Looking into race car driving.

[KartRacerBoy]

If you don't have $$$ to start racing, start autocrossing. You'll learn the basic driving skills, especially looking ahead. Then once you're loaded with cash from a successful career, break the bank and learn racing with karting. An inch from the ground, lightning steering, no roll bars except your helmet, no mirrors -- loads of fun!!!

[AWD_Rules3830]

soo i definitally need to join SCCA.

[Xenonk]

Make sure you drive a MT racecar.

 

 

unless you do NHRA Drag, then you want it have an AT

[Xenonk]

soo i definitally need to join SCCA.

 

Or NASA Racing as well.. http://www.nasaproracing.com

[AWD_Rules3830]

I wouldnt want to do drag racing.

[Xenonk]

I wouldnt want to do drag racing.

 

 

you can start off with autoxcrossing right now.. it's probably one of the easiest motorsports to get into. The national championships are held in Topeka Kansas, which isnt that far from you.. I will be heading there this year with the 2.5RS in STS to see if I can finish in the top 10 among the fastest guys..

 

I think driving autox takes a lot of skill as when you start to transistion into track, the track happens soo much slower relatively to autox.. autox is a considerably quick pace as you are going from gate to gate getting your apex and turn-ins correct.. on the track, there's so much time in between to think about the turn coming up and how you need to attack it..autox demands you to look ahead which is the one basic skill as a driver needs to have.. entry fees are fairly cheap and the car maintenance is low as well as little or no repairs are needed after an event because the seat time is so short..

 

but when you look at the amount of money you spend vs seat time, track is the way to go.

[Legacy BoB]

If you have the money Skip barber sounds like a good fit for you though. You wanted open wheel racing and they'd train on it without you needing to buy a vehicle yourself. You can get track time and experience to help you towards getting your racing license in a well respected place, and if you can afford to run in a race season you could even get some good exposure if you do well.

 

Of course to do all that it would cost quite a bit, but even if you just take one of the courses they will teach skills it would take you along time to learn on your own.

[RobE]

unless you do NHRA Drag, then you want it have an AT

 

It was a joke that had to do with a thread he started.

[AWD_Rules3830]

It was a joke that had to do with a thread he started.

 

 

OHH ... i didnt notice that lol

[robinlsb]

you can start off with autoxcrossing right now.. it's probably one of the easiest motorsports to get into. The national championships are held in Topeka Kansas, which isnt that far from you.. I will be heading there this year with the 2.5RS in STS to see if I can finish in the top 10 among the fastest guys..

 

I think driving autox takes a lot of skill as when you start to transistion into track, the track happens soo much slower relatively to autox.. autox is a considerably quick pace as you are going from gate to gate getting your apex and turn-ins correct.. on the track, there's so much time in between to think about the turn coming up and how you need to attack it..autox demands you to look ahead which is the one basic skill as a driver needs to have.. entry fees are fairly cheap and the car maintenance is low as well as little or no repairs are needed after an event because the seat time is so short..

 

Jeeez, I don't know how to say this but I will. There is NO comparison between AUTOOX and wheel to wheel racing. Sorry is but is true.And you can't (almost) run away from other cars.

 

There is also the issue of lapping other cars( who don't want you to pass theM)

So my 2 cents. But AUTOX will not get you where you say you wanna go.

 

You want to race, get out there with people who would rather die than lose. And nobody ever remembers second place.

 

 

 

 

 

but when you look at the amount of money you spend vs seat time, track is the way to go.

[Xenonk]

but look at the amount you spent vs seat time

 

 

yes, you're right.. but you also have to think at the absolute dollar spent as well.. not every college kid has well over $300 to $1500 to spend on a track day... autox is cheap to start off at $20 to $30.. and autox school is around $150 to $250 a day.. not to mention that when you are at an autox, it's free to ride with instructors and other fast people who are running.. that in itself is invalueable.

[KartRacerBoy]

And put pride aside. I went to an autox school this past weekend and they told me to unlearn years of karting instincts. For example, after beating into myself steer from 3 and 9 oclock positions, they told me to shuffle steer (makes sense since I went from a vehicle from 1/2 turn, lock to lock, to 2-3 turns). I couldn't do it, but a regular who did take the advice took 1 second off his times, changing nothing else (he said). Listen to instructors.

[AWD_Rules3830]

And put pride aside. I went to an autox school this past weekend and they told me to unlearn years of karting instincts. For example, after beating into myself steer from 3 and 9 oclock positions, they told me to shuffle steer (makes sense since I went from a vehicle from 1/2 turn, lock to lock, to 2-3 turns). I couldn't do it, but a regular who did take the advice took 1 second off his times, changing nothing else (he said). Listen to instructors.

 

Depends on how tight the steering is. My dad actually told me to shuffle steer, i do it from time to time.

[Xenonk]

stunt drivers learn the shuffle steering method.. hand over hand is for evasive manuvers.. all I gotta say is, learn it all, it's only going to make you a better driver.

[BDII]

.

 

About me, Im 5'7" and weight 120 pounds, soo basically i have the body of a race car driver. Step one complete. lol

.

 

Jedi takes bigger poops than you:icon_surp

 

 

no really, If you want to be speed racer go ahead! You can do anything you put your mind too!

