Since we have a lot of people here who don't autocross and the "Share Your First Autocross Car" thread had some cool pictures in it, I figured we should have a thread for track cars.
Here is my first track car. A 1967 Beach Mark 5C chassis number 217.
Here's mine - 1971 BMW 2002. It became an SCCA ITB race car a few years later, but didn't survive past my competition school after it found the wall on the outside of NHMS turn 10.
The only time I took my little Intel camera with me. Nelson Ledges, 2001. I had a blast.
Car prep was a set of 13x7 wheels that I'd picked up from a IT racer, shod with a set of his old RE71R rains. (Rich Grunenwald, I still remember this) I'd bought them and a helmet specifically so I could hit those $120 Fundays. My day job had me working Saturdays with a weekday off so it was perfect.
This was my only track car, because life happened and then I discovered rallycross, which is more akin to my interests. But I'll always look fondly at hitting that first track day at 23 years old. The tires had more grip than my seat and I cracked my door panel.
Well this was in 2001. I think my 2nd time on track.
Then this is now. I'm not sure what happened...
Pix are scarce from times before digital cameras became ubiquitous.
My first track day in 1999, the Miata Thunderhill school. Notice the absence of a roll bar -- back in those days they would actually let you into the beginner group without one. I got home from the event, ordered a roll bar the next day, and my bank account has never been the same since. :)
(The track has changed a lot since those days as well. None of the track buildings were there at the time, and the paddock wasn't even completely paved -- the cars are backed up against the gravel.)
It was the 90's before I could afford to build anything to go legit racing with. Note the wheel treatment, $1 a can flat black with aluminum brush paint around the outside, same as my current winter wheels.
I'll bite. I bought this in 2007 for $100. I didn't think it would make it to Gainsville for the 2008 Challenge, so... sadly, I didn't go. :(
Turned out, it was bulletproof and I ran it until it had almost 300,000 miles when I traded it for my first race car (also a Miata). Guess I should have come to Florida after all.
I put a new top on it in 2009.
I guess it’s this: 1984 VW Rabbit GTI at Roebling Road in 1995-ish. Should have kept those wheels.
The first, the last, my everything
In reply to buzzboy :
It is indeed awesome.
theruleslawyer said:Well this was in 2001. I think my 2nd time on track.
Then this is now. I'm not sure what happened...
Judging from your inside tires, stiffer suspension and more negative camber, at a minimum 
Pete. (l33t FS) said:Judging from your inside tires, stiffer suspension and more negative camber, at a minimum
Lol. Yes to both. Its not the same car btw, I just bought one again many years later.
First car I drove on track was a borrowed Miata at the Nurburgring in 1998 or so. I have some pics somewhere but not scanned.
First car of mine that saw any track time was my 1990 Miata starting in 2001. Umm, I don't think I have any pictures available of that so we'll have to go with an autox picture from just before that.
My first mostly-track car was my Locost, aka The Seven. Built in 2003. Bested a bunch of other Locosts in a Car and Driver competition (I was called a ringer) and was more fun and just as fast as an Atom in a Grassroots Motorsports article (I was called a ringer). It was street driven but loved being on track.
First purpose-built competition vehicle was the Targa Miata. Originally built in 2007. First a lightweight four cylinder rally car, then a 5.3L V8 rally car, then a 6.2L V8 track monster. Stripped, caged, reliabile like a hammer, super fun.
In rally mode going over the Corkscrew in 2010.
In rally mode on the stage in 2011.
Winged, active aero, moar tire, partial flat bottom, etc.
This thread does not disappoint so far! Pretty cool to see the variety.
My first track car was also my first autocross car, but I haven't posted in the autocross thread yet because I was struggling to dig up any autocross photos from back in the day.
The car in question is my 1985 AE86 Toyota Corolla GT-S coupe which i enjoyed for almost twenty years. These photos are from a track day at PIR, (I think with the Alfa club) in '97, or '98 (I think.)
The yellow stripe was a fairly short-lived fad; it was vinyl which I added a couple years after buying the car (it was "vinyl" back then, "wrap" would only come into the parlance later) and ran for maybe 2-3 seasons before pulling it off.
The car was stock except TRD Japan rally springs, KYB "blues," a K&N air filter, cobbled-together exhaust, TRD plug wires, KAAZ LSD, braided brake lines, Repco metallic brake pads, 5-point harnesses, and 14x6.5 Enkei 92 mesh wheels with 185/60-14 Dunlop D60 tires. Oh how times have changed with regard to car performance and car prep! The fun of steering with the throttle and clipping the apex remains the same, however!
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I did my first school at Nelson 10 years before you, I think you could count the condition of the track back then as Rallycross!
My non-ACR Neon with most of the Mopar Performance catalog from that time period.
jgrewe said:In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I did my first school at Nelson 10 years before you, I think you could count the condition of the track back then as Rallycross!
If the pre-repave Nelson was a car, it would look like this...
do trucks count?
Circa 1994, Mid-Ohio. I can't find an earlier photo. SSGT for a very limited time. As soon as they revived A Sedan, we converted and it was one of the early AS cars. Back then it was essentially the E Street Prepared of road racing. How times changed.
The early/mid 90's were a colorful time. Miss this one.
You'll need to log in to post.
