Looking for Race Track

[Irish]

I'd like to open up the car a bit, and i'm not willing to do it on the road.

I dont want a drag strip, strait lines dont do it for me.

I want to find a track, NOT a parking lot filled with cones. That doesnt do anything for me, and all the cones sort of blend in anyway. Last thing i want to do is have a low time and miss a turn or take the wrong one because all I saw was an ocean of cones...


Anyone know of a track like that?

[jcr557]

www.njmotorsportspark.com

www.racewaypark.com

check out the calender. they have open tracks days once in a while.
and about the cones, after your first run, you'll understand how the cone setup works. its not hard at all, if anything ride with an instructor the first couple times and they'll show you the right way to go. i recomend you do atleast a couple autocrosses before you take your car to the track. not knowing what your car can handle will most likely cause you to go off course, spin out or hit the wall. check out www.autox4u.com for upcoming autocross events

[boostinsidewayz]

Originally Posted by jcr557

www.njmotorsportspark.com

www.racewaypark.com

check out the calender. they have open tracks days once in a while.
and about the cones, after your first run, you'll understand how the cone setup works. its not hard at all, if anything ride with an instructor the first couple times and they'll show you the right way to go. i recomend you do atleast a couple autocrosses before you take your car to the track. not knowing what your car can handle will most likely cause you to go off course, spin out or hit the wall. check out www.autox4u.com for upcoming autocross events

+1


if you have yet to try autocross, try it before you knock it. it gets very competitive and very fun. the cones are real easy to understand when you are on the course. from the side or in videos it gets confusing, but being out there is easy.

north new jersey has an event this weekend at englishtown. its autocross but its on the road course. so you will still be driving around cones. but you still follow the layout of the track mostly. i got up to almost 70mph(top of second so it was somewhere near that) last time on the straight

[Irish]

Originally Posted by jcr557

www.njmotorsportspark.com

www.racewaypark.com

check out the calender. they have open tracks days once in a while.
and about the cones, after your first run, you'll understand how the cone setup works. its not hard at all, if anything ride with an instructor the first couple times and they'll show you the right way to go. i recomend you do atleast a couple autocrosses before you take your car to the track. not knowing what your car can handle will most likely cause you to go off course, spin out or hit the wall. check out www.autox4u.com for upcoming autocross events

Thanks for the links and advice. I'll check into those!

[Ciotti]

Randy Pobst said it best when he said that a good autocrosser always makes a good road racer, but a good road racer doesn't necessarily make a good autocrosser. Autocross is the absolute best crash course (figuratively not literally) on handling dynamics and proper racing lines that you are going to find anywhere and also just happens to be the cheapest too

[Irish]

Originally Posted by Ciotti

Randy Pobst said it best when he said that a good autocrosser always makes a good road racer, but a good road racer doesn't necessarily make a good autocrosser. Autocross is the absolute best crash course (figuratively not literally) on handling dynamics and proper racing lines that you are going to find anywhere and also just happens to be the cheapest too

Thats a new quote for me! thanks for the advice, and i suppose i should give it a few shots!
Just some background:

I'm from lancaster PA, which is also known as Amish country. While the city is a decent size, there are a LOT of back roads. FUN back roads. The kind of roads that absolutely NEED to be closed off a few times a year for motorsports. I'll have to get pictures, as no words will justify the amazing rally courses that are the roadways in my area. Maybe i'll get a camera mounted so i can REALLY show you.

Anyway, i guess since i never did autox, just watched, i just cant understand how it could POSSIBLY stack up to the 'road coarses' near me.

Like i said, i wont cut it loose and open up around here, because people live on those roads, and i'm not gonna risk thier lives for some fun. I'd like to find a road coarse where i can actually push it 9/10ths and not worry about someones dog/child/wife.

[TROLL]

Thumbs up for going about it the right way. The speed of a road course is awesome but auto-x is really fun too.

