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+--- Thread: Ok...what's your story, how'd you get started? (/showthread.php?tid=3357)
Ok...what's your story, how'd you get started? - Sijray21 - 12-20-2005
I'm just starting this since IÔÇÖm a little interested about the overall timeframe of things and future plans as well as the history of everyone. All of this regarding motor sports and track activity. I want this detailed so please take your time, IÔÇÖm interested in a lot of the OG's stories and everyone who's gaining experience at the track to influence the new come-ers and also to keep fueling my passion to get back on track.
My story:
Well after my freshman year at Old Dominion I decided to transfer to JMU. I had an overall interest in cars and I wanted to learn more. Working on cars kind of freaked me out - simply because I was afraid of messing something up that would endanger my own life due to my incompetence. New to the area, the school, and these random kids I would be living with I was eager to find out what was the scene for cars. Being the ricer that I was I begun with a Civic ex, progressed to a Civic Si (EM1), and the first things I modified on the car (at a shop) were the exhaust, wheels, and short shifter. I knew nothing of the actual amateur racing scene at this time. I just knew I like to modify my car and I enjoyed driving.
Scotty was my roommate when I transferred to JMU. We ended up becoming awesome friends and he introduced me to Madison Motorsports. After minimal discussion I wanted to see what they were all about. Luckily three people in our apartment were interested enough to join the club (Ryan Wilson, Scotty, and I). I was very curious to find out what really making your car move and handle and gaining experience on the road legally was all about.
I started with a trip to Summit Point Raceway some time in February. It was cold, I was drunk (Scotty and Wilson know this - Scotty drove our drunken asses), and my first corner experience was with Mike Collins and Banana2...? It was the old blue civic sedan. I spent most of the first day hunched over about to throw up, but I quickly turned my attention to the track as I began to watch the cars fly by at Corner Number 1. This was the start....
I then began to auto-x and have done a total of maybe 8..? IÔÇÖm not sure. Cloverleaf, VMP, Stanton, FedEx, and one more place I can't remember. This was a great experience!! I was able to really push my car at slower/safer speeds for a very affordable price. The auto-x's were key in my opinion to starting in the 'scene'. I started when I was 19.
After working several track weekends I decided to use the credit I earned. I decided to put the Si on-track at Summit Point. Working Summit Point enough, talking with many people about being on the track, and getting ride-along's (key way to first experience a track and very fun!!) I thought I was prepared enough to have my first track weekend. The weekend was in September of 2004. Like an addictive drug, the rush of adrenaline after each moment on-track had me yurning for more. I felt like I had so much more to learn about the car, about the physics of driving, and about my limitations and faults as a driver.
The following year I decided to put the recently purchased Integra RS on-track. With the initial intentions of eventually (read: very long-term) putting this thing in HC4 I bought this car, a little influence from RJ :wink:. This was an incredible car (still is). It handled very similarly to the Civic Si I used to drive. After purchasing Maeng's old teg suspension and putting some XP-10 brake pads IÔÇÖm realizing the capability of this car. An incredible car and a great car, but I am in a predicament. I have two cars (read sig). I have a personal obligation towards the '86 vdub. I cannot sell this car. If you care to know why I can tell you via PM or email or something.
Now I stand at this point... I have a VERY capable and incredible starting car, the Integra RS. Reliable, strong, cost effective, nimble, and quick. I'm in the process of maturing my thoughts of developing the 1986 Gti as a track-car. Using the Integra as my seat-time car to gain experience, eventually selling it, using the vdub for a dedicated track car. I'm hoping that once it is ready I will be ready for competition school (3/4-years away??) Gaining my comp license and entering the GTS Challenge...maybe with Pete :twisted: with a 1986 Gti VR6 at about 2200 lbs. Is this a realistic plan OG's?
I hope to hear more stories. Motivation and nostalgic thoughts were just crossing my mind.
