Any HDPE, Track Daze, Time Trial, Road Course Drivers Here?

[sailchessi]

I've bought my first RV so I can stop using my daily Benz diesel to tow my track-only car to the weekend events. I'm into this hobby a few years now and it is truly addicting! It costs way too much, consumes too much time, takes up too much room but I love constant improvement.

Driving at the track makes you a much better driver on the road. It also alleviates most of the desire to be crazy when you get to regularly drive a car at 10/10ths at the limit of traction and beyond your own personal goals and prior capabilities as you lean and improve everything from the car to yourself.

I would LOVE any and all advice from those with experience. I'm a total rookie to RV'ing.
*Should I go massive solar or will I just be running my diesel generator all weekend to keep the AC on and cooking going between sessions?
*Should I plan on trying to boondock in the paddock or do you pay for electricity for the weekend?
*What is your strategy on carrying the 1,000 pounds of tools and spares, do you use the basement, stack wheels and tires inside or do you put them on the trailer?
*What is the right trailer for a low budget operation? I've used and may still buy a friend's steel tandem with dovetail and tire rack. Now that tire rack won't matter as much as when I was towing it with my Benz. I currently have a ultra lightweight Kendon Stand-Up, folding trailer but it is only single axle and too scary to tow behind this beast. Bite the bullet and get a newer aluminum tandem one? Tilt or ramps?
*What are you using for TPMS for the trailer tires (and perhaps RV tires)?
*Finally (for now) where do you park when you arrive and why?

Looking forward to finding some others who use their RV for Track Car towing and staying instead of hotels.

[CamJam1]

I ran SCCA Spec Racer and Formula Mazda from 1992-2002. Won a couple Southern Pacific Division titles during those years. I don't mean to be bragging, but it was truly the first thing I'd ever done that I was pretty good at. That was a nice change after always being the last one to get picked for team sports in school.

Spent a ton of money too! Minimum of $1,000-1,200 a weekend for tires, fuel and entry fees, and that was assuming you didn't break anything.

Ran in Phoenix mostly, but would travel to Willow Springs, Buttonwillow or Pueblo, Colorado a few times per year as well.

Had a Class C back then, and ran the generator for the A/C except for PIR (Phoenix) where we usually were able to find a live A/C outlet. The moho made all the difference! SCCA didn't hold races in Phoenix from end of May until early September, but it still got plenty warm at times. Same with Willow Springs.

I had an open trailer at first with a tire rack on the front. Later, when I got my Formula Mazda I bought an enclosed trailer, also with a tire rack in the front. I used to carry my tools in the moho. If you car is light enough, it probably doesn't matter much where you put the tools, but many rigs, even Class A's, only have hitches rated for 4,000 lb. Then again,you don't want to exceed your moho axle ratings either, so it all depends on your equipment. I usually prefer to keep the trailer as light as possible if you can do so without exceeding your moho or rear axle GVWR.

Don't buy Chinese trailer tires! A couple years ago Goodyear started making their Endurance trailer tire in the U.S. and they have been getting good reviews. I have them on my current car hauler. I towed my '69 AMX show car to the east coast and back three times and haven't had a problem with them. I also have a friend with the same tire on his trailer and he hasn't had any problems either. Also, they have a higher speed rating than most trailer tires, so that's another bonus.

What tracks do you run?

[sailchessi]

I started at Summit Point back 2012 and that is the closest track to me. They have a "better" couple of courses, Main and Shenandoah which may be the most difficult collection of corners on anything including a carousel!

I'm trying to add courses and now have gone to Virginia International Raceway (VIR) many times. They have three courses made up of "the Grand Course" which is the C&D Lightning Lap 4.2 mile magic every year. I've done all three now. Have done both courses at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP), Thunderbolt and Lighting and Watkins-Glen which was a pilgrimage to me last year, an actual former F1 course.

I was adding Pitt Race and Mid-Ohio this year (didn't make it last year) and considering Pocono and Indy and Road Atlanta but who knows what is going to happen this year now. Everything is closed. I also want to do a swing up north and hit Lime Rock and Palmer.

