In 2023 we tried something out based on what we were hearing from our drivers and partners, how can we get quality track time outside of a race weekend to truly put in some work? Driver work, setup work, and generally car development work!
So we hosted our private run groups and even full on track days, in partnership with ProFormance Racing School at Pacific Raceways and Dundon Motorsports at the Ridge Motorsports Park. Those went over really well, so we’re building on that in 2024 with the following initial schedule.
Note that we will likely add more days for August – December and we’ll update this post as those days get finalized.
Private Run Group w/ProFormance Racing School @ Pacific Raceways
These events are held within the ProFormance HPDE days but it is our own run group, for licensed race car drivers and advanced HPDE drivers only. 30 Minute sessions every hour, for a total of at least 2 hours of track time and potentially more during the 4-5pm hour, all depending on available daylight conditions.
Check out the links to signup on Motorsportreg.com
PrivateTrack Day w/Dundon Motorsports @ The Ridge Motorsports Park
These events are entirely our own private events, with two run groups. A race car run group for all fully licensed and compliant race cars and a Dundon Motorsport Driver Street car group for vetted and experienced street car drivers. The street car group may be made up of street cars or non-licensed race car drivers driving race cars, but these cars are seriously fast. Due to how fast these cars and drivers are, we want to ensure there is not too large of a speed gap in between cars, to keep things safe.
The days are setup for 45 minute sessions for each group, alternating throughout the day and then the groups are usually combined at the last hour of day, mostly because most people have run out of human gas, gas gas, tires and/or brakes!
The staple of what we do is provide service to the racing community. One of the primary aspects of that is to be at the track, to help you with the car set up and care, as well as trying to improve the performance of both you and the vehicle. We want to announce and extend an open invite for those that are interested that we are here to help. Our team has a calendar of events planned with room for additional support for each weekend as needed! Our current ICSCC Conference as well as intended NASA NorCal events and SOVERN events will be listed below. If there are any race weekends you would like some crew and coaching support for, please feel free to contact us via e-mail, phone or messenger! Let us help you be your best on track!
Give us an E-mail or call to discuss options! raceronrails@gmail.com – (206)475-1114
ICSCC Conference
Event Schedule:
April 19-21 (Fri-Sun) – Mission Race Way Park –
British Columbia
May 3-5 (Fri-Sun) – Portland International
Raceway – Portland, Oregon
May 10-12 (Fri-Sun) – Pacific Raceways – Kent,
Washington
May 31-Jun 2 (Fri-Sun) – Spokane County Raceway
Park – Spokane, Washington
Jun 14-16 (Fri-Sun) – Portland International
Raceway – Portland, Oregon
July 19-21 (Fri-Sun) – Pacific Raceways – Kent,
Washington
Aug 16-18 (Fri-Sun) Portland International
Raceway – Portland, Oregon
Aug 23-25 (Fri-Sun) – The Ridge Motorsports Park
– Shelton, Washington
SOVERN:
June 7-9 (Fri-Sun) – Spokane County Raceway Park
– Spokane, Washington
July 5-7 (Fri-Sun) – Pacific Raceways – Kent,
Washington
July 26-28 (Fri-Sun) – Portland International
Raceway – Portland, Oregon
Sep 7-9 (Fri-Sun) – Portland International
Raceway – Portland, Oregon
Sep 27-29 (Fri-Sun) – Pacific Raceways – Kent,
Washington
October 5-6 (Sat-Sun) – Maryhill Hill Climb –
Mary Hill, Washington
NASA NorCal:
Mar 15-17 (Fri-Sun) – Sonoma Raceway – Sonoma,
California
Aug 2-4 (Fri-Sun) – Thunderhill Raceway –
Willows, California
If I knew then what I know now: not a lot… have a larger budget. My track car has evolved as I feel I have needed at a rate that has been on a equal plain as my skill. Could use a little more power now……
Check out: Any of your local track’s and driving schools!
Early days of my track car.
My track weapon of choice is a 1987 BMW 325is. I bought it in 2007 with the idea that it would become my track car. It is what i wanted in a track car, it was in my price range, it was the color I wanted, it was well maintained by the previous owner, and all the work done on the car was at the company/shop I was working for at the time. the only thing it didn’t have was the small plastic late series bumpers. Not to sound snoody but I could look past the bumpers as that was the only bad mark I could come up with when looking at the car. At first i was also going to drive it on the road as well. Well that lasted about two weeks and a car with a bunch of good track race parts that had been wrecked in the guys driveway by a drunk driver became available. This was going to help my rack budget out very much that year. By the time
I had got my parts car home and used what i wanted and parted the rest, I was onto my car pretty cheap. And it had some good stuff at this point. The first parts push ended up with a full Ground Control coilover set, Treehouse Racing front control arm brackets, a set of SSR Comp wheels with Falken rt-215 tires ( in the day one of the top street tires), a new set of stainless brake lines, a low miles E30 M3 4.10 limited slip diff, a set of Powerflex subframe and rear trailing arm bushings, a Momo steering wheel hub adapter, and a new OEM set of euro head lights and grills and a pair of Bride sport seats. I added a set of brake pads, a steering wheel, and a pair of harnesses i had picked up a year or two before on sale. All these ended up costing about $1500. Like I said my track budget looked good that year. others have cost a bit more.
