Hey all,

Super general question, just trying to get a feel for things. I am in Albuquerque NM and there is a solid road racing track just 25 minutes outside of town called Sandia Speedway, and they have a "super lap" series that seems very interesting to me.

I have never done this type of racing, nor much of any organized racing for that matter.

The laps are around 1:30-2:00 long, I think top speeds for most of the cars are around 100mph
you do a warmup lap, 3 hot laps, and a cool down, and do that maybe 4-5 times per day.

My 1989 has 60k miles on it and IMO is in great shape. I am interested in racing it, but I also don't want to "trash" the car or end up needing a tow. Does this sort of racing seem like something to avoid or something to maybe do?

Thanks for your input!

 

A lot of it is down to driver skill and comfort. The car can handle it but you probably would want to go through all the systems before just heading out to make sure everything is 100%. A lot of things become consumables when you start doing things like that. Hubs, brakes, tires...

 

I did it, did pretty well at the NCCC stuff, but you do end up consuming things and things do break at a track, and you may need a tow.

I had a battery die, something broke inside and completely dead cell, the first day I raced my 86. So you need to go through everything to make sure its sturdy, or if its close to failing it will probably do it at the track.

 

"trashing" depends on how you drive the car....not really the lap length, speed or whatever.

If it's actually a race, you'll probably trash the car. If it's a track day, or HPDE, then I don't see why it would or should. I've been tracking my car (*and other cars) for over 10 years....haven't trashed anything yet other than brake pads.

 

I would recommend getting track rotors and pads. Going up to a 100+ and then braking hard and then back up to 100 etc requires better brakes than stock daily drivers with all the heat. Get ceramic pads and vented/drilled rotors and then bed them in before you race. Take it up to 80 brake hard down to 5 mph, not stopping and back up to 80 brake hard down to 5 mph several times in a row to bed them in. You will most likely warp stock rotors and they will pulse on the street and be annoying. I'd also thoroughly flush your brake system and use dot 4. It is compatible with dot 3 and has a higher heat point. I flushed out my brake fluid in my 92 with dot 4 and my brakes feel great.

 

Thanks for all the replies. Looks like tow hooks are an upcoming requirement, and it seems like there aren't great options for a C4 for that?

 

For a track day?!

My car doesn't have 'em. Never will. Rice.

 

For more serious HPDE usage, track memberships or more serious leagues, I've seen them required or suggested.

I don't recall seeing any such requirement for a C4 however. I know I've come across it for my C7 but don't remember the context.

 

The organization I'm looking to potentially race with is going to start requiring tow hooks this season/series starting April 9th.

 

If I were you, I'd start out by entering some autocross events in your area first. They are much safer (less chances to hurt man and machine if you lose control and go off course) and you will learn a lot more quickly. Experienced autocrossers almost always do well on a road course, but the reverse is not true. That said, a track where terminal speed is only 100mph is a very small road course, so maybe not a bad option. The biggest thing you need is to flush your brake system and put good fluid in (Motul RBF600 is a good, cost-effective option) and get pads that are made for higher heat ranges (I don't have good recommendations for you on that, sorry).

I've seen a tow hook for a C4, but it wasn't confidence-inspiring. It bolted to the front-lower radiator support. I was told it was strong enough "if the wheels roll freely." Not so much if the wheels are locked or the car is down in a ditch or whatever. A friend of mine attached one to his cage at the top front corner of the driver's window (if memory serves), but obviously that only works if you have a cage. It's actually really hard to figure out a good way to attach a tow hook to a stock C4. I understand why the event organizers would like everyone to have them, but it's kind of harsh to mandate them.

 

I'd find another organization or event to put my car on the track with.

Two reasons to put tow hooks on a C4:
1. You making a bonafide TRACK CAR, that will be used primarily or exclusively on the track, in actual competition. A racing car. Then you need hooks; you're committed to racing with your car.
2. You want people to THINK you're a bad-assed "rice car driver"....out on the street.

NFW would I put hooks on my street driven, auto-x'ed and track day'd C4.

 

The race series organizers require it.

 

 

I wouldn't go for that series at your level of experience. Maybe later when its a more purpose built car.

Start with AutoX, NCCC events, learn how much effort/cost is in it, then think about that sort of thing.

 

I agree with the others, I think you need to take a step back and reconsider where you're starting.

It sounds like you're entering a race series. That is NOT where you start track driving and such. There's a variety of reasons not limited to the level of prep needed for the car, the level of support you get out of it, the level of risk, etc.

You can start with autocross, I started there but thought it was pretty boring. I then switch to hpde and liked it a lot more. The cost is higher, but you get a lot more track time. Most organizations also give you a ride along instructor when you start, and you'll learn the skills needed to be successful. Your first track days should focus on awareness to be safe, memorizing the track layout, learning to be smooth in inputs, and generally getting comfortable with what your car can do, with a side course of "how to maintain a vehicle for track use".

