13 replies to this topic

[squareback]

Or lack of. There was one single, lonely 1G CRX competing at this event last week. It was in G Prepared and had two drivers. They finished 2nd and 3rd in class, which is a good showing.

Where were the other 1G/3G cars? They used to be all over in stock classes through the 90s, and Street Prepared/Prepared through the 90s and 2000s, but they have all but disappeared lately. They are still a competitive option in Prepared classes, and if the cars get reclassed to FSP, I think we will see a comeback, so I'm hoping the low numbers this year was a fluke.

Bryan Rawlins is the owner of the lone 1G CRX at Nationals; anyone know if he is on RPR?

[Buford]

I guess now that I have 2 Auto-x cars I have to join SCCA and figure out what this Auto-x is all about! LoL.  Have only done road racing, never done an Auto-X.  Just mounted up new Hoosier A6s on the KaKaBox's 8" Lenzos.

[dwend]

With the Miatas taking over CSP and being to light for SMF, makes GP the only competitive spot for these cars currently. I think you will see some popup in FSP in the next few years. 

[Screech]

Can always add weight to reach SMF minimum. And you get to choice where in the car the weight goes.   With my 84 Civic really close to minimum with the rollbar and B20. My minimum is 2000lbs with my engine. If I'm out of gas, I'm underweight.

 

[dwend]

Currently there is the CRX penalty in place that rises the min weight for a 2 seater, but is going away next year or 2015, I stopped following SMF rules after I got the kart. KM is easy just pick a kart, Honda or KZ, go racing.  

[Screech]

Minimum weight for a CRX with 1.6L in SMF is 2010lbs. I just wish SMF had the same (tire width <= 275 = 200lbs credit) that SM has.

 

Looking though SSM may work.. Same CRX with 1.6L has minimum weight of 1350lbs if tires are 275mm or less.

[EPcivic]

I don't think Bryan is a member here. He is local to me in the Toledo area. I was also sad to see such a low turnout of these cars. This was the first year since 2001 that my Civic didn't make the trip out. I think the biggest problem is just that the rules don't favor these cars anymore. FSP sounds like the best option at the moment. GP is a good choice too, but isn't exactly thriving at the moment. The car is a bit outclassed in EP at the moment, but hopefully we can change that over the next year or two.

One of the biggest problems is the lack of engine parts. Some fairly critical components are NLA from anyone. Things like oil pump & strainer, decent bearings, valves, etc. I'm pushing to get EP to open up some alternate engine options to make it a little easier to keep one of these cars going. I have 8 bent crankshafts in my garage due to all the blown motors over the 20 years I've been racing this car. I'd love to be able to run a B16 in the car in EP. That would be a ton of fun, and way more reliable than the EW motor could be.

-Chris

[squareback]

Yeah, Chris, I noticed you were running the Solstice. (How was that, BTW?) I agree with your comments about parts becoming harder to come by. It is unfortunate that our cars have somehow been nearly forgotten by everyone, manufacturer included. It would be nice if the SEB would incorporate something to allow similar-powered powerplants that are simply newer to allow easier parts sourcing. I wonder if that would muddy things up too much.

I do hope the FSP change works out, as it makes total sense given the other cars in the class. GP is usually much more popular, both for old GP cars (little British cars) and newer limited prep cars. Noticeably absent this year were most of the Sprites we typically see as well as the 1G/3G cars of Feher, Giles, Moreno and Hearne. I'm building a car for GP because I really like this chassis and body style. In Lincoln last week, I got a really good look at the Kuglers' 1990 CRX that was for sale. I could have bought it and immediately had a proven competitive car, but I just don't want an EF chassis. I'm partial to the 1G/3G cars, so I will stick with them.

[Screech]

Engine swaps. Humm, even with the weight increases would it be too hard to compete in SMF? If you can't afford the weight what about SSM for the CRX and SM for the Civic, personally don't like running again 4WD cars (half a season against a Volvo in GS and a season in ST with a WRX). The allowances for engine mods and the suspension are not bad. Problem still is somewhat support for the suspension parts, but right now we have some members making some great parts. I know I'm not national quality (car or driver), but at the local events, with national drivers in their national cars I'm running at >=90% of their PAX and competing with a couple cars I consider to be good SMF cars (supercharged Cobalt SS and a 04 SRT-4). I've won and lost against both of them. Dwend knows I have tons of room to improve, he was not shy about showing me at NCAC last year (his weekend was only 109.913 to my 115.830). My car is hardly prepped. My engine is 100% stock as pulled from a CR-V. I think we could have some fun in these classes and let the big/new toys now that the old ones can take the weight and win. Sadly my car is about the max I can afford to maintain without sponsorship so I don't see the car getting much more than it is anytime soon. I really want better springs, t-bars, DL1 system for logging and tunable OBD-1 ECU, but budget is over its limit for this season already and I'm getting some maintenance parts and the last of the "cheap" tweaks for this year and off season, no funds for anything until next off season at the end of 2014.

