I'm curious who here has actually been on a real race track. Drag strip, dirt track, asphalt, etc. Any kind of official race track. I don't want to hear about how you haven't but really want to... I'm just wondering who actually has...

Do Karts count?

If so, I have. Last time I went was the best time though. I had enough time and 'experience' to concentrate on lines and experimenting, braking points etc. etc.

Boy was I feeling it though! Those karts are unforgiving!

EDIT: By 'been on' I'm assuming you mean 'raced on', right?

I've been to a dragstrip (TMP/Cayuga)
but alas have no timeslips to post....:(

Temple Raceway 1/4 mile track.

I have slips of my 2.3 second 60' (balla!! =P) in the Honder.

Do Karts count?
Hell yeah Karts count. That's where a lot of professional race car drivers start...

Yeah, raced on...

Temple Raceway 1/4 mile track.

I have slips of my 2.3 second 60' (balla!! =P) in the Honder.A 2.3 60 isn't bad for a Hondoooooo

It was a slush box too. =)

Hell yeah Karts count. That's where a lot of professional race car drivers start...

Damn straight! I just wasn't sure on which level of racing you were looking for (keeping in mind that the session of karting I did was more of a social run of sorts).

It was a slush box too. =)lol... I had a girlfriend who drove a sledgomatic CRX... That thing was SLOOOOOOOOW

Damn straight! I just wasn't sure on which level of racing you were looking for (keeping in mind that the session of karting I did was more of a social run of sorts).Every level of racing. You don't have to go 300 mph to be racing...

Uh, I've run cars at drag strips, raced at NASA HPDEs, raced carts on dirt and asphalt tracks, driven a stock car once, drove in a road rally once, and participated in auto cross events.

3 weeks ago I raced porsches on a closed down airsrtip, with a cones course.....if that counts....

Then the race car driver did a few laps and made me feel like i wasnt even moving when i went around

I drove an old F2000 race car around a track in a sort of time trials once. I had the fastest time of the day.

When I was a bit younger I took a proper go-karting course. It was set over 5 days and I was basically taught the racing lines and everything linked to go-kart racing. It was pretty good and it was the first time I was driving something quite powerful, on my own.

From then on I just got hooked to go-karting. I absolutely love it. I often go with my dad, family or friends.
I also participated in a 4 hour endurance race on one of the best tracks in France (Brignoles) where we were split in teams of two. We did turns of 20 minutes driving each and it was fantastic. Me & my team-mate finished third out of eleven (bare in mind the two first were established racing drivers - Porsche GT3s).

I've also "raced" pocket-bikes. Great they are, but trickier than you might expect!

Other than that, the closest I've come from real racing is driving around the Nurburgring on my PS2 with the Logitech G25.

Competitive events:

Drag racing (bracket racing at Bandimere, our local 1/4 mile track)

Time trials (or time attack, whatever it's now called) at various road courses in Colorado

Rally Cross (like autox, but on longer courses in the dirt)

Open road racing (more of a rally rather than a race, as the goal is to hit an exact mph target as opposed to going as fast as you can.)

Non-competitive events:
Lots of open track days, which are not officially competitive, but involve a fair amount of "unofficial" competition.

I hear ya... I race in a LOT of 'unofficial events'. lol...

This is the only car circuit (see the photo at the end of the post) on the island I live (no drag tracks over here). I go there when I have time, usually with a classic 1973 911S 2.4 Porsche. But I have never taken part in any "official" race. I also do some kart racing with friends every now and then (but they are no rival for me :):)!!). The karts get up to 100km/h (60mph) so they are relatively fast.

The circuit is 2550 metres long and 12 metres wide through most parts and my fastest laps on the Porsche are 1:48 when dry and 2:19 when very wet. There is such a difference between the wet and dry because when I went to the track when wet it was my first time in that car and the car has not got, obviously, traction control, ABS (imagine no ABS on the wet) or anything similar. When dry the slowest corners are taken at around 60km/h (36mph) and at the end of the straight I get up to around 170km/h (106mph). I can still improve those times.

