I'm not competitive, but it's nothing to do with my car. It's me.
Another guy in a stock SVT is very competitive locally in STS, and won the local points race last year.
The nationals winning Hondas are light. That is a big advantage. But they also took advantage of an update/backdate rule to put later, more powerful engines in the earlier, lighter bodies. I'm told that update backdate is gone for 2004, so that should help.
Otherwise, I'm learning to drive my car and finding it's not nearly the handicap I once thought. I just need more seat time.
Mods are very few, at present. Intake, exhaust...I run Mobil 1... Planning to do mild suspension work, and a few more simple things in the engine bay, and that's it.
To compete nationally, and win, whatever car you drive, takes money and time, but not for high-zoot parts. It's for setup, dyno time, track time for suspension tuning, running through sets of tires while you get just the right camber setting for this surface in these weather conditions, etc, etc. That's where all the money goes.
