Learn Me: Racin'

My first time on a racetrack, ever, will be on June 19th at Summit Point in a 77 Porsche 924, running in the 24 Hours of Lemons with some friends.

I've wanted to go wheel-to-wheel racing for as long as I can remember. The closest I've ever gotten was the couple of autocrosses I've participated in; just enough to realize how much I have to learn.

What makes me a little nervous is that I'm going to be on a real track, in a $500 car, at speed, presumably with a bunch of other equally inexperienced 'race car' drivers.

I know I'll need my helmet, but other than that, what do I need to have with me (Nomex suit?, HANS device?, etc) and what should I expect? Anyone else want to recount their first time on a racetrack?

I will be at hyperfest as well (not driving though) Biggest thing i can say is relax have fun and dont let little things get to you.

to win you first must finish..

If your car is solid, the practice day might be a good investment.

Don't dive bomb anyone in the corners. Hold your line and let the faster cars pass you....then pass them when they come off for mechanical failure or run off the track.

Just finished my first Lemons race at Lemons South Spring, which was also my first wheel-to-wheel experience. I've done autocross for 10 years and a bunch of track days, but about 10 laps in, I knew my whole perspective had changed. What a rush!

I didn't hit anybody, drove clean and only got lightly hit once by someone attempting a bogus pass. No damage.

You're not living until you're 4-wide going into turn one....and that's still less than $2000 worth of cars.

I was expecting a demolition derby, but there was a lot of clean, respectful driving. I'm going back in September.

I got what amounts to a couple of SCCA/NASA seasons of w2w experience in one weekend. I think Lemons is a great way to get into 'real' racing and shorten the learning curve. You're constantly working traffic.

The off-track activities were fun, too. You're going to have a blast.

Just don't take a flaky car. Those are the guys that suffered.

Think rush hour traffic at 6 inches rather than 6 feet.

For safety gear read the Lemons rule book, or buy their package deal. That's what I ended up doing the first time I ran.

Pick a line and drive it consistently.If you pass someone dont look back for three laps, then check and see how far back that car is. If someone passes you follow as closely as you can and study for passing opportunities, is he outdriving you or does he have a better sled? Lead car has right of way,always.. If he is a banzai diver, yield, sooner or later he will crash and burn. Your job is to be their when it happens to smell the smoke as you drive through the cloud.

Watch your mirrors. Watch your mirrors. Watch your mirrors.

I have very little fear being on a track with 60 cars being driven by guys who have gone through the same training that I have. I'm not sure I'd feel as confident with the Lemons field. The first 30 minutes or so will probably be the worst, but I think most people will develop a rhythm after awhile and will be more predictable. There is nothing I've experienced in life that is as much fun and a rush as W2W racing.

You can never have too much safety equipment. The HANS is a royal PITA but I'm used to it now and wouldn't race without one.

And watch your mirrors. Situational awareness is everything.

Doing some HPDE or FATT events and learning to drive a car the limit while paying attention to flag stations, other cars, changing road conditions, weather, etc. is very beneficial. The first time you are on a real race track is total sensory overload and only through practice will you become accustomed to everything that's taking place at the same time. At this late date, however, getting a practice weekend in is not too likely. So I guess my only advice is take it easy at first and work up to a good pace later. Pay attention to everything going on around you on-track.

Also, read the Lemons rules cover-to-cover. You need to know about safety equipment, car prep, etc. Nothing worse than towing your car to the track and finding it doesn't meet the safety requirements for the roll cage or you have the wrong kind of fire extinguisher mounting, etc.

ddavidv wrote: I have very little fear being on a track with 60 cars being driven by guys who have gone through the same training that I have. I'm not sure I'd feel as confident with the Lemons field.

I think this is what I'm nervous about. I badly want to go wheel-to-wheel racing. I just think I would be less nervous and more excited if I, and all of my competitors, had gone through the proper training to get an SCCA competition license.

RE: Situational awareness. I see, in the course of a week, just driving to my shop & back, more near-misses, and accidents due to people not paying attention and/or believing that they are the only people on the road. My (probably unfounded) fear is to be on a track with a whole bunch of similarly oblivious people, driving really fast.

1. Beware the red mist. TRY to stay calm
2. Races are NEVER won on the first lap. But they are often lost.
3. All comments on situational awareness apply.
4. Concentrate on the visuals more than one car ahead of you.
5. Flag stands. Flag stands. They're there for a reason. Don't be afraid that you'll lose your manliness by not taking the hot line, behind the hot car, on you opening laps. You'll put your cari in the guardrail, as you are in over your head.
6. Again, visuals, visuals, visuals. Be aware of who's around you.
7. With your eyes closed can you undo the belts, window net, and hit the on-board extinguisher?
8. You're there for the competition and the FUN. And don't forget your co-drivers. My first race was in a Formula Ford, started mid pack at Riverside. That first corner is still a blur of a memory. But, my biggest concern was to avoid other tires, and simply make it through the first lap. (Finished 10th in a 23 car field.) After that, strategy and race-craft. But, first, get through that first lap. Hope this helps, and have fun.

