Thinking about getting out...

[Evan]

John I know you have thought this through, and if this is the best decision for you then I wish you luck. Personally, I think you really shouldnt quit until you have tried racing. You can compare lap times all you want, but chasing a time is worlds apart from chasing a car.
At my first race it was pretty much an eye opening. "So this is why I spent all that time doing DEs..."
Rent a car for a weekend and try it, I think you will rekindle the flames

[.paul]

John, I think you have the right mentality now, and that as much as you love racing around the track, its time to settle and establish yourself in a home or something, and make an investment that will work with you instead of just taking and taking.

Let me know what you're thinkin about sellin the titan for.

Hope all works out for you, you have the support from all your friends foh sho!

[Mike]

it is also a different story when the maintenance, storage, and transport of your race car is already taken care of.

It's easy to go to that and I'm certainly not surprised you did...

i think you're disocounting the realities of these... they are HUGE pains in the ass.

[.RJ]

they are HUGE pains in the ass.

It takes me almost 2 weeks to get ready for the track between going over the car, mounting tires, running 1,000 errands, putting my engine back together (usually the case these days), picking up the trailer, etc, etc....

I say go racing, DE stuff was getting boring but racing is a whole 'nother world - even if you step down to a "slow" class like SM. Going down the chute at 110 with 4 cars stacked bumper to bumper is quite a blast.

[Feersty]

I see where you are coming from John. Even working the track is stressful even though there is compensation. One or two race weekends a year is definitely enough for me.

[Kaan]

haha... come to the tech shed or GRID for god sakes... every event for years...

[Dragon]

haha... come to the tech shed or GRID for god sakes... every event for years...

+1

[Feersty]

Is Tech and Grid more better in y'alls opinion?

I have done both and considering you have to be there ass early for tech it is most likely worse. Grid isn't bad but there is a good amount of down time.

[Kaan]

they have two seperate evils. Matt... add what you want at will...

GRID:
- not up as early
- nothing to do on friday nights
- the SUN is out and on you ALL day
- race grids can be a headache
- regridding after a botched start/red flag... migrane time

TECH:
- your weekend starts Friday night at 6pm...
- you will never really know who is going to be scaling
- very few cars actually are the same wheel base ... 107 inch M3s, 103 inch Integras, 103 inch Audis (ok thats two that are the same), 94 inch P cars, etc...
- there is never enough room to impound cars... but you have to keep things open for EV...
- Grumpy is there WAY too much
- yes you have a seat, yes there is shade, yes you still burn
- hot cars have to STILL be pushed onto the scales you will end up burning your hands on the paint of a car one day...
- you are so close to registration... it will drive you up a wall with the dumb ass questions from people that DID NOT read their confirmation emails. you dont work registration but you might as well get used to fielding the questions... even though you dont know.
- people like to stand inbetween the scales and a race car... i dont know why.
- during an official impound... there are always too many people around and you have to be a dick... but i'm good at that.
- Protests blow... i missed WAY too much Hyperfest shit because i was dealing with a protest and near fist fight.
- everyone wants to weight their car... everyone... even if they dont have coil overs, plan to race, etc. and everyone wants corner weights... :/
- you must hug the GCR and call it friend... because otherwise anual techs can become a headache... and take way too long if you dont know off the top of your head what is legal...
- you get to see some of the biggest peices of crap up close and personal. (ie, convertable mustangs with blowers... that have the owner making his own cage... NO i will not put my name in his log book... ever)
- when you see me sitting down... thinking i'm not doing anything... i'm waiting for 10-15 mean, hot, and mouthy drivers... about 10% of them will soon accuse you and the scales of lying... and you have to be kinda nice to them... and they expect to be scaled and moved on asap.... :/

no matter how bad i think i have it... for some reason i never want to be on grid... and the thought of it... makes me happy where i am... I do enjoy it much more than working a flag station!

Laura did tell me she was looking for someone else to be in tech one day i'm going to have enough credits to drive forever... and i wont be in tech. Its a great learning experience... you just have to have the attitude to deal with people. Rich always plays good cop... so if you are the typical bad cop (aka an asshole like me)... you might want to get involved in tech its not the best thing in the world... but where else do you get to DQ Chris Cobetto after he wins a race?

[white_2kgt]

Don't confuse DE and instructing with actually racing. Call me an elitest racer or whatever but there's a big difference between wheel to wheel racing and going around in a circle over and over again to try and learn the line or teach it to someone else. Once you learn the line you need to move on to actually going as fast as possible off it (aka racing). Either do that or get out altogether after a few years IMO.

P.S. - Building a car is a much bigger money pit than buying. You don't want to know what I paid for my car but you can go racing for $10k plus $5k/year.

