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New guy looking for some advice!
Hey all! I have messed around with go-carts a little as a kid, but that was a LONG time ago, and I only ran a few times for one summer. So being older, probably not any wiser, and with a little bit of extra income, I have been kicking around the idea of getting into racing. I have been visiting tracks all season and this drug has been injected in my veins! I am leaning more so towards dirt. My question is this...what classes/types of racing are going easier for essentially a beginner to get started in? I have had a guy offering to sell me a 2020 360 roller with wing for $1200....but I feel that a 360 would be WAY too much money and WAY too high of a learning curve for a beginner. I am thinking more like a 1000cc mini sprint and race with the MMSA. Are there any other cars/series that would have just as many, if not more, races for someone my build (5'10"/220) that might be cheaper? Also, how can I get some seat time once I have a car? A time dedicated that people can practice? What tracks, if any, might have such a thing? I would love to volunteer on someone's team if they are open to it! Any HELPFUL advice would be greatly appreciated!
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It's all relevant, like gambling, you pay your money and take your chances, at that price you can get the feel of what to expect, and not be out serious money, and maybe make a little if you don't find it's for you
I might be interested at that money, and I have a Ranger aircraft engine to put in one And the ranger is ready to put in, but can also be bought |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
buy the roller and put a 305 in it. 305 racesaver series
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Re: New guy looking for some advice!
Mikey,
Where would you be located at? That might make a difference. |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
Sorry! Indianapolis, IN ....specifically Noblesville.
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Speed per dollar it's pretty hard to beat a Lightning Sprint.
What you should really do though is find that team to volunteer on. You'll learn a lot and figure out if you really want to race. |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
I would recommend a 600cc Mini Sprint. I loved my time racing them. I think about buying another one all the time and I'm 61 years old now. Lol. There are many different classes Winged and Non-wing. Even a senior class. US 24 Speedway in Logansport runs every week. I not sure if Miami County Fairgrounds Speedway (Peru) is still running every week or not. Many of the Central Indiana Dirt Tracks also run them from time to time.
A lot of the sprint car stars of today started in them. A TQ Midget would be another option. Even Tony Stewart still races one from time to time. |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
Here is a good starting point!
LPS 9/21 Sat-Sprints,Modifieds,Super Stocks, Bombers, Modlite The door classes are cheap & easy. |
Not only Tony but his dad, Nelson, who is my age, and I'm 87,I guess health issues stopped me, but it was a ton of fun
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If you decide to do this, be aware that the return on your dollars is pennies on the dollar. And you at anytime can loss that investment. Some people can’t handle that aspect, but to me it was worth it and would not trade it for anything. I had the time of my life and met some of the best people on this earth because of racing!!
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Re: New guy looking for some advice!
Originally Posted by Russ: As others have stated, I would not buy a car until you have volunteered to help a team for a year. This will let you learn the sport and will let you learn the cost/time commitments while someone else is paying the bills. The other thing that volunteering will do is give you friends in the pits. It will give you someone that you can pit next to and someone that will help you when you first start out. This is what I did many years ago and it was invaluable. Finally, you need to spend some time around a micro track to understand which class you want to start out with? Do you want to run a wing or not? Do you want to start in the most popular class "A" class, or do you want to look into an entry class like "restricted". Regardless of what you do, good luck. |
How about Karting, lots of the drivers still use Karting to keep fresh, lots of places to race and if you're looking, probably get a good deal on a package and probably get it in your pickup
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Re: New guy looking for some advice!
Greetings:
If you are flying solo at the track, 600 Micros could be the way to go. They are push button start and you can trailer them on something as simple as a single axle utility trailer. No need for a 4 wheeler to push it to the grid and at about 600 pounds, you can load them in an out by yourself. It is very close to a full-on midget in terms of lap times at bullrings and they have various classes you can run on any given night. I suggest you contact Rodney Stealy at Concept Chassis in Wyatt, Indiana (15 miles south of South Bend). He will have everything you need to get started and now that it's the end of the season he probably has buy-backs that are just about race-ready. Their team trailer will be at the track each week with whatever you need. Racing is not an investment. With that understanding, go for it. |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
wheres your closest track??...race what they got there...youll save time,fuel ,and have a better chance of getting someone to help ya..
