In this series of articles, we will dive into the hidden and often secretive realities of professional road racing in the United States. We will discuss several topics such as the steps to become a pro driver, what it’s like once you’re there, common misconceptions people have, and what it’s like to operate a professional […]
The path for most professional athletes in sports such as football, basketball, and baseball, typically includes a person who was born with great talent, and through hard work reached a professional status. In general, their financial resources didn’t play a significant factor of whether they could turn pro. There are numerous stories where a person […]
In our previous article we discussed the costs to rent the ride, but expenses do not end there. To start with, the gentleman driver has to pay to get to the event, hotel accommodations, and the entry fees which start at $2,000 for the racing series we are discussing. On top of that, there’s the […]
If you don’t have personal or family money, another route is to find outside sources of revenue in the form of sponsors. As you might expect, this is quite the challenge and an extreme uphill battle. In order to make a successful pitch to a company, you need to be able to demonstrate what the […]
In addition to racing professionally for the Whelen Motorsports/Marsh Racing team in the Grand Am Rolex series teamed with Boris Said, Eric also drives for CKS Autosport in the Grand Am Continental series. Throughout most of Eric’s racing career Eric also owned and operated a Car dealership in Hadley, MA, of which he has recently […]
If you are not familiar with Highcroft Racing, they are a top notch racing organization lead by owner Duncan Dayton. In both 2009 and 2010, Highcroft Racing was crowned American Le Mans Series (ALMS) champions. Additional information can be found at HighcroftRacing.com . As one arrives at their 48,000 sq ft facility in Danbury, CT, […]
As you might guess, one of the biggest challenges for the team is sourcing funding. While Duncan initially invested his own funds to build the facility and establish the team, he stated that the organization now needs to stand on its own two feet. In order to attract sponsors who will actually pay, they need […]
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Wouldn’t it be great if we all had a racing safety equipment store with a large inventory and reasonable pricing right near us? Unfortunately the majority of us are not so lucky. Then if there is a store nearby, chances are they do not have many different brands or sizes to choose from. This leads […]
Effective January 1, 2012, a head and neck restraint system meeting either SFI 38.1 or FIA 8859 specifications will be mandatory in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Club Racing. Other racing sanctioning bodies including National Auto Sport Association (NASA) already have this requirement. If you do not already have a system that meets this […]
Saturday afternoon, I was moving cars around. Long story short, I backed my truck up to my longish driveway and left it near the street. Then I moved my 1973 911 and since it has no choke, and a sketchy battery that needed lots of help to turn the engine over, I left it running […]
As Club Racers, we have a hard time picturing ourselves being caught in a race car that is on fire and relying on our racing suit to protect us from severe burns or even worse. The harsh reality is that, while it is not likely, it is possible. Jeff Altenburg, an extremely accomplished pro racing […]
While I don’t exactly enjoy spending money on tire purchases, at least I feel like I’m getting something for what I’m spending. Paying a shop between $100 and $120 to mount and balance each set of tires? That just frustrates me! Considering how often many of us racers need race tires mounted and balanced, this […]
Deciding which tire pressure gauge to purchase can be a bit overwhelming considering the numerous options available . The good news is after you start defining your needs and preferences, the right choice quickly becomes clearer. This article will describe the differences in gauges and simplify the selection process for you. For the purpose of […]
Sadly for those of us living in cooler climates, the race season has reached its end or will be doing so shortly. In order to make the most out of the tire life you have left over, it’s important that you properly store them during the off-season. Taking the below simple steps will help ensure […]
People often believe that obtaining sponsorship at the club racing level is not possible, but that is not true. Before you start to seek potential sponsors, you need to establish realistic expectations and determine how much effort you are willing to put into it. While it is difficult to obtain cash sponsorships at the club […]
On street cars vs race cars: Accidents, Repairs, and the cost of racing. Hi all, I had started writing this article to address the above topic, but soon realized that I would have to go a bit into the different cost factors of racing. Dave has already written about this in his book / […]
I’ve often wondered in Club Racing, what separates the drivers who are consistently at the front of the pack and winning, to other drivers? Is it just the amount of money and time they can dedicate towards racing? And more importantly, how can someone who doesn’t have those resources not only compete but win? While […]
So, you have successfully completed a few races now, and overall things are going well, but you want to be faster. How do you accomplish this goal? It is normal to get to this point and become a bit impatient. Usually the first thing people want to look at during this stage is improving the […]
The eternal question in club racing: What does it take to become a front-runner? People try to pinpoint the few qualities that it takes to run up front, but it really consists of a total package. Yup, you guessed it – you are the package’s core. Throughout this resource, I continuously stress how important it […]
To start with, in-car video is pretty darn cool. I found myself going to an event, and not an hour after getting home, sitting down and watching the video of what I just did. My wife just looked over at me and said “didn’t you have enough of racing? Now you want to watch the […]
Earlier this year while at a race, I found myself almost searching for excuses why I couldn’t go out and race that day. At the same time I knew that once I finally got out on track, the nervousness would have a way of disappearing as I entered into another world. For whatever reason on […]
Mentally, you need to get yourself ready to win. Close your eyes, relax, and take a few deep breaths. Picture yourself at the end of the race crossing the finish line. No really – stop looking at this screen for a moment and try it. What place did you finish in? You need to be […]
The Porsche Museum in Zuffenhausen, Germany If you are a motorsport enthusiast, you probably know about historic sports cars, racers and races; if not, you are interested in learning about some the above; if you are technically inclined, you love the beauty of sports cars, perfection and ingenuity of their engineering, their development from the […]
Did reading Nürburgring just make you shiver? Yep, me too! I spent several days at this racetrack and thought you might find my musings interesting, maybe interesting enough so you make that jump, too (while you still can; more later). And you want to, trust me. If you’ve ever thought or even just fantasized about driving […]
(Part 1 is here) We woke up Thursday to an even more beautiful day than Wednesday (quite welcoming, given the winter we had in the Northeast): clear blue skies and lukewarm. The track didn’t open to us until 10:30AM, so we had a somewhat-relaxing breakfast buffet (“somewhat” given the anticipation of the day) and talked about […]
(Part 1 is here) Saturday was VLN testing day, and we were guests of Team Frikadelli. Not that it really mattered: this test day was open to the public, and anyone could walk right in without challenge. In fact, anyone could walk right into the pit lane, and many did! As cars were buzzing in and […]
We all know how much men love duct tape, but racing has opened my eyes to a whole new world of tapes and adhesives. This just proves that tape can fix just about anything! Having an array of these products when in the shop or at the track can prove to be quite useful. Anything […]
Having video of your racing events is so much fun! I find myself participating in an event only to come home to watch it all over again that same night. My wife thinks I’m nuts for doing this, but you’ll probably understand. Beyond being an excellent learning tool, video can also save your butt as […]
Whether you’re looking to mount the Replay XD or another Lipstick (also known as Bullet) camera, this inexpensive mount does the job! When I received the RAM roll bar camera mount, I didn’t have high expectations based upon its appearance and low price of just under $40. I mean, it looks a bit odd with […]
I suppose it is just human nature for some people to cheat. When you get to the point in your racing career where your next goal is to start winning races, cheating can become tempting for some people. I have heard many ways people attempt to rationalize cheating, such as, “Everyone else is, so why […]