CP

I'd spend the extra dollars on a rock solid cage if I were you. That tree or wall that you hit isn't going to care what kind of car (fast or slow) you're driving.

eMKay (BFLO)

yeah, I've attended a lot too. Now real racing is more dangerous, but it's also slower than anything I ever drove at a DE, even my Protege is a good deal faster than my BMW will be and yet I drive it with no cage at all. even the cheap cages have been tested and survived in pretty gruesome crashes, as long as it's installed properly a simple bolt in cage is plenty.

David White

i'd say a couple of grand is pretty low for a well built cage in a competitive e36 ITS car...i'm not all that familiar with e30 IT cars but i would guess a good cage would be similarly priced...

theres a big difference between a cage that meets the minimum requirements and one that is designed/engineered to provide maximum stiffness and saftey...

i agree you dont need a world challenge cage in IT, odds are it wouldnt be legal anyway...

what you are paying for your cage is probably on the low end of the price scale...i'm not doubting you or your cage builder, i'm just saying that your price seems very low...

eMKay (BFLO)

He has a lot of experience in everything from formula fords on up to indy cars. as a driver, builder, team mechanic.

John/TSR

...to your original question (while watching the 'rollcage cat fight' evolve below with a certain amusement):

You can screw a Spec Miata together pretty cheaply.

To wit:
Donor car - running 1.6 $2-3K
Cage - DIY - tubing will run you $300-400. Non-DIY cage will be $1300+
SM suspension & exhaust kits - $1600
Brake pads - $200
Transponder - $300
Hard-top (if the car didn't come with it) - $700-900
Wheels & tires - you CAN get away with one set - run full treads...you'll be slower than the pointy end of the grid...but you'll be slower anyway...it's just reality...
Seat - $200
Kill switch & extinguisher - $50

So...for about $6-8K...if you're careful and you don't get all gooey about carbon fibre lipstick holders and titanium butt-plugs...you can get a car together and on-track. You can spend a lot more money if you want...some will make it faster...some will just make your wallet lighter.

Don't forget that you'll also need fire-proof jammies and a hard hat, along with shoes and gloves and socks. $500 can get you good, serviceable stuff...or you can spend $3000...it's your choice.

At some point in the spending spree, you get beyond the 'better & safer' or 'more comfortable' point and are just trying to impress your buddies. Don't go there...it's a Miata, for chrissakes...you're not going to impress anyone of any importance.

Race expenses:

Entry fees - Figure $200-300 for a weekend (SCCA, NASA, MWCouncil, EMRA, whatever). Depending on the local customs, that gets you Practice/Qualifying/Race, or maybe Practice/Qualifying/Qualifying Race/Race.
"Soft" parts - tires, gas, brakes, fluids. Figure on ~$200/hr total for this, assuming you're running Toyos.
Travel - depends on how far you're willing to go to race. What are you towing with, what mileage does it get ? Hotel or tent ? PBJ sammiches or catered foie gras ? Only you can determine the $$$ here.
"Hard" parts - Add in a number for wear and tear. I figure $50-100/hour on a Miata motor, as you can run a $600 'salvage special' and be competitive at the front of the pack (that's what I run). You can spend $6000+ on a Spec Miata motor, too. You choose.

So...you can spend $500-$1000 on a typical club race weekend, assuming that you're trying to be frugal.

If you hit stuff, or are tough on equipment (zingers blow the motor, curb-hopping rips the diff apart, etc.), the price goes up quickly.

I put a Miata together for about $5500 last year, but the cage was free (loaned another race car to a friend who builds cages, for his own race school & regional race) and the car was cheap-cheap-cheap.

Karts are generally cheaper to race, and depending on where you are, kart racing might be more accessable (i.e. more race dates). Don't have much time in karts, but I know that it's much easier to hurt yourself in a kart.

Racing cars is stupid-fun. I'm racing "something, somewhere" ~15 weekends/yr., and have been doing so for a looooong time. The buzz never dulls.

If you're unsure about which to do...try both.

