How did you get into racing?

Hey Dave
I just remembered that when I was reading this thread!!!!!! That was my second school also!!!! Correct me if I'm wrong,but I think it was a Spec racer ford? :D
 
Yup, it was a SRF (with a brand new body on it). I got out of my car after the session and told my crew...so, it doesn't look like I'll get my license at this school. Fortunately there were other instructors who saw the incident and told the other instructor what really happened and that there was no place for me to go. The SRF was avoiding a spun car. I did end up getting my license.
 
I'll never forget my first driver's school. I was at LRP and driving Ray's ITA Capri (Ray Sr.). I went to pull out of grid and smoke came pouring out of the engine bay on my first session. Well, I immediately pulled over in pit lane and started screaming, "The car is on fire!". In the meantime, I'm trying to undo my belts and going into a massive panic attack. My crew chief came running and lifted the hood ever so slightly and you could see flames. I'm still trying to undo belts (which were incidently all undone....I was just panicking...) and Ray Sr. comes walking up from grid saying to another crew person "Some poor bastard's car is on fire. Holy sh%%!!!! That's MY car!!!" My crew chief had me out of the car in seconds and the fire put out without too, too much damage to the engine and some other friend comes wailing up to pit lane wall with his car and says to jump in. All this took place within the matter of a lap and a half at LRP. Well, I jumped into the next car and took off to do my first school laps. The friend then turned around to my crew chief and said, "Gee, should I have teched the car first?" In all the commotion, he got it past everyone without a teck sticker! (This is back in the day when the car was teched at every event). To make a long story short, I finished the day in the second car while the Capri was fixed for Ray Sr. to race the next day. I got signed off for that school and was then forced to wait til the next spring for my second school and first race. Needless to say, I started with LOTS of excitement.
 
When I was young my next door neighbor raced Triumph TR3s in SCCA. Later on in life I ran into him and told him of my memories of him loading his car on the flat trailer behind his old Ford wagon for race weekends and he told me about Summit Point, which is about 145 miles south of where I live. My wife and I started visiting the track for SCCA races in '94 and started camping there for race weekends shortly after. My favorite races were the ITB races. We called them the Killer B's, always close competition and large fields. I had a 914 in my barn at the time and planned to build it up as an ITB car, even though I never saw one running at Summit. The majority of cars in the class were BMW 2002s. We ended up buying an '02 for my daughter as her first car and she drove it for 2 years before it died.

We were still camping at the track and I was dreaming of racing when Grassroots Motorsports did a series on building an '02 for ITB. That was it!! My 914 has some structural rust issues but the '02 of my daughters was solid so I dragged it into the barn and stripped it and started, using the GRM series as a guide. I bought a used Winnebago as a tow vehicle (still have it) and bought a new Haulmark enclosed trailer. I did all this without ever setting a wheel on a race track. I had no clue if I'd like it once I did it or if I'd be any good at racing, just charged ahead. It certainly isn't the best way to start, or the most recommended. As I was finishing my car there was top running '02 put up for sale that I could have bought for half of what I spent, but I know my car nut and bolt. Anyway, I started racing in 2000 and drove in 28 races over 4 years before health issues sidelined me for a while. The majority of races were at Summit but I did a double at VIR (great track) and raced twice at the Glen, which I absolutely love. I have my license again and can't wait for my next race.
 
Ha....I have no IDEA!!!! Iv always watched racing and Iv been kinda SICK if you will. I was the kid who would print out a track map like SEBRING before the race came on and watched the race, documenting key points that the commentary crew would make about aspects of the different tracks. I have so much intel on tracks around the world it's somewhat strange even to me. I still do that on occasion before heading to a new track.....like the glen this weekend. Im researching everything like how to take the outer loop short VS long course and how much runoff room is there on the off camber right that brings you from the boot back onto the short course JIK. (YA IM THAT BAD) No needless to say I have a MASTERS degree in racing but I have little almost NO experience.....hehe. My friend Buddy in the 58 ITA escort finally prompted me into goin racing and the experience of building a car has been HORRIBLE but I wouldnt change it for the world. I wanted the experience good or bad.

I drove Buddys 58 ITA escort in the April school at NHIS and it was like a drug.....I was hooked instantly! The entire school experience was great except for the 2 wreck miatas trying to take me 3 wide around 11 when I had the apex. Talk about no patience......needless to say I was punted off the track near the flaggers. I guess they REALLY wanted to get by cause they couldnt wait till the straight....In the end I got signed off and saw some spectacular things and now there is no stopping me ....just need and engine. :wacko:
 
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