Who else is going to Rockingham, NC Oct 21st - 22nd with NASA-SE?

[Edited on October 11, 2006 at 3:33 PM. Reason : .]

10/11/2006 3:30:12 PM

i am

10/11/2006 3:33:26 PM

We need to get the caravaan more organized this time...so we aren't going in waves of groups lol

^you bringing the E30?

[Edited on October 11, 2006 at 3:34 PM. Reason : fda]

10/11/2006 3:34:25 PM

e30 love....

10/11/2006 3:44:39 PM

i'm down for a caravan

yep, bringing the new beater.

should be interesting

10/11/2006 3:52:08 PM

no track events for me this year.

after Xmas i should be free of all this DAT stuff.

gotta get back in the swang of things

10/11/2006 5:03:24 PM

^yeah, yeah, i said the same thing. however, i never really got back into it besides random events here and there.

10/11/2006 6:54:19 PM

^^^you coming to tarheel rockingham event too?

10/11/2006 7:25:23 PM

^hadn't planned on it, is registration still open?

10/11/2006 7:33:15 PM

yeah, its 2 weekends after NASA i think so you still got time.

10/11/2006 7:49:12 PM

Quote :

"^yeah, yeah, i said the same thing. however, i never really got back into it besides random events here and there."

well i have been busy studying and getting applications setup.

after december its either dental school or not. so if i get accepted, then ill have until Aug/Sept to do whatever.. if i dont, then i gotta wait til another year after Aug/Sept 07.

so ill have time

10/11/2006 8:35:57 PM

Just signed up. Doing instructor clinic. Will probably do THSCC as well, but not quite sure yet.
Ahmet

10/11/2006 8:49:07 PM

We are clear for THSCC in early November and we'll do it if you will Ahmet.

10/11/2006 9:00:39 PM

fuck yeah it's rich

10/11/2006 10:45:30 PM

i dunno... i'm sort of a VIR elitist...

10/12/2006 8:52:55 AM

like a .... lotus elise...?

10/12/2006 11:30:32 AM

how much does it cost to get into all of this track stuff?

i might be getting an e36 or an sti soon...
and i'm wondering on how much it will cost to take it to the track from time to time.

10/12/2006 12:49:38 PM

if you want a dedicated and cheap track rat, consider an e30 or a miata.
i've also got a daily e36, so I could give you plenty of opinions about it if you drop me a pm.

10/12/2006 1:03:32 PM

you're looking at little less than $300 per event (depending on who you race with).

then you gotta factor in gas and tires and what not.

10/12/2006 1:12:54 PM

depends on where and when and w/ who. An Audi Club VIR-Full event in season is like $425 for a weekend. Full is almost always more pricey than North, Partriot, or South course. a THSCC/TriangleZ rockingham event in November is $260? But yeh id say $300ish on average.

ITSAHECKOFALOTOFFUNTHOUGH!

10/12/2006 1:16:13 PM

fuck that

10/12/2006 1:30:25 PM

its not that bad considering how much fun it is...if you can't do it every month at least once in a while is worth it.

10/12/2006 2:15:23 PM

what did you do to get suspended, you hardly even post anymore

10/12/2006 2:18:47 PM

nothing...its just another case of mod abuse. :shrug:

10/12/2006 2:36:25 PM

^^^im sure it's A LOT of fun, but $300-400 every two or so months i cant afford

[Edited on October 12, 2006 at 2:37 PM. Reason : d]

10/12/2006 2:37:18 PM

well I was the one asking

10/12/2006 2:40:15 PM

some people do 1 a season...so thats like $300 a year about....you should at least do it once...its a great education if nothing else.

i've done my first even a few weekends ago and now i'm hooked like crack....i just can't get enough of it lol

[Edited on October 12, 2006 at 2:41 PM. Reason : fda]

10/12/2006 2:40:49 PM

i stand behind the fact that hpdes are the most expensive hobby a guy can have.

10/12/2006 2:54:49 PM

once i get into six figures and get a house. till then ill use I-440 and capital

10/12/2006 3:07:32 PM

get popped one time and need a big time lawyer... you'll wish you took track time.

10/12/2006 3:20:56 PM

its expensive but its not THAT expensive that you need 6 figures. you aren't going to be buying tires for every event.

10/12/2006 3:22:50 PM

$300 for the event.
like $70 for a hotel room for one night. depends on location. or sleep in your car like i did once.
gas... probably 1.5 tanks or so. depends on location
food and water/beer (usually they'll have a free dinner for the event), so you'll just need some breakfast and some snacks and lunch the next day. you can make that all yourself.


thats the bare minimum

now we arent factoring in parts that can be worn down unless you are really into tracking your car. by then you are already broke.

i would say save up $500 MAX for the whole event, thats the $300 fee, and $200 for whatever purpose. but i highly doubt you will use all that up, unless you wanna buy a Tshirt or a CD full of pics, but you can just buddy up with some photographer, throw him a few bucks and tell him to snap a few pics of you car.

or just goto the photographers website and get free pics with his watermark sill on it...:


thanx euroimage


its really worth every penny. you learn a lot, you meet a lot of people, you can end up helping others out and get connections for other events.

[Edited on October 12, 2006 at 3:44 PM. Reason : ]

10/12/2006 3:42:12 PM

or have a brother that works for the Mariott and you can use his employee discount for really nice suites for really really cheap

10/12/2006 3:52:15 PM

one more expense i would probably add in there may be brake pads, depending on your car and track. i had some of the best street pads available for mine and ended up melting them on the second day. of course my car weighs 3600+lbs. losing your brakes at triple digit speeds is a little scary. i ate through 3/4ths of my brand new pads in one weekend.

