Questions of classing.
 

My mods as of now: 1988 FC GXL w/ stock LSD, 13B-RE twin turbo, Microtech EMS, 13BT tranny, Exedy lightweight flywheel, stage 2 clutch, Momo 17" rims, HKS SSQV, GReddy FMIC 24 row (I think.) I have 2 Bride racing seats, stripped interior. No roll cage as of yet. I have front and rear strut bar. I have CRY02 FMIC cooling kit. I have Tein flex coilovers. And I was thinking about getting a 50 shot of nitrous (only for drag though.) Anyway. I think those are the jist of my mods.

With this in mind... Should I even attempt to autocross w/ this car, or would it be better for me to just get a stock T2? B/c I heard that the mods are very limited when it comes to Auto-Xing and that I would be placed in a class where I'll be going up against people w/ unlimited money (Corvettes, elises, etc.) Any help is appreciated b/c I never autocrossed before. Only did street racing, local drift contests, and drag racing.

Also, what other legal racing events can I look into entering? (sorry for all of the questions but I'm only 20 and I'm pretty new to all of this.)

Nitrous is not allowed at most autocrosses. According to the SCCA rules it's banned, so keep that in mind. Some local clubs might let you run with it, but it'd be a risky proposition to assume that it's ok.

You'd probably be in SM2 with those mods.

Oh yea, I got Brembo drilled/slotted rotors w/ OEM calipers and carbon kevlar pads. Thanks.

Kewl.. I am looking it up now. Do you think my car would be competitive in this class? Do I need a roll cage?

No cage - you don't even need a roll bar. The top 10 most important mods for autocross are: driver, driver, driver, driver, driver, driver, driver, driver, tires, tires and suspension. In the club I run with, an experienced driver with a stock Miata spanks everyone, nearly every week, including RX7s, Z06 Vettes, STi, Mazdaspeed Miatas, Porsche. It's mostly not the car, and its a lot harder than it looks.

Yep. I agree. It is that way in almost all car racing. But I just figured, b/c from the little that I know about racing (I'm still growing and learning) a driver can only push his/her car to a certain limit. But, I understand what you mean now b/c I was reading about autocross and I see that speed isnt much of an issue b/c the top speed touched by the average person is supposedly 60mph... am I right? I just want to start driving and racing legally b/c this is the 3rd rx7 I've built. I'm not the best when it comes to making cars but I think I'm good for a person my age. I am starting my own shop soon in Ft. Lauderdale and I would like to get more into driving... maybe get sponsored... And I have been talking to some local companies and they said that they wouldnt mind sponsoring me and helping me w/ my finances as long as it would benefit them... Hence, I need to get my name out there. It was actually someone at one of those companies that told me to try autocross b/c there is a big market there.

(*Note, I am not rich... I fund everything on my own from working 2 full time jobs, while I'm a full time pharmacy student.)

True, that is why they have car classes - to try and level the playing field. But you would be surprised as to how much difference the skill of the driver actually makes - and how much work and training it takes to get to the point to where the limits of the car even begin to factor in.

This was driven home for me by one of my HPDE instructors who also races first gen RX-7's. He took me out on the track in his stockish FD (very similar to mine) and showed me what the car could really do when pushed. I saw at that point that I had a long way to go before the car became my limiting factor.

Good luck with everything!

-bill

You cannot strip the interior for an SM2 car, specifically 16.1 A: Except as noted by these rules and referenced rules, vehicles must be as originally delivered including all road going components such as lights, wipers, interior, heater, etc.

16.1 C requires you still have a parking brake,
16.1 M allows you to remove the radio (but the hole in the dash must be covered)
16.1 K Allows you to remove the rear seat and belts.

Additionally, you can remove the A/C system per Street Prepaired rules. You CANNOT remove the front passenger seat.

Based on this, your RX7 falls into the Prepaired category.

Damn... Well I do still have most of my interior. (good thing I didnt go w/ a cage yet, huh?) I guess I can put everything back in... It sux though. I like the stripped look. I was gonna paint my floor either white or blue... Thanks for all the input guys. Where can I buy one of there books?

You don't have to unless you are running National events

Here is a link to them online:

http://scca.com/Solo/Index.asp?IdS=030ED7-6656180&x=050|070&~=

That's not entirely true. You should follow the rules if it's an SCCA event, period. Whether or not you can "get away with" illegal modifications is another matter entirely.

Agreed.

There are little things a region may let you get away with (e.g. removed radio), but it would make your vehicle easily contestable.

No, I was talking about having a paper copy of the recent rulebook in your hands.
He asked about buying one in the last sentence of his post.
Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks for the link finky.

Ah. Sorry 'bout that.

I've never been to an event where they actually required a rulebook except at the national tour events, and even then they generally have a "loaner" book that they just pass around to everyone anyway for registration.