Sports 2000

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 12:03 pm
As many of you know S2 has had dwindling numbers for some years. Some of us like this class and wonder why the numbers keep dropping.

Have you ever considered running a Sports 2000? What kept you from running one?

If you never considered it, why not?

There are no wrong answers and I would like your honest opinion.

Thanks,

Neil Cawley
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 2:43 pm
You're probably better off asking the FF, FC, FB, FE, DSR, and CSR crowd, Neil. Even though the GCR has us in a "sports racer" category, our cars are essentially fancy pants F Production cars, built for racing and to a strict spec.

In all my years in and around Spec Racer, more than 25, I can only think of maybe three or four SRFers who went over to a Sports Racer of any kind. And one of those has since returned to Spec Racer.

Just a thought -- maybe your class should consider a spec, sole-sourced engine and a spec tire? Those two things right there could bring the operating costs down and help make your class, which has some pretty cool cars, more attractive.

Good luck in your search for answers!

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 2:51 pm
Cut out the wheels, we did.....
Kevin Treffeisen
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 3:39 pm
Hello Neil,

I would suggest talking to Alan Andrea as he drove a Spec Racer before moving to S2000.

I've never considered running an S2000 myself. I'm happy with the both the support and competition I have within the SRF community.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 5:42 pm
Neil,

I think the S2000s are pretty cool but when I decided to get an SRF a little over 4 years ago, I never thought seriuosly about an S2000. Our cars are old (mine was built in 1985) but parts are readily available and relatively inexpensive. They are easy to work on, repair, and tune, and there is plenty of help available from CSRs and other competitors. All any of us have to do is ask ( and sometimes not even ask) if we need or want help. SRFs are relatively inexpensive to race, even if you only get 10 heat cycles out of a set of tires, and rebuild or replace most everything that moves every year or two. Beyond all that, and this is the most important part, we all get to race hard at all but the smallest regionals. Whether you're at the pointy end at the National level or any where up to 4-5 seconds a lap slower, there is always racing going on. Other than the SMs (for more money and more PITA issues), no other class offers anything near the same level of competition. If I could spend not alot more than I do and be able to battle on the track like we do, I'd be willing to get an S2000, but I'm pretty sure that isn't realistic.

regards, Michael Hausknecht (NE#60)
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:34 pm
Fairly low running costs, sealed spec (meaning it's somewhat reasonable to have a top car even if you aren't a top driver) and large fields for racing are what did it for me.

Go to Laguna, for example, and you routinely have 7-8 cars within half a second of your laptime (faster and slower). That makes for one heck of a race! (not to mention all the other cars on the track!

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:39 pm
I have always liked the Sports 2000 cars. My dad raced them in the late 80's when there would be 20 of them at a national. I think S2 could fill a gap between us and C/DSR, but they have not evolved the class over the last 20 years and lost potential racers to other classes. First thing they need to do is update the motor. Is there a reason they didn't copy FC with the Ztech motor? You will not attract new drivers with a 30 year old pinto motor that has to be rebuilt several times a year. I also think the message boards say a lot about a class. If you were a potential buyer and you read through post on this site you could easily see there is a lot of comradery among the drivers. If you read through some post on the S2 site you would think, "damn, what a bunch of a$$holes that can't agree on anything." It may just be one or two people that do all the arguing, but still it would turn off potential buyers. There are pleanty of cars sitting in garages or running vintage, get them back to fill the fields, find an optional motor that will last, and offer good drivers in other classes a chance to drive your cars on test days. Once you start getting some excitement back in the class you may get some growth.
John Greene
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PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 9:36 pm
Well I did run an S2000 for one season- My brother and I (both in med school at the time) shared a car in 1986- he did the nationals and I did 4 pro races, we spent about 1500 / race between tires, and travel, got 350 sponsor money from a local brewery- Point Beer, worked on our Loyning engine ourselves- lapping valves in my call room at the hospital. Did pretty well with one top five and several top tens in a field that was usually 30 cars - but we were racing against people spending 10,000 a race, now way to compete with that.

I always loved racing that S2000 car- fast and handled pretty well but the cost and lack of competition would never attracted me to that class today. In fact I think it should not be a National class any longer - they really don't have any numbers. What is it with SCCA that they cannot get rid of a National class once it is obvously defunct- I don't think it would come back unless they had a single engine with a corporate sponsor and made it most cost effective. It was a class where you never touched another car- very similar to open wheel.
fast and clean. But too expensive for my taste. No where near the number of competitive drivers as SRF.

I love being able to do most things on the car myself or if I need help at the track I know I can count on MY OWN competition to help get me out for the next session- That is the best thing about our class, very unselfish drivers.

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PostPosted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 11:17 pm
Cost and participation numbers.
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:50 am
As a racing noob and an SCCA noob, I think SCCA is suffering the consequences of many, many years of adding classes, and a noble but self-defeating hesitation to reduce classes. Faced with a stagnant and maybe shrinking base of racers (due to the economy) there are classes that are losing critical mass. It's hard to yank a class out of Nationals when times are tough, but everyone knows the short-term answer is to consolidate the "survivors" who are still racing into a smaller number of classes. Of course, that leaves people with devalued race cars and the need to invest in another car in order to compete.

The S2000 is a superior race car, and all things being equal, it would probably be a more challenging and exciting car than an SRF. But things aren't equal, and SRF offers a level of stability (both in the size of the fields and the cost of fielding a competitive car) that cannot be matched. It really is Recession Racing.
Last edited by GregCirillo on Wed Dec 28, 2011 1:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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