Anyway, sounds like you had a great "career" becoming a better driver which is what it is all about. I think I'm pretty good and just held back by my allocated budget and lack of HP! I'm always shopping so I'm sure someone will sell a trailer I need and I'll snap it up!

[George Schweikle]

We still do autocross and a few time trials at Alfa club conventions, and have been trailering cars for these events with our motorhomes since 1977. As others have said, having a "home" at a track or sometimes remote autocross site makes life much easier and cooler or warmer as necessary. Not to mention having your own bathroom, kitchen, etc. Depending on your tank capacities and duration of an event, scouting out the nearest fresh water and/or dump station can be beneficial. And, if parking & sleeping overnight at a hotel/motel, be aware that some don't allow this.

[sailchessi]

Originally Posted by George Schweikle

if parking & sleeping overnight at a hotel/motel, be aware that some don't allow this.

Thanks George, my whole reason for doing this is to NOT stay at a local hotel/motel so I'm good there. I have "status" at Marriott and Hilton from business travel so I haven't yet had one refuse me parking in their outer lot if I call the hotel direct and "flex" my status.

[TIME2CAMP]

A few decades ago I used to flat tow my 924 to Pocono for track days. Since it was a short drive and the car was street legal it worked great. A couple of times I hid in the back of the camper at the end of the day and when everyone left I had the whole place to myself. Very cool, having all of pocono raceway as my campground. Other times I went to "town" for some food and then just camped in the entrance drive to the track. Had deer come right up to me, and again no one bothered me at all.
This was before anyone in that PCA region thought of using a RV to do track days. Started a whole thing and in a few years many more were doing it. Now sure what is happening now, left the track habit to go back to my sailing addiction.

[sailchessi]

Very cool Time2Camp. I went from power boating, skiing to sailboats and got into J30 one-design racing in Annapolis for five years. It was a fantastic time but vast sums of money AND time since I did everything to the boat myself, crew management, etc.

Now I spend vast sums of money AND time not only on the track car, but driving to far away places, AND now an RV. Idiot with his hobbies. I'll die happy.

[Meames1]

I've done countless HPDE outings over the years. Never towed to any though, the benefit of living 15 minutes from Watkins Glen. The downside, is it's the only track I've been to (except Pocono on a bike). They are a blast, as you said cost too much money, and are worth every penny. Last I looked at my logs I figure I have around 950 or so miles at the Glen. That's a lot of tires, brake pads, and rotors.
I don't do it as much any more, but maybe once every year or two.



Some "slow" laps with my son on opening day a couple years ago.

[sailchessi]

Great pictures! I'm an hour plus from Summit Point so that is my "local" track. I went to the Glen last year for the first time and loved it. Been going same distance the other way to VIR a lot the last few years. I'm looking to try to hit as many new tracks each year as possible and am hoping the RV helps with that.

One other note, I'm doing it all on the very cheap (the track) so I've frankly had quite a few mechanical "disappointments" and have had to come home non-operational. Towing to the track with a trailer/winch makes a huge difference for me in being willing to push to 10/10ths and explore the limits which I'd likely not do if I had to know I had to drive home and/or if I was running something as expensive as you or a daily.
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[Betr2Trvl]

I was a track junkie for about 15 years; various racing schools, track days and DEs.

Gave up Track days / DEs in 2012 when I thought things were starting to get a bit out of hand; too many folks with way too much car and ego and not much talent, as well as some humongous speed differentials / closing speeds particularly from GT3 Cup Cars, and even a GT3 RSR (Ex Flying Lizards back up; a great story about that....) and a Lola Can Am car, and other full blown race series cars using DEs/track days at Road Atlanta for “test and tune” which I thought was ridiculous.

My “last call” was the Masters Program at the Porsche School at Barber in early 2015.

The Porsche went away in late 2014, right before we ordered our RV.

