Both feet in

[chuck baader]

Suggestion...on the jack stands, cut a piece of .080" steel and have welded to the bottom of each stand. One less thing you have to keep up with. Chuck

[Hotshoe]

Alright, I talked the poor guy's ear off this afternoon, so if we never hear from him again we'll know why.

...Oh No...........Not Bowie........ Yeah, he's gone...

[MSPERBER]

Ok I have followed this and so much of this is great advise, go buy your personal gear, make it the best you can find that it's comfortable, but don't you dare buy and jump in to racing at rd Atlanta with the pro it group with your first car all in less than a month. You have some of the best available rental groups in Atlanta with wonderful equipment. Rent, rent , rent for a season for a few races , ensure that you love it, make sure your better half at least likes it an can support it or a tolerates it. Buy later the deal is always out there. Enclosed trailer is great, I have been using on open with a shell on the back of the truck for 15 years, it can be done. Rd Atlanta was my home track for 10 years, VIR is now home. Everyone at rd Atlanta helped keep my two pos's running long after they should have been, I went from ITC to ITB now running an ITA. The learning curve that teams like OPM offers can not be estimated. Rent now buy later.

[evanwebb]

Or, just do what I did when I started in 1992. Drive the race car to the track with the tires and tools and crap all stuffed in there with you, and unbolt the muffler and swap the tires and have at it. I did this coming from Baltimore and raced at Charlotte, Summit Point, Nelson Ledges, Mid-Ohio, Pocono... And I drove it home every time :-) Coming back from Charlotte at about 3AM Monday morning I was so tired that I was hallucinating and I pulled off to the side because there was a dragon in the road.

On second thought, no, don't do that.

[JS154]

A version of Murphy's law: Whatever tool OR SPARE PART you need will be the one you forgot to bring

Corollary: Whatever tool OR SPARE PART you bring you will not need

Conclusion: Since I don't want to be prying bent bodywork off the tires, OR REPLACING ENGINES AT THE RUNOFFS I had better bring a big prybar AND A COMPLETE SPARE ENGINE WITH ANCILLARIES

.

Fixed for you. :-)

Eric Heinrich
GULF E30 M3
STU

[JS154]

Ok I have some insights on the tow vehicle and the trailer.

for the tow vehicle, consider things like

adjustable headlights
color of interior gauge lights (red is easy on eyes, white, not so much)
mileage
range - look at fuel tank sizes available
interior cab space

whatever you do, get a weight distributing hitch and a sway controller. Makes huge difference in making towing easier.

for the trailer - I am going to politely disagree with ShebyRacer's trailer assessment of trailer needs.

I have a 22' enclosed steel frame trailer. Haulmark. It's a 22' box on a 20' frame -when you look at trailers, look at LOA tip-to-tail. What i found is 24' and up is a big step up in weight, GVWR, and required towing capability of the tow vehicle.

That siad, I'm pulling a 2400# (dry, empty) STU car, with a spare engine, 5 sets of wheels and tires, tools, cabinets, pipe canopy (love the pipe canopy, even though it takes extra time to set up!) 55 gal fuel barrell, etc etec. I bring a bicycle for a paddock vehicle, or just drive thr truck (5.7L tundra, huge cab, comfortable tows like a champ, but sucky mileage and range (small fuel tank))

When we have *everything* packed in, fuel barrel and spare engine, yeah it;s a snug fit, but it definitely works. And even loaded up it doesn;t require a bigger heavier truck like a 350/3500 or a deisel dually. The extra 2' come from the bigger box on the 20' frame, so it tows like a 20' trailer.

keep a trailer ramp handy and a 12v impact and a spare tire (or two) within easy reach, for when you eventually get a flat

I've slept in the trailer (keep a folding cot and sleeping bag and blanket packed away) at NJMP in the late spring and NHMS in late October. The wife, when she comes with me, will have no part of that whatsovere, so we get a room somewhere. Most tracks have showers - (Mt Tremblant and Lime Rock do not!) SunSHower bag works in a pinch.


when you are looking at trailers, look at LOA, axle rating, type of axles, curb weight. It;s got to make sense, a 28' trailer with a 7000# GVWR is going to be cheap for a reason.
aluminum trailers are more expensive than steel trailers. canpoies - pipe canopies are cheap and allow tons of flexibility, and can be easily added to any trailer, so don't overpay for a canopy. Holliday or ShelterSystems wold be good to look into.

if you;re buying a used trailer, plan on replacing all the tires including the sapre immediately unless they are new. if you're handy with wiring, installing a high mounted chaepo foglight pointing down, on the back of the trailer, wired to your backup ligts will make life easier backing in the dark and helps people behind you know when you are reversing.
----

Congrats on getting your license!

the best thing you can do is decide what you want to get out of racing - do you have a particular car/brand you want to race, are you looking to just get out and race for fun, are you really into winning against the best? read the rules for the different classes carefully - some cars can crossover well into other classes - IT cars, for example, can run in ST...but there are some exxceptions.

