Steve85

I'm part of a motorsports club that was started at James Madison University 10 years ago, Madison Motorsports. We attend track events and autox together many times a year. It's a pretty dedicated group, with former Honda Challenge racers, the club as a whole won NASA Worker of the Year award, the MA 2006 Spec Miata champ is a member, several still instruct with NASA, and lots of autox at a regionally competitive level and so on. Not a ricer show car fraternity is my point.

The founder of the club recently posed this:

Link to the thread if interested in responses:
Madison Motorsports - Enthusiast Burnout

What have you guys, many of whom with decades of racing/tracking/autoxing, done to avoid burnout?

bb69

The answer to this question will be different for everyone. What you have to determine first is what motivates you. There are a few things that keep me coming back:

1. Making changes to my car. What really drives me is doing stuff other people say can't be done or are afraid to try. That's why I have a homemade car. I love making a change and then trying it out at the track.

2. The people. I look forward to camping the night before the event as much (if not more) than the driving. Having a beer or two and sitting around a fire with friends that all enjoy talking about cars is worth the hassle; actually driving is icing on the cake.

There are a ton of people that hate those two things though. You have to figure out what YOU like and then figure out how to trigger that.

Ken

Short-Throw

The number one goal for me is to always make it fun.

Going to HPDEs is fun but offers no competition like W2W does. 1/2 the reason I attend HPDEs is to see my friends I've made over the years. Racing is work the entire weekend where HPDEs are relaxed and no pressure.

I have found balancing them out helps keep the season fresh.

Competing every minute you're on track would be great as a paid driver, but the fact is most of us aren't quitting our day jobs any time soon. The time, travel and money spent just to have a part break and keep you out of action will drive anybody nuts.


I like to pick things to work on depending on what track I'm at so things don't become monotonous. If you start to take it too seriously, the fun disappears. Try also going to the track and crewing for somebody. It can be very rewarding and cost you little.

Lastly, I know there is an endless supply of better drivers than me and although I always try my hardest in competition, realize my abilities. I'm there for fun.

Can't wait to drive 1000 miles to VIR for the NCM event, work the first full day and drive the second.


Mike

Steve85

and hope it makes for an interesting discussion and maybe even help out some newcomers (like me) plan ahead and get some longevity out of the sport.

avizandum

For me, i bought a Corvette - NO MODDING!

95jersey

I am 100% in this burnout phase. It has been 10 years. I have accomplished everything I set out to do (move up through the years, get very fast as a driver, become an instructor, win time trials).

I am at the point now where my time trial times are the exact same as they were 2-3 years ago (maybe a tenth or two better). In weightlifting speak, I have basically "peaked".

As stated above I can not afford nor have time for real racing, so what is there left to do? I am sick of going to an HPDE day on a track I have been to dozens and dozens of times over, and then go as fast as possible for absolutely no reason. I no longer get those...wow, I just learned something new that makes me so much faster and gives me a reason to keep going on.

Right now, many guys are thinking this dude is crazy (we'll you all knew that anyway), you are thinking, this is the most fun you can have with your pants on...we'll you will get to a point where you just won't get those leaps and bounds improvements in speed that kept your interest as you went from Novice to Advanced. Any improvement I can make now is down to a couple tenths, and during an HPDE, especially with traffic, it is almost pointless to push that far, now I am just asking for an accident. For me I am either into something 110% or I have no interest.

So this year, I am going to register for one event because my family and friends/co-workers want to come and check it out, but beyond that I have no more interest as of now. I think a big part of it is the huge conversion that needs to take place from street to race car every year. It is SO much work, that once I get the car track ready, I do not want to spend another weekend converting it back to street, to just have to convert it again in a month for another track event. So I convert in the spring once, only use for track days and convert to street back in the fall.

I never get to drive it in the summer on the street and enjoy it for the nice street car that it is. Then when I convert it back to street in Nov, the winter comes and it goes back in the F'N garage...I have a $60k car I use 6 times a year...like WTF.

