Budget open wheel racing? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Most people think of Indy cars or Formula One racing when you talk about open wheel racing. But there are some very competitive and cost conscious ways to go racing “without fenders”. There is go-cart racing, but that’s not really a car; no suspension and no seatbelts [...]
This February 7th and 8th, VARA is having its annual season opener event, VARA – U. This well run and well attended event has even been attended by, and written about in, Grassroot Motorsports Magazine. The two day school is held at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, located outside of Bakersfield, CA. The curriculum includes classroom and skid [...]
“Are there any racing series for the financially challenged, hardcore budget racer?” Yes, I can think of two, but I’m sure there are more. Both of these series are relatively new, and are quickly gaining traction. 24 Hours of LeMons is half circus, half endurance stockcar racing, and is now nation-wide. It is hard to [...]
All we need is big, stiff springs and big, thick rollbars to go racing, right? Only if our tracks were as flat as a pool table. Every bump or irregularity in the track upsets our cornering race car to some degree, so we need to have suspension compliancy as well as stiffness. And there is [...]
Continuing on our rollcage discussion, how many points of attachment is enough? More is better is the usual train of thought, but more bars in the cage means more weight. And since acceleration is determined by horsepower per pound of car, the more you weigh, the less you accelerate. So the right balance of enough [...]
If you have been out of the sport for a while, and are feeling the old desire pulling you back in, be prepared for sticker shock! The old days of driving your MG to the track, unhooking the muffler, and letting your scarf fly are unfortunately gone. $350 entry fees, $8/gal race fuel, $800/set racing [...]
One of the best ways to Race On The Cheap is sharing expenses with your buddies. If you don’t have any friends in this sport when you start, you will have some shortly. For the most part, racers are a pretty great group of folks, especially in the vintage race clubs. Lots of comraderie in [...]
Since most new racers come from the street car scene, engine modifications are usually the first area of interest in a race car. New racers want to spend all their time and money getting the most horsepower out of their engine. This is a natural desire, put its quite misguided. Max power output of your race [...]