I was a member of a group that used to run the "Longest Day at Nelson Ledges". First rule is to check your ego at the door; neither the Captain or the Hat will be there looking for talent. Odd as this sounds, in this instance, racing is a team sport and you have to be a good team member. Putting the car into the tire wall or breaking the trans trying to set fast lap will not help your team. Just pace yourself, log laps and oh yeah, have fun.

Add to the list: leave your ego at home. You are not the worlds best driver.

iceracer wrote: leave your ego at home. You are not the worlds best driver.

If there is one thing I learned at the couple of autocrosses I've driven, it is this.

I'm painfully aware that I am not the world's best driver.

My whole plan is to just go and have fun. I have no aspirations of actually winning, I'm just going for the experience.

After one SCCA driving school at Watkins Glen. I and a co-driver entered 10 hr Enduro at Lime Rock. I just drove at my own pace, didn't try to race anyone.. Worked out well. Just like driving on the highway, look out for the idiots. One nice thing about a race track , is that everyone is supposed to be going in the same direction.

You will be running on the Shenandoah Circuit which IMO is the most "technical" track on the east coast. If you have any say in the car prep concentrate on the suspension and brakes. Don't worry about the speed of the car as there aren't a lot of spots that pure speed is an advantage on that track.

Hopefully some of your team members have experience on that track and can give you some pointers. There are a couple places on that track that following the "book" line thru a corner will find you running out of pavement a turn or two later.

Too much speed coming up the hill will get you airborne and even though it looks like you can take "Big Bend" flat out, YOU CAN'T.

So take it easy at first and get any pointers you can from people with experience on the track.

triumph5 wrote: 1. Beware the red mist. TRY to stay calm 2. Races are NEVER won on the first lap. But they are often lost. 3. All comments on situational awareness apply. 4. Concentrate on the visuals more than one car ahead of you. 5. Flag stands. Flag stands. They're there for a reason. Don't be afraid that you'll lose your manliness by not taking the hot line, behind the hot car, on you opening laps. You'll put your cari in the guardrail, as you are in over your head. 6. Again, visuals, visuals, visuals. Be aware of who's around you. 7. With your eyes closed can you undo the belts, window net, and hit the on-board extinguisher? 8. You're there for the competition and the FUN. And don't forget your co-drivers. My first race was in a Formula Ford, started mid pack at Riverside. That first corner is still a blur of a memory. But, my biggest concern was to avoid other tires, and simply make it through the first lap. (Finished 10th in a 23 car field.) After that, strategy and race-craft. But, first, get through that first lap. Hope this helps, and have fun.

This.

Mostly it's that 'red mist' thing, also known as buck fever. Remember, it's an endurance race and you have to finish both days in order to even be counted. If you lose your mind and start racing every goober who gets in your sight, you'll lose your primary focus, which is to click off laps like clockwork.

I can't stress watching the flags enough. LeMons uses a simplified SCCA flagging system, basically it's yellow for caution and red for full course STOP. When those flags are out, DO NOT PASS. Under yellow (even a waving double yellow) you can still stay with traffic, in fact this is a REAL good time to make up some space on the car ahead of you, or if it's going to be a long term full course yellow (badly busted car or big wreck on course), it's a perfect time to do a driver change and refuel if it's already close to hand off time. Less chance of losing a bunch of laps that way, compared to a pit under green.

Then there is the dreaded 'black flag', if that one is pointed at you then you have done something really stupid and the judges are gonna get a piece of your ass. The severity of the fangs in the fanny depends in no small part on the drivers' attitude (there's that 'red mist' thing again).

Plan the stints ahead of time! We ran 90 minutes per driver, the car got good enough gas mileage that we did a refuel every second driver change. But be prepared to change your schedule to fit full course yellows, etc.

Everybody should have a job during a driver change. There must be two people refueling, one hanfdling the gas and the other waiting very nearby (like 2-3 feet) with a fire extinguisher. Keep in mind that the team members refueling the car MUST be in full Nomex and wearing a helmet. That means being prepared! We did it by having a team member in Nomex ready with the gas and the driver would exit the car and grab the extinguisher. No one can be in the car or working on it during refueling. Once the refueling is done, check the car over and finish swapping out drivers ASAP. You need to check fluids etc during a driver change, this is why I say everybody should know their task and do it quickly.

In LeMons traffic, he with the bigger car gets the right of way. If you are driving a Civic and he's driving a Crown Vic, he can punt you out of the race and will probably wonder if he ever hit you. So let him go; chances are he will overdrive the big turd, spin out or go off course, get blackflagged and then you'll be able to make up laps while he's Miming the Crime. Of course, if you are driving the bigger car, the situation is reversed and can work to your advantage- IF you use your head.

Know something about your car's handling characteristics. We autocrossed each of our cars before actually racing them, we had an idea of what the cars were capable of. The first race session is no place to be learning your car!

You mentioned gear; in addition to the MANDATORY Snell '05 full coverage helmet (no open face helmets allowed!), you will need a 3.2/5 SFI race suit, Nomex socks, SFI approved racing shoes and gloves, if you have facial hair a balaclava and a neck support of some sort. The minimum neck support is a SFI neck collar and they prefer HANS, RG3, etc.