It still had some style at this point.
At this point I would say it was still a street car. It still had a back seat and carpet and a radio. I drove it like this for a couple months, but the track bug kept calling. So soon later I found a real race seat. No more reclining. This did now mean I was going to need to look into some sort of roll over protection as I had now defeated that safety measure. I did a lot of shopping and research about fit, style, cost, shipping, availability ect. The one that went in the car was made by a company called VSROne. It had the best clearance and fit in the car. It was not the cheapest option but for sure one I was OK with paying for. Remember I am not a fan of that compromised safety thing. So now the radio has half its speakers, there is no rear carpet or side panels anymore. The seat is in a fixed position. There is scaffolding in the back of the car. but looking forward from the drivers seat it could play the street car part for now……
And out goes the rear seat.
A couple events into the life there was a thirst for more cornering load. Need to find some tires. Lucky for me there is a local race series that runs a similar car to mine and they tend to go through a lot of tires. So after a little hunting I acquired some real track rubber. in this case early on it was Toyo RA1 tires. These are great tires! They last along time, they can take many heat cycles, they made a lot of sizes, they are one of the cheapest track tires around. If they were still in production I would still be on them. Anyway, now I got some rubber and the car is pretty good. Springs in the car are now a little soft, I can feel the car hitting bump stops and floating a little on the grippy tires. The car already had pretty stiff springs. It was a bit stiff for the street, but not to bad. Front springs were rated ant 375 lbs/ in and the rears 475 lbs/in. At this point I had been working on a few Pro3 cars and had learned a few things. I almost doubled the spring rate of the car. Went to 650 lbs/in front and 800 lbs/ in in the rear. This was the next level of feel I was looking for at the track. Man is it stiff. Think of driving a skate board. So in making the suspension on my car up to track use I ruined the street ride quality. Not the best street car anymore.
Gripped up at Portland.
Then there was the day I killed the carpet. Was still daily driving the car at this point when almost home from work the heater core blew a end tank and sprayed the entire left side of the carpet with coolant. For me at this point the decision was easy. Yank that smelly coolant soaked carpet out! All the rear was already gone so why not. The heater core fix itself is pretty easy, but the mess was amazing. couple issues I found with no carpet. The car is super loud, the passengers feet can get a bit warm, and I had no place to rest my foot when not on the clutch. So I built a dead pedal for it and that is all I reinstalled. Screw the passengers feet, and I can deal with a little noise, because racecar. Speaking of noise. I have had at least five different exhausts on the car. I bought it with a Dinan muffler, I killed that one looping turn 6 at Pacific Raceways in the rain. Then the custom Magnaflow cat back, this was great until I smashed it beyond repair at a PGP Time Attack on the rumble strips back when you could do that. Then I scored a IE stainless that was on the car for maybe three days, it was way to quite. I then built a Meghan racing muffler catback out of some spare parts. Didn’t look that cool but it was cheap and it worked. This was on the car until it was no longer driven everyday. It now has a pulse tuned equal length header and a flow matched exhaust built by the now closed Volvo custom shop RSI (R-Sport International) when they were developing a Pro3 race exhaust system. The sound on this is amazing but its is on the very loud side.
This is a street car still?
So now I have been tracking and driving this absurd track car that I have convinced myself is still a street car to the point that it has worn out again. The shocks are all worn and the fronts are dead. DEAD. All the rear suspension bushings, rear wheel bearings, the drive shaft, and a couple other normal maintenance items. So as you should do with any track car i went through and replaced all worn items i found again. I also took this opportunity to think about things I would want to change and the largest one I could come up with was the the shock travel. The car always felt a little held back by the shocks. The valving in them was set for a way softer spring combo, the travel was near the bottom of the shock stroke and they seemed to bottom out a lot because of this. So after much deliberation I got a set of BC Racing coilovers. you can order them valved to specific springs and come with some pretty good hardware. I got a set valved to the springs I had, and because I had springs I had them ship me a softer set (These will be used in another car). I did have to weld the strut tube to my spindle but that is something well in my comfort zone. Once installed and set and tested, I was able to get the result out of the car i was looking for. if felt way better on track, the shock adjustments are now felt, the cat doesn’t bottom on the shocks and they are running in there normal stroke range. I also again made another safety up date at this time. I removed the old race belts and my trusty Sparco race seat and installed a new set of Hans device compliant belts and a Momo head restraint seat. Also upgraded the passenger side belts from 5 pt to 6 pt. Again you can never be to safe.
