997 PCA H-Class Build

Achieving perfect parity among all cars at all tracks in a diverse race class is an impossible goal for every sanctioning body. PCA Club Racing supports over two dozen classes, and in each one (other than the single-model classes) there is a mini-hierarchy between the eligible cars.  Racing in PCA has evolved from its turn-the-sportscar-in-your-garage-into-a-racecar roots, and it is increasingly common to see the “donor” car for a race car build bought specifically to race in a certain class.

When it was time to retire Bob Hahn’s 944 turbo and move to something newer and faster, there were plenty of options for a new class and car.  The “stock” or “letter” classes in PCA provide excellent racing and relatively good value, and with some friends already competing in H-class, that became a logical choice.  We felt the 3.6 liter 997 offered advantages over the other cars in the class and began this project with that in mind.  PCA apparently agreed with our assessment of the car, as they made some rules changes penalizing the 997.  This moved some of the existing cars up to I-class, and brought the performance more in line with the other H-class competitors.  Since this project was already well under way at the time of the change, and the car would still be very competitive, we continued the build with only minor changes.

The only thing that cannot be easily changed on a racecar once it is built is the roll cage, so with all of our builds we strip the cars all the way down and our cage-builder creates the best and safest cages in Club Racing.  This attitude and attention to detail is extended to every component on the car.  All of the systems and wiring are planned from the very beginning, and it shows in the finished product.

Complete photos of the build can be found in the gallery below.  If you would like to discuss your next racecar please contact us.

Featherlite Open Trailer For Sale

2005 Featherlite Aluminum Open Trailer

This trailer is in good condition.  It comes equipped with a spare trailer tire, tire rack, small tool box, and electric winch.  With a deck size of 8.6′ x 17.6′ and a gross weight of 7000lbs, it should comfortably carry any of Porsche’s sports cars.  This Featherlite is available for inspection and purchase at our Charleston, SC facility for $4500.

No Rain Tires Needed: PCA Road Atlanta 2015

The weather at this year’s Road Atlanta PCA race was a massive departure from previous years.  It was unusually cold, but the absence of torrential rain, which had become the trademark of this race weekend, was the big surprise.  The Autometrics crew rolled in with 11 cars, and our results were as fantastic as the weather.

Chris Lewis chose to bump his Cayman S up to GTB1 class, and despite being a bit overweight, continually moved up the timesheets, ultimately scoring a class podium in the enduro.  Jimmy ran his Cayman in H class, and was on the podium in both sprint races.  He and Cory teamed up for the enduro, and despite their near class-record pace, they couldn’t quite catch the leader, who had the fortune of a caution during his pit stop.  We debuted a new H class 997 build for Bob Hahn this weekend, and both he and the car ran excellent with a 2^nd place finish in each of the Saturday sprints.  In I class, Charles Price consistently challenged for the lead, but ultimately took home 2^nd in all 3 races.  The last letter-class car was Duncan McPherson, and he took a sweep of J class wins.

In the GT race group, we had similar results.  In the Points Sprint Race, Autometrics drivers took 4 of the top-5 positions overall, with the last spot filled by the GTA2 car of Normand Houle, who was hauling thanks, in part, to his new Autometrics-built 4.0 liter engine.  David Baum easily outclassed the GTC4 in the sprints, but fell just a little behind (factory Falken RSR driver) Bryan Sellars in the enduro.  Chris Brown earned the overall Pole position for sprint race 1, and he went on to win both sprints in GTC5.  Just behind him in GTC5 was Gary Pennington.  Bruce McPherson spent the whole weekend on the bumper of the GTC3 leader, and Mac McGehee ran a good pace, but was sidelined with engine troubles.  We just completed some massive upgrades on Cory’s RSR, but without time to sort the car, it suffered from a few component failures and sub-optimal handling.  Still, it was enough to start from pole and comfortably win overall in the second sprint.

Overall, it was a fun and successful, if not perfect, weekend at the always awesome Road Atlanta.  Follow us on Facebook for the most up-to-date photos and updates on races and project cars.