whats a good way to get into racing?

[blacknightteg]

so i really really wana start doing racing events and what not. i've loved racing all my life. bene into alms, indy car and so on and so forth. anything on a road course really. well i have alwasy had an interst in wanting to start racing some how but i never know how to go about it. what would be a good way to start?

[Paree4g63]

*Driving(Racing) School
*Drag? Drift? Or Autocross?
*You gotta qualify(audition) to be allowed to enter competitions if you meet all the requirements.
*If your good enough, people will sponsor you.
*Put your car out there if its got potential.
*Time & Efffort(traveling to events as they appear); You'll experience alot and people will aknowledge your existence and efforts.
*$$$$$$$(Makes the world go round) ; Trial & Error

Good luck:goodjob:

[95alty]

*Driving(Racing) School
*Drag? Drift? Or Autocross?
*You gotta qualify(audition) to be allowed to enter competitions if you meet all the requirements.
*If your good enough, people will sponsor you.
*Put your car out there if its got potential.
*Time & Efffort(traveling to events as they appear); You'll experience alot and people will aknowledge your existence and efforts.
*$$$$$$$(Makes the world go round) ; Trial & Error

Good luck:goodjob:

quoted precisely

[j0nbunklah0m]

good luck!

[The Yousef]

wrong forum dumbass...

~moved~

[Elbow]

Get a LOT of money first. If you want to road race, do some karting. Skip Barber is a good investment school wise. Autocross. Talk to everyone you can and get your name out. But you have to win, a lot, for anyone to care. Once again MONEY. Get your SCCA license, rent a car, and win. ALMS is not cheap, just to run Sebring it would have costed me like 40k. The better you get, the more support you can pickup. But to get PAID to race is hard in the US road race wise. If you want to race as a career don't waste time building your own car, rent one, or buy one semi built or ready to go with a good history.

If you just want it as a hobby, go autocross, join the SCCA and do PDX sessions (one this Sunday at Road Atlanta, come out and see how it works), just have fun. SCCA is a great place for a hobby or people moving up a ladder. Def. the best racing club in the US I think.

[DinanM3atl]

Hmmmm

First I would ask racing your own car with friends or a paid race seat?

[dazn]

hopefully you mean racing for fun cuz if you expect to race professionally then you should have started about the time you learned to walk,lol.
but seriously though, being a paid driver is ridiculously hard. Most drivers pay to race even in some of the high level forms of motorsports.
I am going to assume that you just want to do it for fun.
My suggestion would be to start in NASA. Doing a High Performance Driving Experience(HPDE) with them just to see if you really enjoy it before you spend a bunch of money on a racing school or rent/buy/build a racecar.
http://www.nasaproracing.com/hpde/index.html
That is where you want to start. You can do the HPDE in your own street car that you drive daily as long as it passes the tech inspection which is really pretty basic. Also I would make sure the car is perfect mechanically because being hard on the car for just a few minutes on the track can bring out problems you wouldnt expect. Also have newish good quality pads,bleed your brakes and have some decent tires.
After you do the HPDE to see if you like it then you can continue with the NASA HPDE to Liscencing program or you can do any number of things.
Skip Barber is a great learning and liscencing tool but is very pricey compared to others, but like I said, it is a great program. The cost of the program includes car rental and a few other things.
http://skipbarber.com/
SCCA has driver's school a few times a year. In Febuary there is a Double Driver school that I would recommend because it is essentially two drivers schools in one weekend so you may receive your novice liscence without doing two weekends unless you just really want the experience.
For these events you must have a SCCA legal race car. You can rent cars from quite a few companies. I work for a company that rents Spec Miatas and ITA CRX's and Integras so if and when it comes to this point let me know and I can help you there.
http://www.scca.org/contentpage.aspx?content=43

no matter how you do it racing is not cheap. Even the Spec Miatas can cost as much as 40K for the top of the line most competitive 99 Miata with all the works.

hope this helps, feel free to ask anything

[greasemunkey]

shiit breaks don't do it. Unless you can find a good sponsor...

[osiriskidd]

shiit breaks don't do it. Unless you can find a good sponsor...

thats stupid, if he has his heart set on it let him do it.

how's he going to find a sponsor without actually competing

[Zeeb]

www.soloatlanta.com is a very good way to start, cheap too. sports car club of america... google them, solo atlanta is an autoXingseries, or league, or wat ever in atlanta, they race at turner field parking lot, six flags, and maybe some other places, also just keep ur head out for things like track days, like im an s2katlanta member and we have track days a couple times a year, and we are going to little talladega this weekend, should be fun,

[Zeeb]

thats stupid, if he has his heart set on it let him do it.

how's he going to find a sponsor without actually competing

he has an accord, look at his name, lol a traction ftl, he must know about things breaking.

