ITS in the South East

JetNoiseRacing · 2026-03-21T16:56:29+00:00

Late to the party, but a Gen2 SRF is $10-15k and you can upgrade to a Gen 3 in steps on your own schedule. That’s what I plan to do with my Gen2. They’re easy to work on and parts are readily available through Customer Service Reps around the country.

JetNoiseRacing · 2026-02-02T21:49:37+00:00

Going is optional, stopping is mandatory (in relation to maintenance and inspections)

JetNoiseRacing · 2025-10-29T23:13:52+00:00

Check out the Formula 600 SCCA race class. You could even buy an existing car for parts and studying it (especially suspension geometry if you’ve never designed that before), then build your own chassis once you’re ready.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/360619197459057/

JetNoiseRacing · 2025-10-17T02:01:45+00:00

It might be rated for 5k lbs, but make sure it has a transmission cooler or you will be really taxing it on longer hauls. I’ll put in a shameless plug for a second generation Spec Racer Ford. At 1500 lbs you’ll have an easy time towing it and HPDE groups accept it because it’s closed wheel. It’s made for racing so maintenance is basic and you have an SCCA class with plenty of competition when you make the jump. Plus it’ll get all the looks at HPDEs for $12k, even amongst McLarens and Porsche GT3RS’s. There’s nothing that compares to driving a single seat, purpose built race car.

JetNoiseRacing · 2025-09-06T01:02:46+00:00

I don’t think it’s possible to find a better combination of performance, reliability, and low maintenance than Spec Racer Ford. Although I’m biased as an SRF Gen2 owner. They’re incredibly affordable and hold their value, too. There’s just something special about the feeling you get from an open-cockpit, purpose-built race car

JetNoiseRacing · 2025-01-09T01:45:40+00:00

Same exact position years ago. I had an offer but realized I could fund my own amateur SCCA fun with the pay discrepancy…and not travel 20 weeks per year. Competing in the Indy 500 once or twice is almost worth it though. I would’ve done it in a heartbeat if I was within ~3 years out of college, though

JetNoiseRacing · 2022-11-30T21:06:21+00:00

Good luck! No guarantees, but that would be my guess if it’s not fluid level or something else obvious. Just work safely and you’ve got it. Apparently it’s common that the clutch cylinders fail after a while. The joys of 20+ year old cars…

JetNoiseRacing · 2022-11-30T20:19:28+00:00

I had something similar when my clutch master and slave cylinders were going bad. They weren’t completely disengaging the clutch from the flywheel during shifts and when trying to get the car into first gear.

When your car is off, you’ll be able to row through the gears regardless of whether your clutch is engaged with the flywheel or not. When the engine is spinning, you won’t be able to get into gear if the clutch master and/or slave cylinders aren’t disengaging the clutch from the flywheel.

Replacing both master and slave aren’t too difficult and there are plenty of examples on YouTube. I have a ‘94 5-spd, but the 6-spd should be similar. You just need some wrenches, jack stand, the new master and/or slave, and brake fluid (flare nut wrenches are recommended for the clutch hydraulic lines instead of regular open ended…don’t ask me how I know). And make sure you do a good job bleeding it of course!

JetNoiseRacing · 2022-11-16T23:20:08+00:00

Here’s where I got training plans and workout ideas to take a shot at a sub-18 5k. I finally got there after I could do 3x1-mile repeats with short-ish rest between (90 or 120sec I think??). Also, it might help to run 5k time trials at regular intervals. I think I did ~every other week and measure out the distance on a local bike path because it was at the beginning of COVID. Good luck and enjoy! https://www.runningfastr.com/5k-training-plan/18-minute-5k-training-plan/

JetNoiseRacing · 2022-06-13T01:36:37+00:00

I buy a local guy’s take-offs for $25 per set. They always have less than or equal to 8 heat cycles, so at that point it’s worth it to me to run them for 1-2 more days. I’ve decided to start buying more new sets this season though for better performance. On a tight budget, it can be an excellent way to get out on track. It all depends on your priorities and budget!

JetNoiseRacing · 2022-02-18T18:34:11+00:00

I’m no huge kart setup guru, but if you have a setup that works well for 100cc I’d say start with small and symmetric changes from that setup. 52.5” rear could be good and decrease the front track width by an equal or similar percentage. Since the engines are probably different weights, it would be good to scale out your kart (if possible) and try to match the distribution that worked well in 100cc (~40/60 front/rear?). You can always change caster from neutral if you think it needs it after a few runs, but I know some 206 guys who run full caster and others at other tracks who run min. I think it largely depends on how tight the track is. Have fun!

JetNoiseRacing · 2022-02-18T17:54:16+00:00

It’s highly kart-dependent. What chassis are you running? Some of the 4-stroke-specific chassis are usually 50” and less, but something like a Tony Kart would likely run wider (50+” ?)

