12/26/2011: Racing blogs
I started my blog here just about 3 years ago. I was just getting started with actively racing and felt I needed a website. However, I felt it would be a bit futile to post up a standard racing driver website with no experience or achievements, and I also wanted to write more frankly about racing, both my personal racing and general racing topics, and found that there were not many sites like this. So I figured why not and created whatever I have here now.
Over the past few years I have found several blogs that are more similar to mine, which offer real insight to a verity of aspects in racing or detailed personal racing accounts in a more traditional blogging style, not just a rehash of results that say "I'm awesome and I didn't win because this guy took me out!". So I've added a few links to my "blogroll" which is in the right menubar.
Here's a summary of a few:
Martin Galpin - Formula car racer based in the UK and current engineer on the Force India F1 team.
Chump to Champ - Karter, Skip Barber Shootout Attendee and current SCCA racer.
The Gearbox - Former Star Mazda racer currently in the UK looking to race in British Formula Ford.
Mork Racing - Another aspiring racer.
I love to read other people's racing blogs so if you have one post a comment and if I like it I might link to you. And I'd definitely encourage anyone who's actually reading this to create a blog, I certainly don't regret doing it.
Over the past few years I have found several blogs that are more similar to mine, which offer real insight to a verity of aspects in racing or detailed personal racing accounts in a more traditional blogging style, not just a rehash of results that say "I'm awesome and I didn't win because this guy took me out!". So I've added a few links to my "blogroll" which is in the right menubar.
Here's a summary of a few:
Martin Galpin - Formula car racer based in the UK and current engineer on the Force India F1 team.
Chump to Champ - Karter, Skip Barber Shootout Attendee and current SCCA racer.
The Gearbox - Former Star Mazda racer currently in the UK looking to race in British Formula Ford.
Mork Racing - Another aspiring racer.
I love to read other people's racing blogs so if you have one post a comment and if I like it I might link to you. And I'd definitely encourage anyone who's actually reading this to create a blog, I certainly don't regret doing it.
So what does it take to “make it” in racing? Is there a formula for success? Can we quantitatively determine what it takes? I can certainly try. Here is my revolutionary new formula, based on years of experience!
Success in racing = 40% work, 30% money, 20% luck, 10% talent. Pretty simple. Let's set a 100 point scale, one point for each percentage point in the formula, and say you need over 70/100 points to make it to a professional level in racing.
40% work means 40 points are up for grabs based on your determination, passion, commitment, desire, persistence, grit and tenacity. How bad do you really want to race? Do you have good work ethic or do you sit back and think you deserve something because of your “talent”? Do you put in hours off the track learning the mechanical, engineering and business side of racing or do you just drive? Do you spend hours studying video and data or would you rather just rely on your talent? Are you willing to work a job that might not be what you really want to do so you can make money to race, or do you lack that willpower and end up just moping around with no focus when you're not racing? Or do you volunteer in racing off the track to learn and build connections or just sit back again? And what are you willing to sacrifice? Fancy street cars? Vacations? Your social life? There's no right or wrong answers to these questions. In fact it's probably better if you aren't willing to sacrifice everything for racing and prefer to lead a more balanced life. But the more you are willing to sacrifice and the harder you are willing to work, the greater your success in racing will be. You are 100% in control of these 40 points.
30% money is how much money you have to spend on racing, simple as that. There is an extremely wide range of racing budgets so we are talking about a logarithmic scale here. Is your yearly racing budget $1,000, $10,000, $100,000 or $1,000,000? Four digits might get you a few points. 5 figures may put you around 5-10 points, then a solid 6 figure budget gets you into the teens, and 7 puts you into the 20s. Depending on how you look at it you do have some ability to increase your budget through hard work. Still, if we talk about the context of making it as a professional racer, typically as your age increases your earning potential increases but your chances of making it as a pro decrease, so these points are still mostly out of your control. Let's say you're in your 20's, the ability to raise your budget yourself from $10,000 to $100,000 through hard work (either from a job or finding sponsorship) would be extremely rare. Working hard to double your budget from $10,000 to $20,000 might only yield you one point in the grand scheme of things.
20% luck is just that, what you have absolutely no control over, on and off the track. You could get lucky with meeting the right person at the right time or winning a race due to a mechanical failure of an opponent or hundreds of other things.
10% talent – yes talent is the smallest of the four major factors. Talent in a race car to me is a drivers “feel for it,” which allows that driver to drive the car as close to the limit as possible while remaining consistently in control. An average racer may have a talent level of, say 7/10 (no one perusing racing seriously has no talent). The most talented racer in the world, at 10/10 would only have a mere 3 more points on the grand scale of 100, 3 points that can be easily made up by working harder, having more money or being luckier. However, talent is certainly not irrelevant, and I do believe most championship winning drivers of major professional series are near the top on talent. At that level it is so competitive, those few points can make the difference between a solid, qualified driver who may win a race in the right circumstances, and a champion. Also, you could say it's definitely possible to cultivate and develop talent. I doubt anyone is born a 10 in talent, but I also think some people will never achieve that 10, no matter how hard they try.
So what does this all mean? All the money in the world (30), combined with great talent (9) and good luck (15) won't set you over the threshold of 70 if you don't have any desire to work for it. Hard work (35), good budget (20) and great talent (9) is not a guarantee for success and luck is still a factor. An important distinction is that with max work (40), max talent (10) and max luck (20), it is theoretically possible to make it with just a tiny bit of money to put you over the edge. Obviously this would be extremely rare, and I don't even know if a real life example of this exists in modern racing.
