tsiboosted
15+ Year Contributor
- 753
- 11
- Mar 18, 2005
-
Orlando,
Florida
I have been asked in the past to write something up on what goes on with me on a typical event weekend. So here we go. Most events take place over the weekends (1st weekend of the month mostly) so my preperations really start about 2 weeks out of an event. If it is an event that follows another event, I usually get the car in the shop and go over it to see what came loose, fell off needs to be replaced etc. I go voer everything, belts, fluids, nuts, bolts. Anything that is on the car gets a good looking into to make sure it is good to go. No worse feeling than being on the track and wondering if you remembered to replace that worn bolt on your suspension. This process usually takes 2 days to complete. Writing everything down that I need to fix, replace or tighten. Then I take that list and start ordering new parts, tightening nuts & bolts and so on. Next comes the general maintenance on the car. I change ALL the fluids every event. Engine oil, oil filter, brake fluid, tranny fluid and coolant fluids. I take a good look at my brake pads to see if I can get another practice out of them before they hit the trash pile. I can usually get 2 full event weekends out of the Hawk HP+ pads on the front before they are toast. Rortors pretty much last around 4 full events before they are pulled and donated to the land fill. I check all my eletrical connections to make sure nothing has shorted or is in the process of wearing out to short out against something.
Once all the maintenance is done to the car, its time to nut & bolt the car. What I mean by this is just like it sounds. A wrench finds its way to every nut and bolt we can possibly get to to make sure it is tightened to specs. Then I take my paint pen and make a stright mark on every nut and bolt that we can see on the car. This way, it is very easy to pass over it with your eseys at the track to see if anything has come loose during the on track sessions. All of this only takes up 2 paragraphs here on the boards, but it usually takes around 2 weeks to get everything done before the next event. Ordering parts, fluids, changing said parts and fluids. It all takes time. Every event we go through the same drill to make sure the car is 100% ready to take the pounding I am going to put it through.
Now its off to the event. 1st we load everything up into the hauler that we will possibly need at the track. Rolling tool chest, air compressor, air hoses, tents, extra parts, extra fluids, fuel jugs, funnels. Basically everything out of the shop that can fit goes with us to the track. Hook up the trailer then load the car up for the pull over to Belle Rose Louisiana. Its about a 4 - 4.5 hour haul over to the track. Once we get to the track, we start to unload the car and the hauler. It takes around 1 - 1.5 hours to get everything unloaded and setup like we like it. Now we head to the hotel to check in and grab some dinner for the night.
Practice day is up next. usually on the Saturday before the actually racing events take place. Rise and shine early on practice dasy. gates open at 7:30 a.m. Usually up at 6 or so, head to McDonalds/Waffle House for some breakfast and we are off to the track. Man Waffle House is the best at 6 in the morning
At the track we already have the pit setup so its not much going on early at the track. Usually just make sure all the power is run correctly to all of our equipment, air compressor is charged and ready to go. lines all out of the way of us and everyone else. We are usually under the garages so there are cars to both sides of us. Dont want to get in anyones way here. Drivers meeting is usually around 8:30 and the practice sessions start at 9. Most practice sessions for me have little to do with time as much as trying to get the car setup for Sundays races. Its allot of running 3 laps, come into the pits, change something and back out for 3 more laps. That pretty much what goes on during a practice day. Allot of testing, talking to my mechanic and trying different things. lot of conversations go on as what each of us thinks needs to happen to get the best results. After we are done for the day running wise...We go voer the car again and make sure nothing has come loose or fallen off. This is where we are looking for the paint pen marks we put on earlier int he week.
Race Day !!!! After a good meal and good nights sleep, its up at 6 am again to head to the track for some racing. Drivers meeting at 8 and first heats of practice start around 8:45 - 9:00. During my practice session, I rarely stay out longer than 5 laps. I just want to get out there and shake the car down to make sure everything is working good and we are good to go for qualifying. In qualifying, I try to stay way back in the pre-grid area so I know everything is in front of me. I usually do 2 laps to warm the car, brakes and tires up. 2 all out laps then a cool down lap. No sense is trying to set the world on fire for all of ther 15 minutes the qualifying is. I get my fast lap in and save the equipment for the real race. During the heat races, I stay farily conervative unless need be. Pretty much everyone is trying this to save their cars for the feature races whee the money is made. Where you finish in the heat race sets where you star in the feature race. So you dont want to just mail it in. But you also dont want to push it too hard and kill the tires or the car before the feature race. Now to the fearure race. This is where you hold nothing back. If there is a hole, you go there. Someone going to the inside, you shut the door. This is for the money, this is for the points. This is wheree the championships are won and lost. I try to get good starts and walk away from the guys in my bracket through lap traffic. our feature races are 20 minutes. They can go by fast if you are chasing someone. Or go by sooooo slow if you are holding someone off the whole time.