[OnURleft]

Sign up for some autocrosses..do about 15 of them then make a new post. What next? Then we can move on.

[AnthonyF]

driving through the gate is a good way or lining up next to some1 at a light is another start. :)


j/k seriousness... PM MatthewAPM HE KNOWS HIS SH*T!

[Hamhands]

auto-x. plain and simple.

[blacknightteg]

i appreciate all the insight to this. As most of you probably can guess, i would be a complete novice. the only thing that i am afraid of is the fact that the car that i would be using is my DD, so in the end i know for a fact it would definetly be pricey. But yes, it would be a passion that i would love to persue. im would just be nervous at going about it which ever way i did the first time.

[Elbow]

Autocross first, learn a lot, not too hard on the car. :)

[WiSeBoi84]

I'm trying to do the same thing my friend, except I don't really care too much about racing. I want to drift, I mean I WANT TO DRIFT! Its every waking thought these days. My fingers stay numb from playing Forza 2 because its the closest I can get at the moment. As soon as I find away to support holding on to this accord as my DD and buying a 240 it will be time to start putting my name out there. Let me know how it goes if (when) you start to get your foot in the door.

[SPOOLIN]

what kind of racing do you want to participate in?

[blacknightteg]

holy bring thread back batman! anyways, im wanting racing in the area of road racing, i dont really care too much about drag. not really my thing

[DinanM3atl]

Autocross first, learn a lot, not too hard on the car. :)

I feel that autox weekend if more abuse on the car than a track day. My opinion.

[StraightSix]

The speed differentials on the autocross course aren't as severe as those at a track day. Most regional autocross aren't going to require a driver to slow from 150+ MPH to say ~90MPH (I'm estimating somewhat based on a ride in one of my former instructor's SN95 Mustang GT at Roebling). Basically, the kinetic energy generated by a car on a road course will be much greater than that generated by one on an autocross course.

Autocrossing is held by many to about as stressful on a car as one's daily commute. The speeds are similar and while things are happening in a shortened time frame, there's really nothing more severe than what would be seen in typical street driving.

[greasemunkey]

he has an accord, look at his name, lol a traction ftl, he must know about things breaking.wow, I forgot about this thread...and actually I had an eg at that time...it was not fun in the rain with a b20, hence the "traction FTl.."

[JBizzlebone]

Participating in Autocross is meant to be a hobby, nothing more. Anything you learn while autocrossing will go out the window once you start road racing.

As others have stated, decide if you want to do it for fun or professional. If you want to do it for fun, first thing I would recommend is making sure your car is properly maintained and safe. Oil leaks, worn out suspension, etc. Before you spend your money on racing, make sure your car is up to par. Once you've done that, there are TONS of avenues for you to participate in any kind of racing you can think of. Autocross is cheap, it's a good start to learn the basics and really learn how to push your car to it's limits. As Dinan said, it's really rough on your car, but you'll find out what your car can and cannot do.

Once you're comfortable with Autocross, you can move onto other forms of racing. Since your car is FWD, I would recommend Road Racing. Again, make sure your car is in tip top shape, especially the brakes. I would recommend changing the brake fluid out for some fluid with a higher boiling point. It's not necessary but makes your experience a lot safer. As stated above, NASA is a great avenue as you can opt to have an instructor in the car with you teaching you what you should and shouldn't be doing. They'll time your laps to see if you're getting better and give you tips on how to be faster. It's an incredible experience and I think everyone should do it at least once.

The beauty of doing it as a hobby is that you can go at your own pace and mod your car accordingly. It would be a good idea to start with your car stock, or however it sits now. It gives you a better sence of how your mods are actually affecting your car. It makes that money you just droped a lot more worth it. Nothing beats adding some sway bars to your car and shaving time off your lap.

If you do decide you want to race professionaly I would suggest getting into drifting before anything if you can. Nothing can teach you car control quite like drifting can. Most will flame me for saying that, but get someone who actually drifts and they'll agree. Anyone can brake and take the inside line of a corner, but few can do it sideways. Getting into drifting might not be feasible for you or you just might not be into it, and thats fine. You can follow the same steps as if you were doing it as a hobby and just devote yourself to it and live and breathe the ****. In order to succeed, you'll have to goto as many events as you can, racing or not. You've got to show sponsors you're devoted to the cause. This is where drifting can make it easier also. Most of the companies have shifted their focus onto drifting because of how popular it is starting to become. If you show up at every event and you can and put together some impressive lap times, drift skill, you'll have no problem finding sponsors.

