Hi Micheal and welcome,

As mentioned already it's all about how much do you want to spend, if money wasn't an issue, I would probably still have my 944spec for the close racing, but also a cup car or two.

As for tires, if your getting deals on what ever brand, you only have to run on RA1's when your qualifying in spec or racing in spec, so if you can get another set of wheels or two, with your other brand of tires to practice, do DE's, GTS, PTE or PTD what ever class your car falls into, one set of Toyo's can last a long long time, maybe an entire season???

Have fun and be safe,

michaelreich wrote:


It should scare you. GTS-1 is place where a 944 spec can be competitive with a tire change and some ballast removed. However that only applies if the rest of the GTS-1 cars are not optimized for the rules. GTS is nice open rule set, but it invites alot of tinkering with car seeking speed. Big tires and wheels, fancy gearbox ratios and tuned/restricted motors to make a wide flat power band right at the legal limit. That stuff costs big bucks. As time goes on you will see more and more of this even in GTS-1.




michaelreich wrote:


The RA-1 was selected for the class back in late 2002. The tire works well because it is reasonably priced and very long lasting. It can take abuse from novices who are learning to drive and it can take abuse from experienced guys who simpy drive them all over the place. They are pretty durable as well as long lasting so minor flat spots simply and be worn away over time. 2 sets of tires in season even running up front is very realistic. I have yet to fine any tire that offer the same balance of factors listed to make them a great value. There are other faster tires, but the beauty of a spec tire is that if it is a second slower it does not impact performance as the entire class is slower.

The reason we in 944 spec are concerned about tires is that they are both the most costly consumable and have the biggest impact on performance.

Please understand that I am not questioning your decision to use Toyo. They are a fine company and they make good products. If you understand that I work for the largest manufacturing employer (not BMW) in South Carolina, you will see my dilemma.

I will get over it. I just want to get onto a race track. I was a corner worker, beginning in high school, primarily at Road Atlanta. I had a national license before I was 18 (I think the only person ever). I never got the chance to actually get onto Road Atlanta until a couple weeks ago.

As you can imagine, I have always wanted to race. This class seems to give me the best chance of actually doing it. In addition to the class, the people on this site really are helpful, especially with their willingness to share the preparation steps (with pics). I hope those that has posted understand how helpful they have been.

Thanks for support. I really look forward to getting back on the track.

michaelreich wrote:


To be honest man I took the easy way out and bought a prebuilt 944, but I have to "de-mod" a little bit to meet the spec rules. Feel free to email me anytime though. uffitz56 at aol
Good luck!

I see your dilemma! I appreciate the understanding of the larger picture!

The willingness to help goes back a long way here, and is a lot of what got me started!

michaelreich wrote:


Yeah, that can always be a problem.


I do think you have made a good choice of class. We have all kinds of drivers in this class. Some that have money and could race faster cars. Some that a scraping together what they can just to race. Some that don't really know how to turn a wrench when they start and others that can build a car in their sleep. The good news is that we all respect and help each other out. When you show up at the track we are all the same. 944 racers help each other and every bit of help you give out comes back 10x. Each of us here has helped other drivers with parts, knowledge and time. We have also had other drivers help us with the same in our hour of need. That is the sprit of the class we choose to encourage and grow.

We are out to race each other hard and close, but do so in a way we can share stores over beers after the race. If a guy has problems we help to get him back on track even if that mean he/she will beat us in the race.

So for now 944 spec in the south east is not very large. However it will grow. It just takes 2-3 guys to get out and start. They must be the brave ones as once they show they are running in 944 spec group other seem to come out of the wood work. It may take a year, but they do come. Once you get to crtical pass of 5-6 regulars you are in great shape for having a strong vibrant class.