With auto-x, its important to get there EARLY so you have time to register, get your car all prepped and have time to take a deep breath, before walking the course to start visualizing things. It would be ideal to walk it on your own (or with others there), and then also make sure to get to the novice walkthrough which will be led by an instructor, probably the one who set up the course. Walking it ahead of time is SOOOO beneficial. Then when its time to drive it, use your first drive to focus on staying on course, and keeping a good line, drive it at 50%, it doesnt really matter if you go fast. After that you should be in a good position to start bringing more speed into the equation, as long as you can keep on course and keep good lines. Speed isnt fast, smooth is fast .

But of course if you're looking at road racing, going to a HPDE (drivers education) day at one of the road courses listed above would also be a really memorable experience. Definitely do a HPDE though and try to soak it all in and listen to what those with more experience have to say. I'm hoping to get out to one this year myself .

[CleanNeon98]

Give autocross a try, its a lot of fun and will help you learn all kinds of things about your car and your driver skills.

[Chris B.]

You probably will need a snell SA2005 rated helmet for most track days. So, if you decide to buy your own helmet for AUtoX, then spend a few extra dollars and get an SA2005 rated helmet and not a M2005 rated helmet.

There quite a few organizations doing track days on the east coast that I know of. Here are a few that I'm familiar with:
http://www.tracktime4cars.com/
http://www.trackguys.com/
http://www.scda1.com/
http://www.nasanortheast.com/
http://www.summitpointfatt.com/
http://www.beaverun.com/
https://www.trackdaze.com/

Affinity insurance has a list fo track days they offer insurance for. Its a good way to find a track day in your area.

http://hpdeins.locktonaffinity.com/Default.aspx
If you go to Apply Online, it goves you a list of track events they cover.

There is a $1500 deductible. Most people never use the insurance, but I know one guy that did after crashing his car at the track.

[Irish]

Fantastic Chris B! Excellent post!

Good advice Troll. Sounds good to me.

[TurboV]

Good place for cheap helmets is www.saferacer.com... I got mine on clearance for around $90 IIRC. You can use SA2000 still, I think through the end of 2010, then they expire. I'm not sure how many SA2000s are still around for sale, as they were putting them on sale like crazy in 2007 to make room for SA2005 ones. But it could save you some money, especially if you're not sure about your commitment level.

Lemme know if you come up to or plan to etown!

[CleanNeon98]

frosti108 (i think thats his username here) had a bunch of helmets for cheap, I got my snell m2000 from him for a great price.

[Irish]

Originally Posted by TurboV

Good place for cheap helmets is www.saferacer.com... I got mine on clearance for around $90 IIRC. You can use SA2000 still, I think through the end of 2010, then they expire. I'm not sure how many SA2000s are still around for sale, as they were putting them on sale like crazy in 2007 to make room for SA2005 ones. But it could save you some money, especially if you're not sure about your commitment level.

Lemme know if you come up to or plan to etown!

etown, like, elizabethtown?!!? thats really close to me for once! whats the occasion? a spec v meet? a moose-rabies awareness concert?

[CleanNeon98]

E-town is Englishtown NJ.

[Irish]

Originally Posted by CleanNeon98

E-town is Englishtown NJ.

Yeah, you're probably right.... too good to be true.... just ONCE i'd like to wake up to a Tuner Meet in my back yard with grills going and stuff... people knocking on my door begging me to let them feed me and photograph my car...

[CleanNeon98]

Originally Posted by Irish

Yeah, you're probably right.... too good to be true.... just ONCE i'd like to wake up to a Tuner Meet in my back yard with grills going and stuff... people knocking on my door begging me to let them feed me and photograph my car...

Well to your luck there are autocrosses held in your neck of the woods, get out there and have at it.

Aside from that just get out to events and race. Autocross, road racing, HPDE, get out and drive it all cause remember, you can spend money and improve your car or you can spend money and improve your driving skills and that lasts a lifetime.

[Irish]

truth. there are a few right down the road from me.

[nismozenki757]

Im glad somebody posted this thread cuz im new to this area too and would love a place to test n tune

[nrgotenk]

http://www.scca.com/divisions.aspx?div=ne

[Irish]

Originally Posted by nismozenki757

Im glad somebody posted this thread cuz im new to this area too and would love a place to test n tune

Looks like we're in the same city. i'd like to get a meet together, and if you need to tune, i.e air/fuel tune, lemme know.