So how long have you been doing the motorsports thing?

[DSC]

I'm just curious how much experiance we have on this board. Give a quick background of where/when you started and what your doing now or something.

I just started, so not much to tell, done 1 full weekend and some other quick sessions elsewhere. About 2.5hrs total tracktime so far.

[Bbandit]

i've autoXing for the last 2 years
so its been 4 seasons for me
we have 1 season per semester here in texas a&m organized by TAMSCC(Texas A&M Sports Car Club)
i want to go to the track someday but still.. i cant leave autoX
and one thing i really want is going to some drift events. unfortunately.. i cant find any here in texas

[bbp]

Professional Experience:

1991-2000 TrackTime Driving School, Youngstown, OH
Positions:
91-93 Mechanic Rental Program / Learning to Drive
93-97 Track Operations / Assistant Head Instructor
97-2000 Head Instructor, Classroom Instructor

Responsibilities:
Pre-Event Tech and Registration All on-track activities
Scheduling
Coordinating Corner workers
In-Car Instruction of Students
Transportation of Rig and Equip.
Classroom Instruction
Rental Car Maintenance

(1991-1993 TC Kline Racing, Hilliard, OH
1995-1998) Positions:
Mechanic, Crew
Preparation and Maintenance of Rental Program
Honda Civic Si
Honda Prelude
Acura Integra
Mazda MX-3
Sentra SE-R
BMW 318TiB
MW 325i (E36)
BMW M3 (E30 & E36)
BMW Z3

IMSA Firehawk Crew:
Honda Prelude, BMW M3
North American Touring Car Crew:
Neuspeed Honda Accord
BMW M3

General shop work:
Building customer cars for SCCA Showroom Stock & BMWCCA
Transporting of Rig and Equipment to Events
Pick up and delivery of customer cars.

1994 SCCA Regional License
2002 SCCA Regional License
Member: BMWCCA, SCCA, ASCC

2002 Ohio Indiana Chapter NASA
Consultant
Assistant Head Instructor
Classroom / OnTrack Instructor

2002 6th Cendiv SCCA Regional Championship




In-Car Instructor Experience:
TrackTime Performance Driving School
BMW Club
SCCA Accredited
NASA Accredited
Stock Car School – Michigan Speedway
Formula 3 School – Michigan Speedway
Ferrari Club of America
SVRA – Vintage Licence Accréditation
SCCA, NASA – Comp. Licensing

Ride and Drive Events:
Subaru Forrester National Introduction – Central States
Mitsubishi Montero – Midwest Tour
Ford Taurus - Mid Ohio
Corporate Programs :
Yokohama Tire PGA
Tenneco Automotive 3M
Toyo Tires
Neuspeed
Private Instruction at numerous events

State of Ohio Police and Safety Training: Nelson Ledges
In-car instruction for Chauffer, Police and Ambulance Safety Training .
Kenny Brown Performance School
Putnam Park, Watkins Glen
Autocross – Design, Instruction, Participant

Track Experience:
Watkins Glen (Short & Long)
Pocono
Road Atlanta
Roebling Road
Sebring
Mid-Ohio
Nelson Ledges
Michigan Speedway(Road & Oval)
Gingerman
Putnam Park
St. Louis
Heartland Park
Road America
Buttonwillow
Texas World Speedway
Laguna Seca
Las Vegas (Old track)
Memphis
Thunderhill

Track Experience Driving the following Cars:

BMW M3 (E30 & E36)
BMW 318Ti
BMW Z3 coupe, roadster
BMW 325i (s)
Honda CRX & Civic
Honda Prelude
Acura Integra
Corvette
Mitsubishi 3000GT
Ford Taurus
Nissan 240sx
Nissan Altima
RX-7 Turbo
Ferrari Testarosa
Porsche Boxster
Mustang
Spec Racer Ford / Renault
Formula 3
Winston Cup Stock Car(Oval & Road Course)
Assorted Vintage Cars
Consulier (Mosler Automotive)


All In can think of right now...

[Dousan_PG]

2 track events (since july 02)
3 drift events (since nov 02)

1 drift event left in dec
1 planned for jan
probably a good 10-12 drift/track events in 2003!

damn i'm poor after them..haha..

anyone want to sponsor me some tires?

[tnord]

bbp you're my hero..........

i'm entering my 3rd year of Solo I style competition. this year may be with a new car though. E30 M3, ITR, or maybe something else are my primary options. bbp, what are you're impressions of the E30??? if there's a weekend i'm not driving at the track, i'm most likely working at it as "pit crew." although i don't get paid **** to do it, i get free room and board, hang out with professional drivers, and get the occasional run around the track in a SRF or my car.