Re: Ok...what's your story, how'd you get started? - PDenbigh - 12-20-2005
theguywiththeSi Wrote:I'm hoping that once it is ready I will be ready for competition school (3/4-years away??) Gaining my comp license and entering the GTS Challenge...maybe with Pete :twisted: with a 1986 Gti VR6 at about 2200 lbs. Is this a realistic plan OG's?
I hope to hear more stories. Motivation and nostalgic thoughts were just crossing my mind.
I'm not going to be as detailed as you probably want. If you want to follow my thought process check my website. But here are a few of my thoughts from my experience:
It's great building a car for the track. When I first compete, I'm going to get rolled hard core by race prepped M3's and very good drivers, but I accept this. Heck, when I advance to HPDE 3 I'm going to get schooled by pleanty of sub 200hp cars. O well! I'm in it for the fun and for the personal advancement, not to see who has the biggest balls.
Building my 1985 XR into a car that is every bit as fast as most of the cars I'll meet is an awesome challange! And a rewarding one. Note, it is not a cheap one though ;-). However, your VR6 has to have a better aftermarket scene than the XR4ti. For your sake I hope it does! I have learned SO much about automobiles from building the XR. This past Saturday Sean and I changed the headgasket of a 92 Cavalier in 9 hours, including new plugs, wires, O2 sensor, all the top end gaskets, and throughly cleaning everything. The car started right up, no leaks, and the owner reports that it has not run that well in his ownership. 2 year ago, I would have NEVER thought that I could do this, given 9 hours or 9 days!~
I feel it also helps me on track. I can "see" what the car is doing. I can see how the suspension loads, how the brakes grab (or don't if you're RJ's student), and what I can do to help the car do what it does. And, when you're alternator falls off at an AutoX you can snag an exhaust bolt from your buddy (thanks Sean) and get it put back together enoguh to make one last run and the 2.5 hour drive home. Quite handy.
Timeline is good. Don't take it too slowly though, I feel momentium is important. 4 years is too long IMO, 2-3 is more feasable. Conversly, I'm going to have an expensive season if I want to hit my timeline. I hope to be racing the XR in GTS3 by the begining of next season. That means a ton of track time and car/driver prep this year.
If you are really interested in GTS3, check out nasaforums.com and the GTS website at http://www.gtschallenge.com/. It will explain all the rules and which class you'd be in.
Hope that helps!
Peter
Re: Ok...what's your story, how'd you get started? - Sijray21 - 12-20-2005
PDenbigh Wrote:Timeline is good. Don't take it too slowly though, I feel momentium is important. 4 years is too long IMO, 2-3 is more feasable. Conversly, I'm going to have an expensive season if I want to hit my timeline. I hope to be racing the XR in GTS3 by the begining of next season. That means a ton of track time and car/driver prep this year.
If you are really interested in GTS3, check out nasaforums.com and the GTS website at http://www.gtschallenge.com/. It will explain all the rules and which class you'd be in.
Hope that helps!
Peter
oh i'm definitely interested in the GTS Challenge. I've been reading about it and i kind of like how the classing is dependent on the hp/weight ratio and how the philosophy of GTS is good sportsmanship. I was cruising the forums for a little while on nasa and just the usual research on GTS since i'm not eligible for the Gti Cup and it's not really popular here on the east coast.
regarding the timeframe i was just extending it out a little more since my funds are minimal to get the car ready and pay for seat time. Funding is really the only hinderance i can think of right now. I may work a couple weekends to pay for some.
- Evan - 12-20-2005
hrm....first the abbreviated version. Ill go back and edit in more detail when I get time.
Ive always been into cars...never knew how to get into racing (or had the $$ anyway)
Senior year of college i saw the MM flyers, and went to the first meeting, went to a few other meetings and flagged at jefferson circuit for a weekend.
Graduated, bought a WRX, and immediately started AutoXing it w/ karen and the NASA program in her winter series. Got hooked on autoX and did one about every weekend.
