Updated
11/29/2004 2:20:51 PM
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The Track Event Frequently Asked Questions
Can I drive my car at the track?
What safety equipment do I need?
What can I expect to happen to my car?
Am I going to crash?
I've never been on a track before so I need an instructor. What can I expect?
Can I just sign up at the track?
What are your rules about car-to-car contact?
What passing rules are in effect at your events?
You keep saying "We". Who are you?
Is this event only for certain cars?
A friend and I want to drive the same car in the same run group, is that a problem?
Can two drivers share the same car?
Is race gas available?
Why would I want to run race gas?
Do I need car numbers?
Your page says instruction is mandatory for novices. What constitutes a novice?
How are your run groups classed?
How are cars classed?
What is your refund policy?
Can I bring a passenger on track with me?
What is the difference between "Time trials & Hoptlapping" and a "Race Group"?
Can I drive my car at the track?
If your car is in good enough shape to drive on the street, probably so. There are no special requirements for the cars to run on the track, but they must be in good working order, and they must not leak fluids. Also, if you are planning on driving a non-car (for instance, a Ford Lightning), email us with specifics first. Aside from that, the only requirements are:
1. Battery must be securly fastened down (they are on all cars from the factory).
2. Tires:
Street tires must be in good condition, with at least 2/32nd of tread remaining.
Race tires must be in good condition, with no cord showing. If you're running race tires, only you know how much life is left in your tires. You are responsible for making sure your tires are track worthy.
3. You must have 3 point seatbelts, or better, in good condition.
4. Tech inspection form: A self-tech inspection form is available here. We will need these forms filled out and signed at the track event. Anyone who's not comfortable doing this themselves should email us with their location. Odds are there's a raceshop near you who will take the form (after you print it out and give them), and tech the car for $10 or so, if you want to go that route. There is a list of the shops that will do tech inspections here.
What safety equipment do I need?
The saftey requirements for the track aren't very demanding, but the following is required:
1. You must have a helmet. The recommended helmet would be a Snell 95 or newer SA rated helmet, though we will accept motorcycle helmets of M90 or newer. If you do not have a helmet, try to borrow one from a buddy who has a motorcycle, because we will not have helmets available for loan, and we can not let you out on the track without a helmet. It's also possible that if you have a friend running in a different group than you (eg. he's in the experienced group, and you're in the beginner group), that you can use his helmet, but arranging that is up to you. Helmets should fit your head without play, but they shouldn't pinch your face so you look like a bulldog or a fish.
Just in case you're interested, Snell SA 2000 helmets can be had for less than $150 (open face type). Though in my personal opinion, open-face helmets aren't as safe as a full-face helmet, they're legal for just about any event you'll run, and the cost of entry is much lower. If you're interested in extreme safety, the full-face kevlar helmets on the market in the $350-$400 range offer a lot of protection.
2. We strongly recommend long-sleeve cotton shirts, but will allow short sleeve cotton shirts. No synthetic fabrics.
3. Closed toed shoes with cotton socks, no sandals.
4. We strongly recommend long cotton pants, jeans being a good choice, but will allow cotton shorts.
5. We don't require gloves, but if you do wear them, we suggest you don't wear leather gloves. Unless your gloves are specifically-designed racing gloves (Sparco, Momo, G-force, Pyrotech, etc.), leather shrinks in a fire, which wouldn't be a good thing for your hands.
The reason we don't allow synthetic fabrics is that they're almost always flammable. As incredibly unlikely as it is that you're going to have a fire, you'd definitely be happier wearing something that won't catch fire and melt onto your skin.
What can I expect to happen to my car?
You will probably only see wear in two areas: tires and brakes.
Tires: If you are running street tires, the wear shouldn't be too bad; you'll probably loose 2/32" of tread. It's really up to you, because if you're determined to burn up your tires on the track, you can certainly do it. Typical fast driving, however, will not use up your tires if you start with a decent amount of tread.
Brakes: You should make sure you have at least 5mm of brake pad left. Buttonwillow, Streets of Willow Springs, and Pahrump are tough tracks on brakes, so you'll definitely have some good wear for the day. If you question whether you have enough pad left, it would be wise to either change your pads, and bring the old ones as "spares", or buy a new set and bring them to the track. If you're new at the track, you probably won't use as much pad as I'm estimating here, but better to know you have enough pad than to get there and run out of brakes halfway through the event. Please note that if you do bring pads to the track, you should know how to change them. We can't change pads for people for liability and time-constraint reasons.
Bulletproof Autommotive is a great source for performance brake pads at discount prices.
Am I going to crash?
Whether you hit anything or not is essentially up to you. Basically, if you go out and push it too hard too soon, you are probably going to go off track and possibly hit something. On the other hand, a reasonable person can go fast on the track without hitting anything. You have to know your limits, start conservatively, and work your way up. The likelyhood of an accident varies from track to track, and is mentioned on the page describing the event you're considering attending.
