The back story.
I've been racing this 944 Spec Car in NASA for the last 7 years:
http://sterlingdoc.smugmug.com/Cars/...v%201%29-L.jpg
After 7 years, and 2 National championships, and kids getting busier, it was time to take a year or two off from wheel to wheel racing. So the race car sold (in hours!), but I still want to have a car I can track from time to time and hang out with my old buddies.
If there is one thing I've learned over my years of racing, is that light is right. It costs exponentially more to track a heavier, higher HP car in consumables - tires, brakes, and things that break.
The 911 was a 2002 Targa - great car, and I did have it on track once at Road America. At 3,200bs+, and with a huge glass roof, it's not the right car for the track. While it was reliable, maintenance cost a fortune. Also after 2.5 years, I'd scratched the itch for a 911 pretty well. A Boxster Spyder or Cayman R is still too much money. I looked into a used E46 M3, Lotus Elise, C5/C6 Corvette. After driving the BRZ (and FRS) I was smitten, and the thought of another high end used maintenance/consumables whore was suddenly a whole lot less appealing. Huge fun for the $$. It still fits the kids on occasion, I can slap some Blizzaks on it, and hoon it in the winter, and it's a very economical DD to boot. Lots of wins! Track whore, economy car, family car (in a pinch), and winter beater, and possibly future race car all rolled into one tidy package.
So I put the 911 up for sale, and ended up about even money with a new, shiney, warrantied, BRZ. 996 911's are not worth as much as you think, which is how I got into one 2.5 years ago.
In two weeks, I'll take the BRZ out to Putnam Park, and see if I can get it to go as fast as my old 160HP, 2,400lb 944 Spec car in NASA time trials. It will certainly need some better rubber to get close to my old, but highly developed 944. I am intrigued about the factory roll cage for these things in Japan. I may have some long term plans for it in that direction, but not next year - time trials only.
So that's the story:happy0180:
