How many of us are tracking sub 200 horsepower cars?

I know it comes up in various topics but I'm curious as to how many of the hive are taking sub 200 horsepower cars to track days? 

I vintage race the 100hp wonder but I also bring the little Datsun 1200 to PCA track days as well.

Technically the F500 fits this category but at 780lbs with driver it keeps up with 450hp cars down the straights so it doesn't really count.

135hp in the SRF3, but it only weighs 1560lb with driver so it punches way above its weight. Most fun I've ever had on the track. 

I've done it a few times recently :) Last couple of times I ran at Calabogie I was in a stock powertrain 1995 Miata on all-seasons. And last year I did a track day in a 93 hp CRX.

Until I recently pulled the stock engine my car had 110bhp at 3250lbs, hopefully soon to be 150whp and 3000lbs. The other car we race is 170bhp at 3000lbs.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I've seen a couple of ITA CRXs turn some pretty respectable lap times. Granted they've got more than 93hp

In reply to Tom1200 :

You only asked about power level, not if they were slow :)

Although it was pretty slow.

With over 100,000 miles on the completely stock engine, my 2015 FR-S is almost certainly sub 200 hp.

NA Miata

My probe made 171whp and it's a riot on track. 

Most fun I have had on track has been in cars that were between 100 and 200 hp.  Some of the most fun was in my 83 RX7 that was basically stock on some really old star spec tires.  

2850lbs in full race trim, and was until recently 135hp (now probably a shade under 200). And it flies ;)

I have always had more fun in a Miata than any other on the track. High horsepower cars are only faster on the straights. Anyone can go fast straight.  

In reply to Tom1200 :

My MGTD has 54 horsepower in a 2000 pound car. Yes I vintage race it with other MG's 

My only working current track car is an 07 Mazda3 that my wife bought new, now has 253k miles.  We  made it a track car this spring and it has totally impressed.  We mostly race it in Lemons where it is a strong class B car, but also use it in HPDE where it is the slowest on course most times, but it is fun and reliable and easy to fix.  Yup 

187 whp with a gm 3500 v6 in an 87 Mazda rx7.

Gear limited to 130 mph.  

Works a treat and embarrasses Porsches and Ferraris.

Corners like a miata and has 30 more to while weighing 2300#.

I'm not sure I want much more hp.   This is fun and somewhat traction limited anyway.  I'm pretty sure I would just go faster on the straights and that doesn't make it more fun.

Passing a Ferrari ff in the rain at Nelson ledges made my year.

I've only owned 3 cars that made over 200hp.  None of them made >200hp at the wheels.

:D

I race a Spec. Miata, a Formula Ford and a '73 Camaro.  The Miata and Formula Ford are well below the 200 HP mark.  The Camaro is well above at 640.  All three are fun to drive. 

I think that if I were doing track days (and someone else was buying tires) the Camaro would be my weapon of choice.  High top speeds are fun.  However, I almost never run a track day.  I prefer wheel to wheel racing and the other two cars are less expensive to run and in a racing situation just as much fun.

141 WHP high downforce Miata and my hobby is torturing corvettes.

My "high hp" car is a 200whp 1555lb Exocet. Ironically on the high speed tracks only slightly faster than the Miata because the aero penalty. Low speed or short laps it's a lot faster.

accordionfolder said:

My "high hp" car is a 200whp 1555lb Exocet. Ironically on the high speed tracks only slightly faster than the Miata because the aero penalty. Low speed or short laps it's a lot faster.

Yeah, the thing about "low power, low weight" is that once you get up to triple digit speeds it's much more about power/drag than it is about power/weight.

I ran my 99 Miata on track mostly stock for the first few years I did track days.  Adding the turbo made it more fun.  These days I drive an E46 M3, enjoy torturing McLarens and GT3s, and have no interest in going back to something sub-200. :)

1984 BMW 525i with a M30B34 - 184 Hp and 214 ft-lbs 36 years and 400,000 km ago. Today, maybe it's a bit more with the chip, exhaust etc but who knows. Definitely less than 200 making it to the wheels though.

Keith Tanner said:

In reply to Tom1200 :

You only asked about power level, not if they were slow :)

Although it was pretty slow.

Touche.

All of my racing has been in sub-200hp cars: '71 BMW 2002, '87 Honda CRX Si, '96 BMW Z3 1.9. Other track days in an Audi 4000s Quattro and a MINI Cooper S. Only once did I take a high-horsepower car to the track, my '02 Audi S6 Avant, and that felt like it was cornering on its door handles. Probably fastest in the Honda, but I never timed any laps in the MINI...

My best students were always in low power cars (Miatas, mostly).

I've kind of lost interest in HPDE running/instructing because the power level of cars has grown so drastically high. Endlessly pointing by other cars is no fun, and the speed differential in the instructor group can be a bit scary. Those other guys are supposed to be good drivers but I see enough assclownery to not want to take something low powered out in the group.

As an instructor that has only run sub-200 HP cars I'm not a fan of getting into a new Corvette or Shelby Mustang with someone who may or may not keep the forward thrust reigned in. Things start happening a whole lot faster at 160 than 120 at the end of a straight. Gets to be more outside my comfort level the older I get.

I'd like to see a run group for slower cars but not many turn up anymore.

In reply to ddavidv :

I hear you. I was always the slowest car in the instructor group - my 1.9l ITA-prepped Z3 was way down on power compared to a built M3 and I felt like I was driving with one arm out the window all the time for point-byes (except in the real tight twisters, where somehow I caught up :-) ). Then there were the novice students in scary-fast cars (supercharged M3s and the like). On a tight track like NHMS, that much power didn't help their learning process as they were already on the wrong entry line before you had a chance to say anything. I always thought the club should have a fleet of Miatas (or 318s) and require all novice students to drive them a few sessions before they could drive something with more power...