39 replies to this topic

[Andrew Stowell]

I wouldn't want to drive my race car to the track, even though it is only an hour drive. It has been well worth buying an SUV and trailer, just because I can bring all my tools and tires, and how comfortable the drive is. The race car is just too loud and stiff, and with no A/C or heat, it's not something I want to drive home tired from a day of racing.

 

Another option that hasn't been mentioned, is you can often rent garage space at the track. I know people that do this and even share space to lower the cost. You would have to get the car towed, or rent a truck and trailer if you need to take it somewhere, but you shouldn't need to do that very often. I don't think anything could be easier than leaving the car and tools at the track at the end of the day. Since you live close, I don't think it would be a big deal to have to drive to the track when you need to work on the car.

[LarryKing]

 

I drive my street car 997 GT3 with a cage all the time

 

Full cage in the GT3 or a rollbar behind the seats? If a full cage was it a factory installation?

 

I'm only asking 'cause I want to know.

[manthony121]

Thank you to everyone for their input.  As promised, I talked to my car-inspector friend, showed him a picture of a typical SM car, and he assured me that it could easily pass inspection in NY.  He pointed me to the part of the DMV website to download the actual inspection standards that inspectors use.  There are, specifically, NO requirements for airbags, ABS brakes, etc.  5, 6, and 7 point seatbelts are fine, as long as they are securely anchored, fasten and release when they should.  The catalytic converter needs to be in place for inspection, but could be swapped out on track days.

 

Andrew: I didn't know that long term storage was an option at some tracks.  That would also be helpful.  I'll look into that.

 

Jim: We are all enjoying the "survivor effect".  Those who didn't survive their teenage adventures aren't around to marvel at how unlikely it is that they survived!  The only sure bet is that we're all going to die of something, some day.  I sure hope I'm having fun when it happens!

[Kyle Keenan]

Another option, and one that I've done, is find a local towing company that wants some advertising.....

 

I've got a guy here in Vancouver, WA that "sponsors" my racing efforts literally by towing my race car on his flat bed truck. He likes it because it's great advertisement for him (Guy at the track with a tow truck = everyone's friend) and I like it because it gets my car to and from the track. Obviously, not everyone lives within 30 or so minutes of the track like I do, but something to consider. 

I used to drive my car to-from the track, and honestly I won't do it again. Hit my head years ago while practicing my exit test for world challenge, and even with padding, was enough to bruise my forehead quite a bit. Factor in a moving vehicle in that situation and there's no way anyone could come out of it a winner. 

[manthony121]

...But then he said, "Let me hear your horn", luckily race trucks have horns to warn the buggies they are about to get run over, (Miatas don't, a bicycle horn with a squeeze bulb is sufficient - I recommend a Barbie themed pink one, it is a Miata after all).

No luck.  I got a copy of the NY DMV inspection standards.  Horns with a squeeze bulb are only allowed if the car had them as original equipment.  Meddlesome government regulations!

 

 

[Chris D.]

I think the conversations here have put enough of a fright into me that methinks I'm going to need to invest in a trailer. Or at minimum a tow dolly.

Perhaps I've already tempted fate by driving to the track for 10 years now without incident. Plus, a nice air conditioned drive home sounds appealing. Climbing back into the race car after those mid summer races does tend to suck.

[manthony121]

I think the conversations here have put enough of a fright into me that methinks I'm going to need to invest in a trailer. Or at minimum a tow dolly.

Perhaps I've already tempted fate by driving to the track for 10 years now without incident. Plus, a nice air conditioned drive home sounds appealing. Climbing back into the race car after those mid summer races does tend to suck.

I have no doubt that a trailer and tow vehicle is the way to go.  However, I'm not real good at public relations, and my wife is giving me some less than positive vibes about what I'm planning to spend.  She does have some interest in getting an RV, so it's either going to be a racecar or an RV that can be used as a tow vehicle.  In any case, I can put up with the inconvenience of driving a track car on the public roads for 20 miles for the sake of being able to say "I wanna buy a race car." versus "I wanna buy a race car.  And a trailer.  And a tow vehicle.  And rent space somewhere to keep it all."

[manthony121]

I am reminded of the adage, "It is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission"

[Chris D.]

However, I'm not real good at public relations, and my wife is giving me some less than positive vibes about what I'm planning to spend.  

 

Believe me....I've been there......

[manthony121]

Believe me....I've been there......

I wonder how much jewelry gets figured into the average racing budget?

[granracing]

Many people have started out driving their race cars to the track. A friend of mine drove his often from Baltimore to Summit Point, the Glen, and other tracks. It was a Civic si, so had a lot more room to put tools and so forth but if you get a small trailer, that would help. The key to this is being sure to plan ahead, and have back-up plans for when stuff goes wrong at the track. Things are going to happen, so what will you do when it does?

 

He bought AAA and used it twice. He also had to drive home once with the car not going into a gear higher than 3rd. lol I remember having to drive my car home after the exhaust came off and it wasn't possible to put it back on (that was a very loud three hour drive).

 

Do you have a friend with a truck / trailer? Or at least a truck? This way if something happened at the track where you couldn't drive the car home, you could leave the car at the track and come back for it the next day or so.

 

The biggest issue I had was being too concerned with if and how things were going to work out at the track. I felt that it negatively impacted my race weekend. My friend is much more laid back about that stuff and didn't bother him at all, and he enjoyed sharing the cool stories.

[manthony121]

.

 

(I sure wish there were a way to delete an empty message)

Edited by manthony121, 12-24-2015 12:08 PM.

[manthony121]

I remember having to drive my car home after the exhaust came off and it wasn't possible to put it back on (that was a very loud three hour drive)..

