Your First Race Weekend
If you can sleep the night before your first race weekend, you are taking sleeping pills! I was so excited, it drove my wife crazy. And I was so exhausted on Monday morning that I was useless at work. There is no way to plan for every contingency, but a little forethought will go along way. My first suggestion is actually not to go racing your first race weekend, go as a pit crew member and help someone who has been doing it for a few seasons. It takes a lot more work than you would think. Or be a club volunteer for a weekend and really see what it takes to run an event, it will add to your appreciation level incredibly!
It takes a lot of gear to go racing. It even takes a few trys just to get your race car loaded on the trailer correctly. You’ll need a big bag to keep all your personal safety gear in one place. You’ll need at least a small tool box with all the stuff you expect to need, and it will grow into a large tool box after a couple of weekends. Then you need some shelter and a place to sit. Canopies and chairs come in all sizes and budget, sharing with a buddy is a good way to start. Be sure to pack the cooler with ice, water, drinks, and snacks. Its good karma to support the track vendors, but the price tag adds up quickly. Extra wheels and tires will soon be added to your collection, and common-failure parts (fuel pumps, alternators, starters) will also fill out your spares kit. Add in your jack and stands, a bike to get around the pits, and a few gas jugs, and it’s easy to forget something. Many racers use a checklist so they don’t end up at the track with the one thing they need most still back in the garage.
Go early! Registration and tech inspections always take longer than expected, especially your first weekend. Feeling lost and rushed will be inevitable, so try to keep it to a minimum. Bring a friend along who can help with all the loading and unloading, running to find the spare part or tool you don’t have, and getting the grid sheets at the timing tower. Listen up for the starter’s “5 minutes to grid” call; nothing is worse than doing all this work and missing your track session. Be happy to just be out on the track, even at the back of the grid. How you drive your first weekend will be remembered by all your fellow racers. Wear your rookie stripes (often a big red X on the back of your car) with honor and humility, everybody started there. Shake a few hands and make a good impression, it will payoff a hundredfold over your career.
Your Second Weekend
Two weekends doesn’t make a season, but you now have 100% more experience than your first weekend. Go get ’em!
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