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Re: New guy looking for some advice!
I am in Noblesville. I have been going to Kokomo or Circle City Raceway every weekend. I have met some good people and started to make some connections. Now I just need to sell my 2nd "fun" car so I can buy a race car! Hoping that I will be rolling come this next spring!
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Restrictor class is an age limited class (A Class with restricted orifices on the intake to reduce horsepower.
As far as “picking” a class, the reason all these kids are coming out of micros are so good is they enter all classes in a night, A-class, wingless, and multi (outlaw). They get in three times the laps in a weekend with the same equipment. Start out slow and work your way up based on your budget (and stamina!) |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
Originally Posted by Pitdad: |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
So once I get a car...(which I'm getting closer to getting!), how can I get practice time in? Are there any local-ish tracks to the Indy area that have open time slots just for practice? I would love to get some wheel time in before I just go hit the racetrack for an actual race! It would be nice to get some input and veteran advice from other people with more experience.
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Re: New guy looking for some advice!
Practice time on dirt is tough to come by. Sometimes early in the year a track may have a "test and tune" day. You can do a private track rental but it's usually very expensive. Before you buy a car, I'd head out to California and do the Corey Kruseman school at Ventura. You can get laps in a well prepared racecar on a prepped track and get great instruction. You can even rent a racecar and run a weekly show at Ventura. he's got 600's, Focus Midgets, Midgets and Sprint Cars to choose from. You can develop a driver, and you can sort out a racecar, but it's pretty much impossible to do both at the same time! The school can give you a feel for what the car is supposed to feel like.
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Re: New guy looking for some advice!
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I raced 360s and 410s, on a budget with limited help. Go 600 racing. The amount of work and time required for the big cars if you don't have a solid background and support.
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Re: New guy looking for some advice!
Originally Posted by jdull99: |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
I think that you said that you went to one or two tracks all season. What do they race at the tracks closest to you? (great idea from whoever suggested it already). Travel can be a killer. I also "like" the rental ride that was suggested. But there are 4 or 5 planets between racing go karts and sprint cars. Carts are probably the best fun for the dollar, simply because of the simplicity and lack of suspension. The tire bill is a little easier to swallow also. Ancient quote "speed is expensive; how much do you want to spend?" Maintenance also gets involved. The advice to race with a team for an entire season is probably the best advice; if you will actually listen and learn and maybe be allowed to pick up wrenches and do things that help. Nobody is fast by accident. When you see a car win a race, believe me they earned it 20 times over and they have put in the time to learn what works, what needs a ton of attention so that it doesn't fail 3 laps before the checker, etc etc. You will have a chance to learn how stagger, tire pressure, wheel offsets, adnauseum, affect the car responds to your input. So, bottom line? Do the rent a ride just for the experience. And think hard about the racers that you watched this year, Maybe there is a chance to be on that crew for a full season? If you pick anything more than a go Kart you are going to need help with the car keeping it ready to go back to the trace. Pick the smallest race car that you can fit in to start and make sure you have dependable help if you want trace anything that needs a trailer. Good luck.
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Re: New guy looking for some advice!
So it looks like I am travelling up to Wisconsin this weekend to buy a Bailey Lightning sprint with a freshly rebuilt 1000cc motor out of a GSXR with guhl alcohol injection. 4 new dual adjustable Super Shocks. It has 3 front wings, 2 rear wings, 3 sets of wheels with tires, and all kinds of assorted odds and ends. The guy is moving up to 305 Race Saver class and he wants to liquidate. He is offering me everything I need, and then some, to go racing. I am super excited about it! I plan on racing in the MMSA, with some occasional Lightning spint races thrown in here and there. Now....to find a trailer to bring it all home! LOL!
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Re: New guy looking for some advice!
