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My First Race Recap
Well my first race was the three hour enduro at the ARRC.
The car was under the wrench all of last week finishing things up. In fact it didn't even have a logbook. I was putting together everything at the last minute as I completely underestimated some of the work I had to do and doing it with no help made it that much more time consuming. Not to mention we just moved last weekend so time and the distance between my new place and where the car was was not on my side.
I got the car ready and completed Wednesday night at around 10PM, Thursday I had planned on doing the test day to get some seat time in race group type run groups having just track day and some kart experience.
Thursday came along and everything was going well, I was in the first group and went out for probably half of the session and immediately felt good. The car was running strong, handled well, the only issue was a heavy vibration under hard braking specifically entering 10A.
The first issue of the test day was a shift linkage bushing popping off. For some reason it decided to do it on my co-driver's out lap his first time in the car. :( So at the end of the session it was towed in and I rigged it back up then the rain came. We decided I'd go out for a couple of slow laps as it dried out a little and we had no wet tires and it was fine until pulling in pit lane once again it popped off. My girlfriend went to work on it with some glue, zip ties, and duct tape and it wouldn't show any other problems on race day.
Thursday evening it was time to go to tech and experience all of that. I got a logbook and boy did that feel good, a weeks worth of hard work paid off all through a pretty little book.
Friday and Saturday were spent just spectating and hanging out really. I met a lot of other people at the track and went to a social that evening which was truly a great experience, I see why the SCCA is so loved by so many people. It's like a huge family. I also put new rotors on the car Saturday hoping that would fix the vibration for Sunday.
As Sunday rolled around my parents came out as well as some friends. I let my co-driver qualify the car since he had no seat time Thursday and the car ran good the whole session. He qualified third from last but hey no issues with the car!
As the race rolled around we were all ready. I was biting my nails like a mad man, I had been waiting for this for years. Some of you may remember me building an ITC car posting on here when I was fifteen or so. I finally made it! LOL My co-driver started the car and was running well for the first forty minutes or so and then he spun off into the gravel at turn five. He was towed out and continued and we setup for a stop to check over the car. When he pulled in though it was more than just a spin, some gravel punctured the radiator in two places.
At that point I motioned we're done but my other friend who was also going to drive with us decided we'd fix it. I can't thank them enough, everyone who jumped on the car, ran to the parts store, and did everything they could to piece the car back together just to give me a few laps in my first race. It worked too. They put stop leak type stuff in it and it semi-worked. There was no luck on finding an alternator belt. So my friend told me to hurry up and suit up and just go until it dies.
It was a great few laps until the temp started to creep up and I had to slow down dramatically. I also started to get a lot of pick up on the tires. The car stayed running cool though until they told me to pit as they thought they found a belt for it. I made the call after being told there was still an hour to go to call it quits. I didn't want to damage the motor. As much as I wanted to take that checkered flag my brain told me my pockets were already sore from the weekend and didn't need anything else added.
I was really happy to be out there for those few laps, my mom came out who was diagnosed with leukemia two months or so ago and I really wanted to do this for her and she has to go back into the hospital for four months straight or so soon. So that meant a lot to me.
We towed the car to my friends shop a few doors down from the track and I'll fix it there. I did drive the car to the race. :p
Overall it was a learning experience. Some type of mesh/protective plate on the radiator is a smart thing to have. Always carry a spare radiator and belt, having a good group of friends crewing for you is a massive plus, and racing can be mean but I'll be back and loved every second of it.
I keep going in and out of considering selling the car. I don't really like working on cars, I live in an apartment complex now that doesn't really care for having race cars in their lot, and I don't have a daily driver. lol The thought of spending more and arrive and driving sounds so appetizing but I somewhat like the challenge of fighting with my own car and trying to make things work.
There will be more pictures but here are a few:
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Nice job, way to stay with it.
Many race prep shops will transport and fix your car for you.
That is a large part of what I and others do.
MM
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awesome!!!!! Congrats! I know it wasn't totally smooth, but it sure coulda been worse... I'm glad that you finally made it out there!
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Great job Simon!! It goes to show you can do anything if you set your mind to it.
Spare accessory belts are a must. Spare radiator? Naaaaa. If you have the mesh in there the only way it can get damaged is by a crash. But building up your spare parts inventory is important........ like shifter bushings........ :) And with most of th eparts it's OK to get used because you hope to only use them in an emergency. (obviously some of them should be new)
water pump
alternator
battery
suspension components
starter
Brake light bulbs
lug nuts
brake parts
bearings
wheel studs
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Congrats on your first race!!
sounds like you played your cards the best you were dealt.
I agree with Jeff other than the spare radiator part. If your car has plastic tanks on yoru radiator, then you would be best served to have a spare. I've seen several of them crack around fittings or the filler neck from vibration. mostly on street cars, but the theory is the same on a race car. sometimes you never know it's going to go until you're spewing coolant during a race.
Almost everything there you could source used- radiator, alternator, starter, wheel bearings, etc.. even a well-used part sitting in the trailer is better than a broken part stuck in the car. A used wheel bearing will get you through a race weekend and you can replace it with a new one when you get home.
