First Race?

[rburns-09]

I finished my 3day with Skip Barber and im schedualed to do my Car Control and 2day very soon. Before I get into my first season I want to know how you guys did your first races?

I have to say im a bit nervous about the set up considering I have no experience in racing, nor was never a fan of the sport up to a few years ago.

So give me some stories on your guys first races, good or bad :)

[rgreist]

Just try to finish. If you get lapped, no big deal. I did!

If you win, big deal! I didn't!

Good luck!

[rf360m]

That's it - just try to finish!

In pratice get used to running with cars around you, but let them go if they are faster. It's not a race, and if you let them go, it'll be safer and you can see where they are quicker than you.

In qualifying don't think that you are going to go out and set pole and end up pushing too hard then spin. You have 18 minutes and only have to do 1 lap. So go out, do a couple of warm up laps (95% or so) then find a clear peice of track and do the best, cleanest lap you can. Don't run around in traffic because it'll just slow you down.

If you are not in the first group, then watch the start of the first race. See when the green flag comes out, how the cars are positioned, how the go into turn one, and anything else that you think you'd like to know about.

My first race was at Lime Rock, where I started near the back and finished 9th (which was actually last because quite a few people spun off or crashed).

If there's anything you are not sure about, just ask. Everyone will be more than willing to help you out.

And above all, have fun!

[JonMiller]

Just keep your eyes open, learn as much as you can and above all... HAVE FUN! Don't put too much pressure on yourself, just go out there and get your first race weekend under your belt. Don't be afraid to ask questions either.

My first weekend was at the Sebring short course with the coned off right-left section on the back straightaway. This was back when Sebring's back straight was wide open. For the past couple years there has been a concrete wall in place on the back straight (to make extra room for the 12 hour race weekend paddock), so that track setup is no longer possible.

I was on track that week from Monday through Sunday, as I did my 2 day advanced school on Monday and Tuesday, lapping on Wednesday and Thursday and practice on Friday. I ended up qualifying 6th (I think?) and was running as high as 3rd with a few laps to go. I ended up spinning out into the cow pasture off the back straightaway and finishing pretty far down in the pack. Oh well.

[gdewitt]

I, too, was a bit apprehensive about my first race, which was two weeks ago at Road America. So I'll share a bit about it with you.

I did my ADV2 on Monday and Tuesday, took a day off (to work) on Wednesday, then drove Thursday through Sunday. At the end of Tuesday I was tired and sore but having a great time. I had a seat poured Tuesday evening (be sure you do this) and was hoping my body would be able to survive the next few days. FWIW, the soreness was gone by Thursday and I never had a problem again. I attribute this to the seat and to the fact that you only get about an hour per day in lapping, practice and race.

The first challenge was going to be the second practice session on Friday, I thought, because they take the cones down then and I had never lapped a race track without cones. I was wrong. The challenge wasn't because the cones were gone but because it was raining hard! Abject terror set in. But I made it through and by the end of the session started to feel more comfortable, though my times sucked. So qually on Saturday morning turned out to be the first no cones session and I had a couple of turns where I tended to turn in earlier than I had with the cones but instructor feedback solved that problem.

The first race finally came. I was worried about the first corner because I've seen too much turn 1 carnage from watching races. I started 10th but gained a position on the start and went into turn 1 P9. My goal was just to stay on the pavement and everything went fine. I simply remembered everything I had learned during the week and everyone else did too. I managed a couple of passes and worked my way up to P7 by lap 6 when all hell broke loose. It had started to rain lightly on the track but we were able to drive the dry line at 100% until turn 5 on lap 6. A sudden very localized shower had drenched just that turn and six cars spun at the same time. I saw it happening in front of me and took it easy but a car spun right in front of me and I thought it best not to hit him. I went four off and just tapped the tire wall. So we were full wet after that. But I still managed to bring it home P5 in my first race. Not bad for an old slow guy.

By comparison I had no jitters at all for my second race the next day. I started P4 and went straight to P3 but got passed in turn 5 and then kept some distance from the cars behind me 'til I overcooked turn 12, spun, and went to P-Last. So I started reeling off clean laps made some passes and finished P8.