I will soon have a 1972 Morgan +8 restored and will be able to take it to that track and compare the laptimes. I cannot wait to take that car. The gears in the Porsche are horribly set for that circuit and the ones on the Morgan look just perfect plus it is 225kg lighter and the engine is torquier.


Down is some data about the cars. I like light cars as you can see.


Porsche 911S 915 Targa (1973)

Engine
Type: 6 Cylinder Boxer (Dry Sump)
Displacement: 2341cc
Power at RPM: 190bhp / 6500rpm
Torque at RPM: 216Nm / 5200rpm
Redline at RPM: 7300rpm
Compression Ratio: 8.5:1
Layout: Rear-Engine / Rear-Drive

Transmission
Gearbox: 5-Speed Manual
Gear Ratio
1st: 3.181 ( 60km/h at redline)
2nd: 1.833 (110km/h at redline)
3rd: 1.261 (160km/h at redline)
4th: 0.961 (205km/h at redline)
5th: 0.759 (260km/h at redline)
Reverse: -3.325
Final Drive: 4.429:1

Brakes & Tires
Brakes F/R: Ventilated Disc / Ventilated Disc
Wheels F/R: 6 x 15in / 6 x 15in
Tires F/R: 185/70 VR15 / 185/70 VR15

Exterior Dimensions & Weight
Length × Width × Height: 4147mm x 1610mm x 1320mm
Wheel Base: 2271mm
Weight: 1075kg

Performance
Acceleration 0-100km/h: 7s
Top Speed: 230km/h / 6500rpm (260km/h / 7300rpm theoretical)


Morgan Plus 8 (1968)

Engine
Type: Rover 90º V8 (OHV 2v Wet Sump) aluminium alloy block & head
Displacement: 3532cc
Power at RPM: 160bhp / 5200rpm
Torque at RPM: 285Nm / 2600rpm
Redline at RPM: 6000rpm?
Compression ratio: 10.5:1
Bore × stroke: 88.90mm × 71.12mm (1.25:1 ratio)
Fuel system: 2 SU HS6 carbs
Layout: Front-Engine / Longitudinal

Transmission
Gearbox: 5-Speed Manual
Gear Ratio
1st: 4.23 ( 50km/h at redline)
2nd: 2.52 ( 80km/h at redline)
3rd: 1.67 (120km/h at redline)
4th: 1.22 (165km/h at redline)
5th: 1 (205km/h at redline)
Reverse: -3.51
Final Drive: 3.58

Brakes & Tires
Brakes F/R: Disc / Servo-assisted Drum
Tires F/R: Dunlop SP Sport 185-15 VR
Driveline: Rear Wheel Drive

Exterior Dimensions & Weight
Length × Width × Height: 3708mm x 1460mm x 1321mm
Wheel Base: 2489mm
Weight: 850kg (52% front)

Performance
Acceleration
0-100km/h: 6.7s
0-50mph (80 km/h): 5.2s
0-100mph (160km/h): 19.0s
Top Speed: 205km/h / 6000rpm
0-Quarter-mile: 15.1s @ 92mph (148km/h)
0-Kilometre: 27.9s @ 182km/h
Power-to-weight: 188.6 bhp/ton
Weight-to-power: 5.15 kg/bhp
Fuel Economy: 21mpg / 11.9l/100km


I remember you, monkeyfkker, were about to buy a 1969 911. How did that end?

Me! I had taken seriously go kart for a year. You know, training, races. But i had an accident and my family kept me away from go karts. Also school and some other reasons kept me away from this kind of racing. Despite all these if i am in a kart track i will certainly race. That was 2 years ago.