I only say that because new OEM bearings are about $1203981 from Nissan. So I keep used spares in the trailer that will allow me to finish a weekend.
But yeah, my ideal spares list includes everything mentioned above. even if you don't have a spare battery, at least get you a charger or jumper cables. with a spare battery and charger, you can run the race without an alternator- just charge one battery in the pits while you're racing on the other one.
The important thing is that you got out there, tried, and kept working at it. AND you didn't hit anybody!
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Congrats Simon. I do remember when you were first posting. I think its great. And your car is still in one piece and you'll be back!
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Simon, congratulations! I read your post and it's really bitterseweet. So sorry to hear of your mothers issues. But awesome to have you on the track.
Lessons aplenty no doubt. One major one is that sharing a ride can mean not getting a ride. Which sucks. Way to keep your head up!
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You, my friend... have balls and heart. You took a completely untested car to an ENDURO! Great job! You'll be back... (yoda accent) yes, you'll be back.
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Thanks you all! I'm taking notes of the "required spares." lol
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We where pitted two stalls down from you at the Enduro. My nephew Jason Dahm and I drove the #75 red 240sx. We also live in the Atlanta area. I am sorry I did not know it was you I would have introduced myself. Your post earlier this year and the responses regarding what to do about licensing options were very helpful. Jason was set to do the Double school at Roebling Rd last Feb but a change in his school schedule required us to cancel (he is a high school senior). He has experience in autocross, TT and lots of seat time at RA (PDX and NASA) and at Talladega Grand Prix. We were debating about making the trip to Sebring in July and like you not knowing if he could get his 2nd school waived or wait for Roebling in 2012. Marc Dana responded to your post and I contacted him and that made all the difference. Marc was great. Jason was having a very good weekend and by Sunday morning Marc indicated that if he stayed clean and did the practice races he was sure he would get signed off and have his 2nd school waived. Then the engine blew up in the last session before the practice race. Long story short he had done well enough and with Marc's help he got signed off. I put together another motor and 2 weeks later we went to Daytona for the Double SARRC. During test day we had a clutch go that we replaced during the lunch break only to have another engine failure in the afternoon. Built another motor did some testing at Talladega Grand Prix on Saturday of Labor day weekend then went to Barber for the Sunday race only to have Tropical Storm Lee wash things out. Back to Daytona at the end of Sept and had the best weekend of racing I have had in the 30 odd years I have been at it. Followed that up with the Enduro at the ARRC and we had an equally great weekend. I am sure there are many members on this Forum who have similar stories. I relate this because I could tell from seeing the raised hood and steam from your car that it was disappointing. But remember your next race could be a completely different experience and that is why we all load up the trailer. Congratulations on doing your first race. Look forward to meeting you at a race in the future.
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As a Neon racer, I carry a pair of shift cables, (make sure they stay in the retainer clip on the top of the tunnel) a gas pedal and cable, (I've not broken either, but they are cheesy plastic) a clutch cable, a pair of loaded knuckles, control arms, steering rack, spare calipers and rotors, axles, clutch, transmission(all used), and a box of fluids, nuts and bolts. I have to tow 600km to my track, so I probably carry more than a lot of people do, but I've also saved myself (and other Neon racers) half a dozen times in the last couple of years.
I like having spares, although one of the great things about racing a Neon is the massive collection of spares as near as the local Pick'n'pull.
Edit: You know the statement in the Mopar performance catalogue where they suggest changing hubs every 12 competition hours? They are right.
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Simon, you did very good for an untested car in a three hour enduro. As for your problems, may I suggest the following: 1 can ground black pepper, don't laugh, it works, put in radiator when you discover a leak . Keep a gallon of premixed water wetter in a jug in the pits- works better than antifreeze. as far as spares, go to your local pick-a-part & find what you need for spares, add a pair of front axles to your list of spares, either buy used ones and rebuild yourself, or spend the extra money on having them rebuilt. the cheap way to go is to rebuild them yourself, using new boots, and Redline CV Grease. It's a whole lot easier to reach in your stash of parts for an axle than trying to find one at a parts store on saturday afternoon or sunday morning!!
As for fasteners, they are free in IT, so get the best you can, and either cotter pin, safety wire or locktite everything you can (recommend using blue). Also, after torquing all fasteners to spec go thru all suspension fasteners and put a small dab of clear silicone seal over the nut side of all fasteners, comes off easily enough when you want to remove, but won't let fasteners vibrate loose.:). And last, but not least, when you have a problem during an endurance race and need parts, check some of the other racers, I had a spare battery in my race cart, right next to my tool box and the water wetter. By the way, even with all of my prep, I had a distributor wire fail during the race and was able to replace it from my spares, it cost me about 7 laps & I finished the race.
ps: I was gridded next to you at the start of the race - see your first picture:D
JOHN E. FINE
2010 ECR ITC Champion
2011 ECR ITC Champion
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Thanks for all the comments and tips! Can't wait to get back out there.
