Race Car also Daily driver - Anyone else?

[Racy-Stacey]

Well I feel like I'm alone on this one. But maybe there is another person out there that daily drives their IT car and races it.

If nothing else. Each modification I do to the car I get hours and hours of seat time feeling it out. I get some weird stares from people also. I mean its California but people arnt accustome to a young girl in a business suit and skirt with tennis shoes and heal to toeing an off ramp in a warmed over and gutted IT SCCA racing car.

Yeah I'm a nut. But hey like I said before, my other car got stolen so this is my only car and its seat time - seat time - seat time.

Anyone else?


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Toodles,
Stacey_B AOL IM: SCCAStaceyIB 1990PGL SCCA STSL "Girls Do It Better" Cal Club T&S, BWRP,WS,Lag,Hallett www.scpoc.com : www.probetalk.com Racing is my life. Winner One Lap of America 2003- SSGT2 class 1996 Ford Probe GT.

[Chris Eastwood]

I don't drive a "race car" on the street, but I heel and toe my way around town. Poeple do look at me like somethings wrong with me. oh well their loss!!!!
Chris

[Knestis]

Not anymore but I drove our IMSA Renault Cup Alliance to work and school the entire last year that I was in my bachelors degree program. Parked it in the Montlake lot at the University of Washington and even used it as a project in a welding class - putting required gussets on the rollcage.

I only got pulled over once (for not having a front plate) and got lots of silly questions and stares. I actually went out with a young woman a number of years later who remembered seeing it parked in front of my apartment building: "I always wondered what kind of a weirdo would drive a car like that on the street!"

K

[67ITB]

I have seen an un-named driver in a ITB Ford Escort on a major highway in my area.
Do people look at her like she is crazy ?????? Has she been pulled over ????
Does every kid on the turnpike want to race her?????
She can answer that!!!!!

Matt

[joeg]

I used to drive my pro rally car daily and to and from events. That lasted until the first crash!

My IT car has insurance and plates, but I just drive it a few times a year around the block--real slow-- to check for leaks, etc.

[jc836]

The CRX is now living on a trailer. It is technically street legal and had plates and insurance until recently. Driving it to the shop was interesting to say the least. I do not recommend that this be done daily with an 8-point rollcage. To be comfortable in my case requires earplugs now that the exhaust barely meets PA laws for both install and noise. Oh-the looks you get are fun <G>.

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Grandpa's toys-modded suspensions and a few other tweaks
'89 CRX Si-SCCA ITA #99
'99 Prelude=a sweet song
'03 Dodge Dakota Club Cab V8-Patriot Blue gonna tow

[oanglade]

When I started racing a Spec Miata, I kept the car street legal and drove it to and from the track (200 miles each way). I also packed pretty much all I needed into it. Most of the time I could get my brother to drive our Civic with the tires/tools, etc., but there were a few times were I had to just pack the Miata and go by myself.

It wasn't that much fun driving a loud hot car through city traffic and 3 hours of highway in the middle of the Texas summer. It was the cheap way to do it and the only way I could race, so that's what I did.

[Greg Gauper]

Back in 1986, I started racing my '84 CRX in SSC. This was also my daily driver! Competed for three years and then converted to ITB where I ran it for 5 years then parked it. Bought a house and took a few years off to save up enough to go back racing.

Craziest thing I did was drive to and compete in the IT Festival (forunner to ARRC) at Topeka in 1990 (from here in Wisconsin). That same year I drove down to Moroso in Florida to visit my parents, ran a double regional, then drove up to Atlanta to work the week of the runoffs. Nothing like driving a couple thousand miles in a loud car with stiff suspension loaded to the hilt with tires, tools, gear, etc.

Now that I have a trailer and dedicated tow vehicle, I have much more peace of mind. Plus the current car is prepped as an all out race car so I don't have to make comprimises i.e. before I still had all emissions, car had to have a 'quiet' race exhaust, and it was a pain swapping camber plates in and out when I arrived at the track. Now I can show up at the track fully prepped, roll off the trailer, check pressures, and go!


My advice is to make sure you have a contingency in the event that 'stuff' happens. Hook up with a street legal SS friend who has a trailer. That way if something happens, you can load your car on his/her trailer and drive their racecar home.

I was lucky. I had two incidents in 8 years of racing involving minor body work. I was able to drive home from both and my body shop was located just a few blocks from my apartment. I had a motorcycle for my alternate driver in Summer.

[rage_racing]

well I figure that I will keep the prelude street legal to start out with.. but not really looking forward to having to drive to and from tracks. so hopefully it wont be that way for long.. but as long as I get to race it who cares how I get there

[our2pt2]

I drive my racecar nearly everyday to work and back (12 miles) and every chance I get. My past IT car was always towed to the track and with the few number of events I raced in, I always felt uncomfortable for awhile in the car. Now I drive it everywhere and am always ready to race when I arrive at the event. I think it gives me an edge to have sooo much seat time.

Curtis Palmer
Dodge Charger

[Wreckerboy]

I have driven (briefly) previous race cars on the street - an ITA RX-7, and a ITC Wabbit. Both were brutal, but the already obnoxious rotary exhaust gets even more grating in bumper to bumper traffic. THAT particular experiment lasted all of a week. Thank heavens for very lax inspection laws in North Carolina.

Currently I drive my SM wannabe (95% compleat) on the street on a semi-regular basis. I do it because I just truly love driving the car - I have been driving it forever, and the silly thing still brings a smile to my face. (In fact, I took it to the office today, if anybody was wondering what that low flying missle on Long Island's Northern State Parkway was this morning.)

The best part about driving it is when you have to take your boss someplace - I got some interesting stares as we got in around the cage and as I put my 6 full harness on. I wonder how this will look in my upcoming review....