I do still like posting on the forum and talking about it, and I enjoy watching it on TV, maybe something will change to bring me back, but for now, I am taking a break.

travisnd

A few things -

1. Be honest about your budget. Lots of people have fancy cars and build fancy cars only to find a hard time affording to run the thing. I'd rather run a full season in a Miata then 2 weekends a year in a C6Z because tires are $1600 a set etc. etc.

2. Try and look long-term. If you're setting up a car build it around a class you can run in. I picked TTA/PTA because I love tracking Corvettes and it's nearly a spec class. TTS/ST2 is great, but costs another $15k to be competitive.

3. Set goals, work towards them, set new ones. For me it involved building a TTA specific car and chasing track records. I also started instructing.... I was worried it might be too much work (it would be with 2 students and trying to TT), but overall I love it. It's a blast teaching people to do this stuff. Also, as an instructor I can go on track in any session so I can give friends/family real rides at speed. Many have come to the track to check it all out only to be able to get a touring lap at lunch.

4. If it stops being fun then take a break... put the car in the garage with a cover and go play golf. Once you realize how much golf sucks racing will be fun again (I played golf my whole life and in college and got burnt out big time)

5. Related to the above stuff about being able to afford it all.... either have a fat check book and have no qualms about paying shops large amounts of money to fix, prep, maintain your car.... or... make sure you have a car you know how to work on and one that is reliable. Overall Corvettes are very very reliable and very easy to work on.

Just my $0.02

Armycop

..and we love watching the resultant speed/fireball/carnage!!

Absolutely going to try this one this season. Just hope my attempts at junior electrician don't burn up the trailer!

TedDBere

For me it's about setting a goal for yourself at the beginning of the season and then going out and try to accomplish it.

First two years to win SJR SCCA SS class and compete in a national event.

Then win NNJR SS and compete nationally.

Win first place in a National tour and win tires in some class (ASP at Seneca, NY)

Then win Philly SCCA SS and continue to compete nationally.

Then qualify for the ProSolo Finally in two classes and go to Nationals.

Every year I try and find a goal and then pace my events to fulfill that goal. Don't over do it or you'll burn yourself out. Balance in life is important!

John B

For me age has a lot to do with it. In my twenties I worked 12hrs a day then came home & worked on the race car all night. I would push the thing to the track if need be. I'm a hi mileage 42 year old with herniated discs & bad knees. It gets harder & harder each year to motivate myself. A race car or even tracking a car is always a bunch of work. It sure is fun still.

clubracer6

This is pretty common - racing is just not kind to anyone, regardless of your background or the amount of money you have.

I was watching the Rolex race at Homestead a few weeks ago and Patrick Dempsey's car had an oil line come off (I think) and the car started filling up with smoke. From the in car shot, smoke starts coming in and like any racer, he kept driving until the car was completly filled and he couldn't see anymore... And I thought, man i have had things happen like that to me and here is a guy with unlimited resources and he still has crap like that happen to him. Clubracer's - pro racers - it just doesn't matter what level, racing is not for the weak! That's what makes winning so f-n rewarding... It's not just about that race or that last lap battle - it was the entire road that brought you there. All the crazy stuff we have gone through to get there. There are countless stories to be told of racers doing the impossible to get to the track... all nighters, spending absurds amount of money, coming up with crazy solutions and deals just to make it happen.. You tell outsiders some of your stories and they think you're nuts - especially your non-racing buddies wives!! They give the looks to your wife, like she is a saint (which mine is) and most of ours are if they deal with this crazy obssession of ours.

Next year it will be 20 years since I started road racing... And you do get burnt out and for me I have just stepped away for while... The only problem with that solution is when you come back you go in deeper! In 06, I finsihed the season in Spec Miata with a win and a track record - on my drive home - I had this lack of satisfaction feeling. I felt like everything I had gone through wasn't worth the success.... So I knew i need to stop...

