raycr38 Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Hello to all GTS Challenge racers, I am interseted in joining the GTS Challenge and wondering if it would be worth it or not. I have a 1987 VW GOLF weight is 1915 and hp is 130 as well as torque. I believe i would be in the GTS 2 Class. I am currently right now in HPDE 3 and debating on either TT or GTS. I am mainly looking forward to having a good time but if my car can not compete in the class then i dont want to be a nuisance to other drivers. I am open to all suggestions please help out. Thanks to all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damon in STL Posted May 18, 2009 Share Posted May 18, 2009 Hello to all GTS Challenge racers, I am interseted in joining the GTS Challenge and wondering if it would be worth it or not. I have a 1987 VW GOLF weight is 1915 and hp is 130 as well as torque. I believe i would be in the GTS 2 Class. I am currently right now in HPDE 3 and debating on either TT or GTS. I am mainly looking forward to having a good time but if my car can not compete in the class then i dont want to be a nuisance to other drivers. I am open to all suggestions please help out. Thanks to all Your power to weight ratio is pretty good @ 14.5 x 130 HP = 1,885 lbs. It all depends on your level of experience and your comfort level with being close to other cars in a "passing anywhere" environment. You can always test the TT waters and then move to GTS. If you are in the Midwest....I'd say dive in head first and go GTS. We need more GTS2 cars! Damon in STL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raycr38 Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 Thanks man. I live in Florida so i mainly do southeast. I went to CMP a couple weeks ago and had a bunch of future e30 racers with me and mangaed my own but they had alot more power than me. I could catch them in the turns but not so much on the straights. I was about 10 secs or so away from the winner of GTS2 that weekend and they had a 944. First time that i had been at that track but dang 10 secs? Dont look good for the home team but tracks a blast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemming Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I don't know how competitive a VW is, IAN?? Your wt/hp is good! I spent 1 year in TT before racing, glad I did as it allowed me track time with open passing (yet not too aggressive) and gave me lots of qualifying experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raycr38 Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 thanks for the advice. I never though of GTS untill i read Ian article in the magazine and thats when i started my research. Great article by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianacole Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I don't know how competitive a VW is, IAN?? Given the way I drive ... not very. Given to Ian Baas, Patrick Barrett, Mike Sweeney, and David Balingit at the 25 Hours of Thill, the car behaves like a real race car While we all like to run at the front of the pack, the reality is only one can be there. After this weekends race, I was just as happy with the battle I had for 3rd place (I didn't get it), as I have been with my 1st place finishes. There's a MKI GTI that comes out and races GTS-1 with us everyonce in awhile at Hastings - I think he's either a GL or MW region participant. He has an absolute ball, and even took 1st in the rain last year. If wheel-to-wheel is what you want to do, don't worry about being a rolling chicane, it's good practice for the fast guys to work on lap traffic, and as long as you're having fun, that's all that matters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikew968 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I would talk with the people you run with and know you the best. I made the transition to race at about 14 track days (instructed). The people that instructed me said I was ready. But, I will tell you that you never feel ready. After the first fun race was over I was so fired up that I nearly hyper ventilated and had to lay down!!!!!!!!! If you are a good driver and can turn-in to apex and track out with unconscience competence then take a nasa race school and go racing!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ELEPHANT1 Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 We found at Nationals last year that you need to be close in HP to the top guys. Simply being lightweight is not enough as you can't hang with them in longer straights. Sure you can catch them and they hold you up in corners but if you're not in the ball park you're not likely to get around them. Of course the more optimized your car is the better off you are. Open rules gives you free reign to do what you want to the trans, driveline, brakes, etc. But then you're talking about possibly spending big $$$ to take that chance. Biggest caveat is that competition in class varies from region to region. I don't know what it's like in the SE but my honest opinion is that here in GL/Midwest you'll get creamed with only 130 HP despite your weight. Now I'm [going to be] in GTS2 whenever I get this damn car finished so the more cars in class the betterer but I'm being honest with my comments. In our region, based on some comments here on the forums, I think the top guys have ~200HP give or take a bit. My opinion is that if you're not within 15% of that you're going to have a very hard time being competitive no matter how well prepared your car is. Again, purely my opinion but it is based on some unofficial data collection from last year. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raycr38 Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 i was thinkinh the same thing that u said about hp. here in the SE is mainly 944 and 325. thru some research i have found that most of the GTS guys also run 944 cup as well. i new going into this i would be at a huge disadvantage but i dont have funds to by a car that is already built and competitive. well maybe i will find some ways to reduce hp or weight to get to GTS 1. Good luck to all and thanks for the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinnymac Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I'd suggest you give TT a go and see how you handle open passing and driving off the "school line". You'd be surprised how many people go from HPDE to W2W and freak out the first qualifying session. Racing is a bunch of fun, but expensive and time consuming. Make sure you talk to as many people as you can find that will give you their account of getting into W2W racing and take the advice that works for you and lay out a plan. You'll most likely need to spend some money up front getting the car compliant to all the safety requirements long before you do anything performance oriented. See if you can attend a race licensing school in your area, as that will give you some exposure to W2W in a relatively controlled environment. Best of luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cstreit911 Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 I've had this talk with a number of new guys. Even "stock" classes get expensive over time, it's just reality. I'm not saying you shouldn't run with GTS, you most definitely should, nothing else will compare to the W2W thrill! However you have to set you expections appropriately. GTS is competetive, it takes time, experience, and $ to run at the front... Equal bits of both really. However if you ask most guys when they had the most fun on a particular weekend, you'll RARELY here "When I was running up in 2nd or 1st". Instead it will be when they had a great battle.... Even if it was mid-pack, that's the good stuff! Run whatcha brung, see what you think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raycr38 Posted May 27, 2009 Author Share Posted May 27, 2009 Run whatcha brung, see what you think! I think that sums it up. Thanks to all for the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbritos1 Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I would suggest not worrying about being able to run with the top dogs in GTS1 or 2 within your rookie year. Just do it!!! Go to comp school, start racing, and you'll be soooo hooked. Even if you come in last-in-class (who cares!!!??), you are likely to do some battling with some other competitors in your class, and still have a blast. After W2W racing, going to TT will seem dull. Doing another HPDE.....unbearable. Plus, the close camaraderie in GTS racing is great. Good luck and hope to see you at some races. Martin Britos (GTS3, MidAtlantic/Northeast regions) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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