What Are You Waiting For?

GT wildfire,

Great thought however it’s far more complex than that. Since there are so many clubs that rent tracks the tracks themselves tend not to recommend any one club more than others for obvious reasons so contacting the track themselves is generally not the right approach. But not to worry clubs like NASA hold large events all over the place most of the time. There are many tracks but if you want to run on them you have to have a racing liscense and to rent a track for private use is very expensive. That is where becoming a member of a nationally recognized racing/driving organization come into play. It is organizations like NASA who pay to rent the track as well as insurance, corner workers, ambulance and medical/safety services and more. Then as a member everything is taken care of for you for a minimal entry fee. Because the organization is “leasing” that track you are not required to have a racing license to attend HPDE events.

There are at least two major racing organizations and there are other groups that rent tracks for group event as well but my personal experiences would warn anyone to be careful who you run with but that’s another story.

To get the most people on the tracks, just gotta make it easy as possible for them to get the info they need so they can take the next step.
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I think any site that has to do with performance autos should at least have a link to such a resource. Would take some effort, but I guess most tracks have websites and most of those sites have pages dealing with racer entries which could be directly linked. Also could include all local autocross and other local organizations, at least the ones with websites and phone numbers for those without.
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Finally, try and expand to include offroad, rock climbing, motocross, etc. basically anything that uses a motor and wheels.
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One more thing. CarDomain has over 1/2 million members, many active or semi-active. That’s A LOT of clout or at least should be. I could be wrong but I don’t think there’s another place like this that’s this vast on the Internet. With this in mind, maybe some tracks will offer discounts to CD members???

Opening up the throttle on the street is like playing air guitar. I’m sure that can get the blood moving and be fun, but compared with running Laguna Seca, well that would be more like doing a set with Aerosmith, in contrast.
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I always wanted to run the 24 hours Nurburgring, arguably the most insane race anywhere on Earth. Unfortunately, being who I am, where I am, doing what I do and how much I have available after the bills are paid well… at least there’s GranTurismo4.
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If I manage to snag a C4, which is in my future plans, I’ll do Autocross and drag racing. Surprisingly my wife supported this idea although I may have to remind her of that when the time comes.

Hello Redneck,

First of all I want to thank you for your comments. Having come from that same school of thinking many years ago I too understand why you (and others) tend to feel the way you do. Respectfully I would like to use your post as an example simply because it was first so please do not take offense.

Let’s try to break your post down…

Redneck: street racing well always be around!!

GF: You will get no argument from me on this one. On the other hand, that doesn’t mean we should just turn our back on it and say, “Oh Well.” If that outlook made any sense it would be the same as saying, “Drugs will always be around.” Personally I feel if we (meaning responsible racers, adults, blog’s, magazines, racing organizations and others) make an honest attempt to educate and teach young drivers the many options they have available to them we can make a worthwhile change. I realize street racing will always be around but if an effort only made a small improvement that’s better than doing nothing at all.

Redneck: you can make more money.

GF: I have to be completely blunt on this one. I would be willing to wager you do not make any money at all street racing. This is “typically” just something that guys tells their buddies or girlfriends to make them look cool. “We” all did it. The truth is, if you added up all the expenses you spend on your car, (i.e., gas, insurance, maintenance, new parts, etc. not to mention wear and tear) and then subtract that from what you say you won racing, it would be a loss. Trust me, I have raced professionally for years and even with large purses and a pro team it is very difficult to say you can make more money street racing than you can as a pro.

Redneck: have more fun cuz of the adrenalin you get.

GF: You are way wrong on this one buddy. If you don’t think you don’t get a rush by keeping your foot in the throttle while ripping thru the famous corkscrew at Laguna Seca or catching air at 150 miles per hour or racing amongst some of the fastest cars in the world, think again. And before you think you will never be able to race amongst them all I can say is, “Think again” but it is entirely realistic. Yes, even on a budget. Except for the satisfaction of knowing what reliable cars I build if it were not for the adrenaline I would not be racing nor would anyone else.

Redneck: you can do it any where any time, its cheaper to do…there are no rule.

GF: This is one of the BIGGEST misconceptions about road racing there is. It is NOT cheaper to put people’s lives at risk let alone your car especially when you add in the cost of tickets, accidents and higher insurance race for everyone else including those who do not deserve it. An entire weekend on even a world famous race course is less than many young people spend on a single weekend.

Redneck: there’s more competition, no one has to know what your running.

GF: You must be kidding? When is the last time you spent any time at a race track? If you think there is no competition then you should make a trip to the track and take all the prize money. In most cases, cars that run in series often run within a few seconds of each other all the way from 1st place to last. Trust me, if it’s competition you want go to the track. Besides, what fun is it for some guy to race his Viper against some Supra and then stand around and bad mouth each other? Same old BS… Muscle car VS Rice Rocket. Personally I’m like all cars but I prefer to be impressed by someone’s ability to handle a car. Most of what we are talking about here are excuses to mask someone lack of ability and nothing more. (Excuses being the key word.)