[thelinja]

Eh, I'm a noob, I've only been to two autox's. I'm getting better though. I'd like to go to an HPDE sometimes this coming spring or summer, but I want to get my tires and exhaust before that, so it may have to wait until 2004.

[tnord]

why wait?

what tires do you use currently? what are you getting?

[bbp]

Originally posted by tnord
bbp you're my hero..........

i'm entering my 3rd year of Solo I style competition. this year may be with a new car though. E30 M3, ITR, or maybe something else are my primary options. bbp, what are you're impressions of the E30??? if there's a weekend i'm not driving at the track, i'm most likely working at it as "pit crew." although i don't get paid **** to do it, i get free room and board, hang out with professional drivers, and get the occasional run around the track in a SRF or my car.

I really like the e30 m3. I would get one in a heartbeat. Only downside is the $$ to own it. Parts are not cheap! ITR are cool but there is a limited plaing field, if HC grows it could be very cool.

I started out just going to the track and hanging out, it's the best place to be! Something will come out of it, it always did. Meet important people with connections. thats kinda how I got started with TC, helped a guy rebuild smashed Firehawk cars for TC, then we started doing cages, then I started crewing. Never made a ton of money but learned alot, got alot of seat time and best of all got to be friends with people like Randy Pobst, Peter Schwartzott. Keep with it. Now that I am (almost) a family man, I realize how great it was to call the track your office!

Have a great holiday!

PS. - Tnord is right, those are excuses, you don't need that **** to do an HPDE. Use up whatever tires you have, then, buty some new ones.

[AKADriver]

My first tate of actual racing or performance driving was drag racing (ow ow please don't hit me) my previous daily driver, an old battered DOHC Neon. That started in the summer of 2001. Before that I'd attended autocrosses and been to the dragstrip but never competed.

I drive in my first autocross the first week I owned my GTI, just about a year ago. That's when I learned the true meaning of understeer.

I went to my first HPDE with some of you at VIR this fall.

[thelinja]

I'm running Yokohama V4's right now. I have a set of rims on the way that I'm going to run during races. I'm going to get Falken Azenis on them...if I can find them....

[uuninja]

This was my first year of behind the wheel experience. 3 HPDE's under my belt thus far. All I can say is I am hooked.

bbp, man that is quite a resume! I am impressed/jealous.

[HippoSleek]

Because I think motorcross qualifies as "motorsports," I'll say I got my frist taste around 1981 when I got my first XR-75. I raced a CR-80 and CR-125 from 1983 until around 1988 at regional motox and superx events.

1988-1997: no motorsports interest - just pimpin' and gorillain'

My first taste in a car, like AKA, was bracket racing - for one summer in 1997. Started to autox in 1998. Did my first track event 9/15/01.

I too would kill for a nice J-stock e30 M3 (where does the 325 fall?). I still want to find out more about BMWCCA events. That might not be the worst way to go. Although I'd really like an SRF! Alas, a but too much money. What happened to the SM?

IMHO, an ITR is too much money for a race car - $30K for one on the track, minimum (cage, seat, etc.). The top ECHC car in the class was a (well driven) mid-90s Prelude Vtec. The second fastest car was a GSR (bumped for shocks). Not to mention the whole - other than a CRX or a CX hatch, SCCA rules keep Hondas uncompetitive.

I agree w/ the tire sentiment. I know at least a couple people in this thread, myself included, did their first event on all seasons. Sure, 15 minutes in mine were very greasy but they held up okay. Also, you will learn a LOT w/ a not so sticky tire. I'd worry far more about brakes than tires!

[bbp]

Motorcross counts! I think that is more physically demanding than cars.

Right now, I think the best buy, if your looking for a BMW, is a 92 (E36)or so 325i. Does well in BMWCCA and is currently dominating ITS. There was a 5 speed in my local paper under 7 grand!

I agree ITR's are nice, but bling bling!

How old are all you guys?

How many are interested in doing some HPDE? I can help you guys get out there thru NASA!

[HippoSleek]

Yeah, an e36 sounds nice, until I looked at the cost of re-shelling the car should the unfortunate happen. I pretty much decided that the time/money shift wasn't going to work for me in ITS - I don't have the time to do all the prep/upgrades myself or the money to have someone else do them. Spec is where it's at. I can't imagine an e36 ITS car would be an inexpensive (money or time) propsition. Regardless, I'm looking forward to some Bavarian goodness next fall for my daily driver (probably a 5-series, b/c if I get a 3, I'll want an M and we all know where that leads! )

I think ITRs are great cars to take to the track, but I wouldn't own one for track only. That kinda ruins it for me. A prepped GSR or Prelude will run as fast as the ITR for about 1/2 the cost. Having seen maybe five ITRs get bent up this year at the track, all at great expense, I don't get it.

