Is anyone out there actively vintage racing a 914-4 in So Cal?

I run in So cal from time to time

next event is actually Portland, so not so cal

SVRA is having plenty of events in California (Coronado is coming up)
CSRG too (ran with them at Sonoma last October)
HMSA is doing some events still

you are really best to pick a club and build your car to be competitive with a set of rules... vintage is fair about transferring from one club to another, but all of the rules vary somewhat still.


just realize, you may be the same person I spoke with you on pelican... said somewhat the same thing
great shot in your avatar!

Would a 2270 be legal in ANY vintage group?

Best to ask - I would start with VARA as the biggest vintage group around LA/SoCal. My guess is they'd do the same thing they will most likely do to me: Bump to a GT class with the bigger bore 911's, 280Z's etc. I am not there yet myself either but my understanding is the vintage clubs are pretty hungry for participation and are not likely to turn new prospects away. It's just that you may not be competitive in a bumped class without spending even more cubic dollars. If ever.

Also bear in mind we are talking "vintage" racing not "historic" racing where you'd need to be running much more period-correct and original factory parts; also possibly have a historic race provenance and docs for the car. A strict historic series probably would shun away a 2270 -4 and my car as well.

Hi Thanks for the info great to know someone else is running a teen in historics. In th eold days these cars were to knew and I wasn't sure if they are generally unwelcome or what the deal is now.

Does your car have cachet? I.e. historical race history?

One person told me it might be difficult to get into some of the clubs if the car has no history. Perhaps they don't really care about that any longer.

Thanks for the compliment that was a pix of me from about 30 years ago when Skip Barber was using formula Fords in their school. That was a big fun weekend.

I was looking at the rule books. I noticed there's a vintage SCCA rulebook and it looked like most of them would be fine if you are compliant with that rule book. That might make the car more universally accepted by various clubs. Those rules look more stringent but safer so not a bad thing. If I follow that program, I will want to stay with something no later than '72.

I have a call into HMSA since they seem to run more in the area I live.

Yes Vintage thanks for making that distinction.

In deference to our friend who lives in Colorado....I live in SOCAL...I run both SCCA and VARA.

VARA is your best bet for vintage racing in SOCAL. We run Willow Springs, Pahrump, and Buttonwillow. In fact the VARA Rennsport is Aug 27-28 at Buttonwillow. Come out. You will see 914-4's and 914-6's.

You will not see and 914's running in Cal Club SCCA. Half the production field is Miatas. The rest are cars from the 80's and later. RX-7's etc.

The majority of 914's in VARA are 2.0L cars that run in D production. Mine is a 1.7 that I would run in E Production. I finished it this year and have not raced it yet. Your 2270 would run in a GT class with the big bores and 914-6's.

VARA is racing, not parading around the track. They have passing rules about slower cars holding the line and avoidance of metal to metal contact etc. Also, you can run in the back if you want to come and drive and not compete. It is also not a concourse'd'elegance car show, however you will see some really cool cars from the 20's up through the 80's.

Get the rules from vararacing.com and read up on what you need for your car.

VARA also makes it easy to get your competition license back if yours has expired. You can either do it by showing up and driving on the weekends using their 3-6-9 plan or you can go to their driver's school in January.

email Jeanette at VARA and she will get you started. Regarding your 2270, VARA will find a run group to put you in to get you on the track and racing. In fact, you will want to be put in a class, most likely a GT class that will put you in a run group that matches your speed. If you start out in a run group that is too slow for your comfort, you can ask to switch to a faster group. That is certainly allowed. VARA is a lot more flexible than other race organizations.

I have spent the 2016 season racing my 1991 Mazda Miata in the newly formed VARA class called Club Racer. This is a catch all class that pretty much lets any car not yet considered vintage to race.

Fantastic reply thanks much!!!

I'll be at the historics in Monterey the weekend of Aug 19th but will try my best to come out and spectate at the VARA event at the end of August. That sounds like a great one to check out the teens in VARA.

I haven't acquired a car yet. I'm in pursuit now. I may have to build one as I'm not finding what I want all ready to play.

The machine I end up with will have to be modified to comply with the rule either way so study away I will.

Bill


I promise you that svra and all of the 9 clubs I've run with are not parading or driving around.

I did not infer that they were. Some people hear vintage and they think a pretty car parade. I just want to communicate that VARA is advanced racing so they take the safety stuff seriously

Leety , I suggest that in the first year your build your engine for reliability not so much for winning the races. You will want to spend more time learning the track and the other drivers and how VARA works, and you can't do that with a car that breaks down a lot. If you have the money, get a 2.0L and put in a racing cam and forged pistons and have the thing balanced. Also lighten the flywheel to reduce the stress on the crank. But I would avoid increasing the compression ratio. You will want a side shift tranny. The tail shift is a miserable piece of junk.

To be legal for VARA you will need New 5 or 6 point harness, full roll cage, racing seat, fuel cell and fire system. There are other specific regarding compression ratio and having to run Webers etc. so read the rules.

I strongly urge you to pay close attention to how you seal the valve covers on your air cooled heads. Oil on the track, is especially dangerous at turn 8 and 9 at Willow Springs....and they always point to the aircooled 914's and FV's when there is an oiling situation since the oil can collect in the heads in high G turns. If the seals are not done properly, they will leak and smoke....and if I am behind you, I will not be too happy.

Two race weekends ago, I was behind a Porsche 944 going over Phil Hill at Buttonwillow when he threw a rod and dumped his crankcase all over the backside. No sooner that the corner worker threw the oil flag, I and an Opel GT were sliding backwards into the dirt at very high speed.

If you have not yest decided on a 914, I strongly suggest you get a Miata. You will spend more time driving that than working on it. It has self tuning EFI which is a lot more friendlier than trying to balance a pair of dual downdraft Webers.

I will be at the VARA race in August. I will be racing the black Miata #54. I will introduce you to some of the 914 drivers.

Hi thanks much for the advice. Much appreciated, yea the 914 is lifelong dream I have to make happen before I die. I like the Miata, but I'm good with the technical aspects of the 914s. I have to learn all the finer nuances of them. I can and will do that.

To me it's not about winning, it's about driving and car prep. The one who wins the race is the one who finishes the race. If you can't drive or your car sucks the likelihood of finishing is grim. If I get my driving right, and my car properly sorted being competitive is a given, unless I run out of money or talent ;-) So my focus puts the horse before the cart and learning to drive a properly sorted car will be the essence of my program.

I hope to see you in August I'll do my best to come out to that event.

Been reading on VARA's webpage and look whos in the mix! How many of these guys are members here?

The light blue -6 at the bottom is Edie Arrowsmith. She's been driving a long time and has/had some very sweet cars. I don't recognize the others. I still hope to start racing with VARA next year starting with the school.

Great photos!!!

Leety and Campbelljc...

Here is a most excellent video to watch as to how to drive Willow Springs.

Pay close attention on the instruction for getting through turns 8 and 9.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLCpHnA54cQ...eature=youtu.be

word to the wise: If you ever find yourself two wheels off at Turn 9 because you apexed too early ....DO NOT over react and try to turn back on to the track. Keep going straight till the car stabilizes then ease yourself back on to the track.

Gus Gomez is in the blue car with the number 914 in the first two photos. He lives in LA and is very helpful. He has done a lot of work with FAT on his car. It has a 2.0L in it.