GoatFarmer

I am thinking about purchasing a 997.1 cup car, but beyond the operating costs, where does one actually race these cars in a field subscribed by more than 3 cars? I race with NASA Northeast in a GTS2 E36 BMW M3. We regularly see decent fields of 6+ cars. I know 6 competitors doesn't sound like a lot, but in the world of club racing when not running spec pinata it is.

What clubs/classes does a 997.1 cup car fit into? From my initial analysis

• NASA GTS5
• NASA ST1
• PCA GTC4 (limited or no mods?)
• SCCA GT2

Looking at PCA GTC4 in 2018 Monticello had a few cars and Watkins Glen had a decent field. Outside of that, crickets. NASA GTS5 is non existent and ST1 gets a couple cars here and there. I'm not familiar with the SCCA scene.

Where do you guys actually race your cup cars in the Northeast/Mid Atlantic?

Steve113

April race at Lime Rock always has a great Cup car field . Its our first race of the season and everyone comes out

GoatFarmer

Steve. Mike Miller here. We met at the NASA Lime Rock event last year. I was hanging out with Cecil in his blue GTS2 E36 M3. I was in the red 964 street car.

Are you referring to the PCA event?

Frank 993 C4S

Steve113

Frank beat me to it

Hey Mike absolutely . Come on out and play. Its a great event to come out to with the car . If you have any questions on Cup cars or anything else please don't hesitate to contact me direct . Steve@katzinsurance.com cell 914 447 0423
Fell free to paddock next to me at the race
Its a great time to buy 997 Cups they are a great buy right now.
997.1 are all about gearbox updates/hours ,motor hours, fresh fuel bladders etc....…… I am sure the 997 Cup guys hear can chime in with other things to look for

93 FireHawk 968

There's a strong contingent of GTC racers with PCA in the Northeast and always plenty of cars to race with, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Hairy Dog Racing based out of CT has some exceptional GTC-4 drivers who will certainly make you pedal faster.

NSF

I ran my 997 Cup in NASA ST here in AZ and at the Championships after competing in GTS3 with an E46 M3 for a few years, so I was in your shoes at one time. If you're running it with the original 3.6 motor and it's not modded up, I suspect you could class it in ST2 and see a greater number of competitors than in ST1.

GoatFarmer

NSF - were you able to ballast to ST2? If so, would you mind sharing average power and weight? ST2 has a good group of drivers in the Northeast.

NSF

This isn't going to be too helpful since my (now sold) 997.1 Cup had its original motor replaced with a 2010 997.2 3.8 motor before I bought it. I also ran it with the RSR factory inconel header and muffler, so it was running on the dyno a bit higher than a 3.6 would run. I was legal at 2770 lbs in ST1 but never got near that weight every time I was sent to the scales.

There is a really useful calculator tool on the Super Touring page of NASA's website. My figures aren't too helpful for ST2 but if you can ballpark the average horsepower on a 3.6 it'll be able to tell you what weight you'll need to remain above 8.00:1. You will also need to check the appropriate boxes for mod factors such as running non-DOT's and the sequential gearbox. The 996 and 997 Cups get really good treatment in ST since they are considered "production vehicles" for purposes of classing. And, like your original post mentioned, running in GTS5 just isn't an attractive alternative.

GoatFarmer

Thanks for the info NSF. I am familiar with the calculator and point deductions for sequential and weight under 3000 lbs. What I lack is knowledge of the power curve for the 3.6l motor. I have a stock 997 GT3 street car with a dyno from a number of years ago. If I knew what peak power whp is for the cup I might be able to adjust my curve and pop it into the calculator.

ProCoach

IGT and historics at Watkins Glen in September, Lime Rock on Memorial Day, too.

Ed@Demonspeed

Plus 1 on IGT (International GT). Come and join us. The 997.1 is the car to have for that group running in the Mission Foods GT3 Cup Trophy. They break it down by displacement, so the 997.1 is the fastest 3.6L.

http://www.stuttgartcup.com/international-gt/page/2/

Great fun and you are running with other cup cars and the Ferrari classes. Great group of people too. The organizers and the other racers.

Thanks
Ed

Ed@Demonspeed

Also, in the Ohio area, the NASA 997.1 cup guys run GTS4, not 5. We do it by using a simple restrictor plate. No way to really detune the cars and ballast is not optimum. We have found that just restricting the air intake can pull power nicely and the computer compensates and still gives the same fuel curve it did without a restrictor.

I came in 3rd at NASA Watkins nationals a few years ago with that setup. It is great and it also gives you more guys to play with. They increased the Hp in GTS4 this year, so you would not need to restrict as much.

Thanks

Ed

GoatFarmer

Thanks Ed. This is exactly what I was looking for. GTS4 is healthy and very fast in NASA Northeast. Is there anything pre-made based on last years rules? Even a known diameter that worked in the past will help as a starting point on the dyno.
I will also look into IGT. Thanks for the tip.

Steve113

Ed is a 996 Cup eligiable in Stuttgart/Mission ?