Do you know exacty how many events you will be running at the beginning of the season? Or will it depend on innumerable factors?

My car is ready and log-booked and I'm trying to figure out how many events I can do with the little money I have... I guess I'll be happy with 3 or 4 weekends, which would be the following:

Tremblant double in May
Shannonville double + enduro with EMRA
Watkins Glen double + enduro with EMRA

Lime Rock?
Another Tremblant?
$$$ will tell.

In past years, how have your expectations in terms of quantity met with reality?

How many races are your girlfriends/wives/boyfriends/etc. letting you get away with this year?

 

Scheduled 16 races last year tentatively and ran 19 (never planned on going to RA but went twice)

This stuff is my surrogate girlfriend.


3/1/2-03 Road Atlanta SARRC/ECR (2nd/1st)
3/22/23-03 VIR SARRC/ECR (DNS/1st)
4/12/ 4/13 Roebling Road ECR/ECR
4/26/27-03 Roebling Road SARRC/SARRC
6/21/22-03 Lowes Motor Spwy SARRC/ECR
7/26/27-03 Road Atlanta SARRC/ECR
8-30/31/9/1-03 Road Atlanta SARRC
10/4/5-03 Roebling Road S.I.C.
11/? Road Altanta ARRC

8/16/17-03 Carolina Mtrsp Pk SARRC/ECR (Maybe)


that's the plan at least



[Modified by phat-S, 2:13 PM 4/1/2003]

 

Official points events - 7 total:

April 5th and 6th, SCCA Double Regional Race – Bremerton Motorsports Park
April 26th and 27th, SCCA Double Regional Race – Bremerton Motorsports Park
May 23rd – 26th, SCCA Double National Race – Pacific Raceways
August 9th and 10th, SCCA Double Regional Race – Bremerton Motorsports Park




[Modified by johng, 11:16 AM 4/1/2003]

 

Plan to run 2 ECHC racers this year, VIR-N and Lowe's. Also do 2 test days before and maybe a couple drivers schools. I instructed at the ITRCA/B-Series TGP event back in Feb.

So .. looks like 2 reaces, 3 HPDEs. A far cry from the raucous 1999-2000 years of 8-10 HPDEs. Sure was cheaper to drive your stock car to the track, unload your CDs, drive around, load CDs, and drive home.


[Modified by SPiFF, 3:24 PM 4/1/2003]

 

I used to know how many races i was going to run each year when the schedule came out. Goal: all of them!

Now I am paying for those years.....

This year, the goal is to run the 8hour enduro at VIR, Road Atlanta at the end of July, Labor day Road Atlanta, and the ARRC. I figure that to cost about $4000, which is about what I can spend on racing this year.

I have started autocrossing again, and I am trying (with some success I might add) to rediscover what made racing fun in the first place!

 

I'll make at least five Honda Challenge races. BeaveRun in May is on the list of events I may skip, as that is just a REALLY long way from where I live. I'm iffy on Lowes Motor Speedway as well, mostly because I drove so poorly there last year I'm not sure I want to go back.

Will instruct at probably another four or five schools, so I'd guess ten track weekends. Throw in a few autocrosses here and there and that's about all I can manage with my work schedule, if I can even manage that.

 

I start every year with a budget of weekends based on money and available vacation time. I used to do 10 to 12, but I've dropped it to 7 or 8 now because I was just spending way too much damned money and never taking a "real" vacation because all of my days got spent for race weekends.

So its 8 this year. If any get added, something else has to be dropped. Its a way to bring a moderate amount of sanity to this stuff. Also having 3 weekends at Road Atlanta and 1 at Barbers helps me save the vacation days because travel to those is minimal for me.

I get my in between track weekends speed fix by autocrossing with Renee about 8 times a year. Its way cool to have a girlfriend thats my crew chief on "my" race weekends and in turn I am her tire warmer on "her" race weekends. Instead of motorsports being a problem in our relationship, its an integral part of it.

And like Bowie, I'm having fun again. Weekends at the track aren't supposed to be work or stressful. When that happens, its time to make a change.
And the same can happen at autocross. Renee has decided to ditch National level stuff because there was too much expense, travel, and stress involved.

 

No, it depends on various things, but I plan to race at about 6 events this year. Probably run about 12 autoxes. I'll work at 3-4 track event this year.
I expected to race 4 weekends last year, but only managed to do 2, but I made it to schools, instead.
It is a difficult balance. Any more than these 6 events would be pushing it a little too far with SWMBOed...

 

Yeah, it is a lot more fun without being dead-set on winning.

Scott, I introduced my girlfriend to auto-x a couple of weeks ago, and at the end of the day she gave me a mean look and said, "I hate you, you got me addicted too, you ***."

After having several relationships fail because "You love that car more than me" (DUH!) I am trying to have this relationship so that motorsports is part of it, not away from it.

As for the having fun part.....have any of you experienced/fast guys ever thought about going to a DE and just being a student again? A friend and I were talking about it, and we think it would be really fun to show up to an event that no one knew us and scare the crap out some instructors.....

 

LMAO!!!
Dude, I would hate to be your instructor.. LOL
I'd chit my pants!
Of course you'd have to get a rental car... and signup for Novice.




[Modified by XR4racer, 11:08 AM 4/2/2003]

 

I hope to get in all ECHC rounds minus one SP and Beaverun. After that, I'm taking all of next year off, and possibly selling the car assuming it remains in the condition it is now.

Jason-
who is hoping he'll be a daddy come end of next year. (Floyd, you inspired me, dude! )

 

See what we (me and Thomas Lackey) were talking about (and this was after 2 pitchers of Swag beer last night) we showing up for something like a Florida region PCA school, say at Roebling, in one of our street cars, on some toyos... Say we are intermediates, do 5 or 6 laps at 50 or 60 percent, hitting most apexes, holding our own in the group, then getting clear track and BOOM! 95 mph into 1, turn a 9.9/10ths lap hitting every apex perfect!

We decided that while the instructor might forgive us later, the stain would never come out of the passenger seat.