Gary and Sean make excellent points....yeah its about the cars but the people you meet/befriend is the real payoff. Let's face it...for the most part we are all a bunch of aging kids looking for mischief and fun. None of us are likely to land sponsored ride for Daytona or Sebring.

One way to get perspective is to attend a PCA, POC, NASA or SCCA event....find out which organization(s) fits for you, join and volunteer to work corners....they always welcome new workers. iT gets you closer to the action and makes you an integral part of the event. In appreciation of the workers I held a drawing for any one who worked and gave them a school weekend in my car all expenses paid.

While I think its every man's fantsy to drive a race car, oftentimes its not for everyone because the reality is much different from the fantasy....in both poositive and negtive ways.

Main thing is to get involved on some level and have fun.

heres the drill from someone who is PCA/SCCA SHOWROOM STOCK to the letter(aka nats azz).

1) safety costs big bucks. how far do ya wanna go? cage/cell etc?

2) how much do ya love yer car and how bad do ya wanna win? cuz if ya got a hard on to win and yer a class "A" personality...................THE ONLY WAY YER EVER GONNA WIN IS NOT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE CAR! hitting the wall or someone else can elicit (2) feelings. 1) it doesnt matter as i got the bucks and a shop to fix it. 2) i am totally screwed cuz i aint got the bucks to fix it and i will never race again, becuz the old lady will kill me(lesser evil) or dee-vorce you(worse'er evil).

3) showroom stock has a "FINITE" end.

4) any class above that is an "INFINITE" end. $$$$$$$ aka tow a BANK behind you.

5) dont plan on EVER going to a concours again in yer life. as track debris take their toll quickly. let alone crashing the sucker.

6) if yer like me.............i only go to PCA events as my insurance LIBERTY MUTUAL ($415 bucks a year full coverage inc. glass replacement )COVERS ME as its a TIME TRIAL aka DRIVER INSTRUCTION!

7) if ya go to a ZONE FEST TIME TRIAL, like we have a number of times, i can guurrantee you will POO YERSELF with 42 other crazier than a sheet haus rat drivers trying to be in 1st place.

8) pca/scca showroom stock have a points system as far as modifications to suspension/tranny/engine. basically you can take yer a/c belt off and thats it. we leave the a/c belt on because with 4 layers of nomex/baclava/gloves/booties/nomex underwear............it gets DAMN HOT! and since we havent fitted a fuel cell yet........i kind of have a PHOBIA of hitting the wall or someone else with the POS oem fuel tank. this comes from my SCORE 1/2-1600 deciding to imoliate itself when a fuel line came loose and the entire car was engulfed in flames and i was out some big bucks.

in other words before ya modify read the rule book. too many mods will bump yer points up and you will automatically be bumped into another class. and that next class WILL BE A HELL OF ALOT FASTER THAN SHOWROOM STOCK TRUST ME!

9) check with yer insurance company before going to track

10) we run 1-3 times a year depending solely on $$$. cuz we aint doing it 1/2 AZZED!

Never heard of "PCA Showroom Stock"... or PCA Time Trials, and 95% (and climbing) Insurance companies will not cover PCA Driver's Education events. There are special insurers that write DE policies for just for them.

p.s. when ya go thru the ENTIRE suspension and update with monoballs and delrin bushings and tarrett sway bars and throw a good track align on it, with some BFG R-1's.



YOU WILL FLAT FREEKING BE AMAZED AT HOW FAST YOU CAN HIT THE TWISTIES!



last run we made on fresh BFG's(we have run yoko's and mpsc), my amigo and i at inde motorsports did damn near everything we could on a hot day to break the azz end loose thru some damn tight twisties and never could.


at firebird raceway here on yokos and mpsc's..................we learned damn fast what spinning a 911 360 degrees is ALL ABOUT! LOL!


until ya POP YER CHERRY and learn about the "fine line" of a tire, you aint going FAST ENUFF!


good luck with this. its a HELL OF ALOT OF FUN!

+1. I'm sure there are people that have pushed beyond the rules (intentionally or not), but that is far from 'everyone'. The fastest cars are looked over even more carefully...usually they are the best prepared cars (takes $$) with the drivers that best know how to maximize it.

zone 8 speedfest.


as per liberty mutual. "as long as the event is driver instruction(you only or friend or instructor) YOU ARE COVERED BY US!"


if a flag drops and its a race.................YOU AINT COVERED!

once ya get the car all together to yer liking................yer BIGGEST HURDLE is to PASS TECH!


as PCA TECH "does NOT SUFFER FOOLS!" and they dont care who you are, who yer mommy/daddy are, how much bucks ya got, if YOU dont PASS TECH................ya aint getting on the track. as PCA and calif motor speedway(penske) were sued into the stone age by the widows of the (2) morons who managed all by themselves, to VAPORIZE THEMSELVES w/a carrera gt there.



all safety gear correct and DATED! belts helmets nomex roll bar mount points fire system or extinguishers lug nutz blah blah etc.


the safety stuff is damn spendy in and of itself.


but as bell helmets sez............"if ya gotta $5 dollar head, than buy a $5 dollar helmet.


i think my bell was like $750 bucks and thats cheap.