I have always seen people that talk about racing on tracks...so I was wondering what tracks people race on? How do you fare, when you race your car in those types of conditions? Would you be kind enough to provide pictures/links/diagrams of courses that you have run? Something close to NY would be cool. I remember the auto-x course that I went to back at Orange county airport, but I am talking more of a track such as the one's that skip barber uses? Tracks that mimic slot car tracks, on a road surface.

In other words, what kinds of tracks do "average" people drive? I don't have a "mine's bigger than yours" mentality to life, but a desire to learn...so please, be serious, no horsin' around.

Thanks,

i.

Sears Point
Laguna Seca
Road America
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
California Speedway
Portland International Speedway
Willow Springs
Summit Point
Sebring
Texas World Speedway
Thunderhill Park
Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Streets of Willow
Spring Mountain Motorsports Park
Circuit du Mont Tremblant
Shannonville Raceway

I think those are all the tracks I've raced on. You would be interested in Watkins Glen, NY.

Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com

Thanks. Seems like you have seen much track time in your vehicle. I will take a look into the course that you mentioned.

What kinda times do you get, when you race? What's the best times for said courses as compared to what you clock?

Again, thanks.

i.

Originally posted by inthedeck
Thanks. Seems like you have seen much track time in your vehicle. I will take a look into the course that you mentioned.

What kinda times do you get, when you race? What's the best times for said courses as compared to what you clock?

Again, thanks.

i.

Haha I hope you know that Gary races in the USTCC (US Touring Car Championships), which races on those tracks. Hehe and comparing his times to the course records? Haha...so Gary in a WRX verses Helio Castroneves in a Champ car at Laguna Seca for best lap time....my money is on Gary!

I figured that Gary was not your "average" driver...but that's kinda why I wanted to know what types of tracks regular joe's could drive on.

I don't believe that the track in NY allows 'regular' people to drive on it.

I guess I may have to try some auto-x's this year, when the spring begins.

Anyone else know of any good tracks in the NY area that 'non-race car' drivers can drive on?

Later,
i.

All of the tracks I listed typically host lapping day style events for every skill level, including novice.

That pretty much goes for nearly every track in the country.

Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com

I'm just an average driver and have a much shorter list than Gary. I'm driving a pretty slow car street car. Basically it's a stock 914-2.0 that probably has 90 hp at the flywheel (on a good day). The car has Koni adjustable shocks/struts, 19mm front swaybar (stock is 17mm), 140# springs (100# is stock) and R-compound tires (I was using BFG's which are slower than the Hoosiers). That's all that was allowed in my class.

Laguna Seca: 1:55's
Sears Point: 2:05's (haven't run there since 1997)
Buttonwillow (clockwise): 2:18
Thunderhill (either direction): 2:18's

Short list that will hopefully get longer since I'm on hiatus from racing since I have two small children now.

Ahhh track days..........

I miss it, I used to run Bridgehampton a lot back in the late 70's and 80's. Now it's a golf course with condos...... That would have been an awesome course for a REX.

I spent a little time at LimeRock, Bryar, Summit Point, and Pocono long and short. Long was more fun.

Hope to get a few dates in this year.

We are pretty much a run what you brung club, Liverpool Motor Club.

Have fun.

Greg

From NYC, you have some good options.

Lime Rock is one of the best. Great track (my favorite), lots of clubs running on it (at least 6 BMW CCA chapters, Poughkeepsie sports car, COM, Audi, SCDA etc).

NHIS is another 2 1/2 hours north. It's sort of my home track. BMW Boston, White Mt, COM, Audi, SCDA etc run among others.

Watkins Glen is up and west and again, same clubs plus others.

All of these clubs have schools intended to bring novices into track driving using your own car for reasonable fees. You'll need an appropriate helmet (Snell 95-2000 now, depending on club) and about $150-$200 a day in track fee. Volunteer instructors (like me) ride with you and give you on track instruction using a communicator in your helmet so you can actually hear and you'll get classroom instruction before hand and during the day.

The listed clubs do not require that you own one of their cars and you can sign up for track days well in advance. I'd advise you to join one of the clubs and get as much info as possible, then go for it. You will NOT need to modify your car. Learning to drive correctly on the track is worth more seconds than a full race prepped car can give you.

Do a Google search on Lime Rock Park, NHIS (New Hampshire International Speedway) and Watkins Glen to get some track info.

<Jukes....you must be as old as me :D. I've run Bryar as well in Louden....pre-NHIS days. Regular direction: Louden, and reverse: Neduol as well as Bridgehampton.>

jack

Any recommendations for midwest tracks?

thanks

Here are my best laptimes in the WRX. Some were in USTCC trim while others were in Open Track Challenge (OTC) trim.

CW = Clockwise
CCW = Counter Clockwise

Sears Point USTCC............................................. ...............1:53.018
Laguna Seca USTCC............................................. .............1:44.460
Road America USTCC............................................. ............2:40.497
Las Vegas Motor Speedway USTCC (ALMS course)..................1:35.133
Las Vegas Motor Speedway OTC (1.1 Mile Short course CW).....0:55.179
Las Vegas Motor Speedway USTCC (Derek Daly course)...........1:29.742
California Speedway USTCC (1.5 Mile Short course).................1:20.524
Portland International Speedway USTCC................................1:20.719
Willow Springs International Raceway OTC.............................1:32.578
Summit Point Raceway USTCC............................................. 1:25.455
Thunderhill Park OTC............................................... ...........2:05.329
Buttonwillow Raceway Park OTC (#1 CW)..............................2:08.018
Buttonwillow Raceway Park OTC (#14 CCW)...........................1:56.627
Buttonwillow Raceway Park USTCC (#13 CCW).......................2:04.623
Streets of Willow OTC............................................... .........1:31.041
Spring Mountain Motorsports Park OTC..................................1:51.721


Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com

Jack

I am 43 [ just a number, right ]

I guess I gave it away with calling it Bryar, and the Bridge.

