[emperor_karl_franz]

I bought a mid 90s 250 parts bike quite a few years back with the goal of making a track day bike or perhaps race it but that project was put on hold and I sold the bodywork and swapped wheels onto my running Ninja 250s when I didn't feel like changing the tire. Now I've got the time and energy to fix it up race worthy as well as attend track days and/or race. I bought some cheap fiberglass bodywork, stiffer springs, and cartridge emulators that I had planned in using on my street 250 that I can now put to better use.

So the first question: where can I race it on the East Coast and have it be competitive? My friend who races his CB350 pointed me to WERA F Superstock (under 250cc liquid cooled twins) which seems to fit the bill, and also CCS Ultralight Thunderbike but that goes up to 300cc and I'd likely be at a huge disadvantage compared to the modern Ninja 300, Yamaha R3, etc. The advantage to the Thundersport class is that they are held in NJ VA and WV and I live in southeast PA.

My friend said he seems to recall seeing the slightly newer, aluminum chassis ZZR-250 at WERA races doing well but looking at the specs, the 2hp gain (all from more advanced timing system it seems?) appears like it would be balanced out by 20 extra pounds of heft. Is the stiffer aluminum chassis that much of an upgrade or is it likely folks that search out an international model bike for racing are probably determined and invested enough into racing that they practice a lot more and are generally more skilled, faster racers?

The second question: does anyone on the East coast who races WERA Superstock frequent these message boards? It would be nice to pick their brain a bit before starting to race. my thought would be try a few track days in the spring, then race later spring/summer. I'd like to get my bike regulation ready as far as catch pan, safety wire, coolant flush, etc. One of my big questions seems to be would I need a new key and ignition switch as mine didn't come with them.