But my goal was to drive well, not to win anything, and to take two checkered flags on the race track. It was a terrific experience and now I'm hooked. I'm going to do my next race weekend in early December at Laguna Seca.

So if a newbie like me has any right to give advice based on his limited experience, it would be this. Set your sites on driving well and finishing. Drive like you are in a lapping session. Several guys in my group didn't do that and now they have massive bills to pay for crash damage. They put in faster lap times than me but I ended two races with more points than they did and I didn't wreck any cars.

Oh, and my wife feels much more comfortable now about me racing open wheel cars.

[chsutherland]

I did much of the same, i tried to focus on clean laps, people will spin so if you concentrate on keeping all four wheels on the pavement you will be ok. I did spin in front of gary in turn 5 and believe me when the video gets here it is going up for sure! My goal was to finish and not have to buy extra parts....or at least not very many. Winning wasn't so important to me, really i just wanted to have fun. It was fun for me to just ride around and watch the action from the best seat in the house!
craig

[KingTito]

I am by no means a pro but I have a few race weekends under my belt.

My advice is to ask questions. Don't be apprehensive or hold back. The instructors at Skippy are incredible. They make the difference between Skippy and other programs and they've helped me a lot.

Ask questions of the experienced drivers. I have found them to be incredibly helpful and knowledgeable.

Take each practice session/lapping session in stages. Take things slow and build up speed. Work on keeping your eyes up and hit your marks. Add speed cautiously. The natural tendency is to add speed too soon and try to follow a faster driver and get into trouble.

Keep your goals modest. Your goals should be to run a clean race, give your competitors room, demonstrate improvement, and finish.

Also, realize that it's a tough sport. You may go back to the hotel dissapointed that you spun or didn't improve your times during a practice session as well you wanted. Take your lumps, think about focusing on the basics the next day (eyes up, smooth inputs, good gear changes, hit your marks).

I break up the track into segments during the practice/lapping sessions. I will work on adding speed in a segment, slow down after that segment and work on my line the rest of the lap then work on another segment. Then, string some fast complete laps together. This allows me to focus. Some people think this is dumb but this what I like to do.

Starts are bit crazy but fun! My first start was at Laguna. I thought I knew what I was doing, looked down to check the tach for some stupid reason, heard a lot of commotion and realize that we went green. I had qualified 4th or 5th and cars were streaming by me. I just held my line and didn't do anything stupid. So, your first start, pay attention, remember to shift, and be cautious. Hold your line and focus on making it through cleanly.

[lostboyracer]

Having just finished my first race yesterday I can say one thing (okay many things but that'll be later): just do it. My three day was at Laguna Seca in August and I signed up for the Lime Rock finale as soon as I got off the plane. I couldn't wait. I spent the past week doing lapping and practice sessions all with the excellent input of the Skippy instructors. My goal was to finish my first race and to not finish last. Mission accomplished. Although I did lose a place I managed to stay on the track and actually passed a couple of cars. I was beyond ecsatic despite no podium (no I wasn't really thinking about a podium). Day two race started off promising when I was able to gain a pass right away but suddenly on lap three I learned that if the brakes lock up you have to let up and there I was banging into #87 (sorry about that); we were both able to get back into it right away and through some consistent effort I was able to finish next to last. The bill for crash damage did not damper my enthusiasm for an incredible weekend with great people. Sign up as fast as you can, don't worry, drive your own race and have fun. You'll get better, as I hope I will and you'll have a great time.

Now a few reasons why this is the way to go:
1) The instructors. These guys are what sell the series. They are approachable knowledgable funny and helpful. They will make you faster, just listen.
2) The mentor. Maybe I was lucky because I had Pat Daly as my assigned mentor or maybe they're all as great as he is. Either way he truly ushered me into the Skippy world and made me feel welcome right away. It makes a huge difference.
3) The other drivers. Whether old hats or first timers everyone is friendly, anxious to share and very convivial. Not pretense or snobbery, just a lot of nice people that love racing.
4)SBR in general. When I did the three day I was blown away by the level of organization and execution. Everything ran perfectly and time management was excellent. That's what you can expect with the race series. Different format, a little more laid back in some ways but still perfectly executed.
5) The mechanics. These guys are terrific. They keep the cars running, are friendly and don't sweat the small stuff.