Redneck: the problem with legit racing is there aren’t tracks everywhere…it cost money to get in..there are a lot of rules..it cost a lot to get a license ..once you have been racing awhile it becomes work and not fun…time racing is boring.

GF: I race all over the world and I have raced in a lot of tracks in the U.S. and Mexico and never have I found it difficult to find a track on any weekend. Keep in mind, many of us actually drive our cars to a track for a weekend of racing and then back home again so don’t think all our racing is done in high dollar machinery. What seems like more fun to you… Bragging about some illegal street race on some back street or telling them how much better you are driving since your last weekend at (insert name of famous race track) a few weeks ago? Here’s that BS about “cost money to get in” again. An entire weekend at a major track including an instructor, lots of track time, driver’s meetings, and more fun than you can shake a stick at typically cost less than $150 and with NASA it even includes a free barbeque on Saturday with more food and drink than you can get down. Besides, I GAURENTEE you will be a better driver and faster even after your very first day. In most cases the newbies return for more and they bring their friends too. I know some guys who pitch in a few bucks to pay the entry fees and then end up eating the food too.

Redneck: if i could go to road america or some other track and get in just like at a drag strip my buddies and i would do it cuz road racing is a lot more fun then drag racing but we can’t do that cuz are cars don’t met there requirements and we dont have racing license.

GF: Wrong again on all counts. By simply going to events like the ones NASA and other organizations put on YOU can get out on tracks like Road America, Infineon, Sebring, Daytona, Lime Rock and many more. As for cars meeting requirements, that too is no problem. All you have to have is a car (no SUV’s) that meets a simple safety tech inspection that you yourself can perform. Tight wheel bearings, remove hubcaps, remove all loose items inside car and so on. If your car can’t meet those simple safety standards then you shouldn’t be driving it in the first place.

The bottom line is… For too many years young drivers (myself included) have been under the believe that they would not fit into some group of racers at the track. They seem to think they need an expensive formula car or something and that it cost thousands of dollars to become part of it. That’s far from the truth. All of us started out driving turds with four wheels and one thing I am betting that will surprise you is how willing everyone at the track will be to help you on your way to an adventure you will never forget.

It’s all about doing your home works, asking questions and NOT being afraid to ask what you may consider to be stupid questions.

I think GTwildfire’s thoughts about CarDomain posting a list of track is an awesome idea. The hours of operation and cost are not something you need because it is far less expensive to join a group like NASA for example than it is to rent a track for yourself. Example, when we rent a track for the day, we can not take passengers (for instruction or teaching) and it is VERY expensive. But when we go on a NASA weekend it’s borderline on cheap. There are even some new offers recently made available for first timers to get a special offer.

Redneck, Thanks for letting me single you out and if you or anyone else wants to know how simple it is to get your car out on a great track just let me know and we’ll make it happen. One thing I do know for sure is, the first time you are driving on some world class road course and you begin to realize the famous names who have raced there and now it’s YOU on the track, you will have a hard time wiping the smile off your face. The last race I was at had several hundred famous names racing while I was and that could very easily be you.

I would whole-heartedly agree that there are plenty of tracks for young kids to get there speed kicks on, but it still wont keep their egos in check. Most of these kids that risk others lives on the roads are looking for that instant thrill of proving whose faster on the street. For that there is no solution
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Rob I second that the track locater is a good idea. Especially if they allow “run what ya brung” events. Lebanon Valley NHRA Dragway in Lebanon NY has open test and tunes every Wednesday night in the summer. But I’d really love to drive a road course.

I don’t want to start anything here, but it was VERY painful to read your post, redneck. Everything that Gary said was very true. It seems to me like you’ve never tried legal racing, so don’t knock it. And please, for the love of God, TRY to spell a word or two correctly in your next post.

street racing well always be around!!
you can make more money, have more fun cuz of the adrenalin you get, you can do it any where any time, its cheaper to do…there are no rule…theres more compition ..no one has to know what your running..theres more to…the problem with legit racing is there aren’t tracks everywhere…it cost money to get in..there are a lot of rules..you never get any money except pocket change if you join a division..it cost a lot to get a license ..once you have been racing awhile it becomes work and not fun…time racing is boring..but so can drag racing cuz thats all that street racing is……if i could go to road america or some other track and get in just like at a drag strip my buddies and i would do it cuz road racing is a lot more fun then drag racing but we can’t do that cuz are cars don’t met there requirements and we dont have racing license ..so we will stick to the street

Great idea GTWildfire. I’ll look into it.

Maybe, just maybe CarDomain could carve out a section that lists tracks nationwide, their hours of operation, costs involved and requirements? Could also allow for feedback on tracks by people who ran there, maybe… as well as provide info on what should be done to prepare for the track.