I remember you, monkeyfckker, were about to buy a 1969 911. How did that end?That was a while ago. He wanted too much for it and I'd still rather have a 912. The more basic the interior the better and the 912 was as bare as a 1940's VW Bug. lol

I have been on at least 12 amateur motocross races, 3 autocross events, some Karting events and 4 drag racing events. I really sucked on most of them, but i did won at least one time on each category (mainly because all other participants sucked more).
And at least once a month since april, me and my dad go to open track days just for fun. ( I have no car at the moment, so i am only riding my bike, or mi dad's).

i've raced a couple times on a real go cart track, called Runway 9. The guys over there thought i was losing control, when i actually was powersliding:p

Well sadly I haven't been to a real professional race track or a 1/4 drag strip yet but I have been to the Wake County Speedway a few times. It's just a 1/4 mile track that races stock cars and stuff... It's fun to watch but I want to see real modified cars tearing up the 1/4 mile.

i've raced a couple times on a real go cart track, called Runway 9. The guys over there thought i was losing control, when i actually was powersliding:p

wow your my hero, i wanna grow up to be just like you

That's the excuse I used to use when I was learning to race... lol

Well if go-carts count, then i've raced them at a go-cart track where they let you use them, kinda like an amusment park if you catch my drift. The only thing with those is those stupid speed limiters that prevent it from going fast at all, so me, being the fat one of crowd, just kinda slowely races, lol. But the ones that don't, those are real fun! There were 10 tracks at that go-cart park place.

I have been on the drag strip to, raced? no, but seen? yes. Seeing it is really fun, and after seeing it, I really want to get involved in it when I get a liscense, so I can take my need for speed there, lol.

This would be a little more than two years ago.

I've driven a race kart before... kind of by an astonishing stroke of luck.

My Dad, my brother and I were driving around about an hour away from Toronto (in the Lake Simcoe area) when we come across a somewhat dilapidated go-kart track. We decide to pull in and check it out, because we've on a number of occasions stopped at tracks we've come across.

There were two rental karts on the track (the restricted ones with plastic bodies) when we got there. We walked into the service area to see what the pricing was for a go-kart session. It's at that point that I noticed a small sign taped to the bottom of the counter that reads:

Drive a real race kart!
$5/10 laps

I asked if they were actually race prepped karts and the guy there said "yeah, they are" so my Dad decided to buy me and himself 10 laps. The guy there asks my Dad if he's sure I'm not gonna kill myself out there and said "Oh yeah, he knows what he's doing."

So he takes us out to the shop, hands me a full helmut and a leather jacket, and rolls out the kart. I sit down, he fires it up, I wait for a minute for the engine to warm up, and then I take a warm up lap, because the engine still wasn't quite warm enough yet.

Coming on to the main straight, I mash the gas with everything I have. At first, there's a slow build of revs, as the little Honda five horse creeps into it's very high and narrow powerband. When it reaches a point where I think it's gonna explode, it takes off (VTEC kicked in!! lol) causing a surge of a adrenaline that made me think I was going to explode, if the engine didn't blow itself up first.

The first turn is a tight 70 degree left, I take it hugging the inside, and the engine is still gaining revs. Coming down that second straight and entering that next turn, I realize that whole kart feels incredibly...rickety. The engine is still gaining revs (when it sounds like it should have stopped yesterday), the chassis is shaking violently, as is the steering wheel, and I'm holding on to it with every bit of strength I have.

All of those concerns about the kart were dashed when the apparently gradual turn I was entering suddenly tightened. I lift my foot off the gas a little bit, and crank the wheel over, my body and mind wrestling against a relentless onslaught of G forces that I have yet to experience in anything else (save for maybe a really fast rollercoaster). The turn tightens further and snakes in the other direction, so I let off the gas (because I wasn't set up to fly through it), turn the wheel, and stand on it. It was only after I had finished that turn and was making my way to the last hairpin that I realized that the back end stepped out, and I corrected it.

I come tearing around the hairpin and fly down the main straight, the engine now in it's powerband, and the thought strikes me: "holy smokes, I get nine more ti- sh**************t!!!!!!!!"

I wasn't quite graceful enough with steering wheel entering the first turn, and I spun it. I stood on the gas, got back myself back on the track, and waited for VTEC to kick in again. (haha) It did so at an alarmingly quick rate, because it was now warm, and set off to do the rest of my laps.

