Just curious on how you guys feel about this .. I know a street ported na with all the goodies would be great for auto cross ... but just wanted to see what everyoens opinions were on this.

I have a t2 vert that i plan on caging and running scca/nasa events soon.

 

It all depends on what class you are running and what are the restrictions on that class. And also if the RX-7 is competitive in that class.

For instance, in road racing an FC is very competitive in SCCA Improved Touring in the ITS class. But that class limits preparation - stock NA motor, stock ports. Having said that, realize that the big boys are still spending $20-$25k to build a front running car.

NASA is a little more open about their classes, so you may want to look there if you are interested in door-to-door stuff. But remember, there are always going to be people willing to spend the cubic-dollars in order to get their little plastic trophy.

So pick a class, build a car, and just go have fun.

As for the "cage" - for auto-x or timetrials, a good legal roll-bar is all you need.

For anything door-to-door, your looking at a full 6-8 point cage with a-pillar bars and an overhead halo. As far as chassis goes, a non-sunroof coupe chassis is lighter and stiffer than the convertable chassis. But by this point, we are talking about a stripped out gutted shell with just a race seat and maybe a dash. So if you are thinking of still running the car on the street, then stick with the solo events.


-b

 

Wrankin is correct, a rollbar is all you need to start participating in track events. You really need nothing to start autocrossing. The rest of the prep can go in stages as you learn what you want to upgrade as you get more familiar with the rules of each class (both autocross and track). I am about to put a 6-point in my FC, but that means the interior comes out or gets cut for the cage bolt-plates.

You WILL suffer with SCCA classing, as it isn't all that flexible; NASA has an interesting points system, though you will need special dispensation/adjustment for the turbo in a vert.

It really doesn't matter whether you are turbo or NA. You will have a blast anyway. Your best bet is to get involved with whatever you have, then figure out where you fall class-wise.

 

There is no place in SCCA road racing classing for a turbo outside of Touring or Showroom stock classes. You can run them in a catch-all class called SPO but you will need full safety equipment to meet GT class rules(full cage, fire system, fuel cell)

Auto-X you don't need any cage but you can find a place for your turbo.

 

Slightly OT - have we thought about a "How/where do I race the RX-7" sticky/FAQ for this section?

 

Agreed! I know as a newb to the mazda thing, I'm looking for all the info I can get to turn a N/A FC into a track car for some solo & eventually door to door racing with either scca or nasa.