Detroit SCCA Solo
05-04-2018, 07:41 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Detroit SCCA Solo
I used to do some track racing with a ' 65 Mustang in the VSCDA (Vintage Sports Car Drivers Assoc), but got out of it for a number of reasons. I feel the need to feed that part of my soul once again.....
My S2k is too much of a garage queen at this point to think about putting it on the track, and i dont really have the resources to support that addiction. That being said i figured SOLO is my best bet to enjoy the car and keep the skills sharp. I was curious if there are any regulars in the SE Mitten i could learn the ropes from.
My initial research seems to show that as long as you have $50 and a helmet with proper rating you are essentially good to go. Any additional input anyone could provide is appreciated. Also curious if anyone knows the track layout that is put together at Schoolcraft college, or if it always changes.
Thanks!
My S2k is too much of a garage queen at this point to think about putting it on the track, and i dont really have the resources to support that addiction. That being said i figured SOLO is my best bet to enjoy the car and keep the skills sharp. I was curious if there are any regulars in the SE Mitten i could learn the ropes from.
My initial research seems to show that as long as you have $50 and a helmet with proper rating you are essentially good to go. Any additional input anyone could provide is appreciated. Also curious if anyone knows the track layout that is put together at Schoolcraft college, or if it always changes.
Thanks!
05-04-2018, 09:27 AM
#2
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Waterford, MI - America's High Five
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I used to do some track racing with a ' 65 Mustang in the VSCDA (Vintage Sports Car Drivers Assoc), but got out of it for a number of reasons. I feel the need to feed that part of my soul once again.....
My S2k is too much of a garage queen at this point to think about putting it on the track, and i dont really have the resources to support that addiction. That being said i figured SOLO is my best bet to enjoy the car and keep the skills sharp. I was curious if there are any regulars in the SE Mitten i could learn the ropes from.
My initial research seems to show that as long as you have $50 and a helmet with proper rating you are essentially good to go. Any additional input anyone could provide is appreciated. Also curious if anyone knows the track layout that is put together at Schoolcraft college, or if it always changes.
Thanks!
My S2k is too much of a garage queen at this point to think about putting it on the track, and i dont really have the resources to support that addiction. That being said i figured SOLO is my best bet to enjoy the car and keep the skills sharp. I was curious if there are any regulars in the SE Mitten i could learn the ropes from.
My initial research seems to show that as long as you have $50 and a helmet with proper rating you are essentially good to go. Any additional input anyone could provide is appreciated. Also curious if anyone knows the track layout that is put together at Schoolcraft college, or if it always changes.
Thanks!
05-04-2018, 10:10 AM
#3
Yeah you are indeed good to go with that equipment. Nothing else is needed. That said, I will do AutoX, but I find it too much of a cock tease vs a full track day. You basically spend the same amount time, 4x less money, 20x less driving. It is a fun community though; they will let you walk the course before the event every time as well so you can learn it.
For me, I enjoy the competition of autox enough that I go to every local event plus spring nats and nats. That pretty much sucks up all my car hobby time available. and I personally would not trade a few track weekends where I am not allowed to actually compete (HPDE) for my season of autox. Plus, at practice events I can put in 50 runs easy, spend $40 on the event and still have plenty of tire for the rest of the season. They are just different types of driving, I do not really see one as "better". And regarding course walks, on a track, you not only can go drive that track whenever you want at a track day and it will still be mostly the same track on raceday, at a race you get many, many back to back laps to learn and improve, vs autox where it is a brand new course each time, so yes, they will always provide walk time prior to the event.
I like to think of autox as a mix of drag racing and track. Autox is basically closer to a drag race a with a bunch of turns :P
If you really like that aspect of it and get a chance to attend a pro-solo, do it. Those are a blast. Two mirror image courses, christmas tree start like a drag race, switch sides between each run. And you normally get at least 12 runs even if you do not make the challenge portion. You get a mix of the drag race starts and autox. It is a lot of fun, but harder to find since you need a lot more area to have the two course, plus a club with a tree.