That June I did my first track event at Summit (this was also Maeng's, and I think RJs first event) I was hooked again and started doing track weekends at every chance, sometimes 3 a month (to the detriment of my visa bill) with every club under the sun, like the alfa romeo club!
that was the beginning, and I think you guys pretty much know the rest...the more I tracked, the less I autoXed,
after doing about 15 weekends of HPDE I took the NASA instructor school and became an instructor....the same weekend I put my wrx into the wall at VIR.
That year was a slow year since I didnt have a car and was recovering from my severe credit card debt, but I managed to drive maeng's pile a couple times (and my wrinkled wrx for a weekend or 2 also) and flagged for CarGuys a lot.
then came the miata..... a couple years of instructing and whoring up the track with it, and now on to wheel to wheel racing!
- G.Irish - 12-24-2005
All my life I was never really that into cars because I couldn't own one. Really, the only memory I had of really desiring a particular car was when I first saw that Nissan Z commercial with the GI Joe in high school.
But then I came to JMU and through a stroke of good fortune I ended up with Pete as my roommate. His love of cars sparked my interest and it was coming close to that time for me to get my first car. That's when I discovered SCCA and even watch my first World Challenge race.
I got my automatic green Civic EX over the summer after freshman year. During sophomore year I got more into racing and more into street jackassery (which led to me crashing my Civic into a curb). Somewhere along that year I ran into RJ the first time through his roommate Brian (also a CS major). I distinctly remember Ryan recounting his failed attempt to install cams in his Saturn which resulted in his car being filled with overpowering fuel fumes.
Later that year is when I had my first memory of Chan. We were in the engineering lab and he was looking at the Parking Lot is Full comics on his lab computer. Chan ended up working at the same place I did (the Medialab on campus) and that's how we became friends. That year we got together and watched our first pro race down at VIR. It was Motorola Cup (now called Grand Am Cup). During the Motorola Cup weekend NASA was running as a support series. It was there that I met Chris Cobetto. I told him about my idea for the club and he in turn told me about his idea for volunteer flaggers.
I began to feel the bug more and more and eventually I went to my first autocross down at VMP with my automatic green Civic. I was a hamfisted hack but it made me want to do more of it. Chan and I flogged the green Civic several more times that year.
Next I met John, who also worked at the Medialab and was also a CS major.
The idea for MM actually came somewhere around freshman year while Pete and I were talking about how to get into racing. In 2001 Chan and I had intended to go through the club recognition process in the Fall but of course we were too lazy so we didn't get started until the Spring semester. I had known Maeng as an acquaintance through ISAT and through advertising for the club that's how he and RJ came aboard. Thus the nucleus was formed and the club was born.
Over that summer I realized that I at least wanted a manual transmission car, and wanted something sportier than the Civic that my driving skills could grow into. That's when I bought the Geeser. I hadn't even had the car a week when I went out and did my first track day at Summit Point Jefferson Circuit.
I did open track events for about 2 years and back in 2003 I ponied up the cash and did a SCCA double racing school down at Roebling Road. I got sidetracked this year but come hell or high water I'll be racing in 06.
- .RJ - 12-24-2005
G.Irish Wrote:I distinctly remember Ryan recounting his failed attempt to install cams in his Saturn which resulted in his car being filled with overpowering fuel fumes.
Ah... hahaa... the days when I didnt know any better! :lol:
- John - 12-24-2005
I'll keep my story relatively brief...
I've always had a passion for cars, and once I was of legal driving age, my father gave me his rare 82 Audi Turbo Quattro Coupe. After two years of driving like a jackass and having two off-road incidents (on Popes Head and on Beach Mill for you NoVA natives), I decided it was time for me to learn how to drive. I signed up for a BMWCCA school, but had to cancel as Turbo Performance Center pretty much destroyed my car from an inside theft job. I was a stupid kid, and had failed to secure all the proper paperwork to have them do an "under the table" job...
Next car I took to Davison College and I began to modify it with my summertime earnings. In retrospect, it was a bit riced out, but such is water under the bridge. Again I got that itch to try a road course, but never mustered up the courage and the thing was not prepared for such activities.