In conclusion: sign up soon get the first one over with and start racing.

[Andrew]

Schedule a lapping day if you can; it'll provide more time in the car just before your big week-end and remove some of the jitters you'll probably have.

I had a most embarrassing moment on my first race; I spun on the PACE lap and caused the field to start under yellow and then run a second lap under yellow to boot!

What happened was that as we were following the pace car, my inexperience didn't deal well with the speeding up and slowing down as we progressed around the track.
I fell back a little and tried to catch up as we approached turn 5 at Road America and I carried too much brake into the turn and spun, ending up with my nose facing the inside wall.

They emphasized before the race to never, never backup onto the track, so I sat there waiting for instructions. I should have looked to the corner workers for hand signals but waited until one made the trek to my car who then asked if I knew how to find reverse! Of course I did and he said well use it! In the meantime the field came around again and I felt like a fool ruining everone's race.

So don't be anxious on the pace lap; they go real slow as they turn onto the starting straight and you have time to form up then.
Watch the accordian affect while pacing, it's awful easy to close on the car in front of you unexpectably; I almost bump the car in front too many times. Pay real attention to what's happening to the field up front, not just the car you're behind.

One last thing, USE YOUR MIRRORS!!! You can be running dead last and may still have someone come up behind you. The could be fast and have a spin or did a four off and came in for a safety check and come out a little behind you. You don't want to ruin your race and their's by running them off the track or turning down on them.

USE YOUR MIRRORS!

Check them on the straights often and as you approach the braking zone, as well as in it. You only need a glance or two to get the picture. A driver can appear out of nowhere (like in your draft) and can show up unexpectably. Know what's around you at all times.

Good luck and remember your out to have fun and it's no fun paying for crash damage.
Drive within your limits, you'll get faster soon enough.

[999]

I had a most embarrassing moment on my first race; I spun on the PACE lap and caused the field to start under yellow and then run a second lap under yellow to boot!

What happened was that as we were following the pace car, my inexperience didn't deal well with the speeding up and slowing down as we progressed around the track.
I fell back a little and tried to catch up as we approached turn 5 at Road America and I carried too much brake into the turn and spun, ending up with my nose facing the inside wall.

They emphasized before the race to never, never backup onto the track, so I sat there waiting for instructions. I should have looked to the corner workers for hand signals but waited until one made the trek to my car who then asked if I knew how to find reverse! Of course I did and he said well use it! In the meantime the field came around again and I felt like a fool ruining everone's race.



That is hysterical! Thanks for sharing! We should start a thread for stupid things we've done in a race car. I could fill up a few pages!

Yours reminded me of this one...

Running behind the pace car on the back straight at The Glen... warming my brakes... check my mirror as I rapidly decelerate, to make sure I don't get hit from behind... well I should have looked forward... before I did, I slammed into Bill Hammer! Shit! :doh:

None of the instructors saw it, so we ran the race and finished 2nd and 3rd.

The asshole (er, um gentleman) that finished 4th bitched to Todd that we got away with contact and it cost him a podium. Todd asked me if I hit someone, and I denied it (d'uh)... well he checked Bill's car and found no evidence... then he checked my car... 'hmmm, what happened here??'... I told him I hit a deer in pitlane after the race. :eek: He didn't buy it... :bigcry: .

He gave me a choice to fess up and take the penalty or he would give one to me AND Bill... I did the right thing. Thinking back though, I should have screwed Bill too... it would have been more fun!

[birkmama]

I was very anxious before my first race. Until then everything had been school and fun and no pressure. But a race! Gee, I was to run to the first corner with 16 other maniacs. Many of them even had custom helmets - unlike my white egg lid - and one even had his name embroidered on their suit. At first I was very intimidated by all these pros. They knew everything, they did not have to ask any stupid questions while I seemed to go blank.