So in the end you do have a decent amount of control over your own destiny in racing, but hard work is certainly no guarantee, not even close! Make sense? Feel free to post a comment if you agree or disagree.
Success in racing = 40% work, 30% money, 20% luck, 10% talent. Pretty simple. Let's set a 100 point scale, one point for each percentage point in the formula, and say you need over 70/100 points to make it to a professional level in racing.
40% work means 40 points are up for grabs based on your determination, passion, commitment, desire, persistence, grit and tenacity. How bad do you really want to race? Do you have good work ethic or do you sit back and think you deserve something because of your “talent”? Do you put in hours off the track learning the mechanical, engineering and business side of racing or do you just drive? Do you spend hours studying video and data or would you rather just rely on your talent? Are you willing to work a job that might not be what you really want to do so you can make money to race, or do you lack that willpower and end up just moping around with no focus when you're not racing? Or do you volunteer in racing off the track to learn and build connections or just sit back again? And what are you willing to sacrifice? Fancy street cars? Vacations? Your social life? There's no right or wrong answers to these questions. In fact it's probably better if you aren't willing to sacrifice everything for racing and prefer to lead a more balanced life. But the more you are willing to sacrifice and the harder you are willing to work, the greater your success in racing will be. You are 100% in control of these 40 points.
30% money is how much money you have to spend on racing, simple as that. There is an extremely wide range of racing budgets so we are talking about a logarithmic scale here. Is your yearly racing budget $1,000, $10,000, $100,000 or $1,000,000? Four digits might get you a few points. 5 figures may put you around 5-10 points, then a solid 6 figure budget gets you into the teens, and 7 puts you into the 20s. Depending on how you look at it you do have some ability to increase your budget through hard work. Still, if we talk about the context of making it as a professional racer, typically as your age increases your earning potential increases but your chances of making it as a pro decrease, so these points are still mostly out of your control. Let's say you're in your 20's, the ability to raise your budget yourself from $10,000 to $100,000 through hard work (either from a job or finding sponsorship) would be extremely rare. Working hard to double your budget from $10,000 to $20,000 might only yield you one point in the grand scheme of things.
20% luck is just that, what you have absolutely no control over, on and off the track. You could get lucky with meeting the right person at the right time or winning a race due to a mechanical failure of an opponent or hundreds of other things.
10% talent – yes talent is the smallest of the four major factors. Talent in a race car to me is a drivers “feel for it,” which allows that driver to drive the car as close to the limit as possible while remaining consistently in control. An average racer may have a talent level of, say 7/10 (no one perusing racing seriously has no talent). The most talented racer in the world, at 10/10 would only have a mere 3 more points on the grand scale of 100, 3 points that can be easily made up by working harder, having more money or being luckier. However, talent is certainly not irrelevant, and I do believe most championship winning drivers of major professional series are near the top on talent. At that level it is so competitive, those few points can make the difference between a solid, qualified driver who may win a race in the right circumstances, and a champion. Also, you could say it's definitely possible to cultivate and develop talent. I doubt anyone is born a 10 in talent, but I also think some people will never achieve that 10, no matter how hard they try.
So what does this all mean? All the money in the world (30), combined with great talent (9) and good luck (15) won't set you over the threshold of 70 if you don't have any desire to work for it. Hard work (35), good budget (20) and great talent (9) is not a guarantee for success and luck is still a factor. An important distinction is that with max work (40), max talent (10) and max luck (20), it is theoretically possible to make it with just a tiny bit of money to put you over the edge. Obviously this would be extremely rare, and I don't even know if a real life example of this exists in modern racing.
So in the end you do have a decent amount of control over your own destiny in racing, but hard work is certainly no guarantee, not even close! Make sense? Feel free to post a comment if you agree or disagree.
12/03/2011: The Upside of Quiting Racing
Here's an interesting interview with Daniel Harrington, part time Indy Lights driver over the last few years. Freakonomics Radio did a show about the upsides of quitting, and Harrington talks about weighing the upsides of quitting racing.
No doubt there's a lot of upsides to quitting racing. However, what the economists don't consider (not surprisingly) and what Harrington only seems to touch on, is that racing is a sport driven on passion, which is not measurable. If my passion for racing wasn't there I wouldn't have even bothered starting racing. Humans are emotional beings and can't always just follow the most logical and rational paths. That applies to racing and many other things as well.
No doubt there's a lot of upsides to quitting racing. However, what the economists don't consider (not surprisingly) and what Harrington only seems to touch on, is that racing is a sport driven on passion, which is not measurable. If my passion for racing wasn't there I wouldn't have even bothered starting racing. Humans are emotional beings and can't always just follow the most logical and rational paths. That applies to racing and many other things as well.
11/17/2011: Interesting vintage karting video
Here's a promotional video for McCullochs “revolutionary” 1961 kart chassis that I found pretty entertaining. It shows the construction of the kart and explains the principles of it's design. Interesting how the front (spindles, steering, etc) is pretty similar to a modern kart but the rear (removable axle assembly, engine mounted directly behind the driver instead of offset to the side) is totally different. Other notible differences include the seemingly pointless front roll bar thing near the steering wheel and the seat integrated into the chassis, with padding of course! The emphasis on comfort as a selling point in addition to performance is another thing I haven't exactly seen in modern karting.
