Newbie, lurker, checking in

#1

Hey folks, I’m Dave. I wanted to stop in and say hello. I’m not a Spec E30 racer, heck, I haven’t even done my first DE yet. But I have the bug. I was at Road Atlanta two weeks ago, in the rain, and I have the racing bug. I’m friends with one of the guys in your class, Alex Reznikov. I got to go out in Alex’s car on Saturday, with Deb driving. What a total blast, and yeah, I’m hooked.

I have no racing experience, and have a road ahead of me. My only past experience was when I’d go to Myrtle Beach, and run the little Grand Prix cars (which are now gone, I understand). I’d usually win the free Burger King Whopper and Dominos Pizza coupons they gave for lap times. So anyway, that is the extend of my experience. I’m starting to lay out a plan, and of course, that plan has to start with learning how to drive on a track. I’m hoping to start the DE experience at some point, and if I progress through that, I’d love to make it to Spec E30. I have patience, though. I saw a post on the NASA forum from some guy who was complaining, worried that they’d hold him back. Ugh. I want to learn, be safe, learn some more, be safe, and move at whatever pace is right for me. Might take a few years, but hey, it’s all good, and even the DE time is surely to be a total rush, and very educational.

I can’t start the DE stuff yet, as I’m not currently employed. I got laid off in February (I’m a civil engineer/project manager/program manager), so I have to wait until I have my source of disposable income back. I’m hoping, once I am re-employed, to find a decent E30 in the $2,000-$3,000 range that I can drive to DE events, at least at Road Atlanta at first. With time, and if all goes well, it would be nice to then have that vehicle to work with, to make a spec racer out of it. As a minimum, I would at least have relevant experience with the proper vehicle type.

As an engineer, I’m very cautious, calculating, and I have a load of spreadsheets to prove it. I can tell you, I have already started making a list of about a million questions I’ll have for you veterans as I get into this. I hope to not be a pest, but I know I do appreciate the help anyone can give. I’ve been reading this forum, and I’m really encouraged as to how supportive everyone is of each other.

Oh, and I want to give a shout out to Ranger, for encouraging me to go ahead and register for the forum.

#2

Welcome! We are always happy to see another enthusiast. If you don’t know, you can earn free DE track time via the NASA worker program. Which for someone in between jobs might work well for you.

#3

jlevie wrote:

Thanks, I will definitely consider that program. Deb mentioned it, and I saw it on the NASA-SE webpage. I thought that the effective hourly rate was probably a fraction of my former payrate, but then I remembered, that it was my former rate, and my current pay rate is zero. So, it’s not a bad idea, it’s a chance to start meeting people and learning things, too.

I always wanted to blow my free money on aviation, to get my pilot license, but that is really pricey, and this is honestly a lot more fun for the buck. If I had stayed employed, my free money was about to become about $1000 a month, which appears to be enough to cover 2-3 weekends every two months or so.

#4

Welcome!
FWIW, I loved flying but this racing stuff is a lot more fun per $$.

#5

Hey Dave! Welcome! I am an old newbie and patiently banking the info/knowledge that everyone gives here. I am doing the workers credit program and so far I/we have earned four FREE DE weekends. Simple formula : 1. Become a member -$40, sign up wife (great idea) - $40. 2.Work at events (you as a Corner Worker , wife wherever she wants to work) - free lunch, subsidised accomadation, tons of visuals at the corners that you work. 3. Stick to the plan. Find a DE car. My son’s first DE was Road Atlanta in his Daily Driver. His second will be at CMP. My wife and I will be working there. Unbelievably cheap fun vacations.
Did I mention the great people that you meet?

#6

DDO wrote:

[quote]Hey Dave! Welcome! I am an old newbie and patiently banking the info/knowledge that everyone gives here. I am doing the workers credit program and so far I/we have earned four FREE DE weekends. Simple formula : 1. Become a member -$40, sign up wife (great idea) - $40. 2.Work at events (you as a Corner Worker , wife wherever she wants to work) - free lunch, subsidised accomadation, tons of visuals at the corners that you work. 3. Stick to the plan. Find a DE car. My son’s first DE was Road Atlanta in his Daily Driver. His second will be at CMP. My wife and I will be working there. Unbelievably cheap fun vacations.
Did I mention the great people that you meet?[/quote]

This all sounds great, except for the wife thing…LOL

One of the things that allows me to be a little more free with the income (when I am working again) is that I am a divorced guy. I have a 10 year old daughter (I pay child support, which is a good bit), but being single lets me decide more of where my money goes. It’s not quite as foot-loose and fancy-free as a single guy (no ex, no kids), but still, I don’t have to justify my crazy ideas to anyone other than myself.

I do like the idea of banking weekends like that, and getting to know folks is a MAJOR plus.

As noted, when I get my income stream back, I want to start looking seriously at a E30 to be my DE car. I’ve given myself a $2,000-$3,000 budget, and wondering how far that will get me, what all will be needed to get it “DE-ready”. I’ve got to get a helmet for my enormous cranium, too.

I’ll probably join NASA in the very near future, and start the track worker program. Gives me a chance to see the tracks. I can see myself doing Road Atlanta, CMP, and perhaps VIR now. Maybe even some more, give me a chance to “see the world” a little in the southeast.

I appreciate the positive response so far. Y’all are my junkies, giving me my fix. :slight_smile:

#7

DaveF wrote:

If you are as clever and resourceful as a lot of guys around here, that shouldn’t be too unrealistic for a car that is safe and passes tech.

I am a safety weenie. Having driven a car with a cage on track, I really don’t like driving my street car on track (even though it is soooooooo much faster than my SE30). I think a “rear half” cage is the bare minimum.

But first, focus on buying stuff to make YOU safe. Helmet, HANS (if using a racing shell and harnesses), gloves, shoes.

For the first several DE weekends, you will likely be fine with just a helmet and long sleeve shirt, but if you bite the bullet and buy all the safety stuff up front you won’t be tempted later to postpone buying that HANS so you can do a couple more weekends of driving.

Don’t be shy about asking for other people’s cast-offs. I think you would be pleasantly surprised how much racers appreciate the workers and how willing we are to help spread our disease.

Steve D.

PS - One exception to the cast-offs suggestion is tires. For the first few weekends, use street tires. They howl when they are close to the limit, they break away more gradually. They are all around a better learning tool than R compounds.