In any case, welcome to the addiction! You are correct on equipment needed. Snell approved helmet (SA2005 and above right now) and a car that passes tech and is eligible (most are unless they have a rollover hazard). Tech consists of checking for excess wheel or suspension play (aka shaking each wheel), making sure all lugnuts are present and accounted for, ensuring the brake pedal is firm, brake fluid reservoir is not empty and the battery tie down is there and functional (believe it or not, that is the most common thing that fails tech normally). So if your car passes those items, and you have an approved helmet and seatbelts work, you are pretty much good to go!
05-07-2018, 05:03 AM
#4
Thread Starter
Thanks guys. If i was going to get back out on the track i would be looking for a highly competitive door to door situation like Miata spec. As i mentioned i just don't have the time/resources for something like that at this point.
I like the idea of being able to push the s2000 to the limits on a tighter, twistier course. For the price of a visit to an indoor karting track seems like it would be hard to beat.
I like the idea of being able to push the s2000 to the limits on a tighter, twistier course. For the price of a visit to an indoor karting track seems like it would be hard to beat.
05-07-2018, 06:28 AM
#5
Join Date: Mar 2017
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I think that experience varies wildly from person to person. I know a lot of "track" (HPDE) guys that tried autox and pretty much converted fully to it. The money being one part (spending more than 4X the cost ... 200-300 for the event, then brakes, tires go like mad, etc to not even compete with anyone or really race) of course. But they found that while they thought autox would be "easy" after spending lots of time on the track, they were back of the pack until they spent a lot of time learning. So they each have their place.
For me, I enjoy the competition of autox enough that I go to every local event plus spring nats and nats. That pretty much sucks up all my car hobby time available. and I personally would not trade a few track weekends where I am not allowed to actually compete (HPDE) for my season of autox. Plus, at practice events I can put in 50 runs easy, spend $40 on the event and still have plenty of tire for the rest of the season. They are just different types of driving, I do not really see one as "better". And regarding course walks, on a track, you not only can go drive that track whenever you want at a track day and it will still be mostly the same track on raceday, at a race you get many, many back to back laps to learn and improve, vs autox where it is a brand new course each time, so yes, they will always provide walk time prior to the event.
I like to think of autox as a mix of drag racing and track. Autox is basically closer to a drag race a with a bunch of turns :P
If you really like that aspect of it and get a chance to attend a pro-solo, do it. Those are a blast. Two mirror image courses, christmas tree start like a drag race, switch sides between each run. And you normally get at least 12 runs even if you do not make the challenge portion. You get a mix of the drag race starts and autox. It is a lot of fun, but harder to find since you need a lot more area to have the two course, plus a club with a tree.
In any case, welcome to the addiction! You are correct on equipment needed. Snell approved helmet (SA2005 and above right now) and a car that passes tech and is eligible (most are unless they have a rollover hazard). Tech consists of checking for excess wheel or suspension play (aka shaking each wheel), making sure all lugnuts are present and accounted for, ensuring the brake pedal is firm, brake fluid reservoir is not empty and the battery tie down is there and functional (believe it or not, that is the most common thing that fails tech normally). So if your car passes those items, and you have an approved helmet and seatbelts work, you are pretty much good to go!
For me, I enjoy the competition of autox enough that I go to every local event plus spring nats and nats. That pretty much sucks up all my car hobby time available. and I personally would not trade a few track weekends where I am not allowed to actually compete (HPDE) for my season of autox. Plus, at practice events I can put in 50 runs easy, spend $40 on the event and still have plenty of tire for the rest of the season. They are just different types of driving, I do not really see one as "better". And regarding course walks, on a track, you not only can go drive that track whenever you want at a track day and it will still be mostly the same track on raceday, at a race you get many, many back to back laps to learn and improve, vs autox where it is a brand new course each time, so yes, they will always provide walk time prior to the event.
I like to think of autox as a mix of drag racing and track. Autox is basically closer to a drag race a with a bunch of turns :P
If you really like that aspect of it and get a chance to attend a pro-solo, do it. Those are a blast. Two mirror image courses, christmas tree start like a drag race, switch sides between each run. And you normally get at least 12 runs even if you do not make the challenge portion. You get a mix of the drag race starts and autox. It is a lot of fun, but harder to find since you need a lot more area to have the two course, plus a club with a tree.