I came out of that with a tremendous amount of respect for race drivers; after only ten laps I could barely move my arms, and when the adrenaline left, I couldn't. I'll never forget that. The sounds and sensations of driving at ten tenths, that sense of pushing limits and hunting for perfection, the noise of the thing, the union between myself and the kart, the unbelieveable g-loading, and the first time I thought, when coming down the second straight on lap one "holy s**t this is REALLY, REALLY, ...REALLY FAST...."

I went back once later that summer, and he told us he was selling the place. We haven't returned since.

I'll never forget that experience; it contributed hugely to...lots of stuff.

^^Wow. Great write-up. I can feel some adrenaline just reading it! Wow that inspires me! lol.

I had. Carolina Raceway Park and El Tuque. Drag and Solo I racing....

I have raced down the street just a couple steps ahead of a jealous boyfriend....does that count?

I have raced down the street just a couple steps ahead of a jealous boyfriend....does that count?

No, it doesn't. You bad, bad man.

So, I've been to VIR (Virginia Internation Raceway) (Patriot course) for a one-day solo-driving trackday thing thanks to an in-law of mine who lives right outside of Danville, did a local RVA performance shop (RPM) "sanctioned" A/C on RIC (airport) pavement a year ago, a number of little hodgepodge autocrosses around Lynchburg with friends a number of years ago, and a NASA autocross in Norfolk a few years ago. Suffice to say, I've gotten better since day one and now I can embarass some pretty serious iron with my little Hawnda.

And, of course, I've had lots of seat time murdering all the noodly backroads, dirt roads, and grassy fields that go along with living near the countryside (and having a wife that grew up on a 40+ acre cow farm in Bedford, VA).

I love driving, man. It's the (third) best thing in the world.

I have raced down the street just a couple steps ahead of a jealous boyfriend....does that count?

Were you wearing some form of racing jersey?

If so, by all means.

Temple Raceway 1/4 mile track.

I have slips of my 2.3 second 60' (balla!! =P) in the Honder.

Same. I find it hard to believe you never saw my car out there, but okie doke.

I also have some runs at Sac Raceway, and some various other things and workamabobs....

I went when it was cold.. not the best idea.

^^Wow. Great write-up. I can feel some adrenaline just reading it! Wow that inspires me! lol.

Hey, thanks man, it's nice to hear that sort of thing.

i go to super chevy at indy every year and watch drag racers

i have been for some hot laps (only as a passenger) in a nascar and some go-karting. when i was real young my dad took me go-karting and i had a really weak cart and found out i could do the whole course with my foot down as far as it goes

My parents also own a 3000+ acres farm in Argentina (mainly woods) and a 180?/200? bhp turbodiesel RWD pickup. The woods are fool of twisty rough tracks and even though I drive at the maximum over there I wouldnt consider that racing as there is no one else and its no proper track. I have been able to lift off the ground all 4 wheels (not sure about that, but definitely the front ones) going fast out of a dry river. Ill make photos next winter (summer there). Once I also got the chevy tilting when going over a small jump as I passed over it slowly and had to travel back 5km walking:(:(! Its been a long time since I last went there.

I used to race at a go kart place near Barbagallo Raceway. And once I challenged the guy who owned it to a race and I actually won. (Probably I weighed less than him :p) He said I had real talent and I should get heavily involved in the sport.

Once went up and down the Kwinana motorplex in the ol' XR Turbo. Couple of hotlaps around Barbagello on a GSXR-750, some timed runs but never any proper mano-e-mano racing. I came close to the bottom, being the inexperienced pansy that I am, but some guys there were serious girls and wouldn't stop babying their bikes - most were brand new hondas and ducatis.

I have raced down the street just a couple steps ahead of a jealous boyfriend....does that count?And eventually I'll catch your ass! lol

I have raced in SCCA races around the country in a number of different purpose built race cars. I have also raced in a few different vintage races with SVRA and HSR. So far I have been on the podium twice with SCCA and once with vintage racing. These have all been road tracks, not ovals/strips. I've been racing like this since 16 years old.
This august was the first time I drag raced at a strip. I gotta do it more for sure to get good, but so far my best time was an 11.8 not bad :D
that was my second ever run!

Be careful... you'll get hooked on drag racing very easily.