Wooof!
The look of the car was also something that needed a update. Wheels and tires are getting long in the tooth so lets start with that. We are gonna put a little larger tire on it as well. So off come the old trusty 15×7 wheels and 225-50/15 tires and on go the new Roto 17×8 wheels and the same Toyo tire in a larger 235-40/17. This has created a new problem. The slightly larger size is now hitting the bumper trim and stop the tire. Bring on the fender roller. Little work there and they are in! Thats pretty up to date on the car as of this blog. Still on this seasons update list is a set of Massive Brakes big brake kit and a Diff limited slip unit rebuild. then next season the removal of the old roll bar and sunroof and the installation of a roll cage and clean up the interior wiring. Stay tuned in!
Looking out the pit-lane exit at Circut of the Americas
What: Track walks, why you like them, even if you don’t know it yet
If I knew then, What I know now: I would have studied harder on these when I was younger. I would be a better driver and team member overall, now as a result.
Walking the track before an event is a very important part of your race or track weekend. It spreads across all forms of motorsports, and any amount of wheels used. Getting your feet on the same ground you will be driving your car on will give you valuable perspective regarding placement or the vehicle, surface conditions, line options and so on. It is a great way to get the track layout in your head prior to getting into or on your machine. There are a couple of key things to pay attention to and try to do while on a track walk. I will try to outline some of them to help you get the most out of your next track walk. I will start with some of my experience from the first events I went to as a young lad in high school with my buddies.
A group of friends of mine in school were also into cars. We would set up a couple of days a year where we would all meet up the day before an auto cross event, hang out at one of the guys cabins, and then take all of our cars to the event the next day. Auto cross was a good introduction into motorsports as a driver for me. The first day I went to an event was with the Porsche Club (PNW Region). I had a little old VW Jetta that had some sticky tires on it. We got to the event, stood through the drivers meeting, then everyone set out and walked around the course that had been set up. A course walk at an auto cross is essential. The track will never be the same from event to event, so getting a feel for the layout is an important first step. Auto cross does not allow for a lot of set up and testing time, so getting the most out of your runs is key. I learned how valuable it was. I was able to pip my friend on our first time out, and he was driving a 911. There were more events after that, and as I grew to understand the track walk it made perfect sense to me.
Flash forward 15 years and now we are doing track walks every week we go to the track. I went out and rode a new Motocross track a few weeks back – I did not get a chance to walk it, but I took 4-5 laps at just above a walking pace just to feel the place out – 2 laps later I was ripping around just fine. We will often times end our first night at the track with a track walk. It is a great way to wind down after a work day, and also a good way to walk some miles if you did not get a chance to before! My first race back after a couple of years of just crew work, I ended up racing at the Ridge in Shelton. It is a place I had driven before, but it had been a while. We took the time the night before the race to walk the track, twice actually. It was great. I had one of the instructors at the track walking with us and they provided great insight to where to place the car due to seems in the blacktop in braking zones. Entry and exit lines were discussed. Gear selection (which can depend a lot on your equipment) was discussed. I felt a lot better after walking the track to just jump in the next day and go. Everything was fresh in my mind again.
Elevated view of the turn 17-18 complex at Circut of the Americas
Gama asked me to do a track walk with him this weekend at Pacific Raceways in Kent. We have a race this weekend in the Pro3 car and he will be the only driver for the team this weekend as Manu’s car had a mechanical issue we found during a post-race inspection (more on that later). I was quick to agree, as I have had many track days there, and 2 school days at that track, but had never actually walked a full lap in all of my years. I had been to points of the track, but not all of the way around on foot. We will be walking the track tonight and I am going to make notes, and take pictures to share our experience with the walk!
We try to track walk every weekend. it is good exercise, knowledge, and you will have a great feel for the layout the first time you are behind the wheel at speed. Be prepared for a walk, and be prepared for weather as well! Some tracks are large, and weather can be different from one side to the other. One of the other things that will help you a lot with our track walk, is walking with someone with lots of knowledge of that track for insight. Most racers are instructors also, so their points of view are sound usually! Just walking the track can gain you a lot, but having someone there to compare notes and tips with is very beneficial. Having someone that drives a similar vehicle is even better!
Discussing things between sessions during a race weekend – People will often come ask us about what to do, or what is going on – Almost always it is appreciated!
What: The nitty gritty of asking questions when at the race track
If I knew then, what I know now: I would spend a lot more time reading and less time relying on info from others
What do I do about…
Asking people questions or for advice at the track is a tricky subject to discuss. Things like prep, common sense and skill all come into play. What do I do about? That is a question that gets asked at the track more than anything else. What do I about [fill in the blank]….?