We do watch those on the track, and though we're relaxed and want people to have fun, if someone is unreasonably aggresive or breaks the rules we set forth about passing other cars, etc., we *will* pull them off the track. The point of this event is for everyone to have a great time and still be able to drive their cars home. If your goal is to see if you can pass people in the turns, this isn't the event for you.
I've never been on a track before so I need an instructor. What can I expect?
Basically there are three run groups: Red (advanced), White (intermediate), and Yellow (novice). You would be in Yellow, with other students and relatively new people to the track. In the morning there is a drivers meeting that everyone must attend. Initially we cover the passing rules on this track, present the flags and explain their meaning, and give some other details about the day. At that point we release the Red group to go drive, while we keep the White and Yellow groups for a while longer, and explain the basics of driving on the track. We then release most of the White group for their session, and go over more of the basics with the Yellow group (the novice group). When it is time for Yellow group to go on the track, your instructor will meet you and ride with you in your car. He will give you pointers on where to brake, when to get on the gas, how to corner, and generally help you out. He will ride with you for the first sessions you're on the track, at the end of which, if you're doing well, he'll cut you loose to solo. If you don't feel ready for this, you can come see us, and we will put an instructor in the car with you for additional sessions (usually a different instructor than your first one). So to summarize, you'll get about 1 - 1.5 hours of classroom instruction and introduction, and an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour on the track with an instructor, with more available if you want or need it.
Can I just sign up at the track?
Generally no, we definitely need people to sign up through the website. It's way too chaotic if we have people just showing up. Not to mention, most events sell out long before the event, so registration is usually closed before we ever get to the track. In rare instances when an event is extremely undersold, walkup registrations are accepted. Check the event page on this site in the last couple of days before an event for information about walkup registration for that event.
What are your rules about car-to-car contact?
Collisions are govered by the 13/13 rule, which states that if you are involved in an incident sufficient to cause damage to your car or any other car, you may be prohibited from participating for the rest of the weekend, prohibited from entering the next event, and placed on probation for 13 months. If you are involved in another such incident during your probation, you will be suspended for 13 months. Keep in mind that when on the track you are responsible for your own behavior, which includes your failure to avoid incidents. If another driver is being reckless, it would be wise to give that person wide berth, and to let us know about it in the hopes that we can prevent an incident from occuring. Incidents at this type of event are very rare, but it is only with your help that we can keep them so.
What passing rules are in effect at your events?
The passing rule is that there will always be a point-by, regardless of the run group you're in. Yellow Group (novice group) has limited passing zones, basically only on long straights with a point-by by the driver being passed. White Group (intermediate group) has operates under essentially the same rules, with the addition of another zone in some instances. In Red Group (advanced group) you can pass anywhere on the track that someone gives you a point-by. The reason for this is we just don't need cars coming together because the car being passed doesn't realize a pass is being attempted. These are street cars, and no pass is worth a collision. It is the passing driver's responsibility to make sure the pass is completed safely.
You keep saying "We". Who are you?
These events are run by Speed Ventures, Inc. SV began as a joint venture between Aaron Bitterman and John Wurth, orginally organizing events under the name "Wurth Motorsports". In 2002 Bitterman and Wurth formed Speed Ventures to run the events, as Aaron didn't like us calling ourselves Wurth Motorsports, for some reason. My name is John Wurth, although many of you may know me as "fluxen" from various car-related boards. Aaron is not very active online, though you may know him from the many track events he attends. In any case, we're just a couple of track junkies who decided to start hosting events. Aaron seems to go every week or two, and I go about every 3 weeks. After attending many events sanctioned by pretty much every track organization in California, we decided there were some things we could do differently that would make the events more fun, such as our Challenge Series, and we could charge about 50% less. Call us crazy, call us workaholics, we're just having a good time at the track (-_-)
Is this event only for certain cars?
No, this is not a make-specific event. In fact, we strongly encourage diverse array of makes at our events, as we think the events are better for it. At our events you'll find everything from Radicals to Corvettes to Miatas.
A friend and I are going to drive the same car, is that a problem?
No, but obviously you'll have to be in different groups. Also, just so there's no misunderstanding, both drivers will need to fill out the Registration Form, and each will have to pay the full fee.
Can two drivers share the same car in the same run group?
Sure. If you're sharing the car in the same run session, we need the second driver to signup online and mention they're sharing your car in the "comments" field. The charge to add a second driver is $75.
Is race gas available?
Usually. The availability of race gas varies from track to track. It is available every day at Buttonwillow and Willow Springs/Streets of Willow Springs, Sears Point and Cal Speedway. If your question is about a different track, ask us. 100 octane unleaded is about $5/gallon, and other gases are available, though you're going to want to make sure you DON'T run LEADED race gas in your catalytic-converter and/or O2-sensor equipped street car. |