In any case, welcome to the addiction! You are correct on equipment needed. Snell approved helmet (SA2005 and above right now) and a car that passes tech and is eligible (most are unless they have a rollover hazard). Tech consists of checking for excess wheel or suspension play (aka shaking each wheel), making sure all lugnuts are present and accounted for, ensuring the brake pedal is firm, brake fluid reservoir is not empty and the battery tie down is there and functional (believe it or not, that is the most common thing that fails tech normally). So if your car passes those items, and you have an approved helmet and seatbelts work, you are pretty much good to go!
Some aspects of AutoX will translate into real world driving (reaction time, car control, etc), if it's fun for you go for it. Because of my line of work I just have a much different opinion on it. Though we do have a AutoX team here at GM, so if you're out locally you will probably see a bunch of "GM Performance Team" Vettes/Camaros. Most of the dudes that are serious about going fast also track their own personal cars as well. It's all about what YOU want to do, so don't let my snob opinion sway you in anyway. lol.
Also, if anyone Sim Races add me on Steam: HawkeyeGeoff
Edit: Also to be "fast" in AutoX you basically need to have all the goodies. Don't have RE71R's? Won't be competitive. It gets worse as you go up in classes. You can spend quite a bit of money getting an AutoX car to be competitive when you start talking about STR and up. And god forbid you rolled and pulled your fenders too much...now you get to be a "prepped" class and that requires Hoosier A's to be competitive....lol It can snowball real fast so PLAN out what class you want to be in before you start adding stuff.
Last edited by HawkeyeGeoff; 05-07-2018 at 06:33 AM.
05-07-2018, 09:57 AM
#6
^^ It can get expensive if you want to be the pointy end of the stick. Otherwise it is dirt cheap compared to track driving. You can learn and have a ton of fun on the "not the best tires for it" side of things. If you are not trying to win your class, you absolutely can get by and be pretty fast without spending a lot. But, as mentioned, as you go up in classes, it can get spendy. A good STR setup is not all that bad really if you are not the pointy end kinda guy. Or just run in B Street where you a lot more limited in what you can do (I tried this my first season, but gave up to the urge to make an STR car that next winter! )
But yes, plan your classing out. Start by doing nothing and if they have a "Novice Class" run it. Our Novice class here locally is straight time based, no pax, no classing. When folks are learning, to be honest, no amount of modding will make them that much faster, so it does not matter that much. If you place in the top 10% of Novice, you are booted and have to then figure out what class you belong too. It is a great way to start out without having to deal with the classing. But, not all clubs have a novice or "special interest" class.
But in any case, just go out and drive, figure out what to do with the car later. It is much more fun that way than modding up a car only to find out you went slow and now do not know if it was the mods or the nut behind the wheel !
But yes, plan your classing out. Start by doing nothing and if they have a "Novice Class" run it. Our Novice class here locally is straight time based, no pax, no classing. When folks are learning, to be honest, no amount of modding will make them that much faster, so it does not matter that much. If you place in the top 10% of Novice, you are booted and have to then figure out what class you belong too. It is a great way to start out without having to deal with the classing. But, not all clubs have a novice or "special interest" class.
But in any case, just go out and drive, figure out what to do with the car later. It is much more fun that way than modding up a car only to find out you went slow and now do not know if it was the mods or the nut behind the wheel !
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HawkeyeGeoff (05-07-2018)
05-07-2018, 10:08 AM
#7
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Waterford, MI - America's High Five
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^^ It can get expensive if you want to be the pointy end of the stick. Otherwise it is dirt cheap compared to track driving. You can learn and have a ton of fun on the "not the best tires for it" side of things. If you are not trying to win your class, you absolutely can get by and be pretty fast without spending a lot. But, as mentioned, as you go up in classes, it can get spendy. A good STR setup is not all that bad really if you are not the pointy end kinda guy. Or just run in B Street where you a lot more limited in what you can do (I tried this my first season, but gave up to the urge to make an STR car that next winter! )
But yes, plan your classing out. Start by doing nothing and if they have a "Novice Class" run it. Our Novice class here locally is straight time based, no pax, no classing. When folks are learning, to be honest, no amount of modding will make them that much faster, so it does not matter that much. If you place in the top 10% of Novice, you are booted and have to then figure out what class you belong too. It is a great way to start out without having to deal with the classing. But, not all clubs have a novice or "special interest" class.
