What to expect

[IWannaGoFast]

Hi Everyone,

I’m pretty new to all this, just got into lapping last year with a couple of days at the DDT and a couple at MIR. I’m totally hooked now and wish I started years ago.

Solo Sprint sounds really interesting, though I was wondering if someone could tell me what a participant can expect? I’ve read the rules and a bunch of the posts on the forum, but I’m still not sure what a weekend event would look like. How much track time is there? How many runs does each person do?

Thanks for any info

C

[nissannx]

First off, go to the SoloSprint school at the DDC. It's a two day event and you'll get skid pad, slalom and lapping experience. You'll have instructors helping.

Typical SoloSprint Event Day:

- Arrive at track early; with a full tank of gas and tires inflated higher than normal (because it's easier to let air out than add it - since some tracks don't have access to air or gas).
- unload and empty out car, tape numbers onto car, put sponsor stickers on car
- registration opens, confirm you've pre-paid, confirm your car class, get stickers (I don't know how you put the stickers on before you got them, but I've just edited it once and I'm not editing again.)
- chat with people who you'll soon find out are really helpful
- driver's meeting called, rules etiquette etc reviewed.
- you'll be informed of your volunteer work schedule when your session isn't running
- lapping session warmup will be made available in the first hour (but that may not actually start at 9 a.m.;) newcomers will get an instructor to ride with them. Taped triangle on rear window to show you're novice.
-second driver's meeting called. Your run group will be called. Your volunteer work schedule will be called. A schedule will be set up, usually showing that you'll have four opportunities for a timed run - each consisting usually of a warm up lap, 3 hot laps, and a cool down lap. Volunteer job descriptions will be posted. Miss your volunteer job and lose out on your FTD.
- lapping at the free time at the end of the day.
- driver's meeting at the end of the day. Possibly announced that a girl has beaten you. Likely your own daughter (of course, this could just be my personal situation)
- pack everything up and head home. You realize that you didn't get nearly as much seat time as you do on a lapping day; but that the competition aspect was quite challenging and a great adrenaline rush. You think to the first timed session that you ran and how impressed you were with yourself because you were hot; but laugh at the end of the day because as the competition went on you took a few seconds off of that 'hot' time that you initially thought you could never improve upon. The folks that you set up beside were quite enjoyable. And you think that you'd like to spend more money, time, and money to keep on trying that. Because you were learning a lot more about yourself and how to drive. Gosh, if only you started younger (maybe you too could be as fast as your daughter - but again, that too is likely just my personal situation)
- oh, and if you bought some R compounds ... changed to aftermarket swaybars ... added a catback ... PIPS, what on earth are PIPS. Get that rulebook and start reading - performance improvement points. Adding stuff could change your car class.
Frank
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[Dave Barker]

Cost is less than a lapping day but so is track time. Remember the cost of a lapping day is a lot more than just the entry fees. (tires, brake pads, rotors, gas, oil etc.)

Expect morning lapping and 4 timed runs of 5 laps each. End of day lapping depends on a lot of different things. Has been known to be none to more than an hour.

The real question is, if you are really pushing it, how much can you and your car really take ? There are good reasons for sprint races to be no longer than 20-30 min and that is for dedicated race cars.

I hear of guys saying " I got almost 4 hours of lapping " on someone's lapping day. Problem is you KNOW they probably aren't really moving fast at all.

I know I'm old ( or so I've been repeatedly told but I keep forgetting) but I also know I am not as sharp after 10 consecutive laps if I am really pushing it. I also know my car which is my daily driver, is not up to it as well (unless possbly at MIR which is a less busy track)

The competition is the real thrill, even if you are only competing with yourself.

If you play hockey, you'll know what I mean if I tell you that lapping is like playing shinny and SoloSprint is like playing a game. Less ice time but more intense. (Isn't that what we are here for?)

[Cap'n Pete]

A lapping day is a lot of fun, no doubt, but the SoloSprint series adds the competition factor in a very SAFE manner, since you're doing it "solo" :) (although that doesn't mean you're the only person on the track ... there will be 4 or 6 other cars, but spaced out approx. ~10 seconds apart, so you should theoretically never see a car directly in front of or behind you while running).

Depending on the influence that the "competition bug" has on you, will depend how hard you choose to push it ;). That's the difference, IMO, between lapping and competition. You'll never be "inspired" to push your car as hard, if there isn't a small trophy to be won at the end of the season for trying :D.

The school is virtually a "must-do". If you have ENOUGH lapping experience, then you CAN get by without, but I would highly recommend against skipping it. I think you will learn things that you just don't have the opportunity to try at a normal lapping day.