 

to be honest with you though, I spend more time in a day driving fast than most people do in a month, with that being said, Its addicting, have fun!!

[Xenonk]

Jedi takes bigger poops than you:icon_surp

 

 

no really, If you want to be speed racer go ahead! You can do anything you put your mind too!

 

to be honest with you though, I spend more time in a day driving fast than most people do in a month, with that being said, Its addicting, have fun!!

 

 

 

that's not fair, it's your JOB to drive fast.

[GarySheehan]

And put pride aside. I went to an autox school this past weekend and they told me to unlearn years of karting instincts. For example, after beating into myself steer from 3 and 9 oclock positions, they told me to shuffle steer (makes sense since I went from a vehicle from 1/2 turn, lock to lock, to 2-3 turns). I couldn't do it, but a regular who did take the advice took 1 second off his times, changing nothing else (he said). Listen to instructors.

 

I don't shuffle steer. I hate that technique. You lose track of the steering wheel that way. If steering ratio allows it, keep your hands at 3 and 9. You will always know where you are and can put in the right amount of countersteer significantly faster than shuffle steering.

 

Gary

Sheehan Motor Racing

Welcome to teamSMR.com!

[SWortham]

I agree with Keefe, autocrossing sounds like the first step for you just because it's cheap to get into. Unfortunately you get very little seat time with local autocross events though. So keep an eye out for autocross schools, test & tune days, Evolution driving schools, etc. These types of events will have much more seat time and a much better opportunity to improve as a driver.

 

By the way, one of the other things autocross demands of you is a nearly photographic memory. Since every course is different, you only have a short while to learn the course. So once you've walked it a couple times, it's a good idea to close your eyes and imagine driving the course in your head. If you can't do that, then you're not done walking the course.

 

And even after you've made a run, while you're waiting in grid it's a good idea to close your eyes and replay the run in your head to try and remember where you made mistakes. That's a skill you'll get better at with time, and it'll help you tremendously in road racing as well.

[robinlsb]

I hate pylon forests.

[Xenonk]

I don't shuffle steer. I hate that technique. You lose track of the steering wheel that way. If steering ratio allows it, keep your hands at 3 and 9. You will always know where you are and can put in the right amount of countersteer significantly faster than shuffle steering.

 

Gary

Sheehan Motor Racing

Welcome to teamSMR.com!

 

Gary, I know that you had a rev-lab steering rack (I had one too, hehe) when you had that WRX which you sold to the Locks? You know you would had to do some minor shuffle steering with the stock ratio..

 

I wish the GT was a little bit better for the steering ratio, I still find myself turning a little too far in where my hand went from 3 to 6, sometimes even 7 for those tighter right handers.. sometimes it just cant be avoided if the car/rules wont allow rack ratio changes. I have video of my in-car here, I would like you to give me any pointers if you see something wrong:

 

http://media.putfile.com/VIR-NORTH-INCAR

[GarySheehan]

Gary, I know that you had a rev-lab steering rack (I had one too, hehe) when you had that WRX which you sold to the Locks? You know you would had to do some minor shuffle steering with the stock ratio..

 

I wish the GT was a little bit better for the steering ratio, I still find myself turning a little too far in where my hand went from 3 to 6, sometimes even 7 for those tighter right handers.. sometimes it just cant be avoided if the car/rules wont allow rack ratio changes. I have video of my in-car here, I would like you to give me any pointers if you see something wrong:

 

http://media.putfile.com/VIR-NORTH-INCAR

 

Stock steering wheel, stock steering rack. No shuffle steer.

 

http://www.teamsmr.com/movies/LVMS_In-Car_LowRes.wmv

 

Gary

Sheehan Motor Racing

http://www.teamSMR.com

[Xenonk]

it was hard for me to see what you did with your other hand that was tucked under the wheel, did you still have your hand on the wheel or did you shift it over some to prevent your elbow to be tucked in front of your ribs?

[robinlsb]

[GarySheehan]

it was hard for me to see what you did with your other hand that was tucked under the wheel, did you still have your hand on the wheel or did you shift it over some to prevent your elbow to be tucked in front of your ribs?

 

That is the hand that is doing all the controlling of the wheel. I move my elbows outside of my seat so that it's free to move. I don't shuffle steer and am comfortable going "elbow to elbow" for very tight corners or very large opposite lock corrections.

 

http://www.teamsmr.com/movies/Slide.wmv

 

I always know exactly where the front wheels are pointed because my hands never leave their position on the steering wheel.

 

Gary

Sheehan Motor Racing

http://www.teamSMR.com

[Xenonk]

so you're saying that your "underhand" is the one doing the actually controlling of the car and not the "overhand"?

 

I guess I may need to change my habit then because I am dominate in using my "overhand" to be the dominate hand to "pull down" the steering wheel in the intended direction, so if I turn left, I use my left hand to pull down on the wheel and if I turn right, I pull down on the wheel using my right hand. Since our hands are static anyways, as the wheel is turned, say to the right, the left hand will end up in the 12 or 2 position, this eventually becomes my dominate hand to pull the wheel down to the left to turn left while my right hand shuffles a bit to keep my hands away from the 6 position or 8 position.

 

In your video, I can see that your "underhand" does loosen the grip and thus making your "overhand" become the dominate controlling hand in the slide.

 

oh, and thanks again Gary for the videos, every bit helps for me.