New to road racing, and thus IT

[boywonder]

I've been a lurking around here for awhile and now that I finally have my first car I figured I'd say hi. I live in Columbus, OH and have been wanting to race for as long as I can remember but put myself through college, got married, and bought a house instead. Finally I said enough with all that, time to do something fun, so I hooked up with a local guy that rallys and started co-driving last year. Rally is a blast but I'm in the wrong seat so...

...this past weekend I picked up the ITC CRX that was for sale on this site, the "Smurf" as it was affectionately known by both young and old. After a long tow I now find myself with a garage full of more wheels/tires than I've owned in my entire life. The plan is to get everything sorted and have the car tech'd in time to do the double drivers school at Blackhawk in April.

Anyway, just wanted to say hello and throw my hat in the ring. I look forward to meeting (and beating, ha!) some of you at a track somewhere in the near future. If you have beginner racing/car prep advice, I'm all ears!

[Drew Aldred]

Welcome to racing, you'll never get it out of your blood so good for you on realizing this and taking the plunge !!!

Biggest thing IMO is making sure your car is reliable at this point. Nothing worse than towing to a track, paying your money, going two laps and then back on the trailer. I'm sure some of the Honda guys will chime in on stuff to worry about specific to the Honda. Otherwise, go thru the car as much as possible and check to make sure nothing is loose, damaged or leaking.

As far as driver's school, do NOT go by yourself. Beg, borrow, steal a friend, brother in law, or ex-girlfriend to go with you. There is no time in the schedule for you to do even the most basic of stuff (add fuel, check tires/fluids) while at school.

Listen to the guys on this page, alot of knowledge here with people willing to share.

Hold on for the ride............

[rsx858]

Welcome! glad to hear you got yourself a solid car and picked the best club!

Couple things to consider: If you have an opportunity, get that car out to a track day or two so you can get a feel for her and shake it down before the school. A school is no time to be having issues, and as drew mentioned, wrench time is non existent.

Also before that tech inspect, make sure all your gear is in order, remember to check belt expiration dates, suit sfi req. -do you need underwear?, any holes in your gloves? things like that. Im guessing this car has been in action within the last year, but if not dont forget to make sure you have the required tow hooks, 2 door bars, fuel test port, and all those goodies.

Welcome aboard :eclipsee_steering:

[Spinnetti]

I've been a lurking around here for awhile and now that I finally have my first car I figured I'd say hi. I live in Columbus, OH and have been wanting to race for as long as I can remember but put myself through college, got married, and bought a house instead. Finally I said enough with all that, time to do something fun, so I hooked up with a local guy that rallys and started co-driving last year. Rally is a blast but I'm in the wrong seat so...

...this past weekend I picked up the ITC CRX that was for sale on this site, the "Smurf" as it was affectionately known by both young and old. After a long tow I now find myself with a garage full of more wheels/tires than I've owned in my entire life. The plan is to get everything sorted and have the car tech'd in time to do the double drivers school at Blackhawk in April.

Anyway, just wanted to say hello and throw my hat in the ring. I look forward to meeting (and beating, ha!) some of you at a track somewhere in the near future. If you have beginner racing/car prep advice, I'm all ears!

Wow, flashbacks.. Welcome. Blackhawk was my first school too... fun track. Just make sure to do all your work at home, not at the track.. Change all the fluids, bleed the brakes, makes sure you have fresh brake pads and any other maintenance is done. Bring some rain tires if you have em. Amazing how many don't follow this simple rule. I did almost all my racing and schools solo over the last 17 years, but going to Blackhawk, doing the school and coming home in a weekend will take a lot out of you (I did it solo). Take some friends!

[JLawton]

Run!!................. Sell the car and run away as fast as you can!!


No???


OK, you'll now be as addicted as the rest of us. Don't say we didn't warn you!!


Read the GCR on the saftey requirements, both for the car and yourself. Read it multiple times because you'll pick up something new each time. Get the car teched as early as possible in case there are any problems you'll have time to fix them.

Have you started all the paperwork for your license? It takes awhile so start now.

Get a physical.

Try to hook up with someone near you who is experienced, bring them beer, become their best buddy. The best way to make progress is by hanging with fast people. Learn by their mistakes, not yours.

We can't stress enough what Drew said, make sure you bring help to the school with you.