Duct tape wouldn't fix it?  It must have been BAD!

 

Thank you for the book/website, BTW.  Both are very helpful.

[Alberto]

There are about 5 or 6 of us here in the San Francisco Bay Area that have registered, insured Spec Miatas and drive to the track.  I did it on/off the first year then got lazy and now I only tow.  All but one is a 1.6 and we race Sealed Spec Miata.

 

The Miata is one of the few race cars you can keep close to emission legal and still race thanks to the limited changes you can make.  Throw the stock cat, intake (for the CA visual inspection) and exhaust on the car for inspection time and you are good to go.  We all run quiet exhausts too.

 

So far, in the last 5 years only one of us has required a tow home when one of the tiny throttle body coolant hoses burst and overheated and seized the engine.  Of course, we rely on our fellow racers to buy parts from when shit happens - like a bent control arm and such.  We have a big field of SM racers so this is not an issue.  

 

Keep your wits about you, don't get taken in by the red mist, be smart about passing and being passed and you can survive the weekend and drive the car home.  It won't be the most comfortable drive but you do what you gotta do to get a racing fix.

 

 

The first 3 years, I had a truck but no trailer.  I rented from UHaul whenever I needed one.  Worked out great for me since I didn't have space to put a trailer it was cheaper to rent from Uhaul than it was to buy an open trailer and pay for storage.

[davew]

I have no doubt that a trailer and tow vehicle is the way to go.  However, I'm not real good at public relations, and my wife is giving me some less than positive vibes about what I'm planning to spend.  She does have some interest in getting an RV, so it's either going to be a racecar or an RV that can be used as a tow vehicle.  In any case, I can put up with the inconvenience of driving a track car on the public roads for 20 miles for the sake of being able to say "I wanna buy a race car." versus "I wanna buy a race car.  And a trailer.  And a tow vehicle.  And rent space somewhere to keep it all."

 

If you do end up with an RV, keep in mind the towing capabilities. The rear engineed, high dollar units are pretty beefy in the back. But the front engined units are much weaker than they appear. Beyond the rear axle there is no heavy steel frame. Just a unibody floor structure. They tow fine, even stop fine. The biggest issue is over "whoopdee doos" Like railroad tracks. Tongue weight can momentarily go to 5000 pounds even with a small trailer. Multiply that by the distance from the ball to the actual frame of the tow vehicle, and you have a lot of force on that unibody structure. I have seen more than one class C motor home fold in half. Including my first motor home.

 

A full size conversion van (remember the 1990's) make excellent/cheap tow vehicles that you can live in for a weekend.

 

dave

[manthony121]

If you do end up with an RV, keep in mind the towing capabilities. The rear engineed, high dollar units are pretty beefy in the back. But the front engined units are much weaker than they appear. Beyond the rear axle there is no heavy steel frame. Just a unibody floor structure. They tow fine, even stop fine. The biggest issue is over "whoopdee doos" Like railroad tracks. Tongue weight can momentarily go to 5000 pounds even with a small trailer. Multiply that by the distance from the ball to the actual frame of the tow vehicle, and you have a lot of force on that unibody structure. I have seen more than one class C motor home fold in half. Including my first motor home.

 

A full size conversion van (remember the 1990's) make excellent/cheap tow vehicles that you can live in for a weekend.

 

dave

Excellent point.  I have seen a device, I forget the name, that looks like an extra wheel that is put under the hitch.  I think it is to lessen the kind of stress on the frame you describe.

[dstevens]

Excellent point.  I have seen a device, I forget the name, that looks like an extra wheel that is put under the hitch.  I think it is to lessen the kind of stress on the frame you describe.

Those are bottom out rollers. The intent is to keep the ass end from dragging not so much add rigidity.  You'd still have the torsion issues with the unibody.

[Alberto]

There are about 5 or 6 of us here in the San Francisco Bay Area that have registered, insured Spec Miatas and drive to the track.  I did it on/off the first year then got lazy and now I only tow.  All but one is a 1.6 and we race Sealed Spec Miata.

 

The Miata is one of the few race cars you can keep close to emission legal and still race thanks to the limited changes you can make.  Throw the stock cat, intake (for the CA visual inspection) and exhaust on the car for inspection time and you are good to go.  We all run quiet exhausts too.

 

So far, in the last 5 years only one of us has required a tow home when one of the tiny throttle body coolant hoses burst and overheated and seized the engine.  Of course, we rely on our fellow racers to buy parts from when shit happens - like a bent control arm and such.  We have a big field of SM racers so this is not an issue.  

 

Keep your wits about you, don't get taken in by the red mist, be smart about passing and being passed and you can survive the weekend and drive the car home.  It won't be the most comfortable drive but you do what you gotta do to get a racing fix.

 

 

The first 3 years, I had a truck but no trailer.  I rented from UHaul whenever I needed one.  Worked out great for me since I didn't have space to put a trailer it was cheaper to rent from Uhaul than it was to buy an open trailer and pay for storage.

 

 

One more thing I wanted to add...  Of those driven-to-the-track-race-cars, the Sharpie Miata driven by Brandon Miller in SFR one has been on podium for SSM regularly.  I think he ended the season 2nd in SSM class in 2015.

 

Another less fanciful car but also a Sealed SM 1.6 driven by Greg Powell, finished the season in the top 3 in ITA.

[dstevens]

That looks like one of those wraps that teams do when they are testing a new aero/body package and don't want others to easily see the lines of the car.

[Johnny D]

It's called a "sharpie" car for a reason, no wrap.
And yes, Mike had too much time on his hands.

http://www.odditycen...ooks-sharp.html
J~