My times at many tracks are at the very front of the pack for T2 (1:24s at Summit and 2:13s at VIR Full) - and converting my car to T2 spec would be less than $3K at this point (redoing the cage, a little safety equipment, and a few other minor things). Even if I chose another series, I'd still have to fork out a considerable investment, although I'd save on consumables. I also don't have the luxury of time or money to maintain a racecar, afford the expenses of getting it to and from the track, and trying to manage having a daily driver as well.

Given that I'm repeating myself here, I think I've pretty much answered my own dilemma.

Ha, you can take those 1:24 DE times at Summit and toss them right out the window when race time comes. Sure, that might get you at the front of the grid, but then you have to try and get a good start, go into most turns 2/3 wide and stay on track. There is NO 'easy' lap where you can regroup, you are on 10/10ths the WHOLE time for the entire session. There is no hang back and wait until the next turn to pass, you pass when you can, as soon as you can. You are ALWAYS looking in those mirros for that supercharged whatthefuckever is about to pass you and put you into the grass. The WILL NOT wait until you see them and toss a hand out the window.

If the real problem is $$$ then fine, I can understand that. If you have fell out of love w/ cars, fine, I can understand that, but don't for one second think that b/c your DE times are equal to race times that you will just come out for the races and dominate and be bored that just won't fly, as it will not be the case. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide.

[G.Irish]

I don't think John was saying he was going to dominate or that it would be easy at all. He's just saying that he could turn competitive times and it wouldn't take a lot more money to get the car to T2 spec. Just that he doesn't have the time nor does he want to go through the hassle of doing it.

Trying out wheel-to-wheel is definitely a lot more intense, challenging, and satisfying, no doubt about it. But you've also got to be cool with the fact that you could wreck your car and you still have the time and hassle thing.

That's why I say try karting or bikes. Then again there's the whole wrecking your body thing...

[Dragon]

That's why I say try karting or bikes. Then again there's the whole wrecking your body thing...

Wait, you mean to tell me that at our ages we aren't invincible?!?!?!?!

[.RJ]

but don't for one second think that b/c your DE times are equal to race times that you will just come out for the races and dominate

I think John would do just fine racing, he's certainly got enough experience and knows how to wheel a car around a racetrack. I think having lots of experience helped me out big time but I am still going faster racing than I ever did doing DE stuff.

[Maengelito]

Laura did tell me she was looking for someone else to be in tech one day i'm going to have enough credits to drive forever... and i wont be in tech. Its a great learning experience... you just have to have the attitude to deal with people. Rich always plays good cop... so if you are the typical bad cop (aka an asshole like me)... you might want to get involved in tech its not the best thing in the world... but where else do you get to DQ Chris Cobetto after he wins a race?

laura asked if i wanted to work tech this past weekend. i've hung out with kaan enough weekends to know that i DONT wanna work tech. i have no problems helping out by pushing cars, kicking tires, playing with shit under the hood and putting a sticker on their windshield, but there's so much shit i dont know about the rules and whatnot that i'd have a headache dealing with people who like to interpret things differently than whats in a book

[.paul]

I am still going faster racing than I ever did doing DE stuff.

as you should, you have more motivation and a better reason for going faster

[white_2kgt]

but don't for one second think that b/c your DE times are equal to race times that you will just come out for the races and dominate

I think John would do just fine racing, he's certainly got enough experience and knows how to wheel a car around a racetrack. I think having lots of experience helped me out big time but I am still going faster racing than I ever did doing DE stuff.

Didn't say he wouldn't. Just saying that even though he may be bored running 1:24's around summit during a DE, it isn't racing. There is MUCH more to finishing good that just turning a quick lap.

You are going faster b/c you have to w/ other cars around you. That guy behind you almost caught you on the straight, you push a little deeper into the braking zone, maybe you get on the gas a little faster, etc. As long as nobody holds you up or you have to make an off line pass in a tight turn you should be going faster.

[.RJ]

Didn't say he wouldn't. Just saying that even though he may be bored running 1:24's around summit during a DE, it isn't racing. There is MUCH more to finishing good that just turning a quick lap.

I would rather turn 1:34's in a competitive group than running around in a DE turning 1:24's anyday. Once the racing starts, the laptimes dont matter....

[Evan]

arent you guys saying the same thing?

[Maengelito]

i feel the same way that john does but i dont think i can really leave the sport. the need to be in a car at speed pulls me back everytime i think about it. eventually i'd like to go w2w racing but prepping my car for that will take a considerable amount of money and know-how which i am not ready for. shit, i rent an apartment with a communal parking lot. where the F am i gonna put a non street legal car and trailer?

[.RJ]

My integra still has tags & inspection...... put a cover on it if you're worried about it.