Good luck!!

[dhardison]

Welcome to IT! I'm in Delaware, OH and just started SCCA racing in '08. There are quite a few guys on this forum from the surrounding Columbus, OH area.

Listen to the guys on this forum when they tell you NOT to go to driver's school alone. You will be running from class to car, car to class, lather, rinse, repeat. Bring at LEAST one 'mechanically inclined' person with you to help as you will not have time to do anything but learn and drive. At my driver's school last year two friends came with me and one even brought a spare car. Lucky he did because I broke a wheel hub and had to use his car during one of the sessions until we got mine fixed later that nght. Otherwise I would not have passed driver's school and wasted all that time and $$$$$$.

Since this is a new car (to you), I HIGHLY suggest you take it out to a track day WELL PRIOR to driver's school and shake it down (Nelson Ledges "Fun Days" are a good, semi-cheap option). That way you have some experience in the car as well as the opportunity to fix anything that might need fixing/adjusting.

Also you mentioned driver's school at Blackhawk, but in case you didn't know there's a DOUBLE school at Nelson Ledges (~4 hours from Cols) on 4/17-4/19. NL is A LOT closer than Blackhawk..... I don't know if the Blackhawk school is a double, but if not, you can get it all done in one weekend at NL.

Have fun!

Dan

[gran racing]

I now find myself with a garage full of more wheels/tires than I've owned in my entire life.

Just a garage full huh? Rookie. :) My wife always asks since when did our basement become a second garage?

Have you done any HPDEs yet? If not, do some before the school to gain experience (and shake the car down as previously said). In regards to crew, bring anyone that's willing to go. They don't have to even know how to work on cars although that would be helpful. Even bring your wife. There are a lot of simple things that you just won't have time to deal with such as putting fuel in the car, checking tire pressures, washing the windshield, and so on.

The other advice I'd give you is get your wife involved in this obsession, I mean hobby. Does she like racing? Bonus if she does! If not, take some time to figure out things about the weekend she could enjoy. Get her in the garage with you from time to time even if that means she's just reading a book while you're out there. My wife hates getting her hands dirty (with car related stuff) but has saved my butt several times. Anytime she hears "wack! wack!" she runs out, tells me to put the hammer down, then somehow just gently resolves the issue. Gesh, that pisses me off! LOL My wife was not thrilled about the whole racing thing but I finally learned ways to make her like it more. It sure does make things easier for both of us.

Best of luck!

[dhardison]

If you don't already have one, get a copy of Dave's book! (see post above)

http://www.GoAheadTakeTheWheel.com (http://www.goaheadtakethewheel.com/)

It's chock full of great info for the novice. I was "on the fence" about racing and his book drop-kicked me over the edge.....

Dan

[R2 Racing]

Welcome to the Great Lakes Division, and it's great to see some new blood joining ITC. Like Dan above, I also live up in Delaware, OH. I actually started racing back in 2000 with an ITC '85 Civic, which we still have, so I'm pretty familiar with the cars. When prepped well, they can run like clockwork. If not, they can be a little finicky. We too are going to be at the Blackhawk Farms school in April as I have two new racers renting my Civic's. If you would like, I'm sure we could work it out so you can paddock by us and we can lend you a helping hand. I'm always willing to help a new guy get his feet wet, as it can be a little overwhelming starting out.

We too also talked about going to Nelson Ledges instead of Blackhawk, but IMO the Blackhawk event will just be a much better event. Yes, it's about 6.5 hours away instead of 3.5, but they're dumping a bunch of money into the track right now for all brand new facilities, the track is well taken care of and safe, and the school itself is actually three days instead of two - school Friday and Saturday which will complete your school requirements, and then an actual regional race Sunday. Conversely, Nelson is just a two day Saturday and Sunday school. Plus the safety, facilities, and track surface of that place leave A LOT to be desired.

I have my own shop up here in Delaware where I prep all of our cars as well as some others, so if you'd like for me to take a look at anything for you or have any questions, just ask.

Kevin
kevin at ruckracing dot com

PS - buying Dave Gran's book as Dan posted above is a great idea. It answers a lot of questions a new racer will have.