In January of 2002, I ordered my 350Z Track model - the acquisition a bit above my financial capacity at the time. Yes, a measly $32K salary with a $36K purchase makes it a bit tight, so I picked up a secondary job to augment my income. In retrospect, I don't know how I afforded the car since I make substantially more and I don't seem to have much money left over at the end of the month. Hmmm... Anyways, it arrived the first week of September of 2002, and immediately I planned on a trip down to VIR with NASA a few weeks later, temporary tags and all. I was wait-listed, but since I was present with a check in hand, I took my first hit of the GFCP, and my wallet has not been more empty since.
At some point I met some retarded ricers from a club called Madison Motorsports and happened to notice they were attending the same events I was. I guess I can say that they're alright...
Over the past 3+ years, I've set up the car specifically for one purpose, and I think it's been set up well. It's been a joyous period of my life, meeting a lot of great people, creating new friendships, and getting a lot of new experiences. I spent some time early in my driving career working corners with CarGuys, but for the most part I've spent my time driving. I've run with numerous organizations with varied opinions of how things are done: NASA-MA, NASA-SE, NASA-OH/IN, TracQuest / Chin Motorsports, TZC/THSCC, CarGuys, Mazda Drivers, Audi Club, and Ferrari Club. I started instructing in July 2004 to help share my enthusiasm with new and learning drivers, and in return I think it's benefited my training skillsets that I am frequently using at the office. My travels have taken me to many tracks including Summit Point (Main & Shenandoah), VIR (Full, Grand East, & North), Road Atlanta, Barber Motorsports Park, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio, and the Nurburgring (in a rental car).
The biggest downside to my 350Z is that consumables are extremely expensive, and I am long overdue in procuring a tow vehicle for hauling duty. I especially do not want to get isolated at a remote destination such as being stuck in the snow again on shaved R-compounds (Mid-Ohio April 05) or breaking my car.
The only other driving experience I can share is a recent SCCA Rallycross that I enrolled my leased WRX in. It was truly a different epxerience going from alphalt (and sometimes grass) to dirt and mud. After taking out a few saplings and tall brush my first session, my learning curve was pretty steep based on my knowledge of driving dynamics. My last session of the day recorded the fastest lap time in my class...
What's next for me? I'm taking the SCCA comp school in March of 2006, but I'm not sure what I'm going to be racing. With very little modification, I could change my 350Z to T2 spec, but the car is underpowered for its class and it would be challenging to be competitive. If all goes well, I hope to test the waters by getting a ride in an enduro car. Only time will tell...
- Dave - 12-29-2005
my turn...
I've always liked cars, but was never really "into" them. I kinda just thought they were pretty. I was given a 1990 Eclipse coupe (1.8L) when I was in high school and I thought I was hot shit. Wow, what a moron I was, but it was a fun little car at the time.
Fast forward to summer before sophomore year. I've got an itch to get a new car. Test drove the RSX the 3rd day it was at my local acura dealer and also took out a WRX. Both were nice, and expensive. I go to school still thinking about them. Then, I start looking at used cars and realize I could probably swing an early mkIV supra non-turbo. It took me literally over two months to find a 93 non-turbo with 50k miles for 18k in a nasty brown color. I found it on a Tuesday and convinced my dad to come up and look at it in Maryland that Friday (another buyer was coming on Saturday). Took it for a ride, it was in very good shape and fun to drive, signed a bill of sale and gave some cash for a deposit. Worked out a loan with my bank over Christmas break and brought the car home in a snowstorm on Jan 2 '02. I love this car more today than when I bought it will probably own it until it literally falls apart. On top of that, there is only one color that I like more than the color of mine, so you could say this car has grown on me a little bit
.Met Gerald by chance later that year and he told me about the club. I thought he sounded like a bunch of ricers in one of thier car clubs, but I gave him my email to put me on the list anyhow. Saw that they actually went to events and such and managed to get a ride out to Lowe's Motor Speedway in the Summer of '02 IIRC. Worked a corner with Chan and met some of the early MM crew. I went to a few more events and was convinced that I wanted to do it too...