10/25/2011: GoPro HERO 960 Review
I've had my GoPro HERO 960 camera for a while now and posted many in car and helmet cam videos here recorded from it that you can view in previous posts.
The 960 package comes with several mounts, including a flat adhesive mount, curved adhesive mount and a helmet strap mount. It also comes with a waterproof housing, a non-waterproof housing door for certain applications, USB cable and component and composite video cables. It records in several modes - 960p and 720p at 30 fps, and 480p at 60fps. There is also a 5MP still camera mode. The 960 version does not have the expansion port which allows several advanced accessories such as an LCD screen to be plugged in. There are additional mount and accessories that are available; I use a suction cup mount for my helmet.
In terms of size and weight, It's probably not the smallest or the lightest camera, especially considering the durable case and the suction cup mount I use. When I have it on my helmet, I can definitely feel it a bit. For karting, the extra weight on the helmet means more force on the neck, mainly in cornering. I don't have a problem with neck fatigue using the camera in short sprint races in rental karts, but I think it could become an issue for long stints in an enduro or when running racing karts with gripper tires. I've avoided using the camera for long stints due to this, and would probably try to mount it somewhere on the kart body for a racing kart.
I like the wideangle lens on the camera and think it works well for racing applications. It allows the cockpit to be visible in an incar shot, and also makes it easier to aim the camera at the right angle, since there is obviously no viewfinder or LCD to view the shot that is recording.
The video quality is overall good. The quality is sufficient to see inputs from the feet and hands in the kart or car, and see the line and important reference points on the track. The HERO 960 is also able to deal well with light contrast such as when it is mounted in the interior of a car, which is much dimmer then view out of the windshield. The video shows the interior clearly, so I can see my work on the wheel and pedals, but the view of the track is not washed out either. The camera is also decent in low light conditions. In short the versatility is awesome, I've used it at night, in the rain, on my helmet and in the car, and it's always recorded quality video.
I have used some older versions of the GoPro cameras that had mediocre sound quality, but the current cameras including the 960 are much improved in this regard. With the enclosed case, wind noise is not an issue even with the camera exposed at high speeds. There is case door with exposed windows in it for higher sound pickup in lower speed and non water applications but I haven't used this.
The interface on the camera is limited which means it can be a little confusing to use until you are used to it. For example, when I first started using it I was confused about when it was recording and if it was in the right mode, especially if you are trying to turn it on after it is already mounted on your helmet. However I feel once you get used to it the process is pretty simple and usually not an issue.
Battery life is solid. I typically only record up to around an hour of video a day, but the camera can record 2.5 hours from the lithium ion battery pack. The pack can be recharged through USB on the camera.
I'm very impressed with the durability of the camera. All the GoPro HERO cameras have a clear acrylic housing which is waterproof and shock resistant. I've used it on very bumpy tracks with no problem. I have actually had the camera fall off my helmet (due to poorly mounted suction) and hit asphalt at 30MPH. I thought the thing might be done, but the camera was perfectly fine, and the main case only had minor scratches.
However, shortly after I noticed a small crack forming on the case buckle where it was most heavily scuffed from the impact. Worried about the clamp failing and the camera falling from it, I attempted to buy a replacement clamp, but found only the whole casing assembly for sale from GoPro. Somewhat disappointed, I emailed GoPro about buying a replacement buckle. After emailing a photo of the damaged one, they mailed a new buckle to my door within days for free! I'm very, very impressed with this level of customer service!
Finally the ease of mounting the camera is really a strength of the GoPro. There is one knob to detach the camera from the various mounts. I can quickly change from using the flat adhesive mount in my car to the suction cup mount from my helmet when karting.
Overall, I would highly recommend this camera. Its affordable, durable, easy to use, versatile and the customer service I received really set it over the top.
The 960 package comes with several mounts, including a flat adhesive mount, curved adhesive mount and a helmet strap mount. It also comes with a waterproof housing, a non-waterproof housing door for certain applications, USB cable and component and composite video cables. It records in several modes - 960p and 720p at 30 fps, and 480p at 60fps. There is also a 5MP still camera mode. The 960 version does not have the expansion port which allows several advanced accessories such as an LCD screen to be plugged in. There are additional mount and accessories that are available; I use a suction cup mount for my helmet.
In terms of size and weight, It's probably not the smallest or the lightest camera, especially considering the durable case and the suction cup mount I use. When I have it on my helmet, I can definitely feel it a bit. For karting, the extra weight on the helmet means more force on the neck, mainly in cornering. I don't have a problem with neck fatigue using the camera in short sprint races in rental karts, but I think it could become an issue for long stints in an enduro or when running racing karts with gripper tires. I've avoided using the camera for long stints due to this, and would probably try to mount it somewhere on the kart body for a racing kart.
I like the wideangle lens on the camera and think it works well for racing applications. It allows the cockpit to be visible in an incar shot, and also makes it easier to aim the camera at the right angle, since there is obviously no viewfinder or LCD to view the shot that is recording.
The video quality is overall good. The quality is sufficient to see inputs from the feet and hands in the kart or car, and see the line and important reference points on the track. The HERO 960 is also able to deal well with light contrast such as when it is mounted in the interior of a car, which is much dimmer then view out of the windshield. The video shows the interior clearly, so I can see my work on the wheel and pedals, but the view of the track is not washed out either. The camera is also decent in low light conditions. In short the versatility is awesome, I've used it at night, in the rain, on my helmet and in the car, and it's always recorded quality video.
