Paul:
I can give you some basic advice and let others chime in.
First:
Check out the web pages, or personally contact all of the vintage clubs that
operate in your area.
You want to find out:
1. Eligible vehicle age. Your car may not be old enough to be eligible to
run.
2. Minimum safety standards. What equipment will the car need to meet tech
safety requirements
3. Vehicle classifications: There may be a group for less modified cars to
run in. This may not be of concern at the moment, but good information to
have.
4. Check for driving schools. Many vintage clubs have once a year driving
schools where you can use street cars on the track. This can be an
incredibly cost effective way to get lots of seat time in you street car.
Second:
Check to find if there are any other racing groups active in your area.
California has Green Flag Racing, which will allow you to run pretty much
any car with minimum safety equipment on the track for a price. There are
other groups that rent tracks, or run with other clubs to cut down costs.
> 1) I want to use my 1971 MGB, but it has to remain
> primarily a street car. Therefore, I need to be able
> to bolt the roll bar in and out, leave the lights in,
> etc.
Most vintage groups require that the roll bar is 2" above the
helmet. A sneaky way to allow a streetable roll bar is to fit a hard top.
If the bar will clear the hard top, it will clear a soft top. This has
allowed me to still fit a soft top to my Sebring replica when I want to go
on club street events. You don't want to remove a roll bar once it is
installed, it is not an easy task.
All groups will allow stock lighting to remain. Usually you just
will be required to tape the headlights.
Many groups have a "Production Group 1 Class" which is designed for
the streetable car. This type of class allows you to race without having a
fuel cell and central fire suppression system. The roll bar height, fuel
cell and fire suppression are the areas you want to check out. I've got the
two latter items in my race car, and drive it on the street but they are
expensive and restrict luggage and interior space.
I don't know anything about hillclimbs back east. I would like to
know more. There is a good chance that my car was originally a hill climb
car in New Jersey. I did get a chance to run a hill climb in Colorado with
the SCCA Pro Rally folks in a 1970 MGB many years ago. Incredible blast!!!
Safety Equipment:
You will have to install a roll bar. I don't know of any group that will
allow you on a track in a convertible without one. See above for how to
make a street bar work for vintage racing.
Safety belts: Most track day groups will allow you to run with standard 3
point belts. Vintage groups require a minimum 4, 5 or 6 point. In all
cases the shoulder belts must be of H design. Two straps all the way to the
mountings, the old Y design are illegal.
Helmet: Go to a discount house like Racer Wholesale and order the latest
Snell budget helmet.
Driving Suit: To race in a vintage group you will need a suit, underwear,
gloves, shoes, (hood if you have a beard). This is going to set you back
about $300-400. Track day groups tend to be a lot more lenient.
Vehicle Tech: Minimum requirement is a well restrained battery (this is not
simplistic, I had to use bunjee cords in addition to the stock hold downs in
a rental Mustang a friend of mine was using for driving school). Suspension
bushings, bearings, etc. must be in top shape.
Vintage groups will also require catch tanks for engine vents, and radiator.
Electrical shutoff switch (check regs for location). None of which is going
to be a problem on a street car. You may be required to run with no
anti-freeze.
Check out the vintage clubs that hold drivers schools. You can
probably get a lot of track time for the cost of a street roll bar, crash
helmet, a year of club membership and about $300 for the weekend.
Feel free to ask away about street/race modifications. I'm proud to say
that a stowaway top, top frame, jack and Datsun 2000SX spacesaver spare will
all fit on top of my fuel cell in the trunk.
Kelvin.
>
> 5) Although I am more than willing to buy any kind of
> safety equipment I'll need, go to any schools
> required, etc., I can't trailer the car all over the
> country to go to events. So I need something that
> will offer at least two or three good events a year in
> the Mid-Atlantic area. The Carolinas, Virgina, etc.
> Road Atlanta isn't a problem, but Mid Ohio is...
/// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool
/// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive
|