Look up a Pca, NASA, SCCA, or other similar HPDE event in your area and start there. You're going to be much happier learning in that sort of environment, and you can spend the money you'd waste on things you don't need on things you do need, like a good helmet, fresh fluids and tires, good brake pads, and track time.

 

Listen to the men. Auto-x is fun, you learn a ton about your car, radically improve your driving and there is essentially zero consequences. It's also not hard on the car.

I'll throw this out there: I started in auto-x too....simply b/c where/when I grew up, there were no tracks and no such thing as track days. I ran the **** out of my car at auto-x events and thought it was great, but always yearned for the "holy grail": blowing everyone else away, on a REAL RACE TRACK! I thought auto-x was a little ghey and poserish...not a "real race"....but better than nothing. There used to be this guy at every event that wore a shirt that said, "If auto-x were easy, it would be called road racing". Sure thing, buddy. -I thought.

Eventually, track days became a thing, I had the right car, and **** yeah... I started doing them. I was finally, running my car on a REAL RACE TRACK!! Doing that was pretty great...but over time, track days helped me recognize and appreciate what is so great about auto-x. First, it's way easier on the car. You can do every event, all summer on one set of tires, brake pads, etc. I've consumed an entire set of brake pads in one, single track day. That consumes money. Track days are way harder on the car. Tires, pads, rotors, wheel bearings....for starters. Road course challenges the stock cooling system and oil temps run high. Brake fluid boils.....Auto-x, none of that.

Second, there is a LOT more "action" in an auto-x event, IMO. Due to the wide open, large nature of most race tracks, (compared to an auto-x course) everything kind of happens in "slow motion" in a street car. Turn in, the corner, the unwind and exit, full throttle down the next segment, 3rd gear....3rd gear....3rd gear....3rd gear....shift. 4th gear........4th gear...........4th gear.......4th gear........4th gear............ then brake...the car is moving fast, but your driving inputs are slow and spaced apart. In contrast, auto-x?...from the moment that the green flag drops, until the car stops moving in the stop box....it's like a ******* BOMB going off! Like a roller coaster ride. GAS! TURN! BRAKE! TURN, SLIDE, hook, GAS GO GO GO!!! BING-BANG-BOOM...head's bangin' off the targa frame....you're thrown hard into the seat belt, than back into the seat back as the car hooks and accelerates HARD in 1st or 2nd gear......it's unbridled mayhem, for like 60 seconds. Action. I love it. And for all that, it's $35 bucks!

So....I used to do auto-x and in my head, I'd kind of poo on it. After doing track days, I love auto-x more than ever.

 

With autoX the group makes all the difference. In NC we were 1.5 hours away from an auto x event, it was 60 bucks for the event and you had to work the even in your off groups. The courses were tiny because it was a group dominated by Miata guys, and I had a c6 vette. It was no fun for me car wise, and the guys who were into it were all a group that was friends. They had a freaking blast, they were hanging ut with their buddies, some even brought their families and stuff it was a lot more laid back, and felt more like car guys hanging out. We're were sort of out casted for being the guys who brought sledgehammer to their knife fight. I set the record for trap speed at the end of the run, but they loved to gloat about miatas on Hoosier being 10 seconds faster. That said, everyone drove their car home that day.

HPDE was more fun for me, I got to see what the C6 could really do, and I found the people friendlier. That said, I had the opposite issue in HPDE, instead of bringing a sledgehammer to the knife fight I was out spent by guys with deep pockets. They'd roll up in RVs and trailers and spare race parts and prepped cars and the like, and I had my street car. There was also a big delta in cars and condition, at road Atlanta I was coasting 1/3 the back straight at 150 because there were miatas that would struggle to hit 80 on it, and you come up on them FAST with that kind of delta.

That said, the cost of hpdes was very high, and I found out Im more of a track tourer kinda guy. I would rather do a 7/10ths day at several destination tracks than keep going to the same few tracks to get to the point where I was super fast.

I do often think about getting back into autoX in my c4. It's a lot easier to get the wife to agree to an afternoon thing than a weekend trip tonan track.

 

It's fun. It's your car, so if you do it and like it, be prepared that will want to go faster which will mean modification. The organization is probably mandating tow hooks because guys are just going out there and beating the hell out of junkers and always breaking down.

You should stick to street tires until you're ready to put a better oil pan on. The stock pan and small oil capacity will screw you quickly on long, sweeping higher g turns.

1989 Corvette = you probably need to keep an eye on the bushings. They may look good but if they've not been tracked, you will likely exceed what elasticity they have left fairly quickly.

It looks like a fairly small track, so your car should be plenty of fun for it. Anything with long straights would get irritating with an L98.

Do yourself a favor and get a track alignment. I don't know how much you drive the car but you'll wear your tires out really quick on the track with a normal alignment.

A set of track oriented brake pads will do you well also. If you're running 12" front brakes, you probably want to get some ducting into them to cool them off as they'll get hot quick. Do not go without swapping your brake fluid to a high temp fresh fill.

 

what is the racing series you want to enter?

 

I do have a question. I assume the high temp fluid is something of a dot 5 being it has a 500+ boiling point? I'm just curious is all.