See you at the Open House in April, hopefully :).

[IWannaGoFast]

Thanks for the info everyone! This is really helpful, Solo Sprint sounds like a bunch of fun.

I’ll definitely try and make it to the open house and see where things go, but so far this is something I’m definitely going to try this year.

If anyone has any advice for a newbie looking to give this a try, I’m all ears.

Carsten

[SmokeScreen]

2009 was my rookie year, had an absolute blast. I had done a couple of lapping days before, but the track school was a real eye opener as what all I needed to know and never knew:eek:. TAKE THE SCHOOL, worth every penny!
Car prep is very important, not so much mods but is everything in top shape. What passes in the everyday commute as good enough can fall short on the track. Not trying to discourage you, it is VERY ADDICTIVE. It is as safe as any form of competition can be. As for things I have learned this past season:
#1 Stay hydrated, keeps you focused.
#2 Make sure your ride is ready, brakes, tires, steering, cooling system, anything that is "marginal" will likely fail.
#3 Bring a hat and sunscreen, I burnt my head more than once :o.
#4....Relax....have fun.....
#5 Try to involve your significant other if you have one, its good to get them hooked too so when you want to spend more $$ on the car there is less objection:D (purely optional)

[Cap'n Pete]

^ ^ Good points.

W.R.T. car prep, the brakes and typical "wear items" are very important to check.

I think a good idea would be to (if you're not already) familiarize yourself more with your car (or type of car) and find out what the COMMON weaknesses are, ie: Camaros like mine are hard on front hubs during competition, so I always make sure to check them before going out for the weekend (and usually have a spare with me). Chances are you're already a car enthusiast, and hopefully know a lot about your car already, but being mechanically inclined surely helps, OR, make sure you have your car thoroughly checked over before going out to the track (if you're not comfortable doing so yourself).

Brakes are certainly one of the KEY components of successful competition, and of course, SAFETY! Again, if you can find some discussion (whether through this board, or a forum specific to your model of car) about track prep/experience for your car, you should get an idea of how hard it may be on brakes, etc. I know that I can "almost" run a whole season on one set of pads, but if I run EVERY event, then I'm likely onto set #2 before the end of the year.

[vinnie mack]

Awesome info guys, i'm in the same boat as you Carsten. With years in karting when I was younger it gives you experience but preparing a car for the track is quite a bit. I sit at work (like today) and think of new things to get ready for this coming season.

Does anyone have the info for the school? website? dates? cost? do they usually have an early registration time period?

don't mean to thread hijack, just hoping for additional info :)

[SmokeScreen]

Registration for the School is not until the Open House, which as of right now is Sunday April 11 but the location has not yet been announced. Stay tuned it will be posted on this site, on this forum. As for cost it runs about $350 if I recall. This year it is on May 15 & 16 and they feed you lunch and supper on the Sat and lunch only Sunday, lots of track time, lots of good info and instruction and it is a lot of fun.

[Todd #65]

The DDT soloschool also typically includes a free entry in a SoloSprint event - so the value is not only two day's of instruction and learning your car, the price also includes a ~$110 value for a free event! The school is a 'must' in my opinion.

Above and beyond the instruction and free event, you will meet most of the SoloSprinters and on the second day of the school - get to run the course configuration that is used for the first competition event of the year. (This is the typical scenario)

[Chuck91GT]

Welcome aboard "newbies". Registration isn't until the Open House on April 11th at CSC Racing, 125A Harry Walker Parkway, Newmarket. The hours are from 1 to 4 PM and you can obtain significant discounts on our events plus do some shopping for racing gear at the same time. You can also receive your class "C" licence at the Open House as well.

All necessary forms are available for download at: http://casc.on.ca/solo1.php

Enjoy the rest of the winter and we'll see you at the Open House

[IWannaGoFast]

Thanks again for all the great advice, I think I’ve got it all figured out now. Here are my next steps

Step 1 – Try not to go too crazy waiting for Winter to end

Step 2 – Go to the Open House

Step 3 – Sign up for the DDT School

Step 4- Work on my smack talk

Step 5 – Dominate the competition.

Since I’m a realist I’ll consider placing anything above last place as total and complete domination

Carsten

[Carguy]

If you play hockey, you'll know what I mean if I tell you that lapping is like playing shinny and SoloSprint is like playing a game. Less ice time but more intense. (Isn't that what we are here for?)

Dr. Dave I think you nailed it! ;)

[Carguy]

Thanks again for all the great advice, I think I’ve got it all figured out now. Here are my next steps

Step 1 – Try not to go too crazy waiting for Winter to end

Step 2 – Go to the Open House

Step 3 – Sign up for the DDT School

Step 4- Work on my smack talk

Step 5 – Dominate the competition.