As usual, I give crystal-clear advice.

bioman

You're a good man to want to build your own spec miata. It's not that hard to do, but you will spend a long time on it, and unless you're already well set up and experienced, you'll end up spending more than the minimums described here as you'll be buying tools, having to correct your mistakes, and replacing worn stock parts on that "bargain" donor car that originally looked like such a good deal...

Or you could wimp out on that process (like me) and buy a turn-key car from an experienced and reputable builder. In the northeast that would be someone like Dave Woodle or Dave Del Genio. Figure $15-18k if you go that route, but you can be on track in a very short time and you will have a relationship with an experienced professional builder - something that I personally have found extremely useful. That price will not get you a high end motor, but unless your planning to be competitive in national races then you won't need the high end motor. And you can forget pro, from what I hear the '99 gen 2 miatas will likely dominate and they are substantially more expensive to build.

$600-1000 per race weekend tracks my experience with my miata last year. Except for some crash damage (not my fault, I swear!). $250 entry fees, $100-$250 on gas (miata and tow vehicle), $150 for a couple of nights at the local motel, $50 on food/drink, plus a few hundred in tire wear (more if you flat spot). I was also renting a trailer at $100/weekend. Brake pads, hubs, etc., will last several-to-many weekends. Tires can last a couple of weekends. I didn't include track support in the above total weekend costs, but have always paid my builder's shop to provide track support for races (but not for non-competitive events). Support is a couple of hundred plus some share of travel expenses. It's a nice to have, not a must have.

My personal safety equipment - suit, gloves, undies, socks, helmet, HANS, shoes - altogether ran about ~$2600, but you could probably pull that together for ~$1000-$1200 if you bargain shop and skip the HANS. (How important is your neck anyway??? Spend the extra on the HANS.)

I never considered karts. It just sounds so much cooler to say "I race cars" than it does to say "I race go karts" :-)

Krisko

In a DE single car incidents are likely. A cage wouldn't be necessary except for a rollover. While your car is only 100hp, you'll be on track with cars that may have 300hp and can go twice as fast (well, not in SCCA ITB but it's likely in BMWCCA racing). What if you spin in a blind turn and get t-boned? That is where a good cage will save your ***.

Sure you want to save a little money but a bolt in cage probably isn't the way to do it. You seem a little cavalier about your own safety.

John/TSR

...bolt-in cages in classes that allow them. Obviously, big-assed GT cars need a 'GT-style' welded cage (got one of them), but IT and other low weight/low power cars (got a couple of them) aren't giving up anything with a bolt-in cage.

Back when I started racing, we weren't allowed to have welded cages in the car classes I ran...as they had to be 'removeable'. Seen lots of cars upside down at speed and hammered into walls, etc. with well-designed bolt-in cages, and never saw anything even approaching a 'cage failure'.

And I myownsef have crashed both kinds, hard.

The biggest variable in the safety of the cage (IMO) is how it is connected to the shell. I'd rather have a bolt-in cage with footplates that connect to both horizontal and vertical chassis points, than a weld-in that's just on floor plates.

s4wood

I have just been contact by at least SEVEN different guys selling their cars..some top five cars on occasion. The pricing is in and around the $9-12.5K range (asking price..usually with spares). Let me know if you want intros....

R1ce

I don't know much about the spec miata's but I do know a fair amount about karts. There are quite a few classes to chose from that are all competitive:

80cc shifter
125cc shifter (probably the most competitive)
250cc shifter (will rival times of cars costing upwards of $1 million)

Typical expenses/points for the 250 karts are:

-1 set of tires per race day/weekend $200
-entry fees typically around $100-150 per race
-fuel and oil roughly $75 per day
-You won't need a huge rig to travel
-cheaper repairs/fixes (body work is really cheap)

Definitely the best bang for buck, and lots of competition locally. Safety is important too, and I've seen several people get seriously hurt and in one case killed. That said, the number of serious accidents is still small and the majority seem to happen in the spec 125 rotax max class. Just my observation.

Hit me up if you have any other questions.

Edit: Also forgot to mention that with the 250cc karts you can race on all the big tracks.