[This message has been edited by Wreckerboy (edited October 03, 2003).]

[ITS240z18]

Do you guys drive around with the lettering/numbering in place?

When I have to drive my car on the street (translation: am going somewhere so close that trailering it is ridiculous), I stare straight ahead and pretend I don't realize there's anyone else around wondering why my brakes squeal louder than their thumpin' bass. I usually only drive it in the early morning hours, when the local cops are still getting their beat assignments.

[racer_tim]

Stacey and Tracy. When you first start out racing, it's no big deal to drive the car to the track. I would have magnetic numbers so you don't look TOO funny, and another thing, DON'T LIVE IN YOUR DRIVERS SUIT. You can always tell the "newbe's" during drivers school. They go to breakfast in their gear. I've even seen folks driving to the track with their helmet ON.

But as you gain seat time and get faster, you run into a couple of factors: 1. You will be giving up some performance having the car street legal(emissions) 2. You will also not drive @ 10/10th's since you know that if you break something, or stuff it, how are you going to get home, to work on Monday, etc.

The BIGGEST thrill I ever had, was right after I bought my Scirocco in 1993. I was at a Track Time School @ Laguna Seca, and with instructors in the car, I was given the "point by" by a Porsche 930 Turbo, because I was all over his a$$.

I had trailer'd the car to the event, so I could drive @ 9-10/10th's and didn't have to worry about getting home.

I'll get off my soap box now, and back to looking for a job.



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Tim Linerud
San Francisco Region SCCA
#95 GP Wabbit (Bent)
http://linerud.myvnc.com/racing/index.html

[Greg Gauper]

Originally posted by racer_tim:
2. You will also not drive @ 10/10th's since you know that if you break something, or stuff it, how are you going to get home, to work on Monday, etc.

Funny, I used to worry about that on the false grid....but somehow always forgot about it when that guy on the starter bridge waved that funny stick with the green cloth

Magnetic numbers/letters work great.

[lateapex911]

I have fond memories of driving my first RX-7 to the track, and even running 5th of 25 in my last race of the season.

I don't have fond memories of the axle gusset breaking 200 miles from home in NH, or the engine eating it's stationary gear 300 miles from home in Watkins Glen.

Was nice to listen to relaxing tunes on grid, though!

The risk is great if you don't trailer. If you do trailer, you have an extra force field around the car!

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Jake Gulick
CarriageHouse Motorsports
ITA 57 RX-7
New England Region
[email protected]

[itmanta]

Back in 1987-89 I drove my ITB car to all the races. I lived in Oakland California and drove to Sears and Leguna. I also drove it anywhere I needed to take it. Just about the time I bought a trailer and actually built a real race motor I was flat broke and had to stop racing and get responsible. What a bummer. The only real drag with driving home after racing is that after the adrenaline goes away you are dog tired. Even in a noisey race car it was really hard to stay awake. The Opel is going back together this winter and again I will at least drive to my home track PIR, it is only ten minutes away from my home or my shop.

[Diane]

Originally posted by 67ITB:
I have seen an un-named driver in a ITB Ford Escort on a major highway in my area.
Do people look at her like she is crazy ?????? Has she been pulled over ????
Does every kid on the turnpike want to race her?????
She can answer that!!!!!

Matt

That would be me.

While it's not a full daily driver it has been for periods of time when I've had another car down. I think I drove it for a month straight this past spring. It's been resting most of the summer, exhaust is way too loud.

I get stuck at traffic lights because they are too busy looking in their rearview mirror and I don't have a horn. Don't even get me starting on highway merges, absolutely impossible. Guy in front slows to check out the car, guys behind speed up - hey I needed that spot! I dread getting behind a school bus.

Haven't been pulled over yet, but have had a couple of cops obviously wait for me to pass, then pull behind me to check the plate.

And yeah, every kid on the Berlin Turnpike wants to race me. I don't dare though, too many police and DOT guys.

The car is fully stickered, no magnetics. I just need to remember to stick a small magnetic over my anti-jap car sticker (which was a joke against Tim's sentras) or I'll get fired for offending someone who didn't get it.

Great conversation piece at work though!

And I fully agree with Stacey - even though my beater is an 86 EGT, it's completely different. I really love driving my car on the road. Seat time rocks!

Diane
#21 ITB NER

[This message has been edited by Diane (edited October 04, 2003).]

[cherokee]

My ITA car is leagal has plates and is insured. I have driven it on the road a couple of times my car is not gutted, I pulled the AC and that about it...you do get lots of looks with the numbers,SCCA and other stickers...OH and never go to a Sonic.

[Wreckerboy]

I can second the "don't drive on the highway with your helmet on" edict above.

A few years ago I was driving the Miata from Charlotte up to Summit Point with the top down one night and it started to get cool. Windows up, heat on, collar up, still cold. Damned if I was going to put the top up, but my head was freezing. "Ah hah!" I said, "Put the helmet on." And that's what I did.

Just north of Richmond I finally got stopped by a member of the state constabulatory. It's going on something like 1 or 2 ayem. He walked up to me and uttered those famous words: "Do you have any idea why I stopped you?" I turned, looked up (this is a Miata after all, you look up to everything), flipped up my visor and said "Why no, officer. Is there a problem?"

Poor guy finally bust out laughing, asked a few questions, and sent me on my way. At least I livened up his night a little bit.

(Edited because there is no spell check)

[This message has been edited by Wreckerboy (edited October 06, 2003).]

[gsbaker]

Originally posted by Wreckerboy:
I can second the "don't drive on the highway with your helmet on" edict above.
...flipped up my visor and said "Why no, officer. Is there a problem?"

Been there, done that--with the same result. But in my case I said, "Have I done something wrong?"

He replied, "Not yet."

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Gregg Baker
Isaac, LLC
[email protected]