[dhardison]

Plus the safety, facilities, and track surface of that place leave A LOT to be desired.
Nelson DEFINITELY has its own "charm". :D

[mc-integra111]

If anyone hasn't been to Blackhawk Farms in a while, I think you will be impressed. As Kevin mentioned money is being spent, and spent effectively. The improvements are continuing for the 2009 season as well.

I am not familiar with Nelson ledges, so cannot compare, but Blackhawk is a good track for a school in my opinion. The track is wide enough to provide racing room and there is plenty of runoff room. The track is hard on brakes, which should give you lots of threshold braking practice. The average speed is fast, meaning keeping your momentum is important. Since you have ITC car, you will need to get very good at this.

As a final piece of advice, if you do the school at Blackhawk, don't lift at the kink right before turn 7. When I did that in my school the turn 7 workers really got something to watch.

[boywonder]

Wow, thanks for all the responses!

I have a friend (he's on here somewhere) that bought an ITC Civic last year to get his license and I went to the school (at Nelson) and most of his races to help him out. I'm really glad I did because I at least have a bit of a clue of what to expect. I'd like to do the school at Nelson because it's a lot closer and I've at least been there before, but we have a race (rally) in NY that same weekend, so Blackhawk it is. I've heard good things about Blackhawk and if I can keep the wheels on the car it'd be great to run the regional after the school. That's a lot of seat time over a couple of days and would make the tow worth it.

Good idea on finding a track day before the school. I guess that means I really need to get to work on the car to get it ready.

gran racing: point taken on keeping the wife interested. I'm fortunate that she already enjoys going to the races and she's fully behind my desire to do this. However this is, as they say, where the rubber meets the road, so I want to make sure to make it as enjoyable for her as possible. Also, I've heard about your book elsewhere and it gets rave reviews so I'll probably be picking up a copy soon.

JLawton: you're right, I need to get on the paperwork and get the physical scheduled now.

R2 Racing, dhardison: Good to know there are others with our affliction close by. My friend Jim, with the Civic, lives in Dayton so it's good to know others closer by. When it comes to the garage I've always gone by the mantra "the more the merrier."

So a few more questions: what all would be in a good spares package? Fortunately Jeff sent me off with a good deal of stuff with the car and I'm still sorting through it all to see what I have. Rally has kinda skewed my spares perception though as we carry nearly one of everything with us, but I don't know that that's necessary in road racing. What would you consider essential?

Also, I'm trying to separate my needs/wants when it comes to the car as I don't want to blow a bunch of money (funny, huh). I know I need to put a camera in the car so that I can learn as much from my track time as possible, (ie., see where my hands are, where I'm looking, etc). Is a system that can overlay telemetry onto the video worth my money at this point, because that's not cheap. Whereas I could just mount my point and shoot digi and record video for free.

Thanks again, and keep the advice flowing!

[tom91ita]

in lieu of a track day, get that car to an autocross.

it is cheap.
it is likely closer.
you will learn the basics of car control for that particular car.
you will get some idea of where to set tire pressure, etc.
if it is about to break, you will break it.

autocross may be the worst deal on a $ per minute on track but don't dismiss it from a learning viewpoint. you will enough going on with situational awareness on track to be learning car control near the limit as well.

when is the driver's school? post up that you are looking for crew/help here or on http://www.roadraceautox.com/ and you should be able to find some if your rally friend can't help out.

and save 7/31-8/2 or so for Mid-Ohio and the IT Spectacular!

[dhardison]

When it comes to spares I've found that you'll need what you didn't bring and won't need what you did bring - :). So I bring only the spares/parts that I know I can change between sessions or at worst overnight. If I'm racing at say Mid-O which is only a stones throw from my house I bring somewhat less.

I race a Ford :blink: so that generally necessitates more spares than say, a Honda , but here's what I generally bring:

1 set of wets
1-2 sets of dries (in case of flat-spot, puncture, etc)
Front knuckles with new bearings/hubs/studs - complete, ready to install
Front rotors
Front pads
Front Struts/springs/sways
Front calipers (loaded)
Pair of CV axles
Rear hubs/bearings - complete, ready to install
Rear spindles
Rear drums
Rear shoes
Rear shocks/springs/sways
Tie rods
Spare serpentine belt/timing belt
Spare belt tensioners
Misc hoses/clamps/tubing/tie wraps/duct tape/JB weld/bolts/nuts/screws
Necessary hand tools/drill/bits
Necessary wrenches/ratchets/torque wrenches/sockets
Necessary jack/jackstands
Necessary fluids/sealants/fuel
Small generator/drop-light/extension cords
Battery charger

Probably more that I can't remember........

