ghettoracer

is anyone going from HT?

Vitt1

I'm trying to make it for Sat. at least. Are you an instructor for the weekend?



[Modified by Vitt1, 12:07 PM 10/23/2002]

ruthless013

damn, you beat me to it - i was going to save the 'roll-call for buttonwillow' thread till this weekend.

i will be there, CEL 65 or not. damned o2 sensor.

what kind of cars are you guys driving, so i know who to look for?
me=96 civic coupe white


[Modified by ruthless013, 12:24 PM 10/23/2002]

ghettoracer

about a dozen of HT people are going.

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=313138&page=2

frogsr

i'll be there on sunday. i love buttonwillow.

yoshi234

me

SoSoJeff

iTrader: (1)

ill be there

ruthless013

anyone driving into town on friday night? i'm coming from OC and will have to foot the bill for a room - unless someone wants to shack up. i have very good hygeine, and will bring beer.


-chuck

nikkotyper

Have you attended any events with SpeedTrial before?
Can you give me an evaluation compared to some other common HPDEs (NASA, UnlimitedLaps...)
I am thinking about signing up for December date, but I have never attended any of their events. How much seat time does one actualy get?

Thanks in advance

VTEC

I want to go, but I'll be at the CART race in Fontana that weekend...

chad

where is buttonwillow and how much will this event cost?

thanks
chad.....who might make the trip!

Vitt1

Buttonwillow is about 130 miles north of LA. 30 miles West of Bakersfield, CA if you know about where that is.

The event costs $240 for both days or $140 for one day. Hope you'll make. Hope I will too

http://www.speedtrialusa.com/buttonwillow.html

ghettoracer

speedtrial is probably the most loose... not very many instructors. it would be great if people knew what they were doing, but unfortunately a lot of people dunno what they're doing. but i'll try to help tommy out next weekend.

NASA, UL are all more organized than speedtrials.

Raymund

Yeah, I would have to agree with Frank on this one. From my experience with Speedtrial, they seem to offer the least amount of effort in ensuring that first timers and/or newbies have a fun and safe experience. It would be nice if they swallow their pride and ask experienced participants to help out the newbies. One department Speedtrial seem to excel on is value. Their events are attractively priced. If you are familiar with track events and this is not your first time, it is as safe as any.

Later in the day they don't seem to monitor who goes on the track. One feature I've taken advantage of before

Frank, do they allow the use of transponders?


[Modified by Raymund, 10:14 AM 10/27/2002]

Alexis

If this is your first time on the track, you will be much better off waiting a week and attend the Driver's School with TCRA instead. TCRA will be in Buttonwillow (Full Course) on Nov 9-10.

http://www.touringcarclub.com

Vitt1

My very first event was with Speedtrial in the summer at Willow Springs and that's pretty much what I've seen too. I guess most organizations will promise instructors but I had to go chase one down. Being a newbie it didn't help that they let a lot of experienced ppl loose on the last run for the beginners group.

How's the TCRA school? It looks attractive on paper, but I'm wondering if that's what you actually get.

I don't know many other organizations, but a couple of guys that put on a well organized event and you get lots of track time is speedventures. I'll probably sign up for all of their events. Anyone going to Buttonwillow on Friday 11/15?

I want to try NASA but it seems they pack a whole lot of stuff in their day. I wonder how they have time for all that? Has anyone ever run the Willow Springs big track? Looks like a nice track. I think that's were the next NASA event will be.

Do you know of any other clubs that put on HPDEs in CA?

WebbRacing.com

I wish I could be there to help out some of the first-timers, but it looks like I'll be busy with SEMA preparations and meetings with CART at Fontana. If my schedule opens up, I'll surely be there. Look for a red Cougar or a silver Mazda6. And if you're new to the track (or even if you're not), please don't hesitate to ask (someone) for help. You'll have a much better (and safer) time if you're learning the right way instead of trying to figure everything out for yourself. Trust me, we can all learn from someone more experienced.

ghettoracer

you can rate events based on the following:

basic cost of event:
amount of seat time:
available instructors (ie, student:instructor ratio):
instructor quality (are they experienced? can they help students out safely and quickly?):
quality of seat time (is the fast group really fast? or bunch or ego people they takes forever to wave people by? are the beginner groups being helped by good instructors so they understand and practice proper track ettiquette?):
food, atmosphere (yes, some events have truly awesome food. MCBH and TracQuest comes to mind, and a totally great crowd):
overall cost of event (factor in the above, what was the real value of the event?):

and you pretty much get what you pay for...




[Modified by GhettoRacer, 12:04 PM 10/27/2002]

chad

as an exprienced driver i look for

seat time!!! the more the better!!!

as a rookie i looked for

seat time
time with an exprienced driver
safety


the more exprienced you get the better you are at handling situations that happen on track?

one question-- does speedtrials have corner workers at each of the worker stands/locations?

ZygSpeed

haha ... I just deleted my Phil Sucks pic from we-todd-did

frogsr

i never thought speedtrialsusa ever tried to portray that they were a open track session with lots of instruction. i always thought of it as more of just plain old track time. if i wanted instruction, i'd go elsewhere though, as many of you mention.

Vitt1

I thought about signing up for TracQuest in the beginning of the year. What does MCBH stand for? Do you have a number or website? thanks

ghettoracer

MCBH = motorsports club of beverly hills. http://www.motorsportsclub.com

Vitt1

I'm signing up for Sunday. I'll look for Frank's red Del Sol and all the ITRs and stop by to meet some H-T people. Might drive up Saturday night.

Alexis

Compared to NASA & Speedtrial, TCRA is the best for beginners. You get lots of track time, more Instruction and they are much more safety oriented. They have some good Instructors and have different levels you can advance to when you are ready. Lots of experienced racers you can learn from, who are friendly.

NASA is more "race oriented" and it's becoming like the SCCA where they have too many entries and groups, so track time is less than the other two. Their driving school is good too, but can get crowded. One thing NASA SF has is the best Rescue Team, which they put to good use at times.

Willow Springs (Big Track) is a good track too, real fast and not too hard to learn, but I think Buttonwillow is a better track to learn on since it is more technical and has many different types of corners. TCRA will be in Willow Springs (Big Track) on Dec 7-8.

As for other clubs, try SCCA, BMWCCA, PCA, Alfa Romeo Club, and many more. Frank probably could tell you all of them since he probably been to them all.