Hi,

I read some threads about John Eagle and was wondering what kind of level will you find there? I know that if it's on a track, so the risk to damage your car is a little bit limited, but is there sometimes some damage done to the car? And I'm not talking about brakes, tires, gas, parts, ...

Also, for the "driving your car on the track", is there any requirements that needs to be done to your car? For the safety, I would think a helmet is the least required, maybe some gloves? Is there anything else?

Thanks,

-teo.

 

mmh .. I should have done my homework a little bit better before posting my questions, I found the answer to some questions @ http://www.vtec.net/events/johneagle_tws_7-15-00/

-teo.

 

I don't understand the question... certainly (personal experience) there is accelerated wear and tear on the car as a whole, and every consumable part in/on it.

Most people quote the cost of a 2-day open track event as $500. This includes entry fee, cheap motel, food, etc. Plus wear on tires. I agree, and it's often even higher. Add up the cost of brake pads, oil changes before or after the event, lots of 94+ octane unleaded race gas, and if you are using race tires a whole new set every 5-6 events. Toss in multiple 4-wheel alignments (as you experiment, develop, and learn) and that's another grand in the first year. This assumes you've already spent the money on a helmet, race gloves and shoes, long sleeve shirts (or better yet a whole race suit). It does add up.

Have any major problems, like a gearbox rebuild or an engine job, and the cost averages out even higher. Toss in modifications (KONI DAs = 1000, extra set of wheels = 2500, springs, swaybars, braces, special seats, 6-pt belts, etc), a "normal car" daily driver, and eventually a tow vehicle, and it's gone somewhere above the milestone of "life style".

Not to be grim, it's a great hobby, but cheap it ain't.

How to reduce this cost and get the most racing in? Some people get one car and stick with that practically forever. Some people switch to new cars every other year or so - to keep up in HP and technology, but reduce their trade-up loss by only doing bolt-on mods (safety, handling, but the absolute minimum of engine work if any at all). That's what I've done in the past.

Or you could split it across two people. Get something you both enjoy and can learn from.

You have to find the right balance for yourself. Some people never grow up from street racing, but IMHO that's a fate worse than stupidity. It's not an economic statement either. Autocrossing is a great way to go, because it's about total car performance - driver performance being the most important factor of all (and more important to hone that the car's performance). Nearly any car can compete. You'll learn all about handling and precision, although the driving style isn't exactly transferable to wide open full size racetracks.

One indisputable fact is that something faster always comes along. I can remember when ponycars hit 200 HP, now they are approaching 400 HP. The current M5 is 400 horses, the next one approaches 500 and gets the same milage with better emissions. You can litetrally spend all your money on this stuff. But driver skill is far more important, it's a great equalizer, and it's something that you can be justafilably proud of developing yourself - versus something you just spent dough on. There are certainly too many of those types around, fortunately the more money you spend the less your driving skill is. It's a fundamental law of the universe.

So I still don't understand your question, but hopefully this is relevant...

 

I agree with what you said, I guess my problem is that I'm not sure if I want to take the risk to discover and have a better knowledge of my car (and I don't do street racing) and may "damage" it in the same time, or should I spend this money into Go Karting for example.

Does that make sense to you?

-teo.

 

Teo, generally if there is an accident, your insurance will (grudgingly) pay for the damage ONLY if 3 conditions are present:

1. It is a driver's education event
2. there is no timing eqiupment
3. there is no competitive driving

That should cover incidentals like losing control and hitting a wall or a potential rollover. That said, if the consumable part issues don't deter you, DO THE EVENT! THere is a lot more to learn than you could possibly imagine, and all of it will make you an allaround better driver.

 

Teo - you'll need the driving skill no matter what you do. Do a TWS event, and you'll be a better driver in your S2K.

Doing one doesn't mean you can't do carts or auto-x later...