Asking questions at the track can be easy at first, and then more difficult as time goes on. People are often willing to help out those that are new, or are obviously a fish out of water. That tune changes over time. People in the racing community are expected to hold themselves to a higher standard. You are out there racing. It is a serious thing, and can have serious consequences.
You should well and know what you are doing out there! The ones that find trouble asking questions are those that do not make good notes for themselves, or that simply do not listen to the advice they are given. It can get you a long way, or it can very much get you nowhere.
Drives will often discuss the race with each other, compare notes, and talk out any issues or incidents that may have occurred. Often advice is asked for and provided
Don’t go fishing for what you want to hear
Getting help at the track can be tricky in itself. Knowing when and how to ask any questions is almost more important than what you are asking. A conversation I had last week with one of the other guys locally that runs some race car support on race weekends ended up with us comparing stories of things that people have said and done to us when we are at the track.
More often than not, the gripes we had were from people repeating the same questions, and expecting different answers, as well as asking the “pros” for advice on something, then asking all of the other “pros” until one of them says what you want to hear.
There are three types of people at the race track:
The ones that are there to win
The ones that are there for fun
The ones that are there to try to prove something.
Types 1 and 2 are easy to work with
The guys and gals that want to win will often have well thought out questions about stuff in advance. They are into improving, not bull shitting. The ones out there to have fun are also easy. They don’t expect much out of the weekend, and if they have a question, will generally be a softball question.
Type 3 on the other hand…
It is the ones that are out to prove something, wither to themselves, or someone else, that are the issue. They must like to or somehow almost always end up ruining it for the rest of us.
In the shop I work at, we have internal conversations regarding this issue as well. Often times people want to come with questions and problems, and rarely offer up a solution. In our shop, if someone has a question, we work hard to train and teach them to use all of the resources at hand before going to someone else regarding the question. The race track should be considered the same.
If you are about to go ask someone a question here are a few things to consider before you go.
Picking the right time to ask people for stuff is important.
Step 1: Have some background info about what you are asking.
If you are going to ask about tire pressures, be sure to know what you are currently running pre and post session. Otherwise there is not a reference point to compare.
Feel has a lot to do with the tuning of a car and each driver will often have a different idea of what feels good. We deal with this in our enduro car – getting the set up that everyone can work well with. If you are going to ask about brakes, know what you would want to change about the braking experience (force, feel, pedal modulation…) Having a plan once you have the answer, is crucial.
Step 2: Don’t go shopping for answers!
The second step is to not ask the same question to everyone in the paddock. If you are that un-sure of what is going on or how something is or should be. Then you are in over your head, and you need to take a step back to re-evaluate.
If you have an idea of what you are looking for as far as an answer, and nobody’s reply lines up with what you expect. Going around to ALL of the people in the paddock until you hear the answer you are looking for is incorrect, and the root of that is that you, yourself are expecting an incorrect situation to be proper, and if people don’t seem to think that is the case, then people will try to prove them wrong, often failing to do so.
This does not necessarily mean that crowd-sourcing solutions will always result in the proper answer but if after asking a few people, who are more knowledgeable and experienced than you and it is not what you’re expecting, it is probably time to re-visit those expectations.
Step 3: Take and actually implement the answers you gathered.
If you are asking everyone up and down the paddock about all of the different things about racing, the cars or machines you race, schedule, timing and all of that. You are doing it wrong. We are all adults and should be treated as such when we do events like this. Just think about how ridiculous you would feel if you showed up to try out for the Seahawks and you brought with you some basketball shoes, a baseball mitt, and your I-pod in its fancy arm band holder. You are not making that team.
Racing is similar. If you are showing up and asking questions right out of the truck. Your best bet would be to get back in the truck, head back home, and think about what you have done, what you want to do, and how better to be prepared for it. This is not to say that you need to know everything before heading out and trying racing, but this is a more complicated activity than just a pickup basketball game. It’s important to do some homework and find people who you can shadow and ‘learn the ropes’.
Not the best time to ask this guy about tire pressures he might recommend for your car.
Step 4: Respect people’s time and professionalism
I see a lot at the track, the weekend warriors going up to the bigger outfits and teams, and plain out bugging them about stuff. This is the biggest no-no I see at the track. If you need something from one of the big teams, you had better be willing to pay for it. The guys under the big tents, pay big dollars to have support when at the track. Going to the people that support racers that are paying to get free advice, is a bit of a slippery slope. It can cause high tensions since some people are paying to get the same info that you are seeking for free. The owner of the outfit may or may not be willing to help, but if you come and bring something to the table, then it is great start!
Conclusion: In the end, it’s pretty simple – take what you know, what you can and be sure to have reasonable questions, at reasonable times for people at the track.
If you don’t, you will find it ever increasingly difficult to find solid advice and answers. One of the main things we learned to love about team driver Gama, is that he will often have very prepared sets of questions dealing with specific items. We had a conversation last week about new wheels. He asked if he should get lighter weight wheels to try out.
