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[Donman]

You can call me Donman or just OGR (Old Guy Racing). I'm 48 years old, been racing (Autocross) my 4th generation Civic Si for 3 years now. Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs and Chicago Region SCCA. E Modified class champion 2 years in a row. Saved an old Civic from the bone yard, stripped it down, added a new motor (D16A6), full roll cage, custom suspension (Koni Yellows, neuspeed racing springs), and race rubber (Kumho v710s). Don't got no stereo or fancy paint, just want to scare the crap out of myself 15 or 20 times a summer. Blowed up my transmission real good last season, waiting for my tax refund to add an LSD and make it all better. Looking for other 4th generation Civic racers... anybody out there? Wanna race?

[AP1fun]

Welcome. I'd be more than happy to meet you at a track if we lived closer to one another.

[Donman]

Would love to make a new friend... already getting smoked by S2000s regularly.
Can't hardly swing a "dead cat" without hitting one at an SCCA event.

[AP1fun]

Originally Posted by Donman

Would love to make a new friend... already getting smoked by S2000s regularly.
Can't hardly swing a "dead cat" without hitting one at an SCCA event.

S2000s are a different kind of animal. Please, try your best to avoid hitting the pretty S2Ks.

[TJ213]

Originally Posted by AP1fun

S2000s are a different kind of animal. Please, try your best to avoid hitting the pretty S2Ks.

just make sure you never hit a lotus, no bumpers + fiberglass + european exotic = $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ repairs

I heard about one guy who needed 12k of repairs after being tapped by a parallel parking SUV



btw, thanks for the autocross info, do you know of any good sites for beginners to get into autocross?

[Donman]

Try this... PA's Solo II Novice Page

Find a club near you and show up for an event. Don't plan to race your first time out, just show up and offer to work. Most autocross events require participants to help run things. The most basic job is corner worker, standing out on the course, resetting cones and reporting missed gates. This will give you a real good idea what's going on. You will immediately make friends who will help you figure out what to do next.

Where in PA are you?

BTW - I smoked a Lotus Elise at a parking lot event in the rain last year...

[TJ213]

I'm in Carlisle, 30 minutes west of Harrisburg

I'll try to show up for an event when they start in the spring, if I just show up for track work do I need parental consent (I'm 16)

lol, I'm not overly suprised, they say racing is 90% driver


btw, does not lifting in a turn apply to fwd cars as well as rwd cars?

[Donman]

I believe you must have a valid driver's license so I think 16 is okay. I'll see if I can find out more info.

GO FASTER... DON"T LIFT!! Is really a FWD thing. If the car starts to over steer (back end starts sliding) and you let up on the gas, the wheels sometimes get grip too fast and you'll actually spin out in the opposite direction. The idea is to have the front wheels pull you in the direction you want to go. Not something you want to experiment with on the street. If you lift under the same conditions in a RWD car the tires just regain grip. you stop sliding and then you can get on the gas again.

[Donman]

Looks like the Susquehanna Region of the Sports Car Club of America is the goup you want to contact. They have monthly meetings (4th Tuesday of every month). Go to the next meeting and introduce yourself. There will be many friendly people there who will be willing to help you get started.

Check out this site for directions and additional details ... Susquehanna Region SCCA Meetings

Make sure you keep your parents involved as much as possible and resist the urge to practice driving like a wildman on the street. Street racing seems like a lot of fun but there are some serious consequences when you mess up. I realize that it sounds uncool but I had to learn so many lessons the hard way and have such a long list of dead friends to go with it... I just gotta speak up. You don't ever want to help a paramedic drag a dead friend out of a smashed car or from 15 feet up in the tree next to the smashed car... believe it!

[TJ213]

Originally Posted by Donman

resist the urge to practice driving like a wildman on the street

I've always agreed with this, the dangers / legal issues of street racing is one of the reasons I wanted to find some auto-x clubs.

I'll try to go to the meeting next month, do you think I should just show up?


btw, thanks for your help