The Class:

E Street Prepared

The Guru:

Karen Kraus- Karen is one of the few drivers to compete at the National level in both proven formulas for the class, the AWD imports and the rear-drive domestic muscle cars. 2013 was just her fifth year of full time competition in the class, but the previous decade represents a lot of seat time in these cars at various preparation levels.

The Pitch:

Raw, visceral muscle cars versus hopped up ricers. This is Fast and Furious for real. Camaros, Mustangs, WRX, DSM all are top contenders, and with the allowances of the class rules, most of the stock weaknesses of the cars can be addressed. Karen has both a fully prepared ESP WRX and a mild prep Camaro Z28 1LE, both street driven, often daily driven. In fact, the WRX has done a cross country drive each of the last 3 years to compete in Packwood Washington. These cars are a great drivers experience, on course and on the street as the handling is immensely better, the braking is better, and when it comes to autocross, the tire wear is phenomenally better.

The Scoop:

If you are going to build an ESP car you are going to want to do some research and talk to the folks who know the formulas. If you want to get started with a Mustang, look up Vorshlag Motorsports. If you are interested in going the WRX route, the 2013 National Champion has his entire set up posted on the North American Subaru Impreza Owner’s Club (NASIOC) forum. For the majority, however, the preferred path is Camaro and for that the first phone call should be to Strano Performance Parts. For cheap and easy you can’t beat the value of the bow-tie. A LT1 or LS1 F-body with an Auburn racers differential and suspension work (Stranoparts lowering springs and a set of Koni single or double adjustable shocks) will get you most of the way. Same thing if you go with a Mustang. A WRX or DSM will require a bit more, since it's down on power to start from the pony cars, but the boost allowances can get you there quickly.

The beautiful thing about ESP power is that the cars are so overpowered in stock trim that even relatively minor power mods (such as the "free ram air" LS1 mod, or the "free CAI" mod on the LT1) combined with suspension mods and tire width that allow the power to get to the ground are a bigger bang for the buck than going all out with motor work.

ESP has several "local hotspots," such as the Detroit Region, Texas and the Mid-Atlantic, where a great number of national level competitors come out to play. If you want to dip your toes in the water, in one of those areas, you're going to be looking for a little more to be competitive. Outside of those areas, or with a bit more raw talent, a trophy worthy setup could be very simple- for example:

1) LS1 F-body. Koni shocks, Strano lowering springs, exhaust (exactly what would depend on local ordinances, but a straight pipe that dumps behind the driver can be made quiet enough to make National sound), headers (quite a few brands are comparable), Auburn racers differential, and 17x9 or 17x10 rims for a set of 295 or 315 R-comps. It is also a good idea, with the age of these cars being a minimum of 11 years, to look at replacing bushings with something a little more race-grade.

2) '06-'07 WRX. Yes, the '02-'03 body is lighter, but unless you want to do a motor swap, the car that comes with a 2,5L is a better "easy button" start. Minimal to do list to be competitive: Front and rear differentials, coilovers (McCance opted for Bilstein’s setups), a Cobb Accessport for some cheap-OTS tuning, a downpipe, exhaust and some wide rims (17 or 18" diameter, and 9.5-10" wide) for some 285-315 R-comps.

The Price Tag:

The costs to get into the class are very reasonable, as the competitive cars are new enough that you're not having to manufacture pieces on your own, or wait for someone to one-off something. Camaro and Mustang parts are extremely well priced, as the market for these parts is larger than just autocross. One factor will be who does the work. Some opt for a reputable shop does the work, while others choose to invest in the tools and time to do it themselves.

A fourth gen Camaro would probably have one of the lowest entry costs to the class. The cars themselves are fairly inexpensive coming in at $5000-6000 for a decent LS1 car. A set of springs from Stranoparts will run you under $300, and a set of Koni single adjustables will be in the range of $1500. Expect a differential to cost $500-600, and a set of headers for about the same. Wheels are harder to predict. The most you need to spend for new wheels is about $2000, but you can find forum deals as low as $1000 for 17x9s.

If you do your own work, that puts you in the ballgame for around $10000, including car. This probably represents a 80-90% build, but it gets you on course and competitive while you add the lesser modifications that make the car exactly how you want it. If you start adding in bushings, front and rear swaybars, a torque arm and tuning, plus a driver and passenger race seat, and you might be adding another $5K in the end, but it's still less than buying any brand new performance car.

A WRX would need a little more. Unfortunately, to find a good car you're looking at $7-10K to start. The WRX requires two differentials, expect to spend $2000 total and then another $2000- $4000 on coilovers depending on what you opt for. The Cobb AP downpipe is a great option at $600 new and Rota makes a good wheel for the cars that will run $1200 a set. All totaled, the package is going to cost around $20,000 for the major mods with an expectation to invest another $5000-$8000 in bars, seats, exhaust and tuning. And remember, a tuning session for a turbo car is not just recommended, but almost a must. Despite being a chunk more than the Camaro option, the WRX is still less than many interesting new cars that only offer a fraction of the performance.

The Honest Truth:

Depending on the car you choose, there are some pain points with the class. The rally cars tend to be a bit hard on the drivetrain, especially if tuned to use E85. The inherent weakness of the WRX seems to be the gears. Many have shattered second and/or first gear -- in stock, street touring and in street prepared trim. This has been more of a problem with ProSolo launches and most drivers of these cars have been able to develop a shifting style that is less abusive on the drivetrain. Other than the transmission, with the suspension allowances, the cars are actually pretty easy on tires compared to their stock brethren.

The pony cars are pretty bullet proof. Karen’s Camaro famously has well over 400K on the stock bottom end, and stock transmission. The buy in cost of the tires may be the only pain point on these cars as it's nearly $2000 in tires per clip. However, as the tires can be rotated front to rear for more even wear, you can expect to get more than 100 runs out of a set.

The Top Tips

Pick a Chassis, Ask Around: Once you get out of stock class, there are a lot of ideas and many, many ways to reach the same end point. Some will be more costly, some will be more elegant, but it is best to know as much as you can about the options before jumping in with your own dollars. ESP drivers are generally pretty open about their setups, as the idea is that, "you still have to drive it," even if the setup is completely mimicked.

Go With a Pro: If you can afford it, don’t think twice about having a reputable shop do the work for me. When it comes to a motor build, transmission work and the like, many prefer the peace of mind that comes with a skilled professional. Also, a quality performance shop can look at all of the data you've compiled and help you sort through the chaff.

Shop Used: A lot of the parts you will want to source do not really wear out, things like wheels, headers, sway bars and springs. All of the cars that are competitive in the sport have strong online communities where you can find many of these parts for sale used at half the prices of new. Especially when starting out, these parts can give you even more bang for the buck.