Bought a 90 Supra NA after refinancing my original loan with the intentions of tracking it. What a tragedy :x. That is all I have to say. I was still working corners and building up credits though...
In Feb of 04, at VIR, I popped my cherry and took my first hit off the GFCP in the mkIV supra. What a blast. Previously that winter, with the help of several MMers, I installed Twin Turbo brakes and TRD BigAss sway bars on the car, as I firmly believe that a car that can stop is much better than a car that can go. That car is absolutely phenomenal on track; it was definitely bred for the road course, no matter what other supra fags tell you. My first weekend wasn't that good, but I knew they could be better and I had fun no matter what, so I went back a few times for some more fun and graduated to group 2 that Spring. I decided that I was going to need something cheaper to track, as I didn't want to risk the Supra any more since I was getting faster (Supra still makes it out to a few autoX every year to stretch her legs)...
Summer of 04, I purchased the black 240 and actually managed to limp it to my house (you shoulda seen the eyes of the sellers when it started after Rex and I put a battery in it :-D). 6 months later, with a manual transmission swap installed by myself and Rex, the car breathed new life. 2 months later in Feb 05, equipped with an LSD, 300z brakes, and some new(er) shocks and springs, I pounced on VIR again.
It's kinda been a blur since then. I've put almost 1000 track miles on the 240 this year and it continues to be exremely reliable. I have started doing more autoX events, as they are cheap and don't require a whole weekend, though I still prefer the road course. I've still got the supra, about to break 100k miles there. In the past 12 months I've bought and/or sold 6 cars and learned a lot about each one. And now I'm moving to a Sentra SE-R, considered one of the most agile FWD platforms ever. We'll see how it suits my tastes.
I've learned a ton about cars through MM and my own exploits. This club and sport have made me learn a lot about myself and constantly pose me with new obstacles, which is kinda nice sometimes. More importantly, I've made a bunch of friends with similar interests in and I've started dealing GFC, since I've convinced my girlfriend to autocross (4 or 5 this year alone) and road course (did her first in fall '05). My apartment parking lot could be labeled "where early 90's cars come to die", but I don't mind that much. The comraderie and support from all of you is absolutely indispensable. I'm having fun and not too far in the red, so I'll be OK. Thanks for all the good memories and looking forward to many more.
- JackoliciousLegs - 12-30-2005
I don't have much of a story, but I'll try anyways.
I was always into driving. I never really cared about cars too much because we moved around overseas where driving was an 18+ ordeal... but I loooooved the idea of driving. I started at JMU in Fall of 01 and got involved in MM almost immediately. I got a ride along in a Z06 and a month later, I was buying RJ's busted POS 1983 RX-7. I didn't know a rotor from a caliper but that car was fun. My parents were not so thrilled that after refusing to ever lend me their car... and refusing to help me buy a car... I showed up at the end of freshman year with a busted pile. My parents refused to let me drive back to JMU in that car so they went in 50/50 with me on a 96 gsr from the shady lot of carmax. It was uber-riced... well... tastefully. Had the RRRRwing and 17s baby. Too bad I found out $2000 later that it was held together by cigar tins and exhaust sealant (I'm not kidding). I sold that and had a short stint with an 85 mr2 that I ended up just leaving in a parking lot somewhere. :lol:
This is the best part. My parents were sick of my busted piles so they gave me... gave me... their 99 civic lx. What did I do? I kept it for 4 months... then gave it back
The next summer, I picked up my pride and joy... a 90 RX-7 Turbo that developed a white stain in the driver's seat after my first autox. After a 2 year long relationship of love, lust, and pain... I planned a moved to Chicago. Sadly... I would have no place to park the car, nor a need for it in the city. More importantly, if I did find parking for it... it would get destroyed by the bad drivers and excessive salting of the streets in winter.Now, I started a new job in chicago that requires me to have a DD so I picked up an 05 2.5rs which I plan to make frequent visits to chicago's budding AutoX scene... that is, once the ice melts. I've decided that I need at least one dedicated parking spot that doesn't cost $175 before I start my real on track excursions, because I can't risk the DD. (I saw what happened to RJx2, evan, etc..)