We talked about the idea (mostly because we all liked it) and discussed the pros-cons of light wheels. The main issue being that often weight and strength will go hand in hand. Gama then spent the time to research each wheel option for size, and spacer needs. We ended up going with a new set of wheels to try. Each one will be saving 4 pounds per corner but potentially not be as strong of a wheel.
He has asked me questions like this for years, and each time, has proven than he knows what he is asking about, is willing to accept the answer, even if it is not what he was expecting, and will take appropriate action when needed. He is the type that wants to win!
Light eight, but not as strong. What is weight worth?!
Knowing little is not bad, but being a pain in the ass to everyone and not paying attention to people when you ask for advice is. Depending on why type of person you are, asking questions and getting info at the track should not be a big deal. Most participants are eager and enthusiastic, and will be willing helpers. Asking the big name guys will get you a long way with the correct approach. Remember that you should be having fun! Having people be grumpy or mad at you is not fun, don’t be that guy or gal!
Gama pulling data from the morning qualifying session. We took a quick look at it before the race, but he will use the data and video after the day is over to study to find more speed!
What: Things you should do after a session and a day/event to help you get faster, keep your car running well and safe!
If I knew then, what I know now: I would have learned how to review and teach data early on in my driving and racing career. No other aspect can make such a drastic change in speed of the car and driver.
Post track or race weekend activities are or at least, should be part of the process. There is are many things to think and consider after you are done with your event. The same trains of though will transfer to whatever you are using as a vehicle. There are both personal and mechanical things you want to pay close attention to after your even. As I have gotten older, and been around the race track more I have learned that there is a full circle process for every event.
Post-Session starts well before the session – get in the right mindset. A learning mindset.
Start with your pre-event inspection, do the event, then debrief and do a post-day inspect. It is great time to learn about yourself and your equipment. A track day should be considered a learning day.
Even if you are not with an instructor, and have done many days before, you should always be learning and absorbing. I have come to some of the best revelations in the hours and days after an event that have helped me be better at driving, as well as managing cars and equipment in the pits and paddock when I am crewing for the weekend.
Track days cost money so you should want to maximize your value and smiles per mile. I will go through some of the things to consider post event, as well as some things I have learned, even recently.
Your New Post-Event Checklist:
Thank the organizer and those who volunteered their time to make the day happen!
Inspect and load up your stuff. This is an important step! It seems like it is busy work, and you will be tired. But being clean and organized when packing up will pay off on the other side, I promise.
Wipe your car down and clean it up before loading up on a trailer or driving home. I’ve been doing this lately with our PRO3 cars because it does a few things:
It gets the tires and bugs off before they have a chance to harden up.
You are close to the surface of the car, and can see if there was contact with another car, the ground, flying debris… its racing, expect something weird to come up.
You also get a good chance to get it back into the trailer and if you rub against it later it does not soil you with dirt (brake dust mostly).
You can take a look at all of your wheels and tires and make notes if you have cords showing, need to swap a tire side to side, or have an issue with one or more of the wheels. A wheel can crack pretty easy if it is not a forged wheel.
A couple Subaru BRZ’s on a rack after a day of students sliding around the gravel. Each day, every car is inspected from head to toe, looking for broken parts and doing maintenance as needed.
Check your video and data and make sure you have everything downloaded and set up to review later. Data review is a major tool for driver education and video is a big part of that as well. Depending on what you are doing, how far along you are and what type of vehicle you are using, data and video may or may not be an option.
We went karting the other day after the Pro3 race ended, and I have been watching video from that. We were not taking it serious, but we are all skilled, and have been around racing for a long time. We were going pretty hard, and I was able to learn some things reviewing video just the video.
That being said. I went and rode a dirt bike in the wild the other day for the first time, and I had no video or date to review. I used memory. There were many lessons of that day, and I have had to recall them one at a time. I went from riding in the yard, to doing multiple laps on the full GP/enduro course with a few hours of riding. Thinking about what did and did not work for me. Tips from those I was with (which was the biggest help for me that day) and memory of the events unfolding yield a vivid memory of what you can focus on for your next event. One of the things I try to practice any time we go use rental karts is to work with traffic, both quicker and slower than myself.
I have had video from the last dozen or so times I have done, and it has helped a ton. I can manage traffic much better now without loosing much speed. Having data and knowing how to read and interpret that information will be the single biggest teacher for driving a car. Gama has been 1 second quicker at both tracks we have raced at this year from last year – and his car is the same. He has been spending lots of time reviewing data, video and training.
Gama has a lap from last year compared to a lap from his last weekend at Pacific Raceways. The car is mostly the same, showcasing what can be done outside of changes to the car to help you better yourself. This compares a 1:37.761 from this year to a 1:38.215 from July 2016.
