By Jim Walker
Of the News-Register

Until my oldest son Dale’s heart problem worsened recently, I was in the midst of a search...

... a search for a race car to begin my third “career” on the asphalt. The first shot at racing spanned 10 years, from 1968 to 1978, in the International Conference of Sports Car Clubs, which drew drivers from western Canada, Washington, Oregon, northern California and Idaho. A few southern California drivers like actor Bob Carradine and Foster Farms magnate Tom Foster occasionally joined in ICSCC fun and competition.

The second stint covered the years 1985-2001 and involved a number of different cars in different classes. Then, for nine years, I left my driver’s suit, helmet and shoes in the bag, trying to submerge the urge to return to this “it-gets-in-your-blood sport”.

But, after watching a few events in 2009, including a vintage race in which Amity’s Steve Walker competed in his immaculate BMWs, the urge once again fought its way to the surface.

That’s when I began talking to my family and considering what type of car I would run in my most recent comeback to my favorite hobby.

Admittedly, during the months — my wife says “years” — leading up to the decision to return to the world of sports car racing after that lengthy hibernation, a number of issues have been surfacing in the rear-view mirror.

Issue number one concerns the long layoff ... can I quickly and efficiently regain the driving skills necessary to race competitively in large fields of fast cars? Heck, can I even pass the driver’s training required to regain my Sports Car Club of America license?

And, can I find a car that won’t break the bank, one that is reliable and relatively inexpensive to run and maintain? (note: the word “relative” is key here. The fact is, no racing at any level is really inexpensive).

During that vetting process, I’ve involved my wife Molly and sons Dale and Jim, both of whom love sports car racing and have helped me with my program in the past. Dale served as crew chief for a number of years, and for a five-year stretch, Jim raced my Camaro IROC, Mustang GT and Chrysler CSX in Showroom Stock classes.

That’s why it took four of us to make a decision: Molly, Dale and JIm all know the sport as well as I do, and their input has been invaluable in the process.

So during the past six months, we’ve looked at, among other cars, sports racers, open-cockpit, tube-frame cars with the body covering the wheels. Engines in the C and D classes are mostly motorcyle-based (some Cs use rotary engines and others regularly car-based motors) and are generally considered to be reliable.

However, after talking to a transplanted Kiwi at a Portland national this summer who drives a D sports racer, he said he’d had several engine and gearbox problems during the current season. Go Formula Mazda, he said, for the biggest bang for the bucks.

At the same event, I ran into an old acquaintance of mine, Mel Kemper from Toledo, Wash. He runs a Formula Mazda and is one of the top competitors on the Pacific Coast in that class. Go Formula Mazda, he said.

So I went to the Formula Mazda Forum on my computer and found two cars for sale fairly close to home.

One was in Sequim, Wash., while the other was located in Willits, Calif. The guy in Sequim had a trailer to sell with the car as a package deal, so that one became my temporary “favorite” — except he never e-mailed me back when I asked him for pictures of the car and trailer. Let’s see... that was in early July, so maybe that car/trailer combo is off the table.

The California gentlemen with a Formula Mazda for sale saw my inquiry about the Washington car on the forum site, jumped at the opportunity to join in on the car-buying conversation and quickly sent me a whole set of pictures plus details about the car including the preferred trailer size.

Which means I’ll have to buy my own trailer if I purchase the car in Willits, which is a nine-hour haul from Salem. Sequim, on the other hand, was only a five-hour drive north via I-5/101. Oh, well, I like the drive down 101 anyway. And, maybe I can talk him into meeting me halfway between Willits and Salem for the exchange of cash for car.

In any event, the Formula Mazda class seems to fit the bill for all of us. Quick (150-mph top end), light (1150 lbs. without driver) good handling — and the FMs stop on a dime.

Plus the sealed engines (sealed to keep competition more equal) are almost bullet-proof. According to Kemper, engines can last for two seasons before a rebuild is required. Some big bore classes, rebuilds come after every event.

If we do return to racing late this year or early next year, it’s likely to be in the cockpit of a Formula Mazda, which might not break the bank and, at the same time, provide a lot of bang for the bucks.

Hopefully, if all the ducks fall into a row, I’ll soon be running SCCA events at Portland International Raceway (PIR), which is only a one-hour tow from my home in West Salem. And I can’t wait to test Oregon Raceway Park, the new track in Grass Valley.

If you have an idea for a column or feature story or a comment, please contact me by e-mail at jwalker@newsregister.com or by phone at 503-687-1274.