I have used some older versions of the GoPro cameras that had mediocre sound quality, but the current cameras including the 960 are much improved in this regard. With the enclosed case, wind noise is not an issue even with the camera exposed at high speeds. There is case door with exposed windows in it for higher sound pickup in lower speed and non water applications but I haven't used this.
The interface on the camera is limited which means it can be a little confusing to use until you are used to it. For example, when I first started using it I was confused about when it was recording and if it was in the right mode, especially if you are trying to turn it on after it is already mounted on your helmet. However I feel once you get used to it the process is pretty simple and usually not an issue.
Battery life is solid. I typically only record up to around an hour of video a day, but the camera can record 2.5 hours from the lithium ion battery pack. The pack can be recharged through USB on the camera.
I'm very impressed with the durability of the camera. All the GoPro HERO cameras have a clear acrylic housing which is waterproof and shock resistant. I've used it on very bumpy tracks with no problem. I have actually had the camera fall off my helmet (due to poorly mounted suction) and hit asphalt at 30MPH. I thought the thing might be done, but the camera was perfectly fine, and the main case only had minor scratches.
However, shortly after I noticed a small crack forming on the case buckle where it was most heavily scuffed from the impact. Worried about the clamp failing and the camera falling from it, I attempted to buy a replacement clamp, but found only the whole casing assembly for sale from GoPro. Somewhat disappointed, I emailed GoPro about buying a replacement buckle. After emailing a photo of the damaged one, they mailed a new buckle to my door within days for free! I'm very, very impressed with this level of customer service!
Finally the ease of mounting the camera is really a strength of the GoPro. There is one knob to detach the camera from the various mounts. I can quickly change from using the flat adhesive mount in my car to the suction cup mount from my helmet when karting.
Overall, I would highly recommend this camera. Its affordable, durable, easy to use, versatile and the customer service I received really set it over the top.
10/22/2011: Indoor Karting Tutorial Video
I previously compiled some tips on indoor karting here and here, which proved to be pretty popular. Since I've been recording a lot of my recent races on my awesome GoPro Hero 960 (review coming soon), I thought I'd try and put together a tutorial of a breakdown of a lap. This is at Allsports Grand Prix on the standard track configuration in the regular, 6.5 HP Sodi Karts.
Note that track grip can vary significantly which may effect the line, braking and turn in points somewhat. Kart differences can also have some effect. Driver weight can have an effect too.
If you want more tips or coaching, let me know!
Note that track grip can vary significantly which may effect the line, braking and turn in points somewhat. Kart differences can also have some effect. Driver weight can have an effect too.
If you want more tips or coaching, let me know!
10/18/2011: My thoughts on the Vegas IndyCar crash
As a big fan of Indycar racing, no doubt the crash last Sunday that claimed the life of Dan Wheldon has made an impact on me. I was watching live on TV, as I was when I saw the fatal crashes of Jeff Krosnoff as a pretty young kid, and Dale Earnhardt several years later. I think this one may have had the biggest impact on me though, as it's the first time since I've been racing myself that a driver in a series I follow closely has died in a crash.
That said I can't say it changes my desire to race one bit. If I somehow got the opportunity to race something like an IndyCar, you better beleive I would be there in a heartbeat. I'm sure there are many out there that feel the same as me. I already realized and accepted the risks before I even started racing.
Still, that doesn't mean we should ignore driver safety. I never quite understand why oftentimes it takes a tragedy to improve safety. To me it's pretty obvious that racing in a huge pack of 34 open wheel cars at 225 MPH is a pretty risky proposition. Then again, it was one that all 34 drivers were willing to take.
I usually follow all the forums and blogs closely to keep up with the latest news, but I've learned from the past and avoided them for a while, because I don't always want to read everyone's opinions after something like this. People seem quick to make judgments like if this driver had done this and that driver had done that, then this and that would or wouldn't have happened, etc. etc. People also seem quick to pass judgment on the officials and the series, claiming that one or two simple rule changes will "fix" everything, like create some perfectly safe, exciting, sustainable and financially successful racing.
I watched the replays several times and personally I beleive the actions taken by all drivers were relatively reasonable, and everything that happened was mostly just the function of the situation the drivers were put in. I do beleive the Indycar series does a pretty good job overall, and if fixing everything was so easy, it would have already been done.
What I do think we saw is one guy run out of luck. Three drivers went flying in similar fashion in that crash, just like I've seen maybe half or more of the veteran drivers do at some point in their IndyCar careers. Sometimes (as was the case with two of the three drivers on Sunday) drivers walk away, sometimes they don't.
By all accounts, Dan Wheldon was a good man and a great racer, and I wish his family the best.
That said I can't say it changes my desire to race one bit. If I somehow got the opportunity to race something like an IndyCar, you better beleive I would be there in a heartbeat. I'm sure there are many out there that feel the same as me. I already realized and accepted the risks before I even started racing.
Still, that doesn't mean we should ignore driver safety. I never quite understand why oftentimes it takes a tragedy to improve safety. To me it's pretty obvious that racing in a huge pack of 34 open wheel cars at 225 MPH is a pretty risky proposition. Then again, it was one that all 34 drivers were willing to take.
