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speedcat86

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Hello I am new to this organization. I am looking to start the novice program with you guys in conference. I did my drivers school or HPDE with cascade sports car club and I got the go ahead to apply the novice program. I am not sure if anyone remembers me but I drove a flat black nissan 240sx. I wasn't sure if I was going to have the money to start this season but things are starting to look better and I am looking to see if I can get any guidance on getting started. I bought the driver's attire (helmet, nomex underwear, suit, gloves, and shoes) and now I am seeing what needs to be done with my car aswell. I have talked with a local roll cage builder and looking at getting that done in the next couple of weeks. So any help would be great.
 
welcome to the fun. dont forget to add a signature so when you do get to meet people you have a chance at putting a name to the poster
 
Welcome aboard!

Check the Conference rule book (http://www.icscc.com/references/comp_regs_2010_complete.pdf) to make sure that your car meets all the safety requirements. In many classes, the roll cage requirements are the same as what you'll find in the SCCA GCRs (http://cms.scca.com/documents/2011 Tech/2011 GCR-printed version.pdf). Make sure that your roll cage builder is familar with these requirements.

I don't believe that Conference requires (yet) a head and neck restraint (e.g., HANS, DefNder, etc.) but I think it's a really good idea to race with one. They've really gone down in price, too.

Which class will you be racing in once you graduate from the Novice program?
 
I am thinking the st class is the only class I can be in by the looks of things. The car unfortunately has a lot of aftermarket work done it. But it is what I have and my brother won't let me get rid of it. It was his car previously. But thanks for the links. I'm in math class reading it now. Linear algebra isn't that important anyways.
 
Just don't enter RS cause that is Mike B's class and no one will ever win or be champeen but him so it is a waste of time and money to even enter cause its all his and we are gonna likely change the name of the class to MB instead of RS cause it would be easier to remember it is his class and calling it MB instead of RS only makes sense just so you know. Just saying....
 
Welcome Speedcat86,

Give me a call some time and we can talk about getting started in Conference. You'll find that this group is very welcoming and eager to help you.

Bob Mearns
ICSCC License Director (the guy who runs the Novice program)
206-713-3345
 
Welcome to the conference it is a great bunch of people. I started and completed my novice requirements last year and moved up into ST class so if you have any questions or concerns let me know I would be glad to help out. My biggest piece of advice is to make sure you build your car so that it will either fit into multiple classes or a class that has a good amount of entries at each race. The ST class seems to be catching on quite quickly so it is a good place to start.

Nick
 
You'd be surprised.. I wish I had paid more attention to my math and physics classes in college - racing, more than anything else I've done so far, could really use those skills! :)
 
unxetas said:
You'd be surprised.. I wish I had paid more attention to my math and physics classes in college - racing, more than anything else I've done so far, could really use those skills! :)
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THIS! I need to go back take those courses again.

Collect all your data... ALLLLL your data before spending the $$

My advice would be to approach racing from a more logical and pragmatic angle. Don't race a car you have a previous emotional attachment to. Instead look at the classes and look at your budget and then talk to racers. After that choose which class looks to be the most fun and fits within your price budget. Some classes have lots of competition, a car that costs $10k and $5-8k per year to put together a full season and be competitive, while other classes with great competition could cost you $40k for the car and $40k per year to be competitive all while doing the same lap times. What is YOUR budget? Think about this regularly used phrase, "Don't race the car if you can't afford to leave it at the track."

Going fast on track with other cars might seem fun NOW (and it still is!), but in 3 years, after you've been doing it awhile what you'll really be wanting is good close competition. The excitement of going fast for most racers pales in comparison to close competition. So if you're going to start this endeavor, start it in a fashion where the fun never grows old. Seek out competition.

Consider the class, the fun, the money and THEN consider the car. It's usually a LOT cheaper to go buy a race car that is already built and proven and the spend a bit of extra dough "freshening it up". Such as bushings, shocks, belts, seat etc...

Looking at "ST" for example. Last year there were 3 cars/drivers that did more than 4 races and finished 1,2 and 3 in the championship. You're looking at an M3, a Turbo 968 and a well prepped STI. The best part is that these 3 guys are excellent racers, builders and mentors and you'd be good hands in ST. But once again, that is if ST is within your budget. Talk to them an find out what it takes to compete in that class.

The MOST important thing about grassroots racing is fun and only fun and all the good things that come from fun.
 