Review and inspect your equipment/tools. You will want to know what is what, before you unload the car for the next event. As I mentioned before, I like to get the car cleaned and then loaded before we even get back to the shop. Once we get everything back to the shop it is time to go over your notes from post session issues, as well as from clean up and loading of gear.
Clean wheels and tires of tire poopies. Tire shops really appreciate not having to deal with clumps of tire when trying to balance a wheel. You can carefully check wheel and tires for issues at that time.
Check your other equipment and spares situation. You may not have broken something, but someone else may have and you may have loaned something you had. Keep track so you can replace it even if it was a give away item from your spares. Making good notes on all of this stuff will save lots of time when you need to order brakes, tires, fuel and the like for your next event.
Making sure the trailer is prepped for the next event; spare tires and parts, tools, tents will make load in much easier for the next event. Just this past week we found that the batter tray in Manu’s Pro3 car had been ripped out by an impact from the car being off track during the last race out. It ended up stalling the car for this past race, but we did not send him out with a 80-lb cannon ball in the trunk of the car rolling around. So win there. We are going to correct the issue, and take the chance to freshen up some of the 10 year of add-on wiring that has collected in the car. This is why we check stuff, better to be safe and sound, than risk ANY thing or anyone out at the track. Remember step one! Most of the people keeping your safe are donating their time. Don’t endanger them!
Check yourself. How did you feel at the end of the day. Were you tired? Did you have a headache on the way home? What did you eat for lunch? Taking care of yourself starts at knowing how you feel after your event. It sounds silly, but just stop and think about how you feel after your event. Even as your are driving home. What did you recall. If you cannot recall much at that time, then something is up. If you have a headache on the way home. It was not the fumes. You are dehydrated. If you are starving, your meals of the day, and days prior were not properly set up. Be very honest with yourself in this regard.
You won’t always be perfect but having this checklist will help, even for the experienced and pros.
Non of use Racers on Rails are pros, and we all make errors. The idea here is to find and share as many ways, in as many aspects as we can to help minimize yours. Just this year alone, I have been working hard and am in the best shape of my life. I have been mindful of food and drink, sleep and physical effort.
Our first race weekend was the 6 hour enduro. It was cold. and wet. We had a hell of a time with the weather during the day. We went into the race a little but “whatever” and it showed. The whole day I never drank any water and barely ate. We had our first stop which was all but a calamity, and I about lost my mind on our crew for being so sloppy. We weren’t that sloppy. I was just hangry. The next day I was trashed. I had a bad headache from being dehydrated. I was a mess. I have been racing, and endurance racing for 12 years. I know better. So I re-counted the day. What happened? What did I do?
It was a cold and nasty day at the first race of the season. Ill prepared, we paid the price during the race and the next day.
I started the day with wet feet at 07:30. Never drank so much as a bottle of water all day. Did not eat much – there was no concessions at the track due to low turn out and weather. It was just so cold and gross. We, me specifically. Never even thought about it till it was much too late. Lesson learned. You can also determine if you are driving yourself tired or not as well. Driving or being on a bike can be taxing on your mind. It will happen and you wont even realize it. We have found that most of our mistakes on test and track days happen in the later half of the day. Brain capacity and function starts to slow down, like it or not. Again. We are not pros (and even the pros struggle with this stuff too)!
A long day at the track in the sun where everything is shiny and cool can really tucker you out if you are not prepared for it!
Be sure to add post event check list stuff to your weekend round up. It is important stuff. You can get the jump on cleaning and repair needs. Replacement parts have maximum amount of time to be procured. If you are busted, you know ahead of time rather than after you unload at the next event and waste your time there! It is always about the complete package in a performance and race environment. Being complete in your process is part of that package. It is a little bit of time and effort now, or a lot later. Take what you see, learn from it. We all make errors. They are learning experiences. It is big boy and girl rules out there. Make sure you arm yourself with the best equipment, and mind to make good choices. People count on you to do so. Take care, take time, and always remember to have fun!
What: For those multi-day track weekends and trips, you don’t need an expensive hotel or RV. Just camp at the track, even in the winter and fall.
If I knew then, what I know now: Never and I mean, EVER sleep inside of a trailer unless you specifically designed your heat source for the trailer. Those things become ice boxes at night.
Products that made life easier in this post:
Tent recommendation
Sleeping bag recommendation
Sleeping pad recommendation
Kick off to the sprint season
I have been around racing most of my life in one way or another. One thing that I see more in every type of racing than anything else is people camping at the track (what ever kind of track that is). I have camped out at many of the local tracks in the Northwest and some of the lessons that I have learned have come at both expense of self, as well as sheer trial and error. There are a few things to remember when planning to camp out at the track for the weekend. I will list a few based off of what I have learned over the years!
Standard two person setup for the track!
It’s going to be cold at night. Period.