Since I’m a realist I’ll consider placing anything above last place as total and complete domination

Carsten

He, he... You'll fit right in! Chuck, who's bringing the goat? :D

[Chuck91GT]

You are Pierre. It would be one way of getting you out again.

[Carguy]

Ok Chuck, but you can't have it all to yourself like last time... :rolleyes: :p

[CDNMadeHondaGuy]

School has gone up, $425 and for that it will still include an event at one of the smaller tracks. In other words, everywhere but Mosports Big Track.:)

The Cap n gives good advice about checking out the weak points of your car and being prepared. But don't be surprised if you find some NEW ones!:D Alternators are usually good on my car, (my CRX's alternator has got to be 16 years old now) but 5 years of running at 7700 rpm found me pushing my Civic into the trailer after my final event last year. Well, :p others pushing, I steered........................:o

[vinnie mack]

i got all pumped up when I saw TMP on the calendar since it is relatively close to me!.

has anyone ever broke down at the school? weird question i know but what happens then lol.

[vinnie mack]

one more question. it says on the school signup for the number of your car. do you just submit a number or do you need to register it? how does that work so you dont have the same number as someone else.

[racecartech]

you need a club membership, and a class "C'" liscence. Once you have that you sign into the members area of this sites homepage. You can then go through the available numbers and pick from what is there. Hopefully the one you want is available.

[vinnie mack]

i am a club member just without the license which i will need to obtain.. thanks.

[bsclywilly]

Hey Vinnie,
Regarding your question about numbers and Competition license for the school. They are not mandatory for the school. It is only necessary that you have a club membership for the school but if you're planning on doing more events (since the school comes with a free entry), then you might as well get the comp license and number at the beginning of the season when you have a better choice of numbers.

The rule regarding this is 1.6.1 in the rule book.

Look forward to seeing you out there!

[IWannaGoFast]

I really appreciate how helpful everyone is being, I’ve now got my class C license, my car number, and permission from the significant other to skip out on the weekend chores.

Right now I just have my regular street tires, ContiSportContact 225/40ZR19 Front, 255/35ZR19 Rear, is it worth investing in some rims and R compound tires or is it possible to be competitive on regular streets?

[nissannx]

You are probably wise to start off on street tires. As far as being competitive, a few classes were won by driver's on streets last season. Wise tire choice can be very beneficial.

Earlier it was asked if car's break down. Unfortunately, the answer is yes - because they are mechanical. A good tow package from CAA is a great backup plan for getting home.

[racecartech]

Yes streets are a good starting point, they will give you good feel to what you are used to driveing, plus they give warning before they let go. enter your car in the database to determine class. From there you can decide if there are any pips available to optimize your car further for you class.

Enjoy this season, look forward to seeing you there

[RRRex]

For a new driver, street tires are ideal. R-compounds can hide a lot of driver errors. Carl, one of the instructors at the AISA school (another great school - it's geared towards getting drivers ready for road racing) recommends students run snow tires. Instructors can correct errors easier and you'll be up to speed quicker when you do go on R-comps. Once you've reached the limits of street tires, then move up to something with more grip.

[SmokeScreen]

As far as street tires go, make sure they are good street tires, correction, awesome street tires. Go for summer max performance tires with a low UTQG rating. Deep tread depth tires may be great for all around normal driving but they are not meant for the track. You do not have to commit right away to a tire, do the school on your regular streets. Once you have done that and talk to some others that are running streets make your choice. And yes tires do make a huge difference, I went from a so so average street tire to premium R compounds and wow, what a change. In hind sight I should have just went with a wider, better street tire, for cost reasons, and classing too.

[Cap'n Pete]

I competed for my first couple seasons on streets. I wasn't competitive, but I wasn't all that great behind the wheel either ;). I only tried a set of R-comps sometime during my second season, and they sure did make a difference! BUT, I'm glad I started where I did on streets. Even though I've been running R-comps for competition exclusively the last couple years now, I've still run street tires for lapping days a couple times, and the real difference I notice quickly is just how NOISY they are! :D Streets will squeal a lot more than R-comps, which often make little to no audible noise at all, and that's the problem with them for a novice ...... you won't know when your tires are on the edge or about to break loose until it's too late. You need to know the "feel" of the car on the edge, and without experience, you'll likely be either way below the limit, or blow right over it unknowingly.

There are a few specific brands/models of street tire that have proven to be VERY good for competition recently ;). The proof is in the pudding when you've got people deliberately running street tires to drop their car 2 classes in the series (perfectly "legal" by the rules) and ending up being competitive in that class :cool:.