Newbie Intro Thread

[StratusChaz]

Hey all! I'm excited to be the first to introduce myself on the Sebeco Forum! I've spent many years around this car and all its iterations and look forward to connecting with everyone on this platform.

My history with the NP01 starts back in 2017 with the NASA Western Endurance Race Championship. We campaigned what was then the Elan NP01 in three races culminating in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill where we finished third in class!

Fast forward a few years and we found ourselves in WRL where we were then able to enter in the GTO field where we won our first race pretty soundly causing an uproar among the production field. However, reliability was not yet our strong suit at the time, so we did not win the championship our first year, but we did win our own class - GTU.

Since then, the car and the GTU field have come a long way! In 2024, we won 12 of the 16 WRL races overall and managed to snag the National Overall Championship for the series. The GTU field is expanding quite a bit for 2025 with the addition of two more two car programs from Round 3 Racing and Automatic Racing, so with all that added competition, I think the Stratus team has our work cut out for us next year. With that said, I can't be more excited to see what the 2025 season brings!

 

[Dnice76]

Hello Sebeco Owners!

My name is Cal. I have been a fan of these cars since they were originally announced back in 2015. I grew up racing multiple cars, but have always been drawn to a spec prototype car. I love everything motorsports and was blessed to have grown up in a family who shared the same passion. I have yet to race an NP01-EVO, but I hope to change that soon.

I currently have the privilege of working with these cars daily and am available to help answer your questions. Together with the rest of the team here at Sebeco, we strive to provide the best ownership experience possible.

 

[racer07]

Hey everyone, I’m Kevin!

I’m a coach with NASA Great Lakes, and when I’m not coaching I track my Miata. I’ve also had the chance to compete in a few Champ Car races and one WRL race at Sebring. I just got my NASA competition license last year, so I'm excited to do more!

I have yet to drive an NP01 but I have some friends who are owners so I hope to hop in one soon!

 

[Charles A. Toupin]

Hi guys!

I just put a deposit on a brand new NP-01-Evo and I'm really looking forward to race it. I should receive it in June and start testing it in July.

I've raced sedans since 2010, mostly Porsches 944's (NA's and Turbo's) but I've also done some racing with 911's, Boxsters and Mercedes AMG GT4. My last few years were more relax in terms of racing schedule and 2025 will be a discovery year for me with the NP-01, with 2026 being a full fledge effort with PSSA.

I'm really looking forward to see the construction progress of my car during the winter/spring.

Here are some pictures of the cars I've had the chance to drive.

 

[J.Frick]

Hello - I am Justin Frick. I became aware of these cars a couple years ago. Mike - I saw your car last weekend at NCM NASA Great Lakes event, but I could never catch you at the car to introduce myself.

I wanted to get in touch with a couple owners to learn more about these. Currently have my eyes on one of (3) NP01s for sale (used) at the moment. I run HPDE 4 in a Corvette and looking to go racing, comp school next year. I have concerns about low car count in my region - and wanted to see what other series or classes the owners ran.

Anyone wanna talk shop? Message me and I can give you my number. Thanks!

 

[JStraight21]

Hello - I am Justin Frick. I became aware of these cars a couple years ago. Mike - I saw your car last weekend at NCM NASA Great Lakes event, but I could never catch you at the car to introduce myself.

I wanted to get in touch with a couple owners to learn more about these. Currently have my eyes on one of (3) NP01s for sale (used) at the moment. I run HPDE 4 in a Corvette and looking to go racing, comp school next year. I have concerns about low car count in my region - and wanted to see what other series or classes the owners ran.

Anyone wanna talk shop? Message me and I can give you my number. Thanks!

Hey Justin! Nice to meet you. If you have any questions about the platform I would be happy to chat with you.

Justin Straight Sales Manager

E: [email protected] T: (770) 225-8848 ext.1 A: 2340 E. Perry Rd, Suite 109, Plainfield, IN 46168 www.sebecomotorsport.com

 

[StratusChaz]

Hello - I am Justin Frick. I became aware of these cars a couple years ago. Mike - I saw your car last weekend at NCM NASA Great Lakes event, but I could never catch you at the car to introduce myself.

I wanted to get in touch with a couple owners to learn more about these. Currently have my eyes on one of (3) NP01s for sale (used) at the moment. I run HPDE 4 in a Corvette and looking to go racing, comp school next year. I have concerns about low car count in my region - and wanted to see what other series or classes the owners ran.

Anyone wanna talk shop? Message me and I can give you my number. Thanks!

Welcome Justin! The NP01 is definitely a good time. I came to it from a Mustang and fell in love with the light weight, high aero performance. I definitely recommend getting in touch with Harry Colson - he's an owner who has a NASA spec car in Ohio who is updating to run WRL next year, but would be good to coordinate with for sprint racing as well - he and Dave Keller like to sync up on what weekends to attend. WRL is definitely the best way to have consistent in-class car count, but the car battles well with Radicals and similar cars - so if you're looking to sprint race, pretty much anywhere you find a Radical will be a good fit for your car.

Which of the used cars are you looking at? I know the cars well and can give you some feedback if you'd like it.

 

[J.Frick]

Thanks for the responses. Looking at:
Chassis # NP01-72 (this will be off market 10/31/2025 to continue to race)
Chassis # NP01-65 (? - Hard for me to read the plate & chassis #) yr of Mfg 2022
Chassis # NP01-XX (2016, cannot get chassis #) yr of Mfg 2016
Chassis # NP01-XX (20??, doesn't list year or chassis #)
Chassis # There is also a Neon Green one for sale in NC, cannot find the link now - will update when I find it.

The above are a mix of 2.0L & 2.5L MZR setups (WRL). I do not wish to go WRL racing at this point. I want to run it in my regional NASA group, however, low car count for the Prototype class. So, it would run ST1, STU depending on EVO, SPX, etc. I've seen some better deals earlier this year, however, who knows what actual condition those were in (Gearbox, engine, etc)

 

[StratusChaz]

Thanks for the responses. Looking at:
Chassis # NP01-72 (this will be off market 10/31/2025 to continue to race)
Chassis # NP01-65 (? - Hard for me to read the plate & chassis #) yr of Mfg 2022
Chassis # NP01-XX (2016, cannot get chassis #) yr of Mfg 2016
Chassis # NP01-XX (20??, doesn't list year or chassis #)
Chassis # There is also a Neon Green one for sale in NC, cannot find the link now - will update when I find it.

The above are a mix of 2.0L & 2.5L MZR setups (WRL). I do not wish to go WRL racing at this point. I want to run it in my regional NASA group, however, low car count for the Prototype class. So, it would run ST1, STU depending on EVO, SPX, etc. I've seen some better deals earlier this year, however, who knows what actual condition those were in (Gearbox, engine, etc)

ST1 is a fun class for these cars! That's what the Florida region guys run for the most part, plus it allows for you to race against other NP01s that are no longer "spec" to the NASA class. The thing to make note of with these used cars is that they all run the old AEM system and harness, so you would really want to upgrade to the Haltech system if you ended up going the used route.

The key thing to note as well is there's been a lot of improvements to these cars over the years, so if you're looking at an older used car, you'll want to review this list: NP01 Update Log. While many of these updates aren't mandatory per se, they will improve the car's performance, longevity, and ease of service. High priority updates would be: Hatech ECU & harness, splitter brace or carbon splitter (ST1 legal), contactless TPS & throttle body.

 

[J.Frick]

Chaz - Thanks so much, that's really good info. I appreciate all the education.