As with most things in life, planning ahead usually brings about better results. My Dad taught me the rule of 3 P’s: Piss Poor Planning leads to Piss Poor Performance. That certainly holds true in racing. A little luck can go a long way, but planning, preparation, and skill is what leads to a better race weekend.
1- Get your race car maintenance done early. Wrenching on your ride until 3AM the night before a big race weekend sure doesn’t help put you in the right state of mind to take the green flag at 9AM. When you finish a race weekend, write down a list of the all the work your car needs prior to your next event. Having it on paper will force you to get the parts early and reinforce the amount of time required in prep work.
2- Get your tow rig/trailer maintenance done early. Forgot about that burned out taillight from the last event? Or that trailer tire with a slow leak? It’s gonna suck remembering about it Friday night as you start to load up your car.
3- Check out your safety gear. (legal, repaired, complete) Did you catch that most race groups are requiring a SA2005 helmet this season? I almost showed up with my SA2000 helmet, and would not have passed tech with it. If I would have had to buy one at the track, it probably would not have been what I wanted, and then I would have been in a rush to drill the HANS mounting holes into it. I’ve shown up for a track event assuming all my gear was in my gear bag, doh! I had forgotten to put my fireproof underwear back in after washing it. Checking my gear bag before just throwing it in the back of the truck would have saved me a lot of grief.
4- Make sure that things at home are taken care of before you leave for the track. Did you _______ (fill in the blank) mow the lawn, pay the bills, fix the leaking faucet, remember the ballgame/recital you’re going to miss, make sure your spouse’s car is running… you get the picture.
5- Check the weather channel before you go. Hot and sunny? Bring lots of water, shade, and sunscreen for you and your crew. Cold and rainy? Jackets, extra shoes and socks, canopy, hot drinks. Nighttime trailering? Extra flashlights and flares.
You’re spending a lot of time and money to go racing. Want to make sure you have a good weekend, and make all your non-racing buddies at work jealous? Dig out your checklist (examples here) and plan ahead, it’s worth it.
Great write up! Definitely what every race driver needs to remember before hitting the track.