I ran most of my events with E.M.R.A / Liverpool MC.

We have a nice schedule for 2003 Including Shannonville and Beaver Run. If anyone is interested www.emraracing.org .

You are so right to promote club racing so well,the instruction can be so good. My instructor ran alot in the late 60s in Britian, Formula Ford and saloons, he actually had instruction fro Jackie Stewart.
Alot of what you learn can come in handy in the real world too, It is all about car control and smoothness. It is not about modding the car till you have modded the driver.

Hope everyone has a great season.

Greg

any other's wanna take a stab at the question?

Of course, any more info. on NY tracks/dates would be great. I will at least come up to a track to see the way it is, if any clubs are due to race there any time after the winter months.

And yes, I understand, learning to drive the car "properly" and more "effectively" is why I asked the question in the first place. Thus, I left it stock, till the driver is a little more modded. Not that I don't believe I could handle the power in the "real" world, but at this point in life, it's not even worth it to try on the highway, or any public road for that matter.

Night.

i.

inthedeck,

Keep that humble mindset while you are learning for the next few years and you'll go far!

There is ALWAYS something to learn. A big ego is surest way to suck for a long time.

Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com

Summit Point Raceway N.A.S.A., SCCA, PCA
Watkins Glen P.C.A.
Road Atlanta Panoz PRO RACE
Mid Ohio P.C.A.
Sebring, Panoz
Virginia International Raceway. Speedvision TEST

944 t g

Does anyone know how to get started in these organized events? I got the Scca membership when I bought my wagon, but magazine is fairly opaque about what the requirements are to start club racing. On top of that, the region I'm in (Chatanooga), doesn't seem to be very active in road racing. Should I just show up at Road Atlanta for one of their track days? Where's a good place that lays out a good plan to get started in amateur racing?

Hello,

I think there's one thing missing here...

"Racing" means wheel to wheel action, usually requiring a full rollcage, some fire suppression system (sometimes just a firebottle is fine, in many organizations, "racing" means something automatic/pull a pin type).

"Club Racing" is "racing" but for no, or just about no, money.

"Track Days" is where folks like you and me take their street cars to the "race" tracks and drive around at significantly slower speeds than "racers" usually, and with no wheel to wheel. Advanced groups will have open passing, but beginers will usually be limited to passing on one or two straights and that's it. That's to limit the exposure your daily driver (and your life) get to dangerous situations. Well managed "track days" almost always end with no on-track incidents. No one gets hurt, no cars get hurt. Aggressive or compulsively stupid people get kicked out or off the track.

If you want to get a feel for racing in a production based car, go to a track day and get some instruction from (hopefully) a licensed racer, or at the least, someone with lots of track day experience. The latter is not as desireable and before people beat me down for it, I used to instruct at track days, and now, two years have passed since I last drove on a track. I now know, from my race team experience, that I was a total moron when it came to driving. I knew 1/10th of what I know now and I still think the slowest NASCAR driver could probably drive a beat up civic around most tracks faster than I could drive the WRX racecar. :) Sure, learning the ropes from me is better than from no one, but a weekend with me in the car with you won't teach you as much as an hour with Gary in the car...

Of course, your other option is to start off in a racing program - a racing school - and learn things the right way, from the start. But before you know that you want to do that, you might want to take a trip of self-discovery and just attend some track days.

Go to google, type in the name of the track near you, add the word track day to your search, and you're bound to find some useful links (ie, google: thunderhill track day (http://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&safe=off&q=thunderhill+track+day) and then click on the results and you'll see names of clubs and you'll find schedules of track days. For example, you'll find links to Donutzracing (http://www.donutzracing.com/de/calendar.html) and you'll see their schedule.

Then send an email to their contact info address and say "I've never been to the track, and I'd like to do a track event. I see you have one at [track] on [date]. Is there a chance you can set me up with an instructor for that event?"

That's all it takes. You'll be on your way into the pinacle of our overly expensive hobby. Track guys seem to spend inconceivable amounts of money on cars, tires, events, hotels, food, etc. :)

Good luck, have fun,
My time at T-hill in my Miata, CCW with the cyclone, was 2:27... 22 seconds slower than the WRX, and 6 seconds slower than Gary when he jumped into MY car that _I_ know better than anyone else and he "showed me how little I knew" :)

Joel

I figured that patience and some "expertise" are what are required to pull record times at tracks. However, I know for sure that I am not at that level, or close to it, seeming as though I have never been to a track...just watched an autocross, and that's about it.

In time, though, I am sure that I will attend a track day, and learn the ropes for a little while. I wouldn't want to hurt anyone, so I would tend to steer away from being obnoxious (no pun intended).

But thanks for the link info. I am sure to check it out, and time permitting, I am sure to make it to a track in NY sometime when the weather is slightly warmer. Of course I wish that I could afford to go to a racing school, such as Skip Barber, etc. but no such luck. I have a hard enough time trying to keep up with the payments on the car...(although NONE have been late).

Other than that, thanks again for the replies....keep more coming.

Later,
i.