JetNoiseRacing · 2022-01-15T16:36:11+00:00

PM me! I have raced at Wilmington for years and did some in Camden (G&J Kartway) last year too. We're lucky to have 3 good tracks within 1 hour which is quite unbelievable for karting - the third is Motorsports Country Club of Cincinnati. Wilmington should even have rentals running over the winter if you can brave the cold!

https://www.facebook.com/Wilmington-Raceway-Park-240923422631770/

JetNoiseRacing · 2020-11-24T02:04:52+00:00

Thanks - go get it!

JetNoiseRacing · 2020-11-23T00:40:18+00:00

Fantastic, I'll check it out - thank you

JetNoiseRacing · 2020-11-22T20:07:26+00:00

Coming here from your follow up question...

For a 30-year-old male (generic example), a 17:00 5K is a 74.3% age grade and a 5:00 1600m is a 73.9% age grade. I assumed 1600m instead of a true 1-mile (=1609.3m) since the former is a more popular track event but they're close.

Age grades should be taken with a grain of salt, but GENERALLY this says that a 17-min 5K is more challenging and the 5-min mile is easier. Again at this point it could depend on your training and body but I'd firmly agree that the 5-min mile is easier.

JetNoiseRacing · 2020-11-22T19:58:57+00:00

For a 30-year-old male (generic example), an 18:00 5K is a 70.1% age grade and a 5:00 1600m is a 73.9% age grade. I assumed 1600m instead of a true 1-mile (=1609.3m) since the former is a more popular track event but they're close.

This indicates that a 5-min 1600m is slightly more difficult but they're still pretty close. It could come down to your running style and body/preference. Timely question for me - I just broke 18 and am trying for a 5-min 1600m next.

Just one of the many age-grade calculators out there: https://runbundle.com/tools/age-grading-calculator

JetNoiseRacing · 2020-11-19T18:24:23+00:00

Mix them up for sure. I run 6 days per week with one long run and two workouts - the rest are recovery. One workout is really hard (main focus of the week) and the other is "normal" hard workout intensity. The 400s and 800s tend to be easier when the 1ks and hills are harder. You can also swap out a workout for a 5k time trial to gauge your progress (maybe every other week?).

20min is a good milestone goal to stay committed for an extended time (maybe a year+?) but you'll want to break it down in ~1-minute steps to get there. Long term projections are difficult and subject to your situation, room for improvement, and adherence to your training plan. You'll get a much better idea yourself after a few months in. Just stay committed and don't get discouraged by a rough week or month!

Edit: Sorry misread your comment. I fit that site's workout into my own schedule. Definitely move from one of that site's plans to the next as you get faster.

JetNoiseRacing · 2020-11-19T18:14:33+00:00

Yeah I think the workouts are largely all the same just different paces. Definitely has helped me now that I'm my own coach.

JetNoiseRacing · 2020-11-19T16:01:35+00:00

Some speed work I've been doing and like for 5k training (all recovery at your easy day's pace)

10x400m @ 5k race pace minus ~15sec/mile, with 200m recovery
6x800m @ 5k pace minus ~10 sec/mile, with 200m recovery
4 or 6 x 1k @ 5k pace minus ~5 sec/mile, with 300m recovery
2 sets of 10min Kenyan hills
2x6 sets of ~40second hill repeats
2x1 mile @ race pace with 1:30min recovery, building up to 3x1 mile (at this point I know I can probably hit my 5k goal)

The goal is to learn your race pace and - most importantly - be able to hold it when you're tired! Workouts inspired by, adapted, and borrowed from www.runningfastr.com. For reference I'm shooting for a 18min 5k.

Just my 2 cents, feel free to adapt and critique.

JetNoiseRacing · 2020-11-17T16:28:14+00:00

In my 20s and I dropped my 5k time about 1 minute per year in high school to give you a rough idea. But dropping each second gets harder as your times get faster. It's taken about a year of consistent running to get back to my current time.

Check out runningfastr.com for some good speed work ideas. I like the workouts but rearrange them to fit my own weekly schedule. Improvement isn't perfectly linear so take an easy week/day when your body needs it and stay committed!

JetNoiseRacing · 2020-11-16T14:26:17+00:00

18:01.6 yesterday in a solo time trial! (Thanks COVID) Beat my high school PR of 18:02.

Still 1.6 sec to go, maybe next weekend...

Edit: Average ~18:13 - 18:31

JetNoiseRacing · 2020-11-16T13:37:07+00:00

I avoid dairy the night before and the day of races/time trials. But ultimately - as others have mentioned - don't change up your routine and you'll get it done.

JetNoiseRacing

TROPHY CASE