You just have to ask yourself how much time do you want auto racing to take out of your life. Do some work on your car, buy a helmet, and sign up. it's that simple.


Johnny

[StraightSix]

It's not necessary but makes your experience a lot safer. As stated above, NASA is a great avenue as you can opt to have an instructor in the car with you teaching you what you should and shouldn't be doing. They'll time your laps to see if you're getting better and give you tips on how to be faster. It's an incredible experience and I think everyone should do it at least once.



NASA will never time laps in a HPDE session. It is strictly forbidden by the CCR. HPDE is an excellent way to learn how to drive on track, but it is NOT racing and thus not timed. The instructor should not be timing the students laps, either.

[JBizzlebone]

NASA will never time laps in a HPDE session. It is strictly forbidden by the CCR. HPDE is an excellent way to learn how to drive on track, but it is NOT racing and thus not timed. The instructor should not be timing the students laps, either.

Hrm, someone has been lying to me then. I've heard from a couple creditable sources that the instructor will sit in the car with you with a stopwatch and time your laps. This sadens me if they don't. I would love to know if I'm getting faster or not. :(

[blacknightteg]

holy bring back thread. but thanks for the advice!

[JBizzlebone]

Meh, sorry black, easy to get sidetracked. Hope my post was at least somewhat helpful.

[StraightSix]

Hrm, someone has been lying to me then. I've heard from a couple creditable sources that the instructor will sit in the car with you with a stopwatch and time your laps. This sadens me if they don't. I would love to know if I'm getting faster or not. :(

You will know without a stop watch if you're getting faster, trust me. TMK, there are no instructors with NASA that are timing students. If there are, then that needs to stop...immediately. I should probably note here that I'm Co-chief of Timing and Scoring for NASA-SE. Out of curiosity, are your credible sources NASA instructors?

Here's how I gauge my progress in getting to know a track and getting faster. I usually can tell that I've clicked off a good lap when my shift points are changing on track, i.e. shifting sooner implying that more speed was carried through a corner. Another good way, I've found, has been my instructor while in the car. The less an instrutor talks to you, usually the better the you are driving.

[JBizzlebone]

You will know without a stop watch if you're getting faster, trust me. TMK, there are no instructors with NASA that are timing students. If there are, then that needs to stop...immediately. I should probably note here that I'm Co-chief of Timing and Scoring for NASA-SE. Out of curiosity, are your credible sources NASA instructors?

Here's how I gauge my progress in getting to know a track and getting faster. I usually can tell that I've clicked off a good lap when my shift points are changing on track, i.e. shifting sooner implying that more speed was carried through a corner. Another good way, I've found, has been my instructor while in the car. The less an instrutor talks to you, usually the better the you are driving.

Extremely helpful info. If we keep this up, it might be worthy of slapping a sticky on it.

[StraightSix]

Well, this thread keeps coming back, lol.

[Elbow]

Yeah def. no timing for HPDE or PDX. And not all you learn at autocross goes out the window in road racing...I do both...and can see how somethings can come over and help.

[DinanM3atl]

Yeah def. no timing for HPDE or PDX. And not all you learn at autocross goes out the window in road racing...I do both...and can see how somethings can come over and help.

Auto-X is a GREAT way to learn down to the bone "Car Control".

[JBizzlebone]

Auto-X is a GREAT way to learn down to the bone "Car Control".

See, I'm not sure I agree with that. You can never really get up enough speed to just throw your car into a corner and see how it's going to react. Not like road racing anyway. From what I've experienced, autoX is just a series of extremely tight turns in different directions. All it's really taught me so far is throttle modulation. I autocross a FWD atm so I'm always having to modulate the throttle is keep from pushing so damn bad. See, in Road Racing you're approaching corners at a high rate of speed so if you use what you've learned in autocross, you're going to **** yourself because you didn't have that forward momentum in autoX. It's a much different experience IMO.

[StraightSix]

See, I'm not sure I agree with that. You can never really get up enough speed to just throw your car into a corner and see how it's going to react. Not like road racing anyway. From what I've experienced, autoX is just a series of extremely tight turns in different directions. All it's really taught me so far is throttle modulation. I autocross a FWD atm so I'm always having to modulate the throttle is keep from pushing so damn bad. See, in Road Racing you're approaching corners at a high rate of speed so if you use what you've learned in autocross, you're going to **** yourself because you didn't have that forward momentum in autoX. It's a much different experience IMO.

I disagree.

You cannot change vehicle dynamics, which are essentially physics. Weight transfer is weight transfer, no matter the speed involved. Understeer at autocross speeds is still understeer.

Thinking about both track events and autocross events from a more fundamental point of view will help you drive better at both. Momentum is just as much a factor in doing well at an autocross as it is to setting fast laps on a race track.