Dan

[AjG]

Just for the record I don’t think Nelson Ledges is unsafe and I hate to see new people getting that idea. It may ‘feel’ unsafe (fun:D) and look unsafe (ratty) but don’t let that fool you. They also put on a great driver’s school.

[RacerBill]

Ditto everything that has been said. Double ditto on Dave's book. I have been involved in SCCA since 1966 and still the book was well worth it.

When you talk to Jim, tell him I said hello. He was one of my students at a PDX at Mid-Ohio where he caught the bug.

BTW, where are you located in Columbus? I am in Grove City and would be glad to give you a hand.

As an aside, most of the folks who post here, list at least their first name, so we don't keep calling each other 'Hey, you!'

Good Luck. Have fun, Be Safe!

[boywonder]

dhardison: I see you drive a Focus, we race a Rally Spec Focus. That's a lot of spares, I'm still digging through everything I brought home but so far I know I have: 2 spare carbs, alternator (weighs a ton for its diminutive size), distributor with cap and wires, timing belt, spare door mirrors, gauge cluster, and numerous brackets and misc items that I haven't figured out yet. Plus two doors (one with glass), hood, front bumper cover, two valve covers, head, bottom end, and tranny. Also, 5 Hankooks unmounted, 2 Yokos mounted, 10 Kumos mounted (4 full depth, rest shaved), and 4 spare (albeit, a bit banged up) wheels.

AjG: I've been up to Nelson twice now, once as a passenger during a track day and while quaint, it didn't seem unsafe. I thought it was pretty bumpy though. I've heard for some track bike guys that it use to be a lot worse.

RacerBill: Jim's a good guy, he let me borrow his trailer to go pick up the car this weekend. I'm located downtown in German Village.

Oh yeah, my name is Ryan. :rolleyes:
Nice to meet you all!

[dhardison]

dhardison: I see you drive a Focus, we race a Rally Spec Focus. Ryan, Is your Rally Focus friend "Andrew" by chance? I know a guy in Cols named Andrew that races a Rally Spec Focus as well.

Dan

[boywonder]

Yup, that'd be him.

[gran racing]

Awe, thanks guys. :D


So I bring only the spares/parts that I know I can change between sessions or at worst overnight.

I really like the concept of this idea, but thought about it a bit more couldn't figure out what that would mean I'd leave home. LOL Ryan, if you can't tell IT is really a great racing community where you'll get a TON of help from people. Engine changes, tranny changes, you name it - people are crazy (nice?) enough to help one another at the track to get it all done. Take Kevin and Chris up on their offers to get you on the right direction.

Oooh, bring that spare bumper with you with some vinyl "Rubbin' is Racing!" on it to the school. Maybe bring the doors and hood too and have it all laid out ready to go?

[dhardison]

Yup, that'd be him.Cool. He's interested in a trans case I have, but we've so far been unable to get our schedules to work out. Next time you see/talk to him, tell him to come get this trans out of my garage. I need the floor space! :D

He has a nice Rally Focus. I watched the build via his posts on FocalJet.

Dan

[boywonder]

Oooh, bring that spare bumper with you with some vinyl "Rubbin' is Racing!" on it to the school. Maybe bring the doors and hood too and have it all laid out ready to go?

It's funny, I always said that while watching everyone else race, or while racing the fun center go-karts, but now that it's my own car, my own money, and the fact that the entire front of my car is made from plastic that's nearly as old as me...:eek:
I'll be giving everyone a wide bearth.

[boywonder]

Cool. He's interested in a trans case I have, but we've so far been unable to get our schedules to work out. Next time you see/talk to him, tell him to come get this trans out of my garage. I need the floor space! :D

He has a nice Rally Focus. I watched the build via his posts on FocalJet.

Dan

Just sent him an email. We could really use that case so I'll stay on him about that. Though I don't know that he has room for anything else in his garage either. :)

The car is a really nice build and Andrew is a great and incredibly knowledgeable guy. Now if we could just get the rally suspension sorted out we'd be good to go.