Once all the racing is over, the prizes handed out...Its time to load the hauler and car onto the tralier and head back home to Florida. Sometimes its tough to driver that 4 - 4.5 hours home after a long weekend of beating yourself up in the car. But, its all apart of the game of racing. We usually pull into the house around 10:30 - 11:00 Sunday night. Get the car unloaded and hauler unpacked and head to bed somewhere around 1 or 2 Monday morning. Its a long, tiring and sometimes grueling weekend of events. But in the end, I dont want to be doing anything else.
Next events come up before you know it and there is always something to do to the car to get it ready. And that is basically what happens during an event weekend. Sure there are some little things that were left out. But we'll save those for ourselves.
Once all the maintenance is done to the car, its time to nut & bolt the car. What I mean by this is just like it sounds. A wrench finds its way to every nut and bolt we can possibly get to to make sure it is tightened to specs. Then I take my paint pen and make a stright mark on every nut and bolt that we can see on the car. This way, it is very easy to pass over it with your eseys at the track to see if anything has come loose during the on track sessions. All of this only takes up 2 paragraphs here on the boards, but it usually takes around 2 weeks to get everything done before the next event. Ordering parts, fluids, changing said parts and fluids. It all takes time. Every event we go through the same drill to make sure the car is 100% ready to take the pounding I am going to put it through.
Now its off to the event. 1st we load everything up into the hauler that we will possibly need at the track. Rolling tool chest, air compressor, air hoses, tents, extra parts, extra fluids, fuel jugs, funnels. Basically everything out of the shop that can fit goes with us to the track. Hook up the trailer then load the car up for the pull over to Belle Rose Louisiana. Its about a 4 - 4.5 hour haul over to the track. Once we get to the track, we start to unload the car and the hauler. It takes around 1 - 1.5 hours to get everything unloaded and setup like we like it. Now we head to the hotel to check in and grab some dinner for the night.
Practice day is up next. usually on the Saturday before the actually racing events take place. Rise and shine early on practice dasy. gates open at 7:30 a.m. Usually up at 6 or so, head to McDonalds/Waffle House for some breakfast and we are off to the track. Man Waffle House is the best at 6 in the morning
At the track we already have the pit setup so its not much going on early at the track. Usually just make sure all the power is run correctly to all of our equipment, air compressor is charged and ready to go. lines all out of the way of us and everyone else. We are usually under the garages so there are cars to both sides of us. Dont want to get in anyones way here. Drivers meeting is usually around 8:30 and the practice sessions start at 9. Most practice sessions for me have little to do with time as much as trying to get the car setup for Sundays races. Its allot of running 3 laps, come into the pits, change something and back out for 3 more laps. That pretty much what goes on during a practice day. Allot of testing, talking to my mechanic and trying different things. lot of conversations go on as what each of us thinks needs to happen to get the best results. After we are done for the day running wise...We go voer the car again and make sure nothing has come loose or fallen off. This is where we are looking for the paint pen marks we put on earlier int he week.Race Day !!!! After a good meal and good nights sleep, its up at 6 am again to head to the track for some racing. Drivers meeting at 8 and first heats of practice start around 8:45 - 9:00. During my practice session, I rarely stay out longer than 5 laps. I just want to get out there and shake the car down to make sure everything is working good and we are good to go for qualifying. In qualifying, I try to stay way back in the pre-grid area so I know everything is in front of me. I usually do 2 laps to warm the car, brakes and tires up. 2 all out laps then a cool down lap. No sense is trying to set the world on fire for all of ther 15 minutes the qualifying is. I get my fast lap in and save the equipment for the real race. During the heat races, I stay farily conervative unless need be. Pretty much everyone is trying this to save their cars for the feature races whee the money is made. Where you finish in the heat race sets where you star in the feature race. So you dont want to just mail it in. But you also dont want to push it too hard and kill the tires or the car before the feature race. Now to the fearure race. This is where you hold nothing back. If there is a hole, you go there. Someone going to the inside, you shut the door. This is for the money, this is for the points. This is wheree the championships are won and lost. I try to get good starts and walk away from the guys in my bracket through lap traffic. our feature races are 20 minutes. They can go by fast if you are chasing someone. Or go by sooooo slow if you are holding someone off the whole time.
Once all the racing is over, the prizes handed out...Its time to load the hauler and car onto the tralier and head back home to Florida. Sometimes its tough to driver that 4 - 4.5 hours home after a long weekend of beating yourself up in the car. But, its all apart of the game of racing. We usually pull into the house around 10:30 - 11:00 Sunday night. Get the car unloaded and hauler unpacked and head to bed somewhere around 1 or 2 Monday morning. Its a long, tiring and sometimes grueling weekend of events. But in the end, I dont want to be doing anything else.
Next events come up before you know it and there is always something to do to the car to get it ready. And that is basically what happens during an event weekend. Sure there are some little things that were left out. But we'll save those for ourselves.
