Spec Boxster Build

[steved0x]

Originally Posted by thstone

Thanks Steve! Yes, as you can attest its always great fun beating higher power cars on the racetrack!

Yes it is!!!!

[JayG]

I guess that means you will finally be getting a trailer LOL.

Best of luck to you Tom, you will be missed here.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by JayG

I guess that means you will finally be getting a trailer LOL.

Best of luck to you Tom, you will be missed here.

Thanks Jay!

The SRF will reside with MBI at Buttonwillow Raceway and they will transport it to all of the races for me!

[Burg Boxster]

When it comes to vehicles I always say...

"When you're looking... you're buying!"

And the current participant, Mr. T. Stone, just posted another mark in the affirmative column. Of course how do you think I came up with this theory many decades ago - LOL

Congrats Tom and best of luck in your next progression up the scale deeper in the rabbit hole

Don't be a stranger and keep us posted on your progress.

Best wishes and most importantly, keep having fun!

[thstone]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

I wondered if they weren't baiting the hook with all those free sessions.

Yes, I think that they were definitely baiting the hook! And then to close the deal they threw in the free paint job and some coaching.

They knew exactly what it would take to get me to make the jump.

[BruceH]

Congrats and have fun Tom, but keep us updated

[Racer Boy]

That is great! SRF is a great class. Pure race cars are a lot of fun, because there are so few compromises - they are designed for one thing, going quickly.

Boxsters are great cars, but they are a heavy street car with a LOT of designed-in compromises. You'll have fun, and learn a ton from the SRF!

[seningen]

Originally Posted by thstone

** Spec Racer Ford Gen 3 **

After 5 years of Spec Boxster racing, consulting other racers, talking to some very well known ex-pro drivers, and test driving a number of different race cars, I have made the decision to move to a Spec Racer Ford (SRF) Gen 3 car and race with the SCCA for the 2020 season.

I have purchased the #67 (below) which will be re-numbered to #54 and will be re-painted to my preference (colors TBD). My first SCCA race will be in three weeks at Cal Speedway in Fontana on January 24th.

I will be part of the MBI SRF team that is based at Buttonwillow Raceway in Central California. MBI is the home of four time SRF National Champion Mike Miserendino. MBI will provide full race support for the 2020 season including all car maintenance, repairs, tires, upgrades, transportation, along with full crew and hospitality support at each race. Mike will provide coaching to help get me up to competitive speed in the SRF-3.

This means that the #254 Spec Boxster will be offered for sale. The #254 is a great car and will serve someone else quite well on their Spec Boxster journey.

Racing with the POC and PCA has been one of the highlights of my life and with that foundation, I feel that I am ready to move up a level in terms of car capability and a level of driver competition. You all have heard me preach about not improving the car until your driving is better than the car and I feel that I have reached that point with the Spec Boxster.

I will also have the opportunity to race at a couple of the greatest tracks in the US this year such as Road America and Watkins Glen. Racing at all of the great tracks has always been one of my goals and I still have Lime Rock, Sebring, COTA, Mid-Ohio, and VIR on my wish list.

And yes, this means that I will be Boxster-less for the first time in more than 9 years! I hope that you'll continue to let me hang out here on the 986 Forum as an honorary Boxster enthusiast!

I haven't decided what platform to use for my SCCA adventure (Facebook? Insta? SRF Forum? Blog? YouTube?) but as soon as I do, I'll post a link so anyone interested can follow along.

Longer term, I have definite plans to be back racing in a Porsche in the not too far future. It would be great to campaign a Cayman GT-4 Clubsport or a 911 991 Cup car in a few years when I am ready for the big leagues.

Saying "Thanks" to you all somehow seems far too inadequate. You guys have no idea how much your support has meant to me. I truly and sincerely thank you.

Tom

Sorry to see you "go".

You were an inspiration to me joining the SPB ranks and despite never being on track together, a great source of information and camaraderie.

Good luck in your SRF endeavors, those I know went that route rave about it.

Give me a shout when you finally check off COTA on your list.

Mike

[thstone]

Originally Posted by seningen

Sorry to see you "go".

You were an inspiration to me joining the SPB ranks and despite never being on track together, a great source of information and camaraderie.

Good luck in your SRF endeavors, those I know went that route rave about it.

Give me a shout when you finally check off COTA on your list.

Mike

Thanks Mike! I certainly count you and a few others that I met here on the forum as great friends!

[husker boxster]

Just start a new SRF thread to keep us up on the new adventures. We'd love to hear the stories.

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

Just start a new SRF thread to keep us up on the new adventures. We'd love to hear the stories.

Yep, would love to keep the stories here.

[thstone]

Here is an update of my first races in the SRF.

For the record:

Saturday race results: After a slow qualification, I started 24 of 26. I got a good start and worked my way up and finished 18th. A solid first race in a new car.

Sunday race results: Started 24 of 26 (based on lap times, not Saturday's finishing position) and finished 20th. I got as far up as 16th, but then I spun the car coming out of Turn 4 and had to battle to get back to finish 20th. Overall, a good first weekend.