Whtever you do - dive right in. Life is short, enjoy it while you can.

Because Racecar, right?

Eric Heinrich

GULF E30 M3
STU

[ShelbyRacer]

for the trailer - I am going to politely disagree with ShebyRacer's trailer assessment of trailer needs.

...

Whtever you do - dive right in. Life is short, enjoy it while you can.

Because Racecar, right?

Eric Heinrich

GULF E30 M3
STU

Actually Eric, I don't think we disagree on the trailer, we just have different philosopies, and our trailers support that. I think that more than anything, someone needs to hear a bunch of different "what works for me" stories, and then decide what they need to work...

And as for your closing thoughts, I could not agree with you more!

Topher, when are you coming up to visit those of us that are closer to the Mason-Dixon line?

[Topher]

Eric and Matt- It sounds like there is a lot a variability in trailers and rigs, tailored to individual needs. Hearing what works for you guys is very helpful.

Once I get all the pieces together I'll let you know when I'm headed up that way. VIR is about a 6 hr trek.

Safety gear came today. Woo Hoo! At least I'll look the part...

While the SFA ratings are the same for a 2 and 3 layer suit, why do some racers assert that you need to wear a nomex base layer with a 2 layer but not a 3?

[Chip42]

all SFI suits use the 3.2A/X certification, but you need to wear fireproof underwear if the number after the slash ("X") in SFI 3.2A/X is less than 5. if it's 5 or higher then underwear is optional.

what gear did you wind up getting?

[Topher]

I went with Oakley shoes and carbon x base layer, Hybrid Pro Rage restraint, Alpinestars gloves. Initially got an Alpinestars GP-T suit. It was a little small and heavy, so I'm sending it back for the 3 layer GP-Pro.
I like the cut and features of the OMP suits but would have to be at the Evo or One level for a comparable suit which were a couple hundred bucks more than I wanted to spend.

[chuck baader]

Buy the lightest suit you can stand...you'll thank me during the summer. Also, consider the cool shirt system...you work in AC all the time and summer in a race car takes quite a toll. Chuck

[Topher]

Hello, my name is Topher, and I am a race addict.

I ran a ITA Miata rented from OPM in the Pro-IT series at Road Atlanta this past weekend.

It was the most fun I've ever had. And now I'm officially hooked through the bag and back.

The qualifying/practice session on Friday was an enlightening experience. Getting passed through turn 7 by 4 cars while trying to hold my line was a little hairy.
So was running in the rain Saturday morning for the second qualifying.

By lap 5 of the race I was comfortable with the traffic and having a fantastic time. No where near competitive, but I knocked 7 seconds of my qualifying time on my fastest lap.

Tom and the OPM team were fantastic. Professional, welcoming, and very supportive. The car was well sorted and easy to drive.

By far the best part of the weekend was Saturday night spent cooking out in the paddock with Bowie, Matt, Chuck, and their friends. The IT racing community is definitely a family, and I'm grateful to be a part of it.

Thank you to everyone on the IT.com forums who took the time to post here or talk to me over the phone.

I'll see you guys at the Buck Muse.

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/e...CN0664_042.jpg

http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/e...CN0689_060.jpg

[lateapex911]

^

[benspeed]

You look like a Pro!

[Andy Bettencourt]

Tom does a great job with his customers! Always someone I like to catch up with when I see him. Great stuff.

[BruceG]

Ok I have followed this and so much of this is great advise, go buy your personal gear, make it the best you can find that it's comfortable, but don't you dare buy and jump in to racing at rd Atlanta with the pro it group with your first car all in less than a month. You have some of the best available rental groups in Atlanta with wonderful equipment. Rent, rent , rent for a season for a few races , ensure that you love it, make sure your better half at least likes it an can support it or a tolerates it. Buy later the deal is always out there. Enclosed trailer is great, I have been using on open with a shell on the back of the truck for 15 years, it can be done. Rd Atlanta was my home track for 10 years, VIR is now home. Everyone at rd Atlanta helped keep my two pos's running long after they should have been, I went from ITC to ITB now running an ITA. The learning curve that teams like OPM offers can not be estimated. Rent now buy later.

Good advice.Seems like Flatout Motorsports offers the same great experience for newbies jumping in to the sport here in New England, as well.