[boywonder]

Dan, Kevin, Bill and anybody else fairly closeby:
I still need to get some safety equipment; namely helmet, gloves and shoes. Are there any speed shops around that I just don't know about that carry a decent selection? My helmet for rally is an open face Peltor and before I go out and buy another helmet by a different manufacturer I'd like to try some on for fitment.

So far Dan is the only one that has spoke on spares, how much stuff do the rest of you lug around to the track?

[jay05]

Great, another Honda. J/K. It's great to see another C car out there. Looking forward to seeing you at M-O. might want to look into the National at Mid-Ohio June 1 weekend I think. It's a restricted regional and it's cheap. Great way to learn the track for cheap. Also, Fundayz at Nelsons. For about $125 you can beat the amount of track time. Basically until you physically can't drive anymore. Nelsons seems to be a great place for C car counts. I thought it was scary at first, but once you get the hang of track it's a blast.
You may want try Summit Racing. They have a lot of safety equipment in stock so you can try them on. The last thing you want have is a helmet to loose or your suit too tight around the boys. Like they say you either have Simpson head or a Bell head.

[dhardison]

Dan, Kevin, Bill and anybody else fairly closeby:
I still need to get some safety equipment; namely helmet, gloves and shoes. Are there any speed shops around that I just don't know about that carry a decent selection?

For helmets, shoes & underwear Jeg's is close by (three locations in Cols). Their selection of suits pretty much consists of the two-piece type which is rarely used in road racing (for some reason).

Summit is a good choice as well (just father from Cols), but they carry a lot of the same items as Jeg's.

Dan

[boywonder]

Hmm, I was hoping there would be other options besides JEGS and Summit that I just wasn't aware of.

Jay05, I remember seeing you at lot of the races last year. I crewed for Jim in the silver/bright green ITC Civic that was always on your tail.

[RacerBill]

Ryan: There's TrueChoice here in Columbus, and Continental Motorsports in Mason (near Cincinnatti). Unless you are replacing a helmet with the exact make and model, I recommend a personal fitting as opposed to mail order. Oh, yea, make sure that if you are going to wear a head sock, bring that with you as well. Same with the suit, unless you are VERY average size. Other stuff, like undies you can get mail order. Continental Motorsports is generally about the same price as other mail orders (Pegasus, Racer Wholesale....) but they maintain a store at Mid-Ohio during the year (VERY convenient to replace stuff at the track!!!!). So when I have a choice, I throw my business their way, just to keep them in business. Both of these places have web sites so you can see what they carry.

[boywonder]

Aha, that's what I was looking for, thanks Bill.

[dhardison]

I crewed for Jim in the silver/bright green ITC Civic that was always on your tail. Did he attend the driver's school in April '08 with that silver/bright green ITC Civic? The one that broke and you guys worked on well in to the night on Saturday? If so, we were paddock'd directly across from you with the black SSC Focus (and spare yellow '99 ZX2).

[jumbojimbo]

That was me, but we didn't break, other than spitting some trans fluid. My paddock partner Mike in the blue probe broke a knuckle (on the car) during the track day, but they got that fixed fairly quickly. The car that was worked into the night was a neon across from us. I think that was timing belt. They got it running but it didn't last thru Sunday.

So for the worst thing I've had happen is having the hood blow up on the way to an autocross. Doh.

And yes, I blame BillS and DaveG equally for making me think I can do this. So far they are right. Now if I can just learn to pass that blue Jetta I'll be happy.

jim

[R2 Racing]

Ryan, I get pretty much all of my stuff from saferacer.com. They have good prices, a great selection, and have a lot of stuff in stock so it gets to you pretty quickly. I believe, but you may want to check with them to be sure, that they will take stuff back if it doesn't fit properly and exchange it for another size. They also are great on the phone at helping you pick the right size in the first place. They've always been great for me.

[dhardison]

That was me, but we didn't break, other than spitting some trans fluid. My paddock partner Mike in the blue probe broke a knuckle (on the car) during the track day, but they got that fixed fairly quickly. The car that was worked into the night was a neon across from us. I think that was timing belt. They got it running but it didn't last thru Sunday.

jimAhh, that's right it was a Neon that was worked on into the night. I broke a left-front hub that day, so there was a lot of wrenchin' going on in that area. :)

Dan

[boywonder]

Oh yeah, I remember seeing the Focus and ZX2 now.