What I learned:

Aero/drafting matters. A lot. Whereas the Boxster wasn't nearly as sensitive to aero, the SRF is amazingly sensitive.

During practice on Friday, I had a run behind another car on the front straight where we hit speeds around 135-140mph. I drove up behind them to pass, and as I pulled out, my car simply stalled and lost all momentum. I had to pull back behind the car in front and follow them again. I spent most of the rest of the day learning how to manage the draft to maintain my momentum so I could pass.

In Race #1, I also learned that the draft can be used defensively. If a car was gaining on me from behind, I'd move up a lane on the front straight to move the draft line away from the bottom lane. Often the driver behind wasn't thinking and would just drive into the full airstream on the bottom lane rather than follow my slipstream in the upper lane. This tactic was super effective in making it nearly impossible for the car behind to gain on me. Whereas if they pulled up into the upper lane and following my slipstream, they almost always caught up in 1-2 laps. This added a whole new level of complexity and strategy to my racing.

Send it. The SRF has quite a bit more grip so I had to continually force myself to drive into corners at speeds much higher than I would ever attempt in the Boxster. Of course, this technique finally bit me in Race #2 when I carried a bit too much speed into Turn 3 and ran out of room on track out at Turn 4 where I put the left rear wheel into the dirt and the car came around quickly and I didn't catch it in time.

Passing. My passing game has improved immensely which means that I have a lot more confidence and skill to plan, set up, and make a pass. I can now fairly readily dive on the inside under braking, take the inside line, and control the corner. It is hugely satisfying to be able to set up and complete nice clean passes.

Overall, it was a good first weekend. I still have a lot to learn but I am hoping to see gradual, but continual, progress through the spring.

The team and mechanics were great! It sure was a lot easier to focus on the driving when I didn't have to worry about the car. Especially on Friday when I lost 4th gear in the final practice! The team swapped the transmission Friday evening and the car was ready to race on Saturday morning. Also, the mechanics make sure that the car makes minimum weight - after practice on Friday my car weighed 1,567 lbs (car, fluids, and driver) vs a minimum weight of 1,560 lbs!

Here are a few photos from the weekend. Unfortunately, the video system wasn't working but I'll get everything up and running in time for Buttonwillow in Feb.


On the starting grid...



With my sponsor - the lovely Mrs. Stone...



In the draft...



On the NASCAR banking...



Driving hard through Turn 13 in the infield...

[thstone]

Here is a short video clip....

[thstone]

Sadly, the time has come.

FOR SALE: 1997 SPEC BOXSTER

$35,500

The most well documented Spec Boxster on the planet is available for ownership.

PM with questions or for more details.

Thanks to everyone who followed along on this incredible journey.

Tom Stone

[maytag]

Originally Posted by thstone

Sadly, the time has come.

FOR SALE: 1997 SPEC BOXSTER

$35,500

The most well documented Spec Boxster on the planet is available for ownership.

PM with questions or for more details.

Thanks to everyone who followed along on this incredible journey.

Tom Stone

No! Say it ain't so!

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[Burg Boxster]

Originally Posted by thstone

Sadly, the time has come.

FOR SALE: 1997 SPEC BOXSTER

$35,500

The most well documented Spec Boxster on the planet is available for ownership.

PM with questions or for more details.

Thanks to everyone who followed along on this incredible journey.

Tom Stone

and as the class act you always are, Tom, you didn't include the usual "never wrecked" or "minimal paint work only" detail in your description as so many try to sell.

GLWS and best of luck on your continued journey.

[thstone]

** Update **

The House Automotive Spec Boxster has been sold!

As luck would have it, I listed the car for sale about a week before Covid hit. Once the lockdown occurred, no one was motivated to purchase a race car that they couldn't use. By July racing was starting to open back up and I started to get some interest and the car sold in August.

This is the first time that I have been Boxsterless since Nov, 2011, so I hope that you guys don't mind me dropping by and saying hi every so often even though I don't have a Boxster.

SCCA racing is going well. Last weekend I raced for the first time since covid hit in March. I was a little rusty but its coming back. Only one more SCCA race this year. I still have a lot to learn but I spent my Covid lockdown time training so I'm probably in the best physical shape of the last 15 years and am ready to make big gains in 2021.

Here are a couple of pic's of the car on the transporter heading to the new owner.

[husker boxster]

Congrats on the sale. I'm sure it was a bittersweet day with all the history and sweat equity you have with your car. I don't think anyone will complain if you stick around and impart some of your valuable wisdom to the members. I know I wouldn't (and I haven't owned a 986 for 12 yrs).

I would certainly be interested if you start a thread on your new racing adventures.

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by husker boxster

Congrats on the sale. I'm sure it was a bittersweet day with all the history and sweat equity you have with your car. I don't think anyone will complain if you stick around and impart some of your valuable wisdom to the members. I know I wouldn't (and I haven't owned a 986 for 12 yrs).

I would certainly be interested if you start a thread on your new racing adventures.

Same here!

[78F350]

I just wanted to bump this thread back to the top. There's a lot of great info and an inspiring story for new and old forum members. Hopefully Tom will come back from time to time to let us know what he's up to.