Comp School... Here I come?

I was just thinking about it and I have been doing track events since July or August of 1999. When I started, I did about 4 track events (HPDE) per year and about 20-25 autocrosses for the first 3 years. After 3 years in, I built my first fully prepared race car, a '92 Spec Miata and MAN was it sweet! That car was planned to be the one I would go to comp school in and start racing with!

I took it to my first FATT at Summit Point Raceway (all of my prior events were on Jefferson Circuit or VIR with Mazda Club of Washington, now MazdaDrivers.com). My first instructors at this new (to me) track were all of the accomplished MARRS SM drivers, intentionally hand picked by me, to help blueprint my driving knowledge at that track (and coincidently all had nicknames): Alex "The Rat" Ratcliffe, Jim "The Thrill" Thill, "Bad Al" Bell, I think that perhaps even "WWPD" Payton Wilson may have been in the mix (I know I lusted over his gray and blue SM he had for sale at Piper Motorsports in Manassas, and it was my muse for my personal car). That was a Friday and I caught ear that NASA was looking for instructors that Saturday/Sunday, so I jumped at the opportunity and since then have been doing between 15 and 20 events per year with around 5-6 different clubs.

That was at least 9 years and about 6 cars ago. (although I do regret selling some of those cars). But it is time to step up to the plate and play with the big boys!



2008 was in interesting year for me. I traded in my beloved '97 Miata for a Lotus Elise, and determined a few things that season.

• The Elise was an "in-between car" as in it was faster than a MIata, but slower than anything else, and it was boring being alone on the track
• I wanted a car where I had other like cars around me so I could play with them (I was getting bored)
• And finally, instructing and driving was getting numb for me. I frequently found myself saying "Lets see what happens if..." And that is NOT very safe. The rush of driving was slipping away and even stupid students were not scaring me any longer.
• The Lotus, as inexpensive it was to buy, was not nearly as cheap to run on track as the Miata and any damage would be crippling to my track addiction.
• I needed to sell the Lotus and build another race car and get my comp license right away! So I got the car, now it is time for the license!

I have been participating in NASA TT for the past year, I started late in the season and on a whim. The $400 transponder was an impulse buy, I had missed the warm-up at that event, and had about 20 minutes to install the transponder, fill out the TT forms, and get onto the grid. I made it, and I was hooked. I did OK in the season standings for only completing under half of the events and received many 3rd place finishes in TTE.


The 2010 season ended for me in late November, and I am currently in full "prep mode". My car is 98% complete, needs minor bolt on pieces and some set-up. The SCCA double comp school is in March of this year and it is my goal to attend that school. I feel like the more it snows, and the more I browse this and other favorite car forums, the more I get the fever to hit the track.


I don't know if I am going to make it to March!