10/12/2006 4:01:47 PM

Quote :

"or have a brother that works for the Mariott and you can use his employee discount for really nice suites for really really cheap"

what, you dont call sleeping in the back of a van, and also in a stripped out car in the pass. seat a really nice suite??

but it was cold a FUUUUUUUUUUCK

10/12/2006 4:08:12 PM

haha...i've slept in my car too many times....well in the jeep at least lol

10/12/2006 4:13:20 PM

y0 remember that time in the jeep.....


yeah. that was fun.

when charlie tried to join.

10/12/2006 4:15:01 PM

hahahaha...oh i remember

10/12/2006 4:15:47 PM

Quote :

"i stand behind the fact that hpdes cars are the most expensive hobby a guy can have."

its rediculous. i could see this hobby seriously effecting my future..



I still like the z06 racecar i saw at an HPDE once. His number was the Anti (like no smoking) symbol over 401K. haha

10/12/2006 5:27:59 PM

^thats it, while we are at 401k....i can afford it, but the problem is my mind is telling me to put it in roth or invest it somewhere.

and in US tracking is extremely expensive. you can lap nurnburgring for like 35 euros or something along those lines. yeah it is one lap, but it beats VIR or roebling road or whatever.

i think when you factor in the cost of tires, brake pads, and event fees it is way overpriced. im not counting time as money, because it is something we enjoy doing, but ...$279+all listed is fucking rip off.

10/12/2006 5:37:32 PM

Too rich for my blood...

10/12/2006 5:42:22 PM

^^you're not looking at the hole story.

Much of your fees go to paying coordinators, flag crews, tow crew, instructor's fees, in addition to renting the track.

It's hardly a valid comparison to the nurburgring.

How many events have you done, btw, in order to form such solid opinions on whether or not its worthwhile?

[Edited on October 12, 2006 at 6:55 PM. Reason : .]

10/12/2006 6:54:25 PM

^i understand all that, but many of those people are volunteers. i dont see why comparing track costs here and in europe would be invalid comparison, but so be it.

I have never tracked, but that doesnt mean i cannot judge what is expensive and what is not. secondly, it is relative....it is coming out of my pocket, so im definetly the best judge. you dont have to try something in order to have a sound opinion about it. i never tried heroin, but i can tell you it is stupid to shoot up.


i dont doubt it is as much fun and as much learning experience as i hear, but whether it is worth that much it's another story.

[Edited on October 12, 2006 at 7:34 PM. Reason : f]

10/12/2006 7:30:10 PM

since when has a great learning experience not been worth the money.

when you become and instructor, you get paid to drive sometimes, and sometimes its free.

10/12/2006 8:08:08 PM

i guess this is my problem.

Quote :

"whether it is worth that much to you"

10/12/2006 8:21:26 PM

Quote :

"i dont doubt it is as much fun and as much learning experience as i hear, but whether it is worth that much it's another story."

Totally subjective. That said, I think it's just about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. And BTW, I've been saying that a lot longer than that stupid song has been out.

Well, I think the only thing more fun would be actual wheel-to-wheel racing. But that's not in my budget...YET.

10/12/2006 8:37:29 PM

Quote :

"since when has a great learning experience not been worth the money."

great learning experience and money factor can be mixed, even though your sentence is pretty. if you get out of dental school with $1.5million debt, instead of $150k, i doubt you would even consider applying.

Quote :

"i guess this is my problem."

i concur. it is subjective, but i still stand behind the fact it is way overpriced. i know it is worth going as you learn tremendously, but you can definetly put a money limit on that.

[Edited on October 12, 2006 at 8:58 PM. Reason : .]

10/12/2006 8:58:06 PM

Quote :

"great learning experience and money factor can be mixed, even though your sentence is pretty. if you get out of dental school with $1.5million debt, instead of $150k, i doubt you would even consider applying."

i've never been to dental school...but since when is dental school as fun as tracking?

point is, if you are really into cars and driving then track events are totally worth the cost.

10/12/2006 9:17:28 PM

the instructor alone is almost worth the cost. Find me something else where you can get one on one expert instruction for $75/hr. Then consider all the track rental, track payroll, and track and club insurance costs... its fair. That doesnt mean its cheap, but its fair.

10/12/2006 10:55:36 PM

i dont think you understand what im discussing. im not talking about the fun factor or learning experience, im talking about the expense associated with this fun.

$279+1.5 tank gas ($50)+food ($15)+hotel ($60) +brake pads($50)+brake fluid($20) flush+tire wear($50 or more)=$524

it is financially dumb to spend this kind of money if you are of financial caliber to afford an average $15k car (which is probably 80% of the people in garage) and you make less than $65k/year. if you can afford $40k car, have mommy and daddy support you then, yes, it is worth it.

you can equate this to people who spend $5000 on chrome 26" rims on a car with 10" rotors. it is worth that much to them, but to 100% of people around them it is the dumbest thing one can do. to them style is as important as tracking is to you, but if they work in a fuckin walmart for $9.50/hour, then it is dumb even though they can strech out and spend that much.

im not denying it is subjective, but im just saying in grand view of things, it is not the smartest thing to do unless all of you that track make some killer money.

you see my point?

[Edited on October 12, 2006 at 11:16 PM. Reason : f]

10/12/2006 11:12:23 PM