But in any case, just go out and drive, figure out what to do with the car later. It is much more fun that way than modding up a car only to find out you went slow and now do not know if it was the mods or the nut behind the wheel !
But yes, plan your classing out. Start by doing nothing and if they have a "Novice Class" run it. Our Novice class here locally is straight time based, no pax, no classing. When folks are learning, to be honest, no amount of modding will make them that much faster, so it does not matter that much. If you place in the top 10% of Novice, you are booted and have to then figure out what class you belong too. It is a great way to start out without having to deal with the classing. But, not all clubs have a novice or "special interest" class.
But in any case, just go out and drive, figure out what to do with the car later. It is much more fun that way than modding up a car only to find out you went slow and now do not know if it was the mods or the nut behind the wheel !
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05-08-2018, 04:50 AM
#8
Thread Starter
I'm not really worried about "placing" in the events as much as i am keeping the driving skills sharp, having fun, and getting the adrenaline up a little bit. I've done a cold air intake, exhaust, flashpro/tune, so i know it would bump me up a class or two. With stock suspension and tires i figure that would put me at a pretty solid disadvantage.
When i was track racing a typical weekend would cost $2500 if nothing broke. I just got married 7 months ago, still working on upgrades for a new house we had built and moved into 4 months ago, etc, so i dont have that type of cheddar floating around right now. I have "important" things to buy like fill dirt, driveway, whole home generator, deck, and the list goes on
When i was track racing a typical weekend would cost $2500 if nothing broke. I just got married 7 months ago, still working on upgrades for a new house we had built and moved into 4 months ago, etc, so i dont have that type of cheddar floating around right now. I have "important" things to buy like fill dirt, driveway, whole home generator, deck, and the list goes on
05-08-2018, 05:12 AM
#9
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Waterford, MI - America's High Five
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I'm not really worried about "placing" in the events as much as i am keeping the driving skills sharp, having fun, and getting the adrenaline up a little bit. I've done a cold air intake, exhaust, flashpro/tune, so i know it would bump me up a class or two. With stock suspension and tires i figure that would put me at a pretty solid disadvantage.
When i was track racing a typical weekend would cost $2500 if nothing broke. I just got married 7 months ago, still working on upgrades for a new house we had built and moved into 4 months ago, etc, so i dont have that type of cheddar floating around right now. I have "important" things to buy like fill dirt, driveway, whole home generator, deck, and the list goes on
When i was track racing a typical weekend would cost $2500 if nothing broke. I just got married 7 months ago, still working on upgrades for a new house we had built and moved into 4 months ago, etc, so i dont have that type of cheddar floating around right now. I have "important" things to buy like fill dirt, driveway, whole home generator, deck, and the list goes on
05-08-2018, 07:49 AM
#10
Wow .. .2500 is a LOT. around here I think it is typically a few hundred for the track day events. Of course, if you are a fast driver and burn through a set of tires, that would be more money. Brake pads and rotors too if you drive hard and agressive, but even with tires and brakes being used up I would put it closer to $1,300 on a really expensive day.
Now, you said track RACING so maybe you meant wheel to wheel racing. HPDE (typical track day) is not racing and is just lapping days (I know .. some folks think they are racing .. but you technically cant even pass without being let by, so it is not racing and is not nearly as agressive for 99% of folks)
Now, you said track RACING so maybe you meant wheel to wheel racing. HPDE (typical track day) is not racing and is just lapping days (I know .. some folks think they are racing .. but you technically cant even pass without being let by, so it is not racing and is not nearly as agressive for 99% of folks)