- REED - 12-30-2005
JackoliciousLegs Wrote:.. that is, once the ice melts.
I dont see how that should stop you
----->
JackoliciousLegs Wrote:I picked up an 05 2.5rs
- Ryan T - 12-30-2005
I guess my car obsession started before my driving did. My older brother is really the one I give the credit too for getting the ball rolling in my automotive life. He bought a 87 n/a mkiii supra when he was 23 (I was 13) and I fell in love with that car. When I turned 16 he bought another supra, turbo this time, and gave me his n/a. The car was in crappy shape by then but it was mine and it got my fire going. Since I went to a relatively small high school there were not a lot of people into cars, and those that were could not afford the habit, most people just drove SUV's. On my 17th birthday I bought a 97 SS Camaro and my twin brother bought a 96 Z28. Then we got started into drag racing. Just about every thursday night you could find me at the Bristol Motor Speedway Dragstrip on the open night. I would run when I could and sometimes I would just watch. Learned a lot about launching a car and how to drive in a straight line. I later realized I couldn't afford the SS and sold it to my older brother. Thats when I bought the GS-R and got into the import scene. I did the basic mods, intake/header/exhaust and installed them all myself, just trying to learn. Drove the car a while and decided it didn't have enough power (going from 5.7L to 1.8L is a bit of a kick in the arse) so I bought a Jackson Racing Supercharger. This was my first real automotive eye-opener. I began the installation myself and after getting about halfway there I realized it was going to be damn near impossible for me to finish it, so I bit the bullet and took it to a shop. Never got the car to the dragstrip while it was supercharged, just when it was n/a. Had the car boosted for about 6 monthes, popped a tire, hit a tree, broke my arm in 7 places.
After my arm healed up I bought the 96 Z28 that my twin had (so he could buy the 97 SS from my other brother) and basically put it in the garage so I could come to JMU. Once here I did a search on JMU's website for "cars" and found MM. I went to Student Org Night and only went to one table, MM. Signed up, met a few people and left with a huge smile on my face. The first person I really met and talked to was Mike when he gave me a ride to the first auto-x of the semester. Thats also where I met Dave (my idol because he had the mkiv.)
Started going to meetings and events, did timing/scoring and grid and such at VIR, Summit and even as far away as CMP. I was dead hooked, no turning back. I drove my first auto-x the second semester of freshman year driving Mike's civic, which was an absolute blast. Soph year Dave and I moved into PRun with two other people from my home town. We were all hanging out drinkin one night and Dave comes downstairs and tells me he found a mkiv for cheap and I should email her. So I emailed her and 3 days later and 2 trips to Betheseda, MD with Dave, the red mkiv was mine. Then the auto-x's started. From there I've done several auto-x's, been elected President of MM (Thanks everyone) and continue on my automotive journey.
- Feersty - 12-30-2005
Not much of a story but I digress...
I have always been into cars, in fact my parents said that while riding in the car with them that I could identify Corvettes on the road. This was at three years old mind you. I drove a 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera SL in high school and it was piece and slow as crap. I equipped it with wheel covers, fake cell phone antenna, and chrome striping.
I arrived at JMU in Fall of 2001, and saw flyers for this motorsport club. I went to their table at SON, and went to my first meeting. I remember Gerald was up there and would take ad hoc polls where people would raise their hands. He would ask "Who likes motorsports?" People would raise their hands. "Who want to be a race car passenger?" People would raise their hands. "Who wants to be a race car driver?" Again the same.
Fast forward to February 2002 at VIR, I did my first flag event, I was at turn 10 and God was it boring and sooo cold. Next few years I did a few events here and there. Between then I got my Buick on track at VIR, and Kaan's CRX on track at Summit, both for touring laps.
I did my first autox in March of 2004, so awesome, and I was on three wheels. The Buick did not like it at all, but I gave that piece away anyway.
Still waiting on my first car, then I should have more of a history..
