What Class is Best for Honda Beat?

[EthanAldrich]

Hello!

I recently picked up a Honda Beat from a friend. It was previously raced in japan in the K-GP and GP-II. Im not sure what class is best for it to be ran in for NASA however. After reading over all of the classes, Im still not quite sure.

The Beat currently has the stock 660 CC 3 cylinder NA engine and 5 speed transmission. Added is a coil on plug kit; cat-less exhaust; bigger injectors and fuel pump; dry sump system; fuel surge tank; aftermarket intake with stock manifold (came with ITBs from the factory). The transmission has a 2 way LSD and short-throw shift linkage. The chassis has support braces throughout; carbon trunk and hood; and a hard top in place of the stock soft top. The interior is stripped with a FIA wheel, quick release, seat, harness, fire extinguisher setup, aftermarket gauges to compliment to stock dash, and a full cage. The front trunk space is gutted and has two half width radiators in place of the stock one half width radiator. I currently am running the stock steelies, 13" up front and 14" in the rear, with toyo r888s.

Please see attached for a few short videos.

 

Thank you for taking the time to help me out!

[mrgsquared]

Hey Ethan! Welcome! This car is super cool! Reminds me of the Honda Beats run on the Japanese series, Best Motoring.

If you have more photos of the car's interior and suspension setup, that would be helpful. I have a few questions:

1. What is your track driving history? How long have you been doing HPDE events?
2. When was it last raced in Japan? That car will not pass tech for wheel-to-wheel racing as it does not have the door bars connected to the cage to protect the driver in the event of a side impact. For regular HPDE sessions or time trial, it *should* be okay.

If it gets actually raced, I'm guessing ST6 (around 19.0:1 power to weight depending on upgrades). Mid-engined cars take a -0.4 modifier, but cars without aero upgrades (BTM - base trim model) get a +0.4.
https://form.jotform.com/drivenasa/st-tt-car-classification-form

Let us know, cheers!

[EthanAldrich]

Hi, thank you! I love best motoring! It would be better if i knew Japanese though!

I dont have much experience racing. Ive done a few practice days with the SCCA autocross that runs by me in my other car, so basically no experience. I picked this one up last week from a friend in japan who bought it as is and didnt do much with it.

Please see attached for more pictures. It hasn't been raced since around 1993. It was bought new to be a race car. The harnesses and seat are actually from 1991! I swapped them out of course. It does have coilovers and is lowered.

 

Its the stock aero, just with carbon trunk lid and hood and a hardtop. It definitely is alot faster than a stock beat, but that may be due to the lighter weight. the engine is modified for sure, but the company that did it ( from the stickers on the engine and cover atleast) is out of business. Ill have to go get it dynoed to find out the hp regardless.

 

Anything else you would like to know or see? Ignore all of the exposed wires, im sleeving and covering them this weekend.

[mrgsquared]

14 hours ago, EthanAldrich said:

Hi, thank you! I love best motoring! It would be better if i knew Japanese though!

I dont have much experience racing. Ive done a few practice days with the SCCA autocross that runs by me in my other car, so basically no experience. I picked this one up last week from a friend in japan who bought it as is and didnt do much with it.

Please see attached for more pictures. It hasn't been raced since around 1993. It was bought new to be a race car. The harnesses and seat are actually from 1991! I swapped them out of course. It does have coilovers and is lowered.

 

Its the stock aero, just with carbon trunk lid and hood and a hardtop. It definitely is alot faster than a stock beat, but that may be due to the lighter weight. the engine is modified for sure, but the company that did it ( from the stickers on the engine and cover atleast) is out of business. Ill have to go get it dynoed to find out the hp regardless.

Anything else you would like to know or see? Ignore all of the exposed wires, im sleeving and covering them this weekend.

Hey @EthanAldrich- That's a pretty cool buy you've got there! I've only seen Honda Beats as imported street cars here and have never seen any that were track prepared.

Regarding your experience - hey, you've got to start somewhere! What is your other car? You would start by doing HPDE events (High-Performance Driver's Education). I highly recommend that you do it in a car you're familiar with that has more modern safety equipment (not a barebones racecar from 1991). It doesn't need to be a racecar, either. Most people in the HPDE groups drive their cars to the track, drive on the track, and drive back home. Suppose it's a car that you owe money on. In that case, they have track-day insurance that's relatively affordable but depends on the car. Your regular car insurance will NOT cover you if something bad happens on the track. I learned this in 2011 ??

When you start driving on a track, you'll be required to have an instructor in your car to get you up to speed on your first day (you'll need a passenger seat). Surprisingly, many first-timers (autocross experience or not) don't go anywhere close to what their car is capable of by themselves. Braking at 100+ mph lap after lap is much different than doing it from 50. The instructors will push you to go faster but in a safe, controlled manner. HPDEs are MUCH different than autocross. I've done autocross events myself - the speed, concentration, and overall length of time you'll be on an adrenaline high on a track day are 18-20x higher than on an autocross day. Autocross driving leans towards aggressive inputs to save time on the course, whereas HPDEs rely heavily on smooth inputs. Slow in, fast out in the beginning, if that makes sense.

Take a look at this video about what NASA is all about. It'll explain how you can go "up the HPDE ladder" to eventually race for position (competition school) or do time trials/time attack. Some people stay in HPDE and have a blast! It sounds like you're a little ways away from racing "wheel-to-wheel" for position, but ST6/TT6 seems like the place that car could run if it gets brought up to safety requirements. Please let me know if you have any questions! 

Edited December 16, 2022 by mrgsquared