mjdcolo

I don’t have a trailer, but plan to get one in the spring. Not sure what people do with their trailer and car when they leave the track to hit dinner and the hotel. Do you leave it there? Are the tracks usually secured during HPDEs?

Matt

Thundermoose

I do. In fact, I much prefer to have my stuff at track than in the parking lot of a hotel. When TWS was still around, I also left my tools on the bench in the garage overnight. In 10 years, I only lost one item and that was a jack that I think the guy honestly forgot to return.

skl

Agree with above. Always had a lock on the trailer hitch (which probably wouldn't slow down someone who really wanted it) but usually there are a lot of people around you'll know or make friends with during the weekend. Never had an issue at any of the tracks in the midwest we went to- maybe we were lucky.

KOAN

Always do, never had a problem with car, tools or trailer

Hella-Buggin'

I don't trailer my car to the track but I wish I could leave it at the track instead of the Holiday Inn Express parking lot at night. The tracks are usually out of the way and have several gates to get through.
If someone is organized and wants it, they'll get it but there's less chance of someone just walking by.

good hands

I'm not sure I know anyone that packs up their trailer and leaves, then comes back the next day. Every track I go to has 24 hour security. A lot of us camp at the track where allowed and would report anything that looked suspicious.

DTMiller

I leave the keys in the car. Although I'm usually camped next to it.

And, to be fair, I'd like to meet the person that sees my car and says "man, I gotta have that."

Thundermoose

Your car is safe...LOL

TXE36

Yep, my experience too. Although I never lost anything.

Damn I miss that place...they ripped up the pavement of paradise and put up a bunch of ****ty tract homes.

Thundermoose

Yeah because there's no land anywhere else in the college station area

s996

I Always leave everything at the track. Never had an issue anywhere on eastern half of US tracks.

As you get to know the paddock gang you realize it’s one big happy although crazy family that enjoy the same addiction. Everyone has one of everything the other people have, sometimes the platinum version, but there don’t seem to be the thieves.


I would say if anything came up missing it would be more likely at the hotel parking lot.

ExMB

Yes. Never a problem. Before trailer leaving car at hotel; I sometimes worried.

jscott82

I've always left the car, the with the key in it (key is tethered to the car), at the track. Tools, tires, and everything else too. Never had a problem.

​​​​​​I've mainly done PCA and scca stuff. Not so sure I'd do that with some other groups though.

fatbillybob

SCCA events never had a problem. People are super respectful. I think I could leave a bag of cash on a work bench and it would be there in the morning. I do always cover my car overnight because sometimes it rains, or the condensation overnight leaves you a wet seat in the morning and to generally keep junk out of my car since I have no windows. Some put their cars on jackstands because they don't want to flatspot race tires. I have never found that to be an issue so never do that extra work. I think jackstanding your car for the evening is a good idea if you intend to do work first thing in the morning. It is just one less thing to do yet get prepped for your day. Most lock their Enclosed trailers at night so you can jackstand your car take wheels off, cover car and lock wheels trailer. That just makes your car less of a target for any misdeeds. Some put their car back in trailer at night but to me just makes the whole rig a better target to steal both car and trailer. My best anti-tampering anti-theft device is a cheap car. If I cruze the paddock as a thief there are so many other more interesting cars.

Martin S.

As Joe Biden would say, "Here's the deal." To raise and lower the trailer tongue, be certain to have an electric trailer jack. This will require you to add a battery to your trailer. Specify you want a electric trailer jack when you order the trailer. Next, when you get the trailer, on the interior of the trailer, you add a battery power cut off switch. Subsequently, when you have dropped the trailer as low as it will go, with the electric jack, go inside the trailer and turn off power to the electric jack. Lock the trailer doors. If someone want to steal a trailer, they will not mess with yours due to the work involved in raising the trailer tongue high enough to place upon theri trailer ball.

My next briilliant idea (No charge), have an eletrician do the appropriare wiring to assure that when the trailer break away pin is removed, the brakes lock up, just as they would on the road if the break away pin were activated in the event of a catastrophic disconnect of the trailer from the trailer ball, putting the safety chains to work. I am getting this done next week. Just DONT LOSE THE BREAK AWAY PIN, or you'll be screwed as all 4 wheels will be locked up. So that's the deal.

And as we see above, assuming you have a car worth stealing, "Most lock their Enclosed trailers at night so you can jackstand your car take wheels off, cover car and lock wheels trailer. That just makes your car less of a target for any misdeeds."