What to do off-season?

[max attack]

I think track made out of lexan for the off season would be perfect.

Just down the road from me is the high schools new rubber running track(thanks to the G8 money),the winged wonder with gummy slicks would stick to that sucker like velcro.Too many houses nearby otherwise.......

[dgg]

I started mountain bike racing - I get my competitive fix covered, and am working on increasing my HP and torque - no other excuses, money can't make me faster.

daveg

[max attack]

Originally Posted by dgg

I started mountain bike racing - I get my competitive fix covered, and am working on increasing my HP and torque - no other excuses, money can't make me faster.

daveg

I'm too fat,too old,and the ground/trees too hard to get into that sport.

Time off work in various body casts might be worth it though.

[Todd Doyle]

mountain biking a very young mans game- buddy just busted some ribs - not a kid 47yo, means the pain will endure for many times longer than it took to earn the pain.

[NOSfly]

Originally Posted by andrey7474

IMHO, race against time is not as exciting as wheel-to-wheel.

this looks pretty close to what we do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhiu4nUzFCc

i'm surprised nobody here does both ice racing and dirt racing.

I'm with you. I autocrossed, and rallycrossed for a few years, and although anything you can do in a car at speed is fun, it doesn't compare to actual racing. I've done a lot of different types of racing, and without question, best bang for the buck is the dirt oval. A lot of people dismiss it as boring, or too simple, but once you're behind the wheel, and throwing your car sideways into turn one with cars on either side of you, it's anything but boring.

If you've been competing in the type of events popular on this forum, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the lack of rules, and cost of racing the dirt oval. It's very sensible, and very reasonable to race. If you have any questions, or need any help getting involved at Ohsweken, let me know. I've raced there myself, and I'll help any way I can.

[max attack]

Autox seems boring untill you try it at the speeds I do.

[andrey7474]

Originally Posted by NOSfly

If you have any questions, or need any help getting involved at Ohsweken, let me know. I've raced there myself, and I'll help any way I can.

i want to get there this year and need help. basically the guide how to start and what mistakes to avoid.

1) how to get a racing license for dirt racing?
2) what classes rookie can run?
3) what car to buy and how to get it teched?
3) how to register for the championship?

thanks in advance.

[98RACE]

Originally Posted by max attack

Autox seems boring untill you try it at the speeds I do.

Lol!!

[NOSfly]

Originally Posted by andrey7474

i want to get there this year and need help. basically the guide how to start and what mistakes to avoid.

1) how to get a racing license for dirt racing?
2) what classes rookie can run?
3) what car to buy and how to get it teched?
3) how to register for the championship?

thanks in advance.

Those are great questions, because oval track racing is completely different than what you guys are accustomed to.

1) There is no license.
2) You can race whatever class you want.
3) There used to be a forum for Ohsweken, and there still are for Humberstone and Merrttville. Have a look there, and search Kijiji for the class you want to run. Hang around the track, and talk to people. Alternatively, you could probably build a bomber car in a few days. They seem similar to the lower level ice cars. Tech is cake if you follow the rules. It's similar to what you would see at an autocross.
4) Buy a track membership for $50. If you don't, you can still race, but you don't accumulate points.

A seasons pass is available that get's you in to the pits cheaper. There is no payout in bomber, so a nights racing will cost you $25 + gas, but ministock pays down to 24th place.

If you race mini stock, you can also race at Humberstone, and Merrittville, as well as the Flamboro, or Varney, (if you want to try the paved tracks, but you'll only do that once).
You could start out in street stock, but unless you're a really good driver, I would recommend you try bomber or mini first. SS cars are faster than you think.

[andrey7474]

very good info, thanks a lot!

[dusty66]

at brighton speedway (dirt too) they have a stinger class which 6 cylinder cars like Grand am, grand prix, intrepid, it looked like a lot of fun. all stock, no mods, put a cage in and go.

oh, I race RC offroad in the summer, 1:8th scale, its a little cheeper

[Todd Doyle]

Originally Posted by dusty66

at brighton speedway (dirt too) they have a stinger class which 6 cylinder cars like Grand am, grand prix, intrepid, it looked like a lot of fun. all stock, no mods, put a cage in and go.

oh, I race RC offroad in the summer, 1:8th scale, its a little cheeper

brushless electric or nitro? where? NRC?

[Dave Barker]

Dirt track racing does indeed sound a bit like Ice Racing. You need a POS car but you also need a cage, trailer and tow vehicle. You have to add in those costs which are significant. (Not sure what makes an "approved" cage but I assume ABS pipe doesn't count )

We run rubber to ice (i.e. no cage) borrow a trailer and leave our ice racer at the track in Minden and despite a number of hits, the Corolla has lasted 5 seasons so far with no loss of reliability. Not so sure a dirt racer will last that long and you have to take it home with you every week.

For me, I like the speed of Time-Attack. No it is not wheel to wheel like ice racing or dirt track racing but it is one heck of a lot faster and certainly just as competitive but in a different way. No one to block you, no one to hold you up as you had a bad start in the qualifier and had to battle mid pack for the whole race. No one to take you out due to aggresive or stupid driving. Just you and the track. The Performance index classing system means you are running against very similarly performing vehicles so it really is your driving that makes the difference rather than your car prep or grid position. Yes, time attack is more expensive to run, (although at 1.5 hours and up of track time per day I would assume this is more than most dirt track events) and consumables are considerably more (brake pads and tires) but at least 2/3s of entries are driven to the track under their own steam. Competing in Time-Attack does mean that you can't show up with a POS car but you CAN show up with a daily driver. It also means that if you damage your daily driver (a rare occurance) that it was at least 99% likely to be your error and only your error.

Time-Attack is like professional race qualifying and as you know, many races don't run at qualifying speed.

[andrey7474]

Originally Posted by Dave Barker

No one to block you, no one to hold you up as you had a bad start in the qualifier and had to battle mid pack for the whole race.

where is the fun part then?

[andrey7474]

imho, competing with each other by setting the faster time is like having sex by skype