On the track, turn 3 Road Atlanta, and in its final “form” at the Hilton Head Concours invitational Car Club Day a month before I sold it. It was far from stock not only in appearance (those are factory Cayman R wheels in the 2nd pic) but performance wise as well .

[RickNC]

I was involved in SCCA back in the early 80’s. I campaigned a Volvo 144 in F Production for a season and 1/2. I was more talented at making cars go fast than I was driving,so I sold the car and began crewing for other teams for a few more years.

Years later my son wanted to race karts. We did oval track for several years and then we bought a couple road racing karts and went to SCCA solo II when they began allowing karts. That was fun until 9/11. The smooth airport runway and military base courses that our region favored were closed for security reasons. From there on it was mostly rough parking lots for courses so we quickly tired of that. He got a girlfriend and I got a boat.

I keep toying with the idea of buying a used Miata and autocrossing again. But the toy box is pretty full at this stage of my life.

[sailchessi]

Originally Posted by Betr2Trvl

I was a track junkie for about 15 years; various racing schools, track days and DEs.
"too many folks with way too much car and ego and not much talent, as well as some humongous speed differentials / closing speeds .

I agree, at every HDPE there is someone (or several) with a new Camero (mostly) or 'Stang or 'Vette with no talent and 500+ hp. Thankfully I'm in the Intermediate group now (I could be in Advanced but like you said, the speed differential of race cars and top track cars is dangerous). I've found people to be more "civil" in the blue group and understand that after I pass them in the twisty stuff they *could* re-pass me on the straight, but then I'll just be dogging their bumper the rest of the lap compromising both our sessions. So most will "let me have" on straight and then they don't see me the rest of the session.

I have grown weary of constantly pointing almost everyone else past me. I purposely wanted and still want to just be a better driver and have a talent for it, but I would need to spend a lot more money to step up my program and it is expensive enough. Going to a vette makes sense as a step since they are pretty bulletproof and I'd quit blowing engines, shearing off wheels, breaking rearends, etc and going home broken. But my consumables would go way up and I'm just much more interested in lightweight fun cars.

We'll see, a few more years.

[Meames1]

Originally Posted by sailchessi

I agree, at every HDPE there is someone (or several) with a new Camero (mostly) or 'Stang or 'Vette with no talent and 500+ hp. Thankfully I'm in the Intermediate group now (I could be in Advanced but like you said, the speed differential of race cars and top track cars is dangerous). I've found people to be more "civil" in the blue group and understand that after I pass them in the twisty stuff they *could* re-pass me on the straight, but then I'll just be dogging their bumper the rest of the lap compromising both our sessions. So most will "let me have" on straight and then they don't see me the rest of the session.

I have grown weary of constantly pointing almost everyone else past me. I purposely wanted and still want to just be a better driver and have a talent for it, but I would need to spend a lot more money to step up my program and it is expensive enough. Going to a vette makes sense as a step since they are pretty bulletproof and I'd quit blowing engines, shearing off wheels, breaking rearends, etc and going home broken. But my consumables would go way up and I'm just much more interested in lightweight fun cars.

We'll see, a few more years.

Hey, it's not just Mustang owners. LOL! I also run in the intermediate group. The only drivers I have consistently had issues with were Vette drivers. For some reason they cannot accept a Mustang being faster than them. Of course I am overly generalizing, it's not all of them and they're many like them in every make of car on the track. My previous Mustang's had many thousands of dollars of aftermarket suspension items to corner close to the many BMW's etc that were completely stock. My latest, the GT350, stock, runs laps at Watkins the same as my highly modified earlier versions did. It's a blast and I enjoy trying to get every last second out of it. I'm thinking of heading out to different tracks, just wish it wasn't so expensive, since I got the Shelby I've also been getting the on track insurance ...around $350 a day !

[F4Gary]

I did Skip Barber at Laguna Seca about 116 years ago and haven't done any track time since.
I do autocross my '72 Vette with my local Corvette Club but it's just a small parking lot low speed event.
I'm not very fast with my '60s technology suspension and steering.