How to get started in nj?
 

I tried finding some info on how to get started but didnt find much. I'm interested in racing where you can pass other cars and race on tracks, Auto-X doesnt interest me at all. Can anyone lead me in the right direction?

These are the two largest.

SCCA Club Racing - http://www.scca.com/hub.aspx?hub=1
NASA Pro Racing - http://www.nasaproracing.com/proracing/index.html

Both have complete rule books, licensing, etc. all online.

This will also help you out, buy it and read it - http://www.goaheadtakethewheel.com/

i am in NJ and we are going to pocono on tuesday for HPDE (not racing).
have you been on the open track before?

anyway, we're going with PDA:
http://www.pdadrivingschool.com/

NASA merged with PDA in our region for racing, and NASA merged with www.motorsportsne.com for autocross.
on tuesdays event, we have time trials as well. i keep an email group of local FD owners. email me if you are interested.

+1 on Dave Gran's book, "Go Ahead and Take The Wheel". A must read.

There is also an "SCCA Approved" version of this book, located here:

http://www.sccacollection.com/closeu...6bb702d6f221e3

I'm not sure of the differences - probably minor. I suspect that all references to NASA have been removed. ;)

Also, the entry level class in SCCA Club Racing is called "Improved Touring" and has a web site. You can pick up a lot of info by looking through the forum:

http://www.improvedtouring.com/

Good luck,

-bill

Any driver can get started in any class, so there is no entry level class. You can run FA or GT1 your first race after driver school. Some of the best drivers race IT, it's by no means full of rookies. There are other similar speed and cost cars - FV, SM, SRF, etc. Here's the official purpose of IT from the GCR.. "Improved Touring classes are intended to provide the membership with the opportunity to compete in low cost cars with limited modifications, suitable for racing competition." What exactly is "low cost"? IT cars run about $5k -$40k to build with the average one probably between $10-$15k. Due to some politics, IT is considered a regional class rather than national class, despite the fact that it has more participation than most of the national classes. The whole regional/national thing is another topic.

IT is entry level in terms of cost and level of modifications allowed. Some of the formula classes are probably cheaper, such as Formula Vee and Formula Ford, I hear they're very cheap to run.

At a minimum you'll need a tow vehicle, a trailer, the race car, a bunch of spare parts and lots and lots of tools. At every event you'll need to budget for tires, gas (for the race and to tow), oil, entry fees, accomodation (unless it's close to home or friends/family, you can sometimes camp out at the track), meals, maybe time away from work, replacing at least one broken or worn out part, and so on. It's an expensive hobby.

The good news is that you can drive your street car on the track with little to no modifications in high performance driving schools, they're regularly put on by car clubs such as the BMWCCA, PCA and so on. They're reasonably priced, generally well run and you get generally good instruction. It's a very good way to get your feet wet and get some experiance and build up your skills before you actually go racing. Highly reccomended. Autocross is also good and is more fun than it looks. It teaches you a lot about car control and a good autocrosser almost always a fast road racer. There's a lot of skill carryover there.

Point taken about IT not being "entry level" in terms of driver experience. I was referring more about the issues of cost and availability. A completely built ITB or ITC car is probably the cheapest way to start club racing in terms of both initial as well as ongoing costs.

I cannot comment on open-wheel cars. I was always under the impression that the longer term maintenance costs were more significant when compared to the production-based cars.

Gran's book covers all this and more, including the value of Auto-X and HPDE events, how to set up a racing budget, and what to expect on a track weekend.

Speaking of which, another good idea is to get hooked up with the local SCCA - give the regional group a call (consult www.scca.org for a contact number), let them know you are interested in club racing, and attend their next meeting. I know they would love to have you! Ask about attending the next regional event and offer to help out, either crewing or working for the course (flagging, timing and scoring, etc.). You will learn so much about what's available.

Good luck,

-bill

I'm not too sure, I've just always heard that it's quite cheap to run those slower spec classes.

+1 to helping out an established racer. You'll learn a lot about what it takes to run a successful race effort (or at very least what not to do). It's also good to get some contacts and make some friends so that when you start out you have people to talk to for help, advice, tools, etc.