I usually follow all the forums and blogs closely to keep up with the latest news, but I've learned from the past and avoided them for a while, because I don't always want to read everyone's opinions after something like this. People seem quick to make judgments like if this driver had done this and that driver had done that, then this and that would or wouldn't have happened, etc. etc. People also seem quick to pass judgment on the officials and the series, claiming that one or two simple rule changes will "fix" everything, like create some perfectly safe, exciting, sustainable and financially successful racing.
I watched the replays several times and personally I beleive the actions taken by all drivers were relatively reasonable, and everything that happened was mostly just the function of the situation the drivers were put in. I do beleive the Indycar series does a pretty good job overall, and if fixing everything was so easy, it would have already been done.
What I do think we saw is one guy run out of luck. Three drivers went flying in similar fashion in that crash, just like I've seen maybe half or more of the veteran drivers do at some point in their IndyCar careers. Sometimes (as was the case with two of the three drivers on Sunday) drivers walk away, sometimes they don't.
By all accounts, Dan Wheldon was a good man and a great racer, and I wish his family the best.
09/08/2011: Racing update – broken stuff and frustration
So I haven't posted about my racing in a while because, not surprisingly things haven't been going too well.
A few months ago I posted a video of differential “problems” due to running it low on oil. I ended up pulling out of the race early. In the end it's something that shouldn't have happened, and ultimately I can only blame myself for the oversight. This was after a flat tire and thunderstorms limited my $225 practice day to a few laps in the dry with two shaved and two full treaded tires and the perpetual down on power issue.
With a long break before our next scheduled race, I vowed to prepare better then ever and spend the time and money to get the car as best as we could. Rather then risk limping by through more races on a differential that might maybe work, or perform some other shoddy stopgap fixes due to just not knowing any better, I had our mechanic source another rear end and swap it on; we can mess with the other one over the off-season. And since it seemed we could only make our power issues worse, I also had him dyno and tune the car. It was down 7-9HP, that doesn't seem like a lot but when you are barely over 100HP, I'm thinking it could be significant. He was able to get 6 more HP out of the car, which I was more then happy with.
Behind the scenes I worked on doing an inventory of our tools and spares, making sure we brought the right spare parts and tools to the track to reasonably fix what ever we could when things went wrong. I tracked past maintenance to better determine service intervals, went back and documented costs in detail so I could establish a realistic and more stable budget. With research and past experiences, we performed some additional maintenance on the car that we just overlooked or for whatever reason didn't get around to in the past.
I didn't want to repeat all the mistakes from earlier in the season and all the times driving without being confident in the car. I wasn't going to go on the track unless I made sure we did everything we reasonably could to be competitive and safe, and I think we did that.
Still all that doesn't ensure good performance and results. On Friday morning I had barely moved the car a few hundred feet from the storage area to the paddock in preparation for practice, when suddenly 3 of the 4 wheel studs on the left front wheel fell off. It's not the most comforting feeling thinking what may have occurred if that happened on the track! We were able to buy new studs and put them on, to find that one would not tighten enough to take the needed torque from the lug nut. I guess we ran with the stud too loose and damaged the threads on the rotor which somehow loosened the other studs to the point of failure. Rather then rush out for practice with 1 loose lugnut which we may have done in the past, I opted to change the rotor which the studs screw into. Although I felt I needed to practice after a long break and the new rear end on the car, I'm no longer going to benefit from running practice with an unprepared car, better to just save the money. We spent the afternoon changing the rotor and doing a few other maintenance things and setting things up rather then frantically scrambling.
On Saturday we were now faced with a lug on the rear that wouldn't take torque! Perhaps it was just coincidence or perhaps we were over anxious in tightening the studs down after the problem with the front, and damaged the threads. Since the rear studs screw right into the axle, and we did not have a spare, I opted to just run with one lug loose in the rear. Yeah, this went against my not going on the track unless I was confident in the car, but this was a race day and I wanted to do what I could to get out there, and felt we did the best we could to prepare.
So I went out for qualifying and the car felt good, the power off the corners felt much better, almost like a different car. The car did seem to lack some grip, and we came off with the pressures a little low. It was cloudy and cooler then usual, so I guess I missed on the pressures. I was fine with qualifying 8th of 11, considering the stud issues and lack of grip and having no practice in 2 months. I was optimistic about the cars performance and felt for the first time this season that if I drove well I could have a good result, it was finally in my hands as a driver.
By the afternoon the ambient temperature was up a lot and the sun was out, so I only raised 3 tires by 1 PSI. But the stud issue was only getting worse, everything we did to try and fix it only seemed to make it worse, for the race in the afternoon we could only get even less torque on that lug. I went out hesitantly for the race. After a few laps I put the hesitation behind me and started to pick up some pace. I was just getting into a groove, and interestingly felt a grip and sensitivity for the tires better then I ever have before. Maybe it was the combination of tires we were running or nailing the pressures, or just developing as a driver, I'm not sure.
But it was short lived as I came down through the chute (turn 4) faster and faster, I got on the brakes as I was straightening out the wheel a little too hard too soon. I locked up the right front bad, which I have done before but probably not this bad. I guess maybe with the new rear end I had too much brake bias forward, and I was carrying more speed since I have more power now. Those could have contributed. I do have difficulty sensing lockup since I cannot see the wheels like I could running the open wheel cars at the racing schools. Anyway, after the lockup I noticed a major vibration. Normally, I think I would have been able to realize this was probably from a flat spot, but now all I could think about was that loose lug and the wheel falling off. I went around for another lap or two somewhat cautiously, but finally decided to just pull it in early.
