Another new member

[rasperin]

I've read over the other new member threads and now I have to find some way of convincing my wife to go with me to drivers school.

First off, I should say, I just ordered Dave's book. :D

Actually the majority of my questions stem around that, do I have to have an IT car to do it, or could I take my road car (which in effect may not be the best car in the world to do anything with hard turns in it). Also, I'm kinda trying to find out my local district (kansas, (I'm in kansas city) so midwest) but since I don't have towing equipment yet, if I had to take the IT car (after finding one) somewhere far away wouldn't work out so well. The third issue is I'm having problems finding events in the area, it looks like there is one going on in IA on the 17-20 that I'm planning on going to but would anyone know where I could find this info?

One more question, how stringent is the SCCA on the physical report? I don't do drugs, but I recently (feb 2nd 2008) dropped a motorcycle and have a metal bar in my arm and I'm hoping they wont drop me for that. Any ideas? I know you aren't the committee that over sees this but I figured I could poll for an opinion.

Thanks!

[tnord]

Ray -

If you are in overall good health, you shouldn't have any problems passing the physical.

http://www.midiv.org/Code/Calendar_club.htm

that link has the calendar of events for our division. what is your road car and what safety equipment do you have in it? are you planning on driving the car to all events in the future or are you looking to get a truck/trailer at some point?

[erlrich]

Actually the majority of my questions stem around that, do I have to have an IT car to do it, or could I take my road car (which in effect may not be the best car in the world to do anything with hard turns in it).

Ok, I'll take the easy ones; you don't need an IT car specifically, but you will need a race prep'd car. That means roll cage, race seat, harness, driver's gear, etc. Get a copy of the GCR (General Competition Rules) and read it, with particular attention to the safety requirements. You can download a PDF version of the GCR from the SCCA website.


One more question, how stringent is the SCCA on the physical report? I don't do drugs, but I recently (feb 2nd 2008) dropped a motorcycle and have a metal bar in my arm and I'm hoping they wont drop me for that. Any ideas? I know you aren't the committee that over sees this but I figured I could poll for an opinion.

Thanks!

For the physical, they pretty much leave it up to your doctor to determine if you're fit for racing. You can download and print the physical form from the SCCA website (along with all the other forms you'll need) and see what they ask for.

Good luck.

[rasperin]

Whoops, my copy and paste may not have worked out so well for me (I was trying to correct a few mistakes). Anyways, I'd only take my road car to the classes, and if it requires safety equipment... well I may have a few issues. It looks like I can throw a hitch on my car, it's rated for 2000lbs (towing) but apparently there are a couple of guys on the g8 board using it to tow their cars around.

So basically this boils down to: do I need safety equipment for classes in my street car; I wont be able to use it. For racing, I can't use my street car for IT (I bought it new two weeks ago). So I'm in the market for a starter IT car, I was looking over at the classifieds and gave a call to a fellow olathe person.

[tnord]

you won't be able to complete the school without meeting all the safety requirements in the GCR. that includes a full roll cage, fire bottle, seat, harness, kill switch, personal safety gear, and whatever else is needed to pass an annual inspection.

what are you looking to spend? i may know of a few options.

[rasperin]

No more then 4000, that's my top, I know it's not much, I have 3k saved away grabbing another 1k right now isn't exactly easy. Oh I should also mention that I DD a RWD car but I perform better with a FWD car.

[joeg]

Where are you located and what school are you interested in attending?

[rasperin]

Where are you located and what school are you interested in attending?

I'm in North East Kansas, and I have no idea, I was hoping to find one at Heartland Park so that I didn't have to go too far. But if there is a reason to go somewhere further I probably should do so.

[tnord]

I'm in North East Kansas, and I have no idea, I was hoping to find one at Heartland Park so that I didn't have to go too far. But if there is a reason to go somewhere further I probably should do so.

there aren't any SCCA schools at Heartland Park this year. the only one somewhat local to us is the April 16/17 event at MAM.

[rasperin]

Shoot, I should have done my physical like 2 weeks ago. Hey tnord I'll take you up on your offer to call a bit later, if you are alright with that.

[tnord]

http://www.improvedtouring.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24630 - ITA RX7

http://www.improvedtouring.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25569 - ITS RX7. little more money, but looks like a decent deal with the spares

http://www.roadraceautox.com/showthread.php?t=22528 - ITS or ITA Integra depending on what motor you decide to put in it.

http://www.racingjunk.com/category/84/Improved_Touring/post/1332652/1985-Mazda-RX7-IT7.html ITA RX7

http://www.racingjunk.com/category/84/Improved_Touring/post/1471874/ITC-Nissan-Sentra.html ITC Sentra

http://www.racingjunk.com/category/84/Improved_Touring/post/1428126/85-RX-7-GSL-SE-SCCA-ITE.html might be one of the few 1st Gen ITS RX7. not sure though.

there might be a miata around for about $3k too.

that's all i know about right now. call anytime.

[rasperin]

So my wife wants me to hold off for a few more months before I jump out and start all this up :( time to do a lot more reading (and pining!). I'll be lurking and dreaming for the next 3 months. At that time I'm guessing the earliest season I could join is next year (being that it's april).

[Eagle7]

OK, you've got some time. That's good, you can put it to good use.

Read Dave's book.
Read the GCR - all of it.
Read Dave's book.
Read the GCR.
Attend all the race weekends you can fit into your schedule.
Post here to see who could use some crew help for particular weekends.
Work some race weekends - tech, grid, corners.
Figure out all the expenses to get started in racing - safety equipement (helmet, suit, gloves, shoes), tow vehicle, trailer, tires, etc. It's a lot more than just the car.

[rasperin]

This is going to sound stupid, but what do I need to do/know to volunteer at a race? I don't know what skill set's I would need to do what (I would assume I would need a pretty in depth knowledge of a lot of cars in IT to do a tech check to make sure all components are correct). I think that's what I really should do while I'm waiting, I am definitely planning on driving up to Iowa for the weekend of the 17th.

Thanks!

[joeg]

You do not need to "volunteer" to be a worker for the race, but you would need to get in as a "guest", so that may mean crewing.

[dickita15]

All SCCA worker specialties offer on the job training. Either just show up or call the chief of specialty listed for the region. All you need is a membership. I would recommend either Flagging or Tech to help you learn but every specialty will teach you something you can use.

[tnord]

Ray -

I'll put you in contact with the right people, I just need your email address.

[rasperin]

Done, and thanks everyone, on another note my book is coming in on apr 16th, dang you super savings shipping...