That to acquire your competition license you have to go through HPDE. and when you have your license you can compete in most/all races that you car can compete in class wise? Im very uneducated on this topic and am trying learn how things work. I know i can build my car and i know i can drive the crap out of it.

Also can the MINI compete in the NASA GTS classes?

 

It depends on your sanctioning organisation. As far as I know, that's how NASA does it. If you went with the SCCA they ususally want you to go to their driver's school first, though you could also do a pro racing driving school instead.

 

well when i was reading the rules for the cars it seems like NASA is a little more loose on what you can do to you car vs scca, am i wrong on that? i mean i want to build my car as fast as i can possibly get it.

 

Have you done any HPDEs?

Going fast on the track does not equal making your car fast and "driving the crap out of it." If you don't know what you're doing you'll be lapped by 4-banger Saturns all day, and good driving technique for the track is not what you typically learn and practice driving on the street.

I used to get passed by MINIs all the time in my E46 M3 until I learned to drive it on the track. I'll do my first HPDE in the JCW in June. I may have some new things to learn going from RWD to FWD.

 

The SCCA has rules for various levels of mods, from Showroom stock and touring, to improved touring to "production". I haven't taken much notice of the more modded categories, but you can read all about them in the GCR (General competition rules). I'm not really intending to race, but I like to see where the MINIs will fall into their categories. (Tristan doesn't seem to have a place, but Shawn could be a T3.) I like my MINIs fine in their stock trim.

Also do you want a fast car, or do you want to drive fast? So far, learning a new track I've taken Tristan (the MC) and I'll probably do that again. I can learn the track without being distracted by too much horsepower, then its interesting to try that again with Shawn (the MCS). My main observation about driving with more horsepower is you need a lot better brakes, which I notice you don't seem to have upgraded. With more horsepower you enter the corners faster, so you just have to lose more speed, so you need much better brakes to get rid of all that extra energy your horsepower put into the car.

My list of mods to drive fast would be:
1. The driver
2. The brakes
3. The suspension
4. Horsepower

I already tried #1, with Siddhartha's Advanced Car Control Clinic. I decided I need to drive slower or I'll have to start on #2.

 

I would change that to :

1. The driver
2. The driver
3. The tires and wheels
4. The brakes
5. The suspension
6. Horsepower

I agree about your comments on horsepower, and will add that having a lot of power hinders the learning experience and developing good technique more than it helps, and if anything makes it harder to become a fast driver.

 

I appreciate the comments, however i think you guys may be focusing to much on my comments of HP then any thing else.. of course i want to learn as much as i can before i just hop in the drivers seat and go. not only would i not be very competitive but it would be dangerous. the purpose of this thread is how i get into competition and if i was taking the correct steps to getting my license. im going to go through HPDE with how the car stands right now, it wont be until competition that i actually start the build on the car. and just because its not in my sig doesn't mean that its not done to the car, i have upgraded breaks and some of the suspension since the last time i changed my sig. im not trying to be rude, and forgive me if it came off that way, but i feel that the focus was taken off of my original question. im more concerned about the process that i need to through to be able to race

 

I bet you'd get better advice by asking here:
http://www.nasaforums.com/viewforum....d821252e5492e1

Alan

 

Hey,
Do at least two full good years of HPDE before you then go to "racing school" .
Yea, NASA is a bit more lax, but that is quite bothersome to me. This is all club racing, BMW, SCCA, NASA, and others, and to have someone out there with little experience banging up my expensive race car sucks.
I will tell you that all of it is 100% more fun when you take your time and do it right. Think about three years of HPDE first. If you haven't yet, join BMWCCA and focus mostly on them. They do it better then all others and their race schools are top notch. There main focus is to not let anyone on the track that could cause damage or death. Very important to them, which makes this a perfect place to start.
This will also give you time to really understand what you need to make all of this the most fun. Lot's to learn, so learn it and save many thousands of dollars.
As far as the Mini goes, it depends if its a cooper or an S. The cooper has more openings, but not by much. Forced induction cars get heavily handicapped (did I use that word right?). But the S is still very competitive in most all of its classes.
BMWCCA has the most room and depending on mods you will find yourself in one of many classes.
NASA, well I think the best class is in fact GTS, but being I'm not big into NASA I'm not sure what other classes there are
SCCA, has a few. Showroom stock, and then you left with SPO or ITE, which are regional classes and not available in every region. SCCA welcomes the cooper in more classes and a very fun one would be production class.

Anyway, keep all of your HPDE days in a file and any feedback should be filed also. When you want to go to race school they want to see what you have done. So, the more you do, the better the chance you will be accepted. Go download the BMWCCA or SCCA or NASA racing rules and start reading. Again, it will save you big money!

 

I agree with the above. Start with BMWCCA and learn. Do a few NASA events through the year to start progressing through their program (it takes some time) and meet the drivers and organizers. Also consider a driving/racing school like Skip Barber or something similar. Grassroots motorsports magazine did an article on driving schools some time ago.

When you are finally ready to go racing think long and hard whether you want to do it in the Mini or a cheaper car. I was at Laguna with SCCA this weekend and saw a Spec Miata get totalled when another driver made a mistake and took him out. Sh*t happens.

 

All of your answers are on this site, if you search around you'll find tons of information. Bottom line, in my opinion, the MINI is a fantastic track day /HPDE car and a great car for learning some of the core skills you need to become a racer. Unfortunately, unless it's running in a spec MINI series against MINIs only - which doesn't exist yet in North America; the MCS is simply not fast enough (or classed well enough) to be a sucessful, competitive race car - it is basically an overweight brick. Once you're ready, you'll find you can go much faster and be more competitive for much cheaper by building or buying another car, like a Spec Miata, or E30 or E36 BMW. I wish it was different because the MINIs are such a blast to drive and I would have converted mine to a racer. A few people have built racers and run with BMW Club racing, I'm sure they have fun, but I, for one, would get frustrated, watching so many other cars blowing past me.

 

LOL, I was revisiting this thread and found this comment. I just got back from RRR in Savannah for the first time in a FWD (RX8 for years).....oh my.....lot to learn for rotation and turn in differences (later).....get to have a go at it again at Barber in three weeks...can't wait! Have fun in June and please report back.

 

What's funny is that I'm migrating from a M3 at the track to a JCW. A friend had agreed to be my instructor for the weekend. He went from a MINI to a M3. I would be in the advanced run group, but have asked to start in the intermediate run group so I'm not in the way of the advanced drivers as I acclimate to JCW FWD. It's just as well. It's been about 18 months since I last did a DE (BMW 2-day M school).

Can't wait though.