Step one is to plan for it to be much colder than you think it will be. When you are driving, or wrenching all day on a car in the sun (hopefully!) it is easy to forget that once the sun goes down, also does the temperature. I have had one of the worst nights of my life camping at the track. I had set up ‘camp’ in the trailer we haul the car in. I had my sleeping pad, bag, pillow, I was feeling pretty good about myself. It was mid-April in Washington, and the weather was particularly good for this weekend, with daytime temps almost 70 degrees. The overnight low dropped down to 33 degrees, and being inside of the trailer – with the void between the bottom side of the trailer and the ground, it effectively turns the trailer into a refrigerator. It was cold. I would have been better off on the ground! Car camping can have a similar outcome as well, but you can at least run the car if it gets too cold.
Trailers – great for storing cars and shelter during the day but ice boxes at night! Unless you prep it, DO NOT sleep inside them overnight.
Car camping – it’s like you drove your tent to the track!
I have car camped the past few seasons and have honed in a pretty comfortable set up for me. Everyone will have a different experience with their car, but if you plan ahead it can go well. This past weekend for example. We were racing in Portland, and I set up camp in my 4Runner for Saturday night. I have my gear bag, and duffel with clothes and layers set up with my random-bin on one side of the back of the car with the seats folded down, and have my sleeping pad, bag, pillow and extra blankets if needed on the other for sleeping on. I woke up in the middle of the night chilled even with my sleeping bag fully buttoned up. I grabbed a spare blanket I brought with me and ended up wrapping up the lower half of my legs and feet with it as a extra layer of sleeping bag and that did the trick! It quickly changed a cold night back into a night restful night with little drama.
That’s me car camping. That’s Gama ‘camping’ to the right in a slightly… bigger… uhm… car.
The facilities, you’ll need something or dig a hole.
One of the bigger things to remember when camping at the track, is planning for facilities, or lack thereof for bathroom breaks and showers. Most tracks will have some sort of hospitality building with bathrooms, but they are not always open all night long. Some tracks are basic, or still new and have only porta-potties on site – which can be odd at night if there is poor lighting. Most places are all paved as well, so the dig a hole method is not an option. For car and tent camping, having something with you that can be used as a fluid receptacle in the middle of the night will make yourself your own hero. Not having to bail out of the tent or car on a cold or rainy night to make a bathroom break can be a big positive impact on your nights rest. I usually grab an empty Gatorade bottle or something similar from the days work and pack it in the car before bedding down for the night. It has been a very positive addition to the track camp out!
Car camping at the Ridge Motorsports Park during the 6 Hour Endurance Race in April 2017. Don’t drink the ‘apple juice’.
The weather for day and night.
Planning for weather is also big. If you are tent or car camping your space is limited. Areas to duck out of the weather are few, and if a tent you can get flooded out quickly. In the Northwest weather can change by the hour especially in the spring and fall. We have raced in snow. That was a sloppy mess on all accounts. Rain is the main thing to be ready for. You want to be sure you have dry stuff to change in to, and a dry place to sleep. Sunshine can be just as big of an issue as well. A tent can get extra warm during the day if it is not left vented. It will also collect moisture even on a clear night, so you will need to be prepared for that.
Sideways rain and hail. Get as much protection as you can when camping.
You’ll still need to eat
Food and snacks, as well as drinks are important as well. For most weekends it is also pretty strait forward. A decent cooler packed well with ice can keep you in great shape for a 3 day race weekend with little issues. Depending on how much work or driving you do, hydration an and nourishment are paramount! Having snacks and non-sugar/sodium based drinks on hand are a great idea. It is easy to scarf a granola bar and little can of apple juice and a bottle of water on any 10 minute break. Having some cash for food that may be available at the track is also not a bad idea. Often there is concession stands, or outside vendors at track events. Food trucks are becoming more popular at events, but you should still plan to be able to feed yourself!
Rest up! Planning and actually putting in effort to get a good nights sleep when at the track is very important. In our early years racing when I was younger. We would stay up late, drink a lot, eat like crap and have a great time all night and then be tired and grumpy the next day when we should be having fun and getting serious work done on the cars. Getting a good restful nights sleep will help you stay at the top of your game, and help prevent mistakes from the track, to the paddock to loading the trailer properly to drive home to see your family or friends. Being comfortable is a big part of getting a good nights rest. Doing and planning for some of the things talked about above will help you maximize your experience at the race track. You can still be the best you that you can be while sleeping on the ground! It just takes the time and effort to zero in what works for you on each level of your needs.
Food, shelter, hole in the ground – we’re all set!
Take these tips. If you are also a hiker or hunter, just use the same level of prep that you would for a trip like that. Plan for a bit worse than you think you will see. Stay warm and dry. Get quality snacks, food and all the water you can drink. And as always, remember to have fun!
What: Having some ideas on what kind of tent may work for you and what you do
If I knew then, what I know now: I would steer clear of Target/Walmart/Box-store tents all together at the track, they cannot put up with the use and abuse.