Originally Posted by Mikey2274: |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
I read that they are new, but maybe after your 1st practices, send the shocks out and have them dyno-ed and rebuilt as needed. They should help you with valving ideas for tracks and conditions; or maybe the seller or Super Shox has data on that exact set which you can begin to try to understand.
This one sounds set, but engine/fuel management dyno tuning is great too (as an idea, it was always over my budget though) - and of course clean the system out after every time it runs - if u can purge it with gas, that can be ok at times. Only other thing I would say I "know" about chain drive cars, is to keep up on the chains. Replace often (like over this off-season; and then after every few races/practice sessions), have spares, and clean and re-lube every week. Keep up on wheel bearings too. |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
Several have said it, go the micro route. Sad truth, your going to tear up some stuff in the beginning. Micros are easier to get parts for. The other thing, it is one of the only divisions that is actually growing. You see more races popping up every year.
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Got my new car! The guy I bought it from kept immaculate records on it with what he replaced and when. Also track conditions and settings on the car. He even included user manuals and factory manuals for the motor! I know that car feel is a personal prefference, but his notes should get me in the ballpark. I can learn and adjust as I pick up experience. I will probably be racing with the MMSA and maybe some other lightning events throuhout the season.
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Originally Posted by Mikey2274: |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
CONGRATULATIONS! You have now entered into an age old fraternity who have found a more creative way than farming to consume more than 150% of your time and financial resources! Welcome! Fandom ends here. Now you find out all the behind the scenes answers to the questions you posed while sitting in the grandstands.
But seriously, Jason and Ken's advice is sound. Chain maintenance is critical. Nothing more disappointing that FINALLY getting the car on the track and running and having a decent result, and then the chain falls off. Been there and done that! Other advice for a new start up. Don't worry about carrying all of those spares you just acquired. Experienced teams make a lot of adjustments and try different setups at the track because they know what they want to try. YOU need to focus on GETTING TO THE TRACK. That sounds elementary, but until you've tried to do it, you don't realize how much work there is in just getting the car on the trailer and to the track each week. You've got a few nights of just getting on the track for the feature before you need to worry about making a bar change. Baseline setup in the shop and turns some laps... And that's the key to getting better is racing as much as you can possibly afford to. That's why I said in an earlier post, the reason all these wunderkids out of the micro ranks are so good is they can race that car in 3 - 4 classes on the same night. Three times the laps means three times the experience. So don't be afraid to follow Ken's advice and pull those wings off and run with the D2 groups that will let you. My last piece of advice to a first time driver is, once you actually get there and get strapped in and pull out onto the track, DON'T FORGET TO BREATHE. I'm not kidding about this. You cannot hold your breath for 8 laps, but you will try to and it will exhaust you before you get the crossed flags. Every time you get an opportunity to get on track, take it. Hot laps, mud laps, engine heat, whatever it is, every time you get in the car, strap in, fire the engine, work the clutch, and circle the track, you're learning something. You're getting more comfortable in the seat and that's the key. You'll be amazed at how many things you have to make a concerted effort to do when you first get in the car and then after dozens and dozens of repetitions, it becomes second nature. THEN you can focus on learning how to execute a slide job or diamond off a turn. Good luck. Stay humble. Keep your nose clean. Be respectful of your competitors and don't be afraid to ask for advice or help at the track or in the shop. You'll know you're making progress when you ask a guy for help and he turns you down. That means you're getting good enough that he considers you competition. |
Re: New guy looking for some advice!
Thanks for the friendly advice! I figured that next season will be a complete learning experience. I know that just because I bought a car that has won features before...doesn't mean I'll even be able to put it in the main every time out! I am taking the off season to dial in the car. (Anyone in the Noblesville area know anything about setting up Guhl injections?!) Right now I just want to focus on getting the car ready, getting a trailer and my gear ready, and just be patient for the start on next season. I will be calling tracks and trying to find some open practice time. I want to drive drive drive and learn this car!
Originally Posted by Pitdad: |
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