R(ace)X-8

Hi All!

As a new owner, every Google search I’ve done on the model keeps bringing me high quality results from RX8Club.com, so I figured I should join. Just wanted to introduce myself. Here’s a little background on myself. I’ve been driving at open-lapping / HPDE events in the Midwest for the last 10 years. I’m a National Auto Sports Association (NASA) driving instructor and the NASA HPDE-1 Group Leader for the Great Lakes region. I love driving…competing is fun too, but it’s the drive at the limit…the drive is what I really love. As a teacher by profession, I also love sharing that passion with others.

Until recently, most of what I’ve done is Time Trial events with my 2006 Mustang. Solid car, great fun, but (a) heavy as a pig, and (b) a compromise build for street & track. I’m building another car (kit car) for pure track duty, but it’s taking forever. So in the meantime, I got a good deal on this:






She’s a former Pirelli World Challenge TC/TCA car built by Kevin Anderson as the #22 car of TechSport Racing (now #10 for the time being). It’s fully gutted, caged, and purpose built, which makes it 1,000 lbs lighter than the Mustang. Wow! What a difference driving this thing. To acclimate to the car I’m still in Time Trial, but I’ll do some wheel-to-wheel this year, just not sure what class. I’m getting up to speed with it, but as a used race car it comes with its share of quirks and ailments. Joy.

Kevin is offering tech support, as is Jason Saini (who is local to me and who built the tranny in the car as well as the spare), and Erick Meyer (with whom I work with in our region of NASA) is also helping as well. But I need to know what the heck these guys are talking about. So that’s where RX8Club.com comes in; already the forum has been a great help to me as I work through the early teething issues. Hopefully here and there I can offers something back.

Presently we’re struggling through:

• Gimpy steering rack – going to be cleaning/testing electrical today
• Fuel cut out after hard left-handers – think it’s the fuel pump, testing it today
• And a few other odds-and-ends (I hope) are not worth mentioning…

Wish me luck! =)

Thanks again to the RX-8 community!
Best,
-j

yomomspimp06

I was wondering if that car ever sold. Good buy

unimoged

Nice car, sounds like great fun. Fuel cutoff? Does it have a custom fuel bladder, probably the fuel pump pickup sump is loose or not there.

R(ace)X-8

So most of the updates are in my "Blown Engine" post.

Just a quick note here, the fuel cut off was due to "assembly error." Apparently, whoever the previous team owner tasked with the simple job of reassembling the gas tank forgot to connect the auxiliary pumps' wire harness. Frustrating, but at least an easy fix.

On other "not as advertised" news, car came in above advertised weight. The original claim of 2600 lbs competition weight was not true; it's closer to 2600 lbs w/o driver (on fumes). The competition weight (which requires driver) is closer to 2800 lbs. Not terrible, just not what was claimed.

On the bright side, this should work out extremely well for an ST4 build. The car is coming along - after a TON of work...

Best,
-j

NotAPreppie

Where in IL are you?

You might know my buddy Nick who drives with NASA Great Lakes region in a gray RX-8. His username on here is "Mr. Pockets" and he's in Champaign, IL.

R(ace)X-8

Hey there! I'm north of the city, in the Skokie/Evanston area. I work in the western burbs (College of DuPage). Where are you at?

I do know Nick. We met over the mutual RX-8 interests and instructing with NASA (I'm the HPDE-1 Group Leader). We've been sharing as much info as we can on the unique track needs of the car. And he posts very useful track videos. =)

Poor bastard has to rebuild his engine now. Hope that goes well.

I'm in the middle of prepping the car for the season. I missed our opener at NCM, but I should (cross-fingers) make Mid-O in a month or so.

Best,
-john

NotAPreppie

I'm in the city, Avondale neighborhood.

I was in his area for an autocross and he and I did the compression test with my tester.
It was scary low. I think the highest number I saw was around 88 psi @ 270 rpm.

I was a little dubious when he said he was going to rebuild it himself but he does have a very meticulous and detail oriented personality so it may go pretty well for him.

Mine is currently at a rebuilder. The guy is giving me lots of grief about it but I think I finally got him to honor the warranty on the work he did a year ago.

My advice: pick your rebuilder carefully.

R(ace)X-8

Holy cow! I used to live in Avondale (`bout 3 years ago), near the corner of Belmont and Kimball. I've got my garage/workshop about 15 min from there.

I'm really cheering for Nick on this one. I do wish he was upgrading his seals though. If you don't mind, can you say who your builder was (or send me a PM on it)? At least he's agreed to stand behind his work.

If you're up for tracking your car again, by all means let me know. NASA does a good job of embracing folks. We'll be at Autobahn a couple times this year, and that's only an hour away.

Best,
-j

NotAPreppie

Yah, I'm about 1/2 a block from Smallbar at Wellington and Albany.

I've done a number of PDX/HPDE events with Chicago SCCA and Nick has been leaning on me to jump in with NASA. Right now I'm trying to keep costs low while I save up for an LS swap.

I always have a blast at Autobahn and Blackhawk. One day I'll get up to Road America but the scheduling and budget never seem to work out.

JakeKaminskisRacing

Hi stranger! So when do I get a chance to check this new car out on track?

JakeKaminskisRacing

Funny how many locals are in this group. Seems we all need to get our 8s out for a few track days this year! I wanted to be racing wheel to wheel in my new Honda Challenge H2 Civic, however getting the new build completed is taking FOREVER!

So I may have to just bring out the nice street car, since my TT RX8 won't be ready for some time.

John it's good seeing you, sorry I haven't been out racing however new car builds. You know how it goes!

R(ace)X-8

Ugh! The build time has been brutal this year... What I thought would take a week or two has dragged on for two months. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger though...

I hope to make Mid-O in a few weeks. NASA will be there April 22-23, and the car should be ready - mostly. I may not have the dyno run completed by then, so I can't run legally in any of the numbered TT classes. Won't matter much though, this first event is solely to break in the new engine, so I'm going to baby it around track for the weekend. I may just run with my guys in HPDE-1 and make sure they behave.

Even that may not be such a bad thing - the last time I had the car out on track I had a combined compression of about 140...so I quite literally had half-an-engine's worth of power (until it spit up oil and died). "Babying" the car around now under 7K is going to feel pretty peppy by comparison. =)

Best,
-j

JakeKaminskisRacing

I feel you about the build time. Had I not had issues with the no longer employed by NASA scrutineer, I would have been racing the last two years... never wold have sold the old chassis before the new one was complete. Is what it is, we have been developing the new car over the last two years.

Next time it hits the track, I too will be babying it until the new bearings are broken in. Can't wait to get going on my rx8 TT project.