I DID pay attention (occasionally) in some of those college classes, including linear algebra by the way!, and it has been a huge help to my racing ....... to the extent that it got me the kind of job that makes it possible to PAY for some racing!

Solving four equations with three unknowns is OBVIOUSLY a valuable skill skill that really attracts hot chicks (eye rollllllllllll), but hasn't really shaved a lot of seconds off my lap times. On the other hand, it is great if you get anxious the night before a race and have trouble sleeping. Nothing fights insomnia like linear algebra.
 
Welcome!!!
Might I suggest renting a car for your first few races, hard to concentrate on the track in a car that is still under developed. It also stops you from driving around a handling issue, thus learning some bad habits and slowing up the development process on your own beast....or missing sessions because of those pesky growing pains in car development. Look for a true arrive and drive, minimize the distractions off track, get a feel for what group you would like to run in before you fork our huge $$$$ building something you won't want in a year or so.

Good Luck!

Jeff
 
Colin, Hes talked with me about this racing thing :) at Sykart and at the track and his car already fits pretty well into ST. its a car that im suprised i havent been able to talk the rest of the sr20 swaped 240sx that come out to play on track days here in pir to race ST i think the car would be good in the class
 
Yes, welcome to Conference. You will running in NCW with my son Brian. Nothing can improve your on track performance more than seat time. If you already have all the "go fast" stuff, that's great, but if not, money is much better spent on entry fees and test and tune days. Don't worry if you're initially running at the back. Just have fun and concentrate on developing your racing skills. :biggrin:

Bill
 
the_driver said:
Colin, Hes talked with me about this racing thing :) at Sykart and at the track and his car already fits pretty well into ST. its a car that im suprised i havent been able to talk the rest of the sr20 swaped 240sx that come out to play on track days here in pir to race ST i think the car would be good in the class
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Well then there you go! Welcome SpeedCat and we hope you can bring more of your 240sx buddies into the fray.

Speedcat: even if your car isn't ready right away, come out to the race weekends, especially your home track. You can volunteer or just soak of up the atmosphere and that will go along way being comfortable with "these people" and the atmosphere when it comes time to do it for yourself.

See you out there.
 
Definitely come out to a race and visit the ST paddock area. While only a few of us managed to race a decent amount of events last year, there are already a fair number of us and growing. Hell, I might even manage to make it to more than one week-end this year, which would be really, really nice...

Anyway, we need more non-BMWs in ST and some FWD cars would complete the set, as it were, as we already have RWD and AWD cars. And a Silvia or 4 would be fun.
 
We had 17 different cars run in ST last year, which I don’t think is bad for the first year of the class. There are another half dozen or so cars on the way but we haven’t seen a Nissan yet. Hopefully, we will see Speedcat out there as the first!
 
I think ST would be a good class for a Dodge SRT-4. They're cheap and robust. I'm surprised we don't see these cars more in road racing.
 
This is a great group to race with and the Novice program is second to none. Gotta watch out for the ST guys they're always trying to add big wings and splitters to your car... Besides that they are a great group to race with.
 
Scott Haynes said:
Gotta watch out for the ST guys they're always trying to add big wings and splitters to your car... Besides that they are a great group to race with.
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You only say that 'cause your car looks naked without 'em. And I guess we already FWD in our ranks with your car, huh? I hear rumors of a MINI coming to join us this season, too.
 
Thanks for all the encouraging comments and input. I would have liked to have a more versatile car but the car is a hand me down from my brother and he put in some work so he is forcing me to use it. I plan on having on having around 250 horsepower and weighing in at 2,500 pounds. I think with cage and other parts I am looking at 2,600 pounds but we'll see. But my main focus is learning the safety aspect of racing. I don't plan on be very fast during the novice program because for one I am not fast and secondly I really want to become familiar with racing with other people. My biggest fear is making a mistake and having someone else pay for it. I really want to focus on safety and being a racer than is going to make you nervous while racing door to door. But I do have some questions regarding car set-up. I need to figure out a battery kill switch or a master circuit break as the manual mentions it. Is it something like this http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=1464 and where do I mount it? Is it an interior switch or exterior or both? Also the fire extinguisher section is a bit confusing. Do I need a full on fire system or can I have an acceptable bottle extinguisher? Either case, where do I get one? Sorry for the dumb questions but I got a little confused about the restraints as well.
 
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