- ScottyB - 12-30-2005
after taking like 20 minutes to write my first story my compy crashed :x so lets try this one more time.
basically i have always been really into cars and racing, from my earliest years. most of the things i do revolve around going fast or controlling something with wheels...its just what i love. i devoured magazines at an early age and was quite the bench racer / walking car encyclopedia but had little to no "everyday" knowledge of cars or how to work on them. when i turned driving age my parents let me use their '90 maxima which i drove all through high school thinking i was a bad mamba jamba. performance driving was, for me at the time, limited to putting the transmission in "1" and gunning it through the parking lot after school, while envying people with "popular" cars that could be easily tricked out. those were dark times.
once in college my parents essentially handed the car over to me and i continued to learn more and more about cars and racing, especially with easy access to high speed internet. i also met a bunch of friends my freshman year who loved cars, which was tons of fun. i remember in fall of 2001, wandering around student org night outside of wilson hall and coming across a table with car videos playing and some literature next to a racing helmet. that was all it took and since then i can't imagine how different college would have been for me without MM. once i joined i started to take in alot of information about racing classes and how to get going at a recreational level, since i was crazy about racing but didn't know what to do or where to go (especiallly with little money).
by the time i was a junior i was living in an apt. with Ryan Wilson, Jay and another buddy of mine, and it was awesome. Jay, Ryan and I were all about cars 24/7, and fueled the addiction for me like never before. eventually both Jay and Ryan got into MM too. Unfortunately at that point i was pretty cocky about my abilities and one paricular snow storm was too much to resist. i kind of convinced Ryan and Jay we should go out and "play", which resulted in me putting the Max through a fence and in a ditch, and to my horror Ryan's car slid in my tracks and collided with the back of my car, totalling both. that was a huge, HUGE lesson for me in when it's play time and when its time to be responsible and mature. i typically take the hard way when learning things and this was the most extreme of any example!
my parents were amazingly generous in their forgiveness and with quite a degree of guilt i accepted their help in finding a new car. eventually we came upon a 2001 accord that fit the bill for my needs and at that point i experienced the first car i could really call my own. it was slow, and ungainly but thanks to Honda engineering it had quick reactions, nimbleness and was always amazingly reliable. i made a few small modifications and found that it was a great platform to hone driving skills with. i finally had my chance to autocross it a few times and did quite well. without that car i have a feeling i would have totally missed a valuable period of time in learning to be faster by maintaining smoothness and momentum in the absense of real power. it was sold this summer to a guy desperately seeking a manual tranny'd accord. i still miss that car!
today i drive a '99 A4 which i plan to track in the near future. i like to see myself doing a few years worth of track events during which time i find myself a dedicated "track whore" and then hopefully getting into some sort of sanctioned race series, especially karting (while still doing track days as often as money allows). ultimately i would have enjoyed college and cars nearly as much to this day if it wasn't for MM -- thanks guys.
- Chris - 01-02-2006
I've been meaning to read this thread for a while but haven't had the time... here's my story:
When I was young I always liked things on wheels. I remember the hot wheels at first, sliding around the driveway and locking the pedals so the front plastic wheels would slide (the early years of "locking dem' shits up"). Next I moved up to bicycles, and rode all the time. I remember saving up $150 and splitting the $300 price with my parents of the trek mt. bike (I still have) before I started driving. It was a process, looking through the brochure and drooling over it at the store whenever possible.
As I approached age 16 I had met my good friend eric. We talked cars all the time and went to as many dealerships as we could collecting brochues and reading magazines. I used to know almost every detail of every car on the road. Then we would find ways to drive anything. His parents had this old dodge caravan that was just sitting rotting away. We would start it and fill the garage with black smoke. haha then drive around the neighborhood and aroudn cul-de-sacs at speeds that were pretty stupid. this was before we had a license... not the brightest idea.
Then I got my license. I was told I would never get a car from my parents so I stuck to driving their cars when I could. My dad always was into cars and had the "German car disease" as my mom called it. He had an 88 Audi 5000 cs turbo for a long time (11 years I think?) and I thought it was the coolest thing, even being automatic. I probably beat it up more than it could handle, but it handled well and got me really interested in driving.