I do see some rules as silly in [s]SM[F], mainly I'm allowed to remove the rear seats to save weight, but I can't remove the interior trim.

[CRXfanatic]

Even a D16 would be nice in EP. Other issue is NLA front hubs. 88-91 Civics and CRXs are running into this issue, too. 

 

I'm hoping FSP happens. 

[dwend]

The problem with running a 1/3rd gen at the national level in either SSM or SM is how much faster the cars are. The winning SSM car was 7 seconds faster over the 2 days then SMF was, and SM was 6 seconds. That is a huge margin, and it is not like the SMF drivers or cars are slow or bad. Jinx, Hollis both running K24 powered cars, and a Supercharged B18C taking the win. Jinx had fastest raw times but was dirty. 
The only real advantage our cars have in SMF or any other class is the low weight. Make the weight equal to that of a EF or EG, not to mention better swap possibility and better suspension design, and you will get stomped. 
I am sure Jinx with be at NCAC in the Civic, having seen what is has gone into that car it is going to surprise you. 

[Screech]

I really want to go to NCAC, Still, working on the financial side, hotel for 3 nights being the hang up right now.

[EPcivic]

Yeah, Chris, I noticed you were running the Solstice. (How was that, BTW?) I agree with your comments about parts becoming harder to come by. It is unfortunate that our cars have somehow been nearly forgotten by everyone, manufacturer included. It would be nice if the SEB would incorporate something to allow similar-powered powerplants that are simply newer to allow easier parts sourcing. I wonder if that would muddy things up too much.
I do hope the FSP change works out, as it makes total sense given the other cars in the class. GP is usually much more popular, both for old GP cars (little British cars) and newer limited prep cars. Noticeably absent this year were most of the Sprites we typically see as well as the 1G/3G cars of Feher, Giles, Moreno and Hearne. I'm building a car for GP because I really like this chassis and body style. In Lincoln last week, I got a really good look at the Kuglers' 1990 CRX that was for sale. I could have bought it and immediately had a proven competitive car, but I just don't want an EF chassis. I'm partial to the 1G/3G cars, so I will stick with them.

The Solstice is a blast. If you've never driven an open top car with no windshield, I highly recommend it. The visibility is amazing. I still miss the Civic. There are a lot of things at the Civic does so much better. On the other hand, there are a lot of things that the Solstice does better, and reliability is a big one of them.

GP attendance this year was very low for a lot of different reasons. Feher was getting married last week. Giles just didn't feel like coming out. Hearne's motor is still blown from 2011. All of the little Brittish car guys decided to boycott Nationals to protest the limited prep cars being too fast, in hopes that we would somehow decide to add a bunch of weight to the LP cars to slow them down. I sincerely dont think their boycott is going to have the desired affect.

In my mind, there is no reason why a 1G/3G can't get it done in GP. Gearing is one of the most critical factors in such a limited power class. Bryan's CRX still. Has the 4.40 Si box in it, so they were shifting about a million times per run. Keugler's car is geared perfectly for the amount of power it has, and that is a big factor in winning in GP.

-Chris

[squareback]

I didn't realize there were so many reasons for the low attendance. Luis Moreno and his codriver also weren't there because of other issues, so I'm hoping it was all just a fluke. Seems kinda childish of the LBC drivers to boycott the event for that reason. What if their absence caused the SEB to think there wasn't interest in the class, and they eliminated it? Good thinking, fellas. I know it wouldn't happen after only one year, but it still seems like a silly act.

Yep, I noticed Bryan's car was back and forth between 2nd and 3rd quite a bit just from what I could hear from the north side of the courses. If I remember correctly, we can use alternate final drive ratios in GP. If the 4.40 isn't the best, what do you think is?