Veloce Raptor

HAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cooleyjb

You'd be amazed how much crap I can put in there. Thank goodness I have a small car though. I can bring almost everything I own for the car with a couple of large exceptions. I got horrible mileage this last weekend thanks to all the wind. I hate when I drop below 18MPG.

Bull

Think portable....I'm RPGs all the way!

Bull

What are you, some kind of left over Communist???? I'm getting my share before it all runs out!

SundayDriver

I am with you on that. I even proposed an new class for SCCA - ITD. Improved Touring Diesel. Min weight 7500 lbs so we can really waste some energy.

BostonDMD

Hey Mark, do you have any advice on SCCA racing school? If I remember correctly you have run with them, thanks....

SundayDriver

Yes, I run SCCA and have been a licensing instructor at SCCA schools.

I think they are the best preparation for racing. That said, they are NOT the place to learn to drive. You may get some coaching in that area, but the point of the school is competition, not basic performance driving.

SCCA schools are intense. You will do a very small amount of classroom and some ride along laps with your instructor. Then you are loose and run in race mode all day. You have to demonstrate that you are safe, above all else, and aware of your environment. You need to show that you can pick up your pace, but do not have to prove that you are fast, just willing to get better.

They are pretty much the opposite of Skippy School (which I have also done). Skippy teaches you to drive faster but offers almost nothing for real racing. Until you are in a race environment, most DE participants just can not understand how different that world is. In DE, you have three cars entering a corner and cooperating so that all can get through safely and reasonably quickly. In a race environment, each car wants through first, with some respect for the others (but not if it means getting beaten to the corner).

The advise I give everyone who has a Regional license (or the offer of one) via a school like Skippy is this - get the Regional license, but do at least one SCCA school to learn what it is like to race.

SCCA is, overall, more intense and more aggressive than other forms of club racing. My impression is that NASA (I have run with them) has about the same intensity as SCCA Regional racing. From observation, I feel that PCA racing has a similar level of intensity at the front of the pack and is much less intense at the back. SCCA National racing is far more intense. Contact happens often - though not intentional nor severe. After my best race, I was called into the black flag station with the car I was battling because there were many reports of car to car contact. Neither car had a mark on it and neither of us thought we hit but were not sure, nor did it matter if the was some light rubbing. This is just the way it is.

If you put yourself in an SCCA spec class like SRF or SM (Regional or National), you will quickly become a very good driver and racer. If you can run mid pack in those groups, you have accomplished something significant.

cooleyjb

I'm not a communist. I just rather spend all my money on other petroleum products like tires and stickers.

cooleyjb

Paolo,

Go do an SCCA school. However you will need to bring some poeple to help take care of your car. You won't have time to work on it yourself because in between sessions you will be debriefing with your instructor. It is fast paced and intense. I'm of the opinion that hte most important thing for a new racer is awareness. Being aware of where everything is around you. If you are able to do that while driving the turns you should be able to fit in just fine at the regional level.

I didn't do an SCCA school and was sortof lucky considering that my first race had a total of 10 cars in my group. I was able to get more comfortable in the racing environment in a low pressure setting. I actually plan on running one of the early SCCA schools next year just to get more seat time because you get a huge amount on those weekends.

Check the SCCA rulebook now to make sure you have everything you need to get through tech. Also does your car have an SCCA logbook. If not the sooner you start getting one the easier it will be.

I have a feeling that you will do just fine with club racing. Just remember, while you may be sorta quick in the DE world, you are going to be slower than snails in the club racing world to begin with. It's pretty eye opening how fast some people are when they are now in a race setting.

Bull

I was fairly certain you are not a communist....but one has little opportunity to use that line these days!

Use it all!

BostonDMD

Mark, SCCA sounds pretty exciting and intimidating at the same time....

I will definetly look into it... I am not going to become a pro racer, but I would like to become a darn good amatuer racer.....

Thanks for your imput......

BostonDMD

Joe, I hear you loud and clear and I agree with the fact that I will be humbled very quickly in my first race setting....

cooleyjb

Well maybe I'm a communist. I think there should be cup cars for everyone.

Veloce Raptor

Except for gerbil raper.

cooleyjb

You'll do just fine. Just be smart and aware. I am by no means an aged veteran but I had a few goals for my first year of racing and everyone has told me they were very smart, reasonable goals.

1. Have Fun
2. Don't screw up someone else's race (in a different class)
3. Don't crash into someone else
4. Don't be that guy
5. Learn, learn, learn