The biggest issue with experienced autocrossers doing track events is getting the driver to make less abrupt changes in the car's direction. Autocrossers typically will throw the car into corners and not be as smooth on a road course and that's not so good. It's important in both track driving and autocross to be as smooth as possible, but the transitions at an autocross happen much more quickly.

[yogi08]

Karting is a pretty decent way to learn, as well... depending on how much $$ you got. usually $300 will get you a saturday and sunday of racing with WKA (i think). that includes fee to camp there too. everything. gas. tires. maybe new gaskets for your motor, depending how much you eat ;). and usually people spend more than 300 on TIRES alone when racing at roebling in even an miata. do correct me if iam wrong!

[Elbow]

Karting FTW, but start EARLY if you want to turn pro lol

[StraightSix]

Karting is a pretty decent way to learn, as well... depending on how much $$ you got. usually $300 will get you a saturday and sunday of racing with WKA (i think). that includes fee to camp there too. everything. gas. tires. maybe new gaskets for your motor, depending how much you eat ;). and usually people spend more than 300 on TIRES alone when racing at roebling in even an miata. do correct me if iam wrong!

Karting is a GREAT way to go. Karters are generally very smooth once he/she gets behind the wheel of a car on track. I have a friend who's brother is now a HPDE3, and he's only driven two previous HPDEs with NASA (this is usually something that takes a year plus with the NASA DE program). The kid has been karting for a while and is now making the transition to sports cars.

The tire cost for a say a Spec Miata varies. Some people will only run a shaved set of RA-1s for an event or two and then get new tires...to the tune of about $600/set. Some people will run one set of tires for an entire season, it really depends on the individual's budget and competitiveness. The costs involved in road racing are going to end up being similar to the costs for being competitve in karting. Now matter how you slice it, racing is expensive.

[yogi08]

You can get a decent kart setup (125cc shifter) or you could go enduro.... but roebling has to be the track that has taught me most of what i know.

at roebling in a kart there is no braking, basicly. but dont let those karts fool you, wheni was racing we were up to 110+ on the straight away before letting off the throttle for turn 1.

[yogi08]

Karting FTW, but start EARLY if you want to turn pro lol
early if you want to turn pro... but it seems all the OP wants is seat time. you still get a rush from karting as well.

[Elbow]

^Oh, and true.

I wish I still did karting.

[EJ25RUN]

i have yet to try a shifter cart.

[Elbow]

i have yet to try a shifter cart.

Do it.

[EJ25RUN]

Do it.

you more than anyone should know its not that easy.

[yogi08]

you more than anyone should know its not that easy.
WKA usually has a 125cc shifter and 125cc enduro people can "test" to see what they like most. all you have to do is pay the $20 weekend pass.

[JBizzlebone]

I disagree.

You cannot change vehicle dynamics, which are essentially physics. Weight transfer is weight transfer, no matter the speed involved. Understeer at autocross speeds is still understeer.

Thinking about both track events and autocross events from a more fundamental point of view will help you drive better at both. Momentum is just as much a factor in doing well at an autocross as it is to setting fast laps on a race track.

The biggest issue with experienced autocrossers doing track events is getting the driver to make less abrupt changes in the car's direction. Autocrossers typically will throw the car into corners and not be as smooth on a road course and that's not so good. It's important in both track driving and autocross to be as smooth as possible, but the transitions at an autocross happen much more quickly.


I can see where you're coming from. Seeing as you've a lot more experience on the track than I have I really have no grounds to argue upon. I've just always heard that people going from Autocross to driving on the track find it to be a completely different experience, and as you stated, tend to have to re-learn the whole process. I just need to stfu and get on the track and find out for myself.

~Johnny

[EJ25RUN]

WKA usually has a 125cc shifter and 125cc enduro people can "test" to see what they like most. all you have to do is pay the $20 weekend pass.

didnt know that, thanx.

[1moreaccord]

So about autoX..

If i wanna start don't i need to register, and get my car checked, then do they put you in a class?

where do you start once you decide you wanna autoX ?

[Elbow]

Go to www.soloatlanta.com

Look at the schedule

Register online (join SCCA it's cheaper)

Read the rulebook, first time out? Run NOVICE class, it will introduce you to autocross, and make it easier to get into. You don't have to worry about a class then.

You get your car checked AT the event, it's basic tech, take all loose objects out, make sure wheels are tight and you have all lug nuts, battery tie down, etc.

Everyone at the event is very nice and helpful, you will suck your first time, but that's the fun of it, getting better and better. But like I said www.soloatlanta.com...that's where all the Atlanta Region SCCA autocross stuff is at!