2007 Honda-Challenge Rules

[Mike]

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When I got in to this whole road racing thing, I was certain I wanted to run in Honda-Challenge's H1 (hybrid/s2000/nsx) group. Guys were driving their low cost home-built vehicles to the track, running great times, and even winning races!

Shortly after I picked up my hatch, the class got silly. Engines were being built to the extreme with rebuilds occuring every other race. That is expensive, and totally not what I was looking for.

I really didn't know what I was going to do. I didn't want to sell the hatch, but at the same time there was no way I could or wanted to afford to run for last place.

In come this year's new rules and my car now has a place... I won't even have to do an engine swap! Some motor freshening, quality bolt-ons, and a cage later and I'll be fully H2 legal and hopefully competitive.

NASA got it right with these rule changes, but I just hope it isn't too late. A lot of guys have been getting away from Hondas altogether... With a good H2 turnout this year, I think I'm going to try for my first race in 2008.

Yay NASA!

[Ginger]

Wow - Mikey, good to see you're really getting into it. For a while we thought you were dumping the motorsports thing altogether. Cool change of reason!

[Apoc]

Are the changes enough to draw more people into HC, specifically H2? I think the class topped out at like 3 cars last year, how do you see this year's turnout going?

[Feersty]

My computer sucks and I can open .pdfs but how extensive a hybrid swap do you need to qualify? Is H1 essentially R motors in every hatch on track, save the S2K and NSX? GK has a K20 in his R, I would venture he is H1 as well.

Mikey, it seems that you have a had a change of heart reguarding racing, is this solely because of the rule changes?

[Mike]

My computer sucks and I can open .pdfs but how extensive a hybrid swap do you need to qualify? Is H1 essentially R motors in every hatch on track, save the S2K and NSX? GK has a K20 in his R, I would venture he is H1 as well.

find a computer that can read pdfs

Mikey, it seems that you have a had a change of heart reguarding racing, is this solely because of the rule changes?

i think that is what i said in my post?

[Mike]

Are the changes enough to draw more people into HC, specifically H2? I think the class topped out at like 3 cars last year, how do you see this year's turnout going?

i really don't know... i'm hoping there were a lot of people in the same boat as me. i know there were, but the rule changes might have been too late and those people have gone elsewhere.

[white_2kgt]

Mike, in every class, no matter the rules you are going to have people on a shoestring budget and budgets greather than that of the Space Shuttle program. YOU need to decide if you are in this to win at all cost or just to have fun. Personally, I'm in it to have fun. There's no way I'm going to start building new engines every month and carrying a spare in the trailer like some people do. I have fun just being out there. If you are only going to have fun running in the #1 spot I hope you have deep pockets, this is just the tip of the iceberg, I expect to see the number of high dollar drivers/cars only rise in NASA as it gets more popular.

[Mike]

That's the thing with this new classing scheme. Why is a guy with deep pockets going to run in H2 when he could just as easily run in H1? As I read it, H2 is a poor man's H1. Sure you'll get a couple guys spending more than most, but I view these rule changes as a way to minimize that.

I'm not racing next year, but I'll be eagerly watching to see how things go. If they don't go the way I'm hoping, no big deal.

[.RJ]

*IMHO*

If you were really interested in racing on a budget you would be shopping for an H5 or H4 car, or putting a D16 in your hatch.

I think its interesting and should get new life into the series, and the class and I hope it works out well for them. I decided not to run with HC any more due to the lack of car counts and competition, along with the spec tire thing for '07.

[Mike]

i have lightly browsed for a d16... hard to find in decent condition and i didn't have the drive to rebuild one myself. i can't bring myself to run h5, just too slow. h4? lack of cars. it looks like this h2 thing is the least amount of effort so i'll smile at it.

[.RJ]

Its a great idea, sure. H5 is about the same speed as SM and seems to have the best competition in HC without spending cubic dollars to run in H1 - which often just turns into who can manage lapped traffic better, than who can turn the fastest 12 laps. I havent seen any newish (EG, etc) cars in H5, no reason they cant be competitive.

[Apoc]

h4? lack of cars.

H4 had more cars than H2 in '06.

H5 is about the same speed as SM

Which in itself is amusing because you say 944s are slow and yet you chose a slower class.

[.RJ]

H4 had more cars than H2 in '06.

Because 3 is so much better than 2....

Which in itself is amusing because you say 944s are slow and yet you chose a slower class.

I think I have made it clear that I just dont like the cars Its a good place to play, but SM should be a little cheaper to run and I like the cars better.

[Maengelito]

I have fun just being out there.

so long as the shiny side is up...

while i agree with chad, its not exactly black or white. people can have fun without winning as long as the racing is heated and relatively even. but not winning in a hobby thats costing a lot of time and money can be frustrating as well. it all depends on where mike finds himself in that gray area. but i like your thinking and i'm glad that you're gonna make it back out to the track this upcoming year after missing most of the events last year

[.RJ]

some people can have fun without winning

Fixed that for you.

I am not one of them

[Maengelito]

some people can have fun without winning

Fixed that for you.

I am not one of them the plaque for 2nd place is in the ladies' room

fixed that for you with what i think you meant to say

[.RJ]

I am ok with 2nd place for the year running half as many races and still collecting a fat contingency check

[Mike]

h4? lack of cars.

H4 had more cars than H2 in '06.

With a good H2 turnout this year, I think I'm going to try for my first race in 2008.

did you miss the part... err the whole thing that says i'm excited for the rule changes that will hopefully add numbers to a class that i can now race in?

[Apoc]

h4? lack of cars.

H4 had more cars than H2 in '06.

With a good H2 turnout this year, I think I'm going to try for my first race in 2008.

did you miss the part... err the whole thing that says i'm excited for the rule changes that will hopefully add numbers to a class that i can now race in?

I guess my point was the rule change won't be a magic potion that triples car counts the first year. Even if you increase the count in H2, I doubt it would go above that of H4 and you said H4 was too low. You should just start building your SM now.

[.RJ]

You should just start building your SM now.

Its all mental masturbation anyways. The wife wont let him out of the house that many weekends a year to race.... let alone the prep time needed in the garage between races.