Product to check out: ShelterLogic – might not be as top of mind as the E-Z Up brand but solid product at a much lower price.
You should have seen that tent flying across the paddock! Pop-Up tents are one of the most necessary items to have in your track kit! It provides shelter, shade, support, and sometimes, even comic relief. Pop-up tents or E-Z ups as many call them, are the number one, most used and abused item at a track. I have seen my fair share hit the scrap heap for many different reasons. The number one reason is that you have to have one! There are a lot of options and considerations when it comes to tent. Hopefully I can help you decide on what might be best for what you are doing.
Got a team? 10×20 it is for you!
We have a nice custom E-Z up for the Track Attack Pro3 cars. It is a 10ft x 20ft unit that has a steel frame. It is a little heavy, but the quality is good and it is sturdy even in moderate winds. I personally like the 10×20 size for paddock use when at a race track. It allows for the car to be completely out of the sun or rain. It is big enough for a group to stand under during a long enduro race, and is only one item to load/unload out of the trailer for each race weekend. That being said. I am part of a team, and we have the luxury of having someone to help us most of the time when needed. Using a steel framed 10×20 EZ up solo is a bit of a tall order. Having a second person around is key. It comes in an awesome bag that holds everything in place but man, it is heavy. Probably around 60lbs total.
Nice big tent that can fit two cars sideways and one car, the long way.
Bigger than 10×20? Yup!
There are larger sized tents as well. In 2010, when I was on the TC Motorsports Grand-Am Continental Tire team with our Boss Mustang, we had a really large one for the pro-race weekends. It was a 20×40 foot tent, and it took no less than 3 people to erect or take down. For long weekends, or if you have a large team to work with a tent this size may fit the bill well for you. Again, it is one thing to load and unload instead of many. The big tent had a home on our flat deck Taylor-Dunn pit cart when in transport. This was the best way to move the thing when it was packed up as it was very heavy.
20×40 tent!
The grip racing group has a full pro spec tent that connects to their hauler.
One-person operation? 10×10 is the way to go!
If you are a one man operation, or have a very limited crew to work with. Going with a 10×10 tent or even a couple of them is likely your best bet. They are the easiest to work with when alone. They generally package much smaller than the lager sized tents, and are usually light weight comparatively. They are also the cheapest option to purchase as well. For my 4runner, I am going to get a 10×10 to pack for camping, and track work weekends. It is cheap, easy to pack and use solo, and will provide with a bunch of extra usable space when camping at the track.
Several 10×10 tents, grouped together. A single person with two 10×10 tents seems to be the way to go. One person operation for carrying, putting up and taking down.
You can even get the tent material customized to really stand out, like this one from the Hard Motorsports team.
Tent pole material – it’s important
Tent pole or leg material is also an important choice. To be frank, the amount of times you use the tent, as well as how careful you are when setting it up or taking it down will have great effect on the life of the tent and legs. I have found in my experience that for consistent usage, finding a tent brand that uses steel legs and arms is better than aluminum. The aluminum tents are very easy to work with and move, but are quite fragile and the legs and tent arms are easy to bend and break. If you are doing just a handful of days per year, then getting two light weight 10×10 tents will be a good option for you. If you are putting in a full season, then they would be very much light duty for your needs! Again, I like a 10×20 size with a steel frame. Try and see what works for you.
Custom 10×20 tent being used by the Molly Helmuth racing team for Oval racing.
Securing your tent
Securing your EZ ups is an often over looked portion of your paddock set up for the weekend. I have seen dozens of tents fly away, get destroyed, or plain out just collapse because they were not properly addressed prior to something happening. Having something to weigh each leg down is the strongest start to keeping your tent in the trailer for a long time. You can use anything as ballast, but we normally use spare wheels and tires. They are easy to strap to, weigh a good bit, and are easy to move if needed. At night if we are leaving the car out, we will tie the tent to the car to keep it secure during the night. One thing to remember, is that if it gets really windy, as much as you may not want to take shelter down, it could be beneficial to take the the tent down. We have seen tents that are secured to trailers fly away, even lifting the side of a empty trailer in the air because it was acting like such a sail. Needless to say that tent was also destroyed, but it happened to damage that trailer, as well as dent a race car on the other side of the trailer as it flew. So be prepped for that!
Again, there is no right or wrong way to EZ up! You just have to determine what is best for you and your needs. If you are solo and need to be quick on paddock load in and out, then some light weight 10×10 options may be in your cards. If you have a friend to help, or maybe you are part of a team, then going with the bigger/beefier tents will be your call for sure (I would be worried if it was not!). If you are running with the pros… then you are paying for someone to handle this stuff for you! Get out there, get some shade and shelter for your day so you can maximize your enjoyment, and as always, don’t forget to have fun!