I don't know what the temps are like at Summit Point in June, down here it would be stupid hot. Under those conditions, Cool Shirts are worth their weight in gold. We built two DIY coolers for ~$40 each with two we could swap them out quickly during driver changes. Rig up a toggle switch so you can turn the thing off. I found it worked best if I turned it on for one lap, then off for 4 or 5, then back on for one etc.

fastmiata wrote: Odd as this sounds, in this instance, racing is a team sport and you have to be a good team member. Putting the car into the tire wall or breaking the trans trying to set fast lap will not help your team. Just pace yourself, log laps and oh yeah, have fun.

This.

Is Rubbin' Racin'?

...and don't forget to have fun, whether you finish first or last. Nobody likes a whiner, especially at lemons.

Patience.

Unlike autocrossing, stuff happens over a much more protracted time period in a road racing situation than in an autocross. Also, unlike autocrossing, or even a track day, where the actual driving and control of the car is the primary focus of the driver, in a road racing situation the "driving" of the car is mostly a background activity to working traffic, monitoring track conditions, etc. Basically, if you're thinking about the actual control of the car, you're focusing on the wrong stuff.

jg

um, if you're not sure what safety equipment you need, you should probably go to the Lemons site and read the rules. your teammates are not going to want to share sweaty racing equipment with you.

SA-rated helmet; fire suit (1- or 2-piece); fireproof longjohns (depending on your suit rating); fireproof shoes; fireproof gloves; neck brace (either a kart-style horseshoe or something like a HANS); and arm restraints (if you have an open car).

i wish i was headed to Summit. you'll have a blast...race hard, but don't get too caught up in "winning." don't be that guy.

edit: also, +1 on everything jensenman said. be a good teammate. when you're not driving, you should be paying attention so when the car breaks you are around to fix it, or when your teammate gets penalized you are there for the penalty.

M030 wrote:

ddavidv wrote: I have very little fear being on a track with 60 cars being driven by guys who have gone through the same training that I have. I'm not sure I'd feel as confident with the Lemons field.

I think this is what I'm nervous about. I badly want to go wheel-to-wheel racing. I just think I would be less nervous and more excited if I, and all of my competitors, had gone through the proper training to get an SCCA competition license.

the most dangerous drivers out there will have SCCA competition licenses. guaranteed.

people often assume that everyone on track at a Lemons race is a rookie, but that really isn't true. i would guess that at any given Lemons race (i've done 6), ~10% of the drivers have never done W2W racing, and less than that have never been on a track. So most of the people know what they're doing out there. The ones who don't are very obvious. What makes a driver dangerous is lack of judgement, not lack of experience.

My first time on a track was at a Lemons event, and i've never made more than incidental contact with anyone. i've racked up a total of 2 black flags in 6 races (tapped a cone in my first race, spun two wheels off in my most recent).

ddavidv wrote: Watch your mirrors. Watch your mirrors. Watch your mirrors. I have very little fear being on a track with 60 cars being driven by guys who have gone through the same training that I have. I'm not sure I'd feel as confident with the Lemons field. The first 30 minutes or so will probably be the worst, but I think most people will develop a rhythm after awhile and will be more predictable. There is nothing I've experienced in life that is as much fun and a rush as W2W racing. You can never have too much safety equipment. The HANS is a royal PITA but I'm used to it now and wouldn't race without one. And watch your mirrors. Situational awareness is everything.

See my comment above about my most recent black flag. Watch your mirrors but don't get paranoid about it, and don't miss your turn-in point b/c of it.

I don't know how Lemons starts their race, but at the ChumpCar race I drove in, they started us out a minute apart and let use cycle around for a couple of laps at about 6/10th's speed under caution to make sure everyone had a chance to get used to the cars, the track, the flag stations, etc.

I'd only ever done some karting, track days, autocrosses, etc I grew up at that track though, and I'd been around a lot of great local drivers and learned a little bit. Mostly about how cocky some drivers are and that you are the one that has to face the other drivers after the race. Being agressive is great, but temper that with smoothness and playing by the rules. If you do, you'll go a long way towards getting their respect.

So while I was a newb, I just focused on getting the car around the track and checked my mirrors briefly as I started braking. If I saw someone coming fast, I pointed them by and followed for a bit.

Ultimately, it is up to the passing car to find a safe way around and if they follow you for a bit while you drive YOUR line, it makes it easier for them to find a way around than if you freak out and drive all over the track to let them by.

For the most part, everyone was pretty much just focusing on driving the cars and staying out of the way as it was a 24-hour race. Not to say there wasn't some good racing. Our Shelby Shadow went toe to toe with a SHO for a few laps. Eventually their top end won the battle, but it was a lot of fun to watch from the pits and according to the driver, a lot more fun to drive it!

what makes SCCA training so significant? In the schools the teach you flags and send you out on track by yourselves to figure it out.

Hardly what I would consider "trained drivers"

Le Mons on the Shenandoah circuit. Oh my. No one will finish.

Don't expect your car to be magicaly faster/corner better because you are on a "real" racetrack. Drive the same speed as your favorite piece of twisty backroad. Look farther ahead!