ProCoach

That question, whether to have your rookie race on a track you have been to, is one of the most popular, for sure. I ALWAYS recommend that. A big uncertainty checked off the list.

wthensler

I’ve come to enjoy David Murry since running with them at Sebring in January. My first time was at The Glen last year, and I just wasn’t prepared for the number of racers on track. They play to win, which I’ve now come to understand.

Open track with a very fast run group and skilled drivers is appealing to me, more so than the structured 1,2,3 run group format.

Bummer I can’t make the VIR event just prior to PCA, but I’ll be with them at RA in April.

KNSBrakes

Racing is definitely about testing yourself - and going to a track blind is a big box to check. just do it.

As far as entrants - what seems to be working are spec classes. PCA should expanmd on that.

Spec Boxster $xx.xx car
Spec Cayman (newer one with more HP) - $XX.xx car
Spec 911 - $XXX.xx car

Spec Classes are just easier. No BOP, blah blah blah. It's a hobby not a job.

Spec E30 - only starting to age out due to parts - $20ish k
Spec E46 - Booming - $40-$70k
SpecCorvette - also booming - $25-$45

Spec3 and SpecBRZ are not dead and likely back/getting more
SpecIron ($20k S197 Mustang?) is not bad

Feels like PCA is not reading the room?

ProCoach

From COTA on the grid right now...

"Roughly 21 different classes in a 70 car field at cota for PCA and looks like about half of the classes have one car in them. "

dgrobs

😳

LuigiVampa

My first race was at Sebring and I had never been there before. I was convinced that I would be OK, but in truth, I was in over my head on so many levels.

While I agree with Peter, I would also say that it depends on the overall experience of the driver. As you gain more skill it is easier to learn new tracks more quickly. When you are first starting out it is so much harder to learn a new track.

Accordingly, if you are a rookie rookie, like I was, than stay with a track you know. If you are an experienced rookie you might take a chance.

ProCoach

LV, good point.

in the last ten years, so many PCA Club Racing “rookies” are, in fact, not rookies at all. I was in the Rookie meeting at at COTA ten years ago and there were two drivers with LeMans history in the room. Yes, Bryan made light of that and the drivers didn’t fuss.

My read on the question was aimed at rookie rookies. Folks that had maybe two or three years of DE and were making the plunge into Club Racing, having never or very little racing experience.

Difool

looking at RaceHero for quali is interesting. 6 classes have 1 competitor, and 6 have 5 or more. SPB at 20+. Interesting that there are the same number of SP997 as B1 (5 each) and more C7s. SPC is representing with 6, although it looks like one didn’t make quali .

ProCoach

I think SPC is the deal. C7 is just plain fun! B1 can be a dogfight, or at least it used to be...

LuigiVampa

I think spec classes are the best value for the money and the most fair. When you drive in any class from SPB, SPC to the GTC cup classes, you know (hopefully) that everyone has very equal machinery. Other classes, especially GTB1, become tire and upgrade wars.

fatbillybob

^^^This is what I'm thinking with SCCA clubracing. Reg costs are hugely up. The extra test day costs $350 so now our fees are about $1000 to start. Tires have skyrocketed. A few years ago Hoosiers were $1400 a set now they are $2100 before mounting. Hotels are about 2x. I'm thinking my race weekend has doubled. Not many have the budget for that.

Class situations seem to be getting worse as clubs try to get car counts when they should be going for good racing. Two guys in class race isn't a race. I agree with KNS the spec classes are doing better. Spec Corvette is growing. SMX in SCCA is getting real big real fast. I love VIR only raced it once and will return to race it in April. But there is something weird about VIR. The SCCA membership just did not embrace VIR as a Runoffs venue. Car counts fell over successive years. Perhaps part of that is the lack of decent places to stay or the really high cost of them. This year I'm travel racing again. I've raced Sebring, NOLA, then Road Atlanta in 2 weeks and VIR in April. The lodging in the middle of no where VIR is the most expensive so far this year.

As to the rookie driver...just do it and enjoy it! When I did my first round of travel racing I traveled with an amateur racer who had a short professional past. He would just show up to quali and race. I'm not that capable but I just followed along with what he did. I learned to look an the turns of new tracks and equate them to a track I knew and that was my initial approach to that turn. I never asked a local how to go faster. I asked the locals where are the gottchas on the track where so I knew where to be more cautious. I'm from racing dessert tracks in Cali so I had to learn things like if you leave the ESSES at VIR morning wet grass is slick as snot and you will make it to the barriers. I found part of the fun was just figuring out new tracks. I was just happy to be there racing this new track. Most of us are not the home track hotshoe. It just isn't reasonable to beat the locals on their home track. Sometimes you impress but, You are still not getting Lewis Hamilton's seat when he leaves Mercedes.

RSRRacer

I would put VIR up there with one of the easier tracks to have a "first race" at. You just feel like you have room in most places. So, if you are intimidated, back off. Stay wide. And if you go off.... in many places you will be fine other than some dirt and grass in your eyes and radiators. Come to think of it.... I don't know a better track for a first race. Maybe COTA but I've never been there.

wellcoached

Anyone needing fresh Windshield Tear Offs- I will be there starting with the David Murry event.
Please contact me now at 585 727 nineteen twelve.

LuigiVampa

I'm hoping we get a post-COTA bump in the VIR registration. We are sitting at 89 cars at the moment.

erliuic

My rookie race was at LRP and it was my second time at LRP. LRP is both very simple and incredibly complicated, but it helped it wasn't like Sebring where there are 17 turns. I just tried to follow the rules and be respectful on track.