Travis - what happened to the SpecMiata? I'm still there, unless I can't stand seeing anymore proven ITA CRXs going for dirt cheap.

And bbp - good luck finding anyone near us that I haven't already gotten to! I'd like to think I was a little bit responsible for getting uuninja, sykikchimp, nrcooled, akadriver, and dsc out to NASA events. I guess there's a few toward your end that are out of my reach... muhahaha

[tnord]

oh don't worry mark and others.......SpecMiata is still the plan for my race car, but that won't get started for about another year.

i'm talking about a E30M3, ITR, or E36 328is, or MazdaSpeed Protoge', or what-have-you for daily driving purposes/track car until the SM gets built. and of course, these cars would be stored in the winter. basically, it'll come down to what costs the most for insurance. also, BMW's are a bitch to modify, $1000 for cams, headers, exhaust each. but a chip is only like $250, and upgraded for free. who know's what i'll actually do by spring.

[SR20Fastback]

Im definately intrested in the NASA events, but you guys live way too far away from me, and there is little justice in driving 1000+ miles to CA for 1 event... Doesnt mean Im not doing it though; February 22-23rd HPDE at Thunderhill Raceway Im so excited, just trying to get the car ready. The past 2 months I've been searching for a reasonably priced E36, but they're not to be found around here for under 12k, and I definately dont have that kind of money. Let alone the cost to keep up on a BMW, and probably higher mileage at that (92).

[HippoSleek]

SR20: Yeah - WA has that weird conference thingie w/ 3-4 clubs, iirc. I know/of someone who is very helpful that runs up there (just moving from autox to road racing), if you are interested. He's got great connections and knows all the local events.

Travis - good to hear I won't be the only one in a chick car.

[bbp]

a friend of mine is currently building a SM. Just stripped the interior, going to get a cage around newyars. I keep y'all posted on the progress.

Spec Miata =

[SR20Fastback]

Hippo- Im very intrested. So far I know of some SCCA events somewhere around here, but not much. There is also this ICSS or something to that extent I've emailed but never heard back from.

My only lead so far is this IRDC driving school, that Ive spoken to a man named Don about. They're going to post their 2003 schedule of 70+ events at the end of January. I can imagine this might get expensive.

Either way, Id like to get in contact with the guy you know.

[LanceS13]

Wow! I'm out two weeks and there's a whole new look and a new motorsports forum when I return.

bbp....impressive....that's all I can say.


I got my first taste several years ago (I think I was 12) when I tagged along with a friend of my parents to a dirt oval kart race. Competition was scarce that night and points didn't count, so with a borrowed helmet I ran the 2nd heat for him. Of course, I sucked and I knew it....but it was fun and I wanted more.
Fast forward to '99. I stumbled upon an SCCA booth at a local car show...said they were having an autocross the next day. I showed up and watched...even rode with a guy in a miata. I was driving a truck at the time, but after much pestering and persuasion, I borrowed my Mom's Accord EX automatic and placed 5th out of 9 in HS at the next event. I was hooked. I autox'd off and on for another 1.5yr with that car, mostly getting my butt kicked. My last event in the Accord was actually the '01 Meridian Nat'l tour where I finished dead last. May '01 I used an autox to test drive a '92 240SX fastback...it's now mine and running STS with success. I ran the entire '02 season taking the PAX Open Tire Championship in this small pond MS region.
I'm currently working on a newer KA with hopes of running Street Mod by summer '03 with the help of a turbo. Me and a friend have also aquired an FC RX-7 shell, and we just bough a 13b engine/tranny/wiring harness. He's got seats and harnesses that'll work and we think we got a used roll cage pinned down. Of course, suspension and everything else will be stock, but it'll be track worthy for the "local" BR, LA road course's bracket races (like drag brackets, but on a road course...no classes), and hopefully eventually worthy for SCCA Improved Touring. As far as past track experience, I have 3 open track days (largely uninstructed at that same LA road course) in my 240.

[nrcooled]

I have 1 HPDE under my belt and plan on getting a couple more this year. I can't wait until FEB '03 anyway get out to the track as soon as you can it was one of the best experiences of my life (excluding the birth of my daughter of course) But I have got my wife hooked also so we got her a car and she will be at the next HPDE at VIR.

Good luck to all of you w/ the dreams of SM. I want one so bad and I go to car auctions all the time and there is always a couple but the go for $5k wrecked ::sucks:: I was looking for about $1k wrecked. Now that is a killer track project.

[sykikchimp]

2 nasa HPDE's so far.. can wait for Feb.. I've been fiending like coke addict for some track time..

[burgy240]

Only oval track events once or twice in my cousins car. It is an open wheel car run by a snowmobile engine but it is sooo fast. nothin like 110 mph with your open wheel 6 inchs from the guy next to you!!!