In the paddock I found the lugs on the wheel to have loosened slightly, but we were unsure if it was enough to cause such a vibration. We wondered for a while, before Keith found a flatspot down to the cords on the right front. Then it all made sense.
We still had the the lug issue and going back to being confident in the preparation of the car, I wanted to do what we could to fix it rather then keep running with it as is. With the suggestion of fellow racers, we were able to take the axle off and found another racer to weld the stud to the axle. It was great to have this help. I was looking forward to the next two days of racing and maybe finally pushing forward and making some progress.
By the next morning we had everything back together, but then minutes before qualifying, the welded stud broke off when we re-torqued the lug nuts. I guess I felt this time it was just too much, without the time to replace the axle, and with the stud now unable to stay in at all, I made the decision to withdraw from the Sunday and Monday races. I felt it was the last straw and I just didn't have the faith anymore for the weekend, and like I vowed I chose not to run instead of limping around.
At that moment I felt frustrated and defeated but also relieved. The stress of the race weekend was off my shoulders. I thought a lot about what I was doing. I can't honestly say I'm always having fun, which makes me question what I'm doing this for. I'm spending a lot of time and money on this, and sacrificing a lot for this. I thought... maybe there's a reason there's no one else like me on the track... because no one else like me is stupid enough to attempt such an endeavor.
By the night though, I was longing to be racing, wondering what I was missing out on. I want to prove to everyone, and perhaps most importantly to myself what I can do. So I don't think the flame is dead yet. If I gave up now I'd just be another person that quit when the going got tough... another person that didn't have what it takes. One of those people that I consider weak!
I think one thing that really bothers me is running a whole year and never once going faster then that ONE race last year, my first race! That is just mind boggling. And it wasn't for lack of effort. If you told me that would be the case a year ago I couldn't fathom it.
As of now I can say my heart is still in racing. At the least though, I think next year I will have to have a different approach and mindset. But I haven't worked out the plans yet.
A few months ago I posted a video of differential “problems” due to running it low on oil. I ended up pulling out of the race early. In the end it's something that shouldn't have happened, and ultimately I can only blame myself for the oversight. This was after a flat tire and thunderstorms limited my $225 practice day to a few laps in the dry with two shaved and two full treaded tires and the perpetual down on power issue.
With a long break before our next scheduled race, I vowed to prepare better then ever and spend the time and money to get the car as best as we could. Rather then risk limping by through more races on a differential that might maybe work, or perform some other shoddy stopgap fixes due to just not knowing any better, I had our mechanic source another rear end and swap it on; we can mess with the other one over the off-season. And since it seemed we could only make our power issues worse, I also had him dyno and tune the car. It was down 7-9HP, that doesn't seem like a lot but when you are barely over 100HP, I'm thinking it could be significant. He was able to get 6 more HP out of the car, which I was more then happy with.
Behind the scenes I worked on doing an inventory of our tools and spares, making sure we brought the right spare parts and tools to the track to reasonably fix what ever we could when things went wrong. I tracked past maintenance to better determine service intervals, went back and documented costs in detail so I could establish a realistic and more stable budget. With research and past experiences, we performed some additional maintenance on the car that we just overlooked or for whatever reason didn't get around to in the past.
I didn't want to repeat all the mistakes from earlier in the season and all the times driving without being confident in the car. I wasn't going to go on the track unless I made sure we did everything we reasonably could to be competitive and safe, and I think we did that.
Still all that doesn't ensure good performance and results. On Friday morning I had barely moved the car a few hundred feet from the storage area to the paddock in preparation for practice, when suddenly 3 of the 4 wheel studs on the left front wheel fell off. It's not the most comforting feeling thinking what may have occurred if that happened on the track! We were able to buy new studs and put them on, to find that one would not tighten enough to take the needed torque from the lug nut. I guess we ran with the stud too loose and damaged the threads on the rotor which somehow loosened the other studs to the point of failure. Rather then rush out for practice with 1 loose lugnut which we may have done in the past, I opted to change the rotor which the studs screw into. Although I felt I needed to practice after a long break and the new rear end on the car, I'm no longer going to benefit from running practice with an unprepared car, better to just save the money. We spent the afternoon changing the rotor and doing a few other maintenance things and setting things up rather then frantically scrambling.
On Saturday we were now faced with a lug on the rear that wouldn't take torque! Perhaps it was just coincidence or perhaps we were over anxious in tightening the studs down after the problem with the front, and damaged the threads. Since the rear studs screw right into the axle, and we did not have a spare, I opted to just run with one lug loose in the rear. Yeah, this went against my not going on the track unless I was confident in the car, but this was a race day and I wanted to do what I could to get out there, and felt we did the best we could to prepare.
So I went out for qualifying and the car felt good, the power off the corners felt much better, almost like a different car. The car did seem to lack some grip, and we came off with the pressures a little low. It was cloudy and cooler then usual, so I guess I missed on the pressures. I was fine with qualifying 8th of 11, considering the stud issues and lack of grip and having no practice in 2 months. I was optimistic about the cars performance and felt for the first time this season that if I drove well I could have a good result, it was finally in my hands as a driver.
