i didn't race as a student, but as a student who desperately wanted to race my street car, i found a happy medium in doing autocrosses.
10 years after graduating i did my first track day with a cheap, slow car and still had a blast. i would have preferred to not wait that long - but in the meantime i built up a nice assortment of tools and supporting gear so that i could prep the car to a level that put my conscious at ease and ensured that if i had a small mechanical issue at the track, i could confidently fix it. i also went into it knowing i could wad the car up and had a savings account that would allow me to recover with another car purchase without putting me in a super uncomfortable financial position. this really helped me focus on enjoying the event instead of holding back in constant fear.
since then i've found most of my interest move to rallycross, but i still want to do the average track day here and there. after doing my first one, i've realized its just a matter of preparation and perspective. if you go into it with a half-assed car, you're probably going to spend half the weekend exhausted from fixing constant problems. on the other hand, if you go into it with an expensive car, there is potential for serious financial loss if you make a mistake. the key is finding a happy medium with a car that you've come to grips with being able to send to the junkyard in the worst case possible.
but in the end, you can track ANYTHING. some of our past members have gone out on track with civics that had maybe 100hp. we've had some people out there with cars that have 400+. we've had some people with fast-as-hell cars come home in one piece time after time, while others with maybe 120whp have ended up on top of tire walls.
its a rewarding time, but just prepare to recognize the potential areas you'll need to address that coincide with the speed and condition of your car.
10 years after graduating i did my first track day with a cheap, slow car and still had a blast. i would have preferred to not wait that long - but in the meantime i built up a nice assortment of tools and supporting gear so that i could prep the car to a level that put my conscious at ease and ensured that if i had a small mechanical issue at the track, i could confidently fix it. i also went into it knowing i could wad the car up and had a savings account that would allow me to recover with another car purchase without putting me in a super uncomfortable financial position. this really helped me focus on enjoying the event instead of holding back in constant fear.
since then i've found most of my interest move to rallycross, but i still want to do the average track day here and there. after doing my first one, i've realized its just a matter of preparation and perspective. if you go into it with a half-assed car, you're probably going to spend half the weekend exhausted from fixing constant problems. on the other hand, if you go into it with an expensive car, there is potential for serious financial loss if you make a mistake. the key is finding a happy medium with a car that you've come to grips with being able to send to the junkyard in the worst case possible.
but in the end, you can track ANYTHING. some of our past members have gone out on track with civics that had maybe 100hp. we've had some people out there with cars that have 400+. we've had some people with fast-as-hell cars come home in one piece time after time, while others with maybe 120whp have ended up on top of tire walls.
its a rewarding time, but just prepare to recognize the potential areas you'll need to address that coincide with the speed and condition of your car.
2010 Civic Si
2019 4Runner TRD Off-Road
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Past: 03 Xterra SE 4x4 | 05 Impreza 2.5RS | 99.5 A4 Quattro 1.8T | 01 Accord EX | 90 Maxima GXE | 96 Explorer XLT
2019 4Runner TRD Off-Road
--------------------------
Past: 03 Xterra SE 4x4 | 05 Impreza 2.5RS | 99.5 A4 Quattro 1.8T | 01 Accord EX | 90 Maxima GXE | 96 Explorer XLT