But a couple of guys just plainly approached me and introduced themselves and asked my name etc.

This is what makes this series so great. All of you fellow racers will be able to relate to your situation because they all - or mostly all - felt the same way. I agree, introduce yourself and talk to skippy racers, mechanics and instructors. The community is very welcoming and will quickly divert the stress you might feel.

In the car: just focus. It seems that errors are inevitable in the beginning, so learn to forget them quickly - it is difficult to not curse at yourself for screwing up the start, or going wide allowing a pass.

What I did in LRP and think of as a mistake now was this: after about 70 laps into the race I looked up at the lap board at start finish and there were still 14 to go. We were just half way through. From then on every lap seemed to last about 5 minutes. Look at the flagging stations ignore the lap count. Just run every lap as if it were the your only one.

Lastly don't forget: you are there for the fun as are the others. Enjoy!

[cogentroad]

I remember my first race weekend very well, I was nervous as hell. In qualifying I was hoping for mid-pack, my time place me p6 out of 14 and penalties put me into p4. I had known idea what to do, I had visions of a herd cattle crushing me in a stampede. I was fortunate to receive some excellent advise from my mentor, Dom Bastien. On my first lap exiting turn 11 at Laguna, I managed to forget everything spinning to the inside of the track. I sat there in despair watching the entire field pass me like a freight train.

A few laps later we received a red flag to clear the track and were lined up in pit lane. Dom came down to my car and offered some final advise. He said, “well your in last place, you have nothing to lose. Just drive your own race”.

I focused on all I had learned, I chased every car I could find and never gave up. The race was chaotic and at the end I had know idea what position I was in and was shocked to discover I was in 4th.

My tips for what their worth.

1) Try to do Wednesday and Thursday lapping if possible. If not do a double on Friday, it’s the first time the track is real open and is your closest racing simulation.
2) Keep asking the instructors questions, in between sessions
3) Make sure you have Mentor!
4) Yes you want to finish, but make sure you RACE

I hope to see you at the track, have fun!

[mike.griese]

I had my first race weekend at Elkhart Lake in the season finale this year. I had taken an 18 month break between a lapping day/car control clinic at Sebring and actually running a full weekend. You will get put into a race group with a bunch of other newbies, which is apparently quite entertaining for the other race groups.

I started out about 10 seconds off the pace of Revere and Peter :bowdown: and eventually worked down to about 7 seconds back by the time qualifying was done. I started in the middle of the pack in the first race and got through the first lap in pretty good shape. Then I noticed I was really gaining ground on the car in front of me in the braking zone of turn 1. At about that point I realized that I was in the Braking Zone of TURN ONE! :eek: Next thing I knew I was in the gravel trap outside of turn one bucking and bouncing and looking for a way out. I managed to make it back to the track and to the pits but punched a hole in the oil cooler and my day was done. I was told by a couple of people that I actually got some air on the way into the gravel - these cars are pretty tough! I managed to miss the wet part of the race however. :bigcry:

I started DFL for race 2 and worked my way up to 6th out of 13 by the end of an event-filled race. I got to pass some cars and avoid some others as they bounced off of tire barriers, so all in all I'd have to say the weekend was a success.

You'll find you make a lot more friends than you ever expected. The coaches are awesome and they all have useful feedback - make sure you talk to all of them after each session. I take notes on track maps so I can remember it all after the adrenalin bleeds off. It's also helpful to talk to the racers in the faster groups. They were all willing to give me some advice - some of it was even helpful!

[gdewitt]

Hi Mike,

I certainly will not soon forget the sight of you in my mirrors during your exciting moment in turn 1!

Gary

[Kart Racer 4444]

For your first race you should try to learn as much stuff as possible and don't be shy to ask questions to anybody. They'll be happy to help you out. When you're on the track you should try to learn how everyone drives on the track, what lines they use, when they start braking, when to accelerate, etc. Don't concentrate on setting a fast lap...if you concentrate on hitting your marks and not making any mistakes, the lap times will reflect that. Other than that, it's all about gaining experience so getting as much seat time as possible is needed.