By the afternoon the ambient temperature was up a lot and the sun was out, so I only raised 3 tires by 1 PSI. But the stud issue was only getting worse, everything we did to try and fix it only seemed to make it worse, for the race in the afternoon we could only get even less torque on that lug. I went out hesitantly for the race. After a few laps I put the hesitation behind me and started to pick up some pace. I was just getting into a groove, and interestingly felt a grip and sensitivity for the tires better then I ever have before. Maybe it was the combination of tires we were running or nailing the pressures, or just developing as a driver, I'm not sure.
But it was short lived as I came down through the chute (turn 4) faster and faster, I got on the brakes as I was straightening out the wheel a little too hard too soon. I locked up the right front bad, which I have done before but probably not this bad. I guess maybe with the new rear end I had too much brake bias forward, and I was carrying more speed since I have more power now. Those could have contributed. I do have difficulty sensing lockup since I cannot see the wheels like I could running the open wheel cars at the racing schools. Anyway, after the lockup I noticed a major vibration. Normally, I think I would have been able to realize this was probably from a flat spot, but now all I could think about was that loose lug and the wheel falling off. I went around for another lap or two somewhat cautiously, but finally decided to just pull it in early.
In the paddock I found the lugs on the wheel to have loosened slightly, but we were unsure if it was enough to cause such a vibration. We wondered for a while, before Keith found a flatspot down to the cords on the right front. Then it all made sense.
We still had the the lug issue and going back to being confident in the preparation of the car, I wanted to do what we could to fix it rather then keep running with it as is. With the suggestion of fellow racers, we were able to take the axle off and found another racer to weld the stud to the axle. It was great to have this help. I was looking forward to the next two days of racing and maybe finally pushing forward and making some progress.
By the next morning we had everything back together, but then minutes before qualifying, the welded stud broke off when we re-torqued the lug nuts. I guess I felt this time it was just too much, without the time to replace the axle, and with the stud now unable to stay in at all, I made the decision to withdraw from the Sunday and Monday races. I felt it was the last straw and I just didn't have the faith anymore for the weekend, and like I vowed I chose not to run instead of limping around.
At that moment I felt frustrated and defeated but also relieved. The stress of the race weekend was off my shoulders. I thought a lot about what I was doing. I can't honestly say I'm always having fun, which makes me question what I'm doing this for. I'm spending a lot of time and money on this, and sacrificing a lot for this. I thought... maybe there's a reason there's no one else like me on the track... because no one else like me is stupid enough to attempt such an endeavor.
By the night though, I was longing to be racing, wondering what I was missing out on. I want to prove to everyone, and perhaps most importantly to myself what I can do. So I don't think the flame is dead yet. If I gave up now I'd just be another person that quit when the going got tough... another person that didn't have what it takes. One of those people that I consider weak!
I think one thing that really bothers me is running a whole year and never once going faster then that ONE race last year, my first race! That is just mind boggling. And it wasn't for lack of effort. If you told me that would be the case a year ago I couldn't fathom it.
As of now I can say my heart is still in racing. At the least though, I think next year I will have to have a different approach and mindset. But I haven't worked out the plans yet.
08/08/2011: Fun Karting
With all the stress of running the racecar this year, It was nice to get back to some arrive and drive karting recently. I know, you might consider the karts "slow" and maybe even not "real" racing. I challenge you to watch the videos and tell me it's not great racing!
I ran a BMWCCA karting event at Summit Point Kart this past weekend. Rain didn't stop us! And no rain tires, don't need them! It kinda sucked that a kart I had broke, but oh well, not mine, not my problem! I know of no cheaper, more accessible way to race.
The first race the track was treacherous with huge puddles everywhere. It was a great race, at one time I think we were side by side for the lead driving sideways down the length of the straight. I tried to avoid the big puddles but it was a futile attempt, my kart died halfway through the race. But I got another kart and rejoined the race with the leaders a lap down!
In race 2 we changed to the short track since the far end of the track was so flooded. However it stopped raining and although the track was almost completely wet most of the standing water was gone. We inverted the grid so I started on the pole due to the kart dieing in the first race. Starting clear of everyone else, I managed to do a spin and win while everyone else battled it out behind me!
In race 3 I started last. This time my kart was not as fast and it had a lot of understeer, but it was again great racing and I managed to work up to battle for the lead and end up 2nd.
Finally here's some video of the track dry! This is from a Volta Grand Prix race a few months ago.
I ran a BMWCCA karting event at Summit Point Kart this past weekend. Rain didn't stop us! And no rain tires, don't need them! It kinda sucked that a kart I had broke, but oh well, not mine, not my problem! I know of no cheaper, more accessible way to race.
The first race the track was treacherous with huge puddles everywhere. It was a great race, at one time I think we were side by side for the lead driving sideways down the length of the straight. I tried to avoid the big puddles but it was a futile attempt, my kart died halfway through the race. But I got another kart and rejoined the race with the leaders a lap down!
In race 2 we changed to the short track since the far end of the track was so flooded. However it stopped raining and although the track was almost completely wet most of the standing water was gone. We inverted the grid so I started on the pole due to the kart dieing in the first race. Starting clear of everyone else, I managed to do a spin and win while everyone else battled it out behind me!
In race 3 I started last. This time my kart was not as fast and it had a lot of understeer, but it was again great racing and I managed to work up to battle for the lead and end up 2nd.