Two years later, I bought a GT1 car, which ended up being a huge disaster - then last year I decide to run some races in Grand Am in the Continental Series - even more of a disaster. So here I am now trying for a 3rd yearwith this ST2 program and hopefully it goes well, otherwise another much longer break!!

Steve85

Have you ever considered going wheel to wheel in a lower cost spec series with dedicated car? Or even just a different dedicated HPDE car, something new to learn? I don't know what else would be interesting after a C6 Z06...

I had been taking my 408 engined C4 to the track and last weekend I went with a little Integra where EVRYTHING is cheaper. It may be a while before I take the C4 again. I had time for a tea party down the back straight at VIR but I had fun on the other 90% of the track. Having spare tires and such is much more plausible with the Integra. I do need to be honest with myself...

What was your secret to not burning out in the twenty years? Did you pace yourself with events? Try different cars to keep it fresh? Find a good balance between keeping the racing "serious" an having fun?

AU N EGL

That is a very good one here.

Motivation, vs Competition vs just doing track days

just like working for yourself. If you have to motivate yourself, you should not own your own business or be on track. Yes we have down days, and you want to say WTF : what a load of chitzzz

But then you get over it and pick yourself up and get back on the horse. and start again.

A number of years ago the SCCA did a survey of members as to why they race?

overwhelming answer was to: "SEE How Far I can Go and to find or push my personal limits"

an other question for you

would you rather have:

1. Wonderful house in a perfect neighborhood with a two car garage

2. have a 12 car garage and live above it

3. have a nice house with 3 car garage and no HOA to b8tch about you parking your doully and car hauler in the back yard.


ie a track junkie buys a garage and land to park the rig and oh by the way there is an OK house attached to the garage.

travisnd

#2.5 Live above a 12-car garage in a perfect neighborhood

AU N EGL

Contact Short throw. He may have openings at Autobaun.

or I can sell you a townhome at VIR with a raceshop located 100 yards away

63Corvette

"The number one goal for me is to always make it fun."
I agree with Shortthrow on this one.

I am 70 and have had a comp license since 1971. I race for FUN. In order to accomplish this goal, I focus on:
1) Focus on the social aspects of the race weekend, so that even if the driving or car is not perfect, I still have a fun weekend.
2) Focus on having an adequately prepped racecar BEFORE arriving at the track so that I can concentrate on the driving aspects while at the track.
3) My only goals at the track are to A) Finish, B) Not finish last, and C) Drive the car back on the trailer in the same shape that we drove it off of the trailer.

travisnd

That's awesome

Jason

Having the budget goes a long way towards making this fun vs stresseful.

Falcon

This echoes my thoughts exactly.

I always try to bring a prepped car to the track. It's rare that I have to do anything to it (except to change wheels) once it's off the trailer.

And my goals during the race are like yours, to finish, but not DFL, and to drive it back on the trailer.

The social aspect of the weekend is as important to me as most anything else. Some of the best friends, best laughs, and coldest beers I've had are those from the track.

At my age, if I can't have fun doing something, then life is too short to keep doing it, so I'll take up skydivng or something else less stressful.

2K3Z06

I got burned out about 2 years ago. Did the Solo2 thing and CC solo program for a couple of years. Parking lot racing got old. So, I joind Eagles Canyon Raceway, did the HPDE and had a lot of fun. But got tired of blowing money on tires, brakes and gas, and laptimes are about as good as they can get for my cars level of preperation. So I am paying monthly track dues and I haven't even been to the track in about 19 months.


But, my cure was something new. I got my pilots license last Sept. and have been flying for about 13 months now. Its expensive but challenging and difficult, which makes it rewarding when get your license and other endorsements.

So yeah, cars got old, so now I fly airplanes and work on being a better pilot, i.e. (instrument rating) . I still have my car and my membership at ECR, so i can do that whenever I feel like I want to do it again. But, for me, flying is so much more fun than cars right now.


Maybe you should try a new hobby?


I guess thats why I don't post here as much as i used too. I am on the aviation forums.


Best of luck with your decision. Robert Lewis