weight ratio classes. So you have the choice of ST3 at 10:1, ST2 at 8:1, ST1 at 5:5:1, or STU which is literally run-what-ya-brung.

With unlimited options on what you can do to the car, the Z06 variants do not have an advantage because none of the stock parts matter any more.


https://nasa-assets.s3.amazonaws.com...cial_Rules.pdf

Hi Volts Z06

At the level you are at you really only have to decide if you are going to be going wheel to wheel racing anytime soon (and that means at least a year or two of HPDE first) and if so will the car be legal in terms of safety equipment. Don't worry about slight aerodynamic advantages of a coup over a Z06 or FRC. Get a good safe car and get some seat time.

The Vette will give you room to grow BUT if I had it to do all over again, I would have started in a Miata. Once you learn to drive a momentum car and learn the consequences of scrubbing off too much speed without the benefit of big HP to bail you out, you will be able to do much more in a high HP car later on (if you decide on it).

SunnydayDILYSI

If you want to go racing, buy a car with a "log book" which means it has already been approved to race from a safety perspective and will have things like a cage, fire suppression, etc. If you just want to do HPDE, a car like the one you mentioned above sounds like a great option.

sccaGT1racer

The best thing I did was to buy a used busch car for road racing after spending 50000 on a mustang. I would highly suggest to look into these instead of dumping a ton of money in a street car. These cars are very fast, dependable, and extremely safe. Used busch or cup cars can be purchased ready to race for $25000. If money is not an issue buy a used trans am car.

Racer86

good advise,

johnny c

again do watch out, some RR cars can be roached. I had a guy with a panoze school car come in for brakes. everything on that car needed replacement. engine, trans, brakes, all of the rod ends, you name it.

Racer86

And any real racer will check and or rebuild to race ready condition before sitting in a used race car. Still, you get a car that at least has the right parts, already on it, agree, it may be worn thin, but these are still better than converting a street car to a track car. Items like a full cage, large hubs and bearings, etc.

cre8fun

the guy said he "wants to get into HPDE/road racing." He's gonna need a car with two seats for an instructor while he moves up the ranks to get cleared for solo. A Busch car or most purpose built race cars, will not work for him at this time. he needs a street car with 2 seats for the first year or so till he's cleared on the tracks he wants to run or has his license.

danh52

I started HPDE with a 2002 MINI cooper S. Great platform, very good handling out of the box and can be made even better with mods. Wear parts are cheap, most are 50% the cost of the corvette (pads, rotors, tires). My car with R rated tires and track pads ran with the corvettes in the corners but of course slower on the straights.

The corvette with V8 power is supposed to be a great track car. My first HPDE is tomorrow so I'll be able to give a comparison after that. One reason for a higher HP car is I got tired of being faster in the corners but then not being able to pass the slower car as at our track passing is only allowed in the straights where HP rules.

Racer86

Easy to add a seat and belts. We did this many times

C5 Hardtop

A mentor who held the SIR track record in a Trans Am car and who raced a Trans Am car said to keep my vette a nice street car and to buy a race car because I'll run it into the ground.

4 vettes and two decades later, I wish I would have gone with his advice on what car to use (Trans Am).

cre8fun

interesting - maybe we're thinking of different cars. most busch cars I've seen have cage structure and the exhaust where the passenger would go. I looked at an ASA car recently that had been converted for a passenger, but that was heavy surgery. fabricator said that he'd done it 3 times and had hoped to not ever do it again. I thought you were talking about a road racing version of a tube frame stock car. I don't think he can get by with one of those at this point in time. also, unless he's already advanced significantly in run groups, some organizations won't let a student run full slicks and want noise level down so the instructor can converse with the driver. can't really do that in most tube frame cars.