Finally here's some video of the track dry! This is from a Volta Grand Prix race a few months ago.
In the past few years I've encountered several opportunities in racing that at best, don't quite offer what they claim and at worst are a complete rip off.
Here are a few possible examples:
beastockcardriver.com in short claimed to offer a racing school in a stock car, combined with a elimination style shootout, where the finalists would win a free multiday evaluation on a superspeedway and the ultimate winner would win a full season in a late model. All this was starting for $169! Too good to be true? Seems like that was probably the case. After selling seemingly thousands of entries, they only ran a few dates before postponing all remaining scheduled programs.
http://www.complaintsboard.com/bycompany/beastockcardrivercom-a319345.html
Grand Prix Shootout is/was another shootout, this time offering rides and funding up the ladder to F1. The exact format of the shootout changed a few times, but the first evaluation round was generally offered for a thousand or so pounds and up for a test/evaluation in a "saloon" or formula car. The first year awarded two winners, one novice and one experienced driver, and they did run the next year in British Formula Ford with Grand Prix Shootout logos on the car. However, quick internet research reveals that both these drivers may to be pretty well funded on their own which led to speculation of who was paying for the ride.
Although the contest is still on at this time according to their website, many have claimed that they have paid for a spot in the shootout and been left hanging with no refund. Seems like this model is reliant on finding a lot of investors and sponsors to fund the winners racing, and even with good industry contacts, we know how hard that is.
http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118388&page=3
The PBIR Rookie Challenge was a shootout to award a Indy Lights ride. The first year was a $35,000! entry. The team ran drivers in Indy Lights next year, but it's unclear to me who was funding them. The next year, the entry was $7500 and there were to be two winners, one 15-18 who would win a drive in a lower series, and one 18 and up who would win the Indy Lights ride. However, seems like the funding for the drives did not come and the shootout was changed to an academy style format with no award. To me that's a big difference from the original promise!
I see a complaint of drivers being promised refunds that were not given, and do not know if this was resolved or not.
http://www.junioropenwheeltalent.com/2010/02/10/pbir-rookie-challenge/
Justin Bell operated a racing school for a few years in the early 2000's which had positive reviews, however reportedly when the school went out of business two dozen students who had already paid were not refunded. It's unclear to me whether this was resolved, but it doesn't appear to have hurt Justin Bell's TV career.
http://www.z06vette.com/forums/f4/justin-bells-racing-school-trouble-44502/
I have no inside information in any of the above. I hate to "callout" anyone especially with no personal experience. But I have a fear of dropping hard earned money for a race seat, test, school etc and showing up to a surprisingly empty track and would hate to see that happen to anyone else. I know racing is a tough tough way to make money and beleive in general if it's too good to be true it just might be. I can only suggest doing your research and doing a "sanity check" on what makes sense and what doesn't.
Here are a few possible examples:
beastockcardriver.com in short claimed to offer a racing school in a stock car, combined with a elimination style shootout, where the finalists would win a free multiday evaluation on a superspeedway and the ultimate winner would win a full season in a late model. All this was starting for $169! Too good to be true? Seems like that was probably the case. After selling seemingly thousands of entries, they only ran a few dates before postponing all remaining scheduled programs.
http://www.complaintsboard.com/bycompany/beastockcardrivercom-a319345.html
Grand Prix Shootout is/was another shootout, this time offering rides and funding up the ladder to F1. The exact format of the shootout changed a few times, but the first evaluation round was generally offered for a thousand or so pounds and up for a test/evaluation in a "saloon" or formula car. The first year awarded two winners, one novice and one experienced driver, and they did run the next year in British Formula Ford with Grand Prix Shootout logos on the car. However, quick internet research reveals that both these drivers may to be pretty well funded on their own which led to speculation of who was paying for the ride.
Although the contest is still on at this time according to their website, many have claimed that they have paid for a spot in the shootout and been left hanging with no refund. Seems like this model is reliant on finding a lot of investors and sponsors to fund the winners racing, and even with good industry contacts, we know how hard that is.
http://www.ten-tenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118388&page=3
The PBIR Rookie Challenge was a shootout to award a Indy Lights ride. The first year was a $35,000! entry. The team ran drivers in Indy Lights next year, but it's unclear to me who was funding them. The next year, the entry was $7500 and there were to be two winners, one 15-18 who would win a drive in a lower series, and one 18 and up who would win the Indy Lights ride. However, seems like the funding for the drives did not come and the shootout was changed to an academy style format with no award. To me that's a big difference from the original promise!
I see a complaint of drivers being promised refunds that were not given, and do not know if this was resolved or not.
http://www.junioropenwheeltalent.com/2010/02/10/pbir-rookie-challenge/
Justin Bell operated a racing school for a few years in the early 2000's which had positive reviews, however reportedly when the school went out of business two dozen students who had already paid were not refunded. It's unclear to me whether this was resolved, but it doesn't appear to have hurt Justin Bell's TV career.
http://www.z06vette.com/forums/f4/justin-bells-racing-school-trouble-44502/
I have no inside information in any of the above. I hate to "callout" anyone especially with no personal experience. But I have a fear of dropping hard earned money for a race seat, test, school etc and showing up to a surprisingly empty track and would hate to see that happen to anyone else. I know racing is a tough tough way to make money and beleive in general if it's too good to be true it just might be. I can only suggest doing your research and doing a "sanity check" on what makes sense and what doesn't.