Then one day I found out we were moving. This was just before my junior year of high school. I asked again for a car since the Richmond area was so much bigger and I would need transportation to school and work. I had learned to drive manual from Eric on his protege so I knew I had to have a manual. I just wanted somethign "sporty" and looked at cheap hondas, vw's, etc. I found a red del sol in the ghetto of Richmond which became my favorite thing. As many others, I thought I was hot shit and would drive like a maniac after school and race other guys at the stop light leaving school... wow.
I never had an accident (somehow) but almost lost it on a backroad one day. I think I realized I had to tone it down. I also kept looking to buy rimz and do all these mods, but luckily I didn't have the money.
Then I started at JMU. First semester of my freshman year my roommate came into our room from SON and said he saw a car club. I ran straight out of the room and right up to the table to meet Gerald. From then on my knowledge, interest, addiction, and money spending have soared. I went to a track event at the Jefferson Circuit and had some rides on track and was hooked. Then I worked as many events as I could so I would be able to drive on track eventually. I was VP Junior year and President Senior year, enjoying every minute more and more. I saved some money and bought the basics to get on track (wheels, tires, and brake pads). I've done several autox's and 4 track events and recently was signed up to group 2.
Now I've decided not to put my DD on track anymore and have fallen into the E30 family. Within a week I bought one E30 and then another one for parts! I have a list of shit to buy for it, but have to pace my spending. I know I'm hooked as almost every one of my friends has an interest in cars. I also know my future career will have somethign to do with motorsports, or at least club racing as I get older. I owe this all to MM, so thanks for everything.
- Andy - 01-03-2006
I wasn't necessarily into cars. During HS, my mom gave me her POS Mitsu. Mirage. It couldn't break 60 mph and if I wanted to turn the semi functional AC on, the car couldn't break 40mph. So I first became interested in cars only so that I could have some respectability and driving without a functioning AC during the hot ass summer became unacceptable.
I bought a Haynes Manual and learned how to do brakes, belts and such on my own. Needless to say, doing front brakes for the first time was nerve racking and the changing the shoes took me the better part of a weekend.
I next bought a Maxima w/ Leather, Bose Audio, Climate control. All the nice stuff minus the handling, power etc etc. That car was great but as my friends got more into drag racing, I hated going to watch them with my Gold Maxima w/ what they called the Old Man Package. What was more upsetting though was that I fixed most of their cars. In my mind, I was the only real car guy in the group and I didn't have a real car.
So I bought a Prelude w/ a blown engine. That car was a nightmare. The previous owner was a complete ricer with indiglo badges, TypeR stickers, and left me a bee hive of wiring under the dash. The shop I paid to swap my built engine into screwed over big time. They didn't torque down bolts, so motor mounts were loose, my flywheel bolts vibrated free and destroyed my aluminium flywheel and clutch. There were so many other issues. Long story short, because of the year I spent fixing all the problems with that car, I grew infinitely more knowledgable of cars as well as grew terribly fustrated with the car scene in general.
I was actually at Ray Carr getting the Prelude inspected and that's when I met Jack. He was really affable and he convinced me to come check out MMSports. I wasn't really sold until I went to my first Auto-X. I was completely out of control but I had such a blast. A little time later, I resolved to sell the Prelude, and later bought my MR2. After having sunk ~10k into the Prelude w/ minimal benefits and maximum fustration, I went the complete opposite route with the MR2. I did all the maintenance, and decided to go the least expensive route inorder to participate at Auto-X and track events. That's where the "Dave Allen Suspension Package" comes in. If that's one thing I can pass on to newbies, it's that dyno hp's aren't worth it. Spend all the your money on suspension mods, and seat time. There's no sense in having a car that puts down 250 whps when you can only control 50 percent of it.
I plan to participate in ~7-10 events this year contingent upon work and about as many auto-x's as the engine will take.