[jay05]

Now if I can just learn to pass that blue Jetta I'll be happy.

jimAnd only if we could catch the X1/9 and the yellow Honda. I bet it's lonely up front.

[trobbins]

Ryan .
Welcome to ITC , good to see someone getting into the class . My brother Devin and I have both run ITC Civics in the past . I have since converted my car to H-Prod .

Lots of good info on this site .
If by chance you don't make your two school requirement Waterford Hills will be putting on it's annual drivers school this year too . Drivers School - April 25-26 .

You can check out our complete season schedule at www.waterfordhills.com (http://www.waterfordhills.com)
We are located just a half hour north of Detroit in Clarkston Mi .

[ITC Racer]

I too run an ITC CRX and with my smaller SUV tow vehicle, don't carry many spares. Basically spare brake pads, rear shoes, a set of front rotors and fluids. I do bring a good selection of tools so that I can repair other items, if needed and can find parts locally.

These cars are pretty bullet proof.

[jay05]

If you need a suit, this seems like a good deal. http://www.bellracing.com/public/index/product/detail/42/

[Conover]

I've been a lurking around here for awhile and now that I finally have my first car I figured I'd say hi. I live in Columbus, OH and have been wanting to race for as long as I can remember but put myself through college, got married, and bought a house instead. Finally I said enough with all that, time to do something fun, so I hooked up with a local guy that rallys and started co-driving last year. Rally is a blast but I'm in the wrong seat so...

...this past weekend I picked up the ITC CRX that was for sale on this site, the "Smurf" as it was affectionately known by both young and old. After a long tow I now find myself with a garage full of more wheels/tires than I've owned in my entire life. The plan is to get everything sorted and have the car tech'd in time to do the double drivers school at Blackhawk in April.

Anyway, just wanted to say hello and throw my hat in the ring. I look forward to meeting (and beating, ha!) some of you at a track somewhere in the near future. If you have beginner racing/car prep advice, I'm all ears!


It was nice to meet you at the Sanblast Rally. It was sad to see the TDI not finish, but y'all seemed like you were not too crushed. I hope the CRX comes along well, maybe we'll run into you again at the Mid Ohio IT fest. Good Luck!

[boywonder]

It was nice to meet you at the Sanblast Rally. It was sad to see the TDI not finish, but y'all seemed like you were not too crushed. I hope the CRX comes along well, maybe we'll run into you again at the Mid Ohio IT fest. Good Luck!

It was good meeting you also. The DNF sucked because:
1) it was my first DNF
2) we were having a lot of fun
3) it's a DNF

But at the same time it wasn't too bad because we crammed so much fun into the first half of the rally. And I learned that if you are going to go out, do it front of a mess of spectators. Everyone knew us in town that weekend because we broke in front of everyone in that R2 and gave everyone a fire scare. Plus we got our 15 minutes of YouTube fame. :)

Michael is currently putting a 1.8T tranny in the TDI in hopes that the driveshafts will be stronger; plus the addition of a 6th gear will be nice.

The CRX is slowly getting there. If everything continues to go well you can definitely plan on seeing me at the IT Fest.

[boywonder]

If you need a suit, this seems like a good deal. http://www.bellracing.com/public/index/product/detail/42/

Thanks for the heads up on this suit, I went ahead and ordered it.

[court76wi]

It's probably a lot more expensive than the other schools people are talking about, but you could also do the Skip Barber MX-5 Cup racing school if there's a close location.

It's 3 days, and mechanics take care of the cars so you concentrate on driving more than anything else. Plus it's their cars, so if you smash one into a wall you're only out $200 depending upon if you get extra "vehicle" insurance. Once you're done with the school it also qualifies you for your SCCA regional comp license if you can get a compliance letter from them.

It doesn't teach trackside basics though if that's important too you. Not being your own car might also be a disadvantage depending upon how you look at it. If nothing else, take your car to a solo/autocross event, you'll definitely get the feel for how your car handles. You do have different setups for road race and autocross, but if you want to know what happens when your car is "pushed" you'll definitely find out. It will also help you with recovery techniques.

I didn't have a car at the time, so that's the route I took. There are many options though as others are saying...