Problems with going too slow? (Page 1 of 2)

Your experience sounds like it's pretty comparable to what most teams bring to a Lemons race. You might be being too hard on yourself with the VW Bus analogy....

As long as you drive safe and predictable, you'll be fine. Going slow doesn't necessarily mean pissing people off--the PMS Express Mustang at Altamont a while back or the Mystery Machine minivan at Reno were perfect examples of hella slow-ass whips that were very predictable and didn't cause any trouble as a result.

If you start blocking or driving erratically, that's when the pitchforks and torches come out...but again, I wouldn't assume you'll be VW-on-the-405 slow.

I'm pretty sure you'd be hard pressed to find one of us who have already done this tell you it's not ok to go slow.  If you're going slow it's easy to drive around you.  On the other hand, fast cars with drivers who are jerks will definitely get on everybody else's nerves.  That means people's curse.

We had a lot of car trouble at our first race and wound up crawling around the track to get back to pits a few times.  And then there was team Heavy Metal.  Their LTD was SLOW.  But they were on the track the whole weekend and wound up winning the IoE.

Come out and race.  You'll be fine and get used to things pretty quickly.  I mean, if you can handle rush hour traffic, this should be a breeze.

i'm talking their minimum individual investment to sign up as a driver, plus their travel expenses, of course. I'm paying for the car... it's only $500, right

Seriously, arrive and drive is $100 or $150 if they don't have a license. I may require them to pay for their own fuel...

--Spank

Where are you and can I drive for only $100 since I have a license?

Spank - your costs are too low.  Cover your arse or this will not be a happy outing for you.  What if one of your drivers wraps the car around a concrete wall?  You're 100% out.  I'd ask for each of them to pony-up for at least $200 each for a damage reserve.  If the car comes back in one piece, you can refund the money.  If not, you've got the funds to rebuild or replace.  In addition to race fuel, you'll have tires, tow costs, etc.

As for being slow, we've all been there.  No worries as long as you strictly obey a key and critical rule: DRIVE YOUR LINE.  Don't try to get out of the way... just drive your standard, consistent race line.  That way, everyone will know what you're going to do next and they can adjust their line, accordingly.  In racing, it is the responsibility of the overtaking car to pass safely.  There is no rule for a slower car to get out of the way or off the racing line.  That is, unless the car is mechanically disabled and running at some ridiculously slow speed.  In that case, the slow car has the obligation to stay off the racing line.

Tell your team to maintain a consistent speed, a consistent line and watch your mirrors.  If you do that, you'll do well and we'll all consider you a heads-up driving team.

Good luck and have fun.

John

My team got one of thse for the car, I would imagine it to be infinitely useful should you be unsure of your pace out there:

http://www.amazon.com/Wink-5-Panel-Pano … amp;sr=8-1

Doh! I've only ever been to Buttonwillow but always hear about 3 different venues with "willow" in their names (buttonwillow, willow springs, and streets of willow) and I ALWAYS confuse them. I guess streets of willow is a course at willow springs, and Buttonwillow is by itself. OK. Got it.

RE: Drivers-- local folks in our club who chip in with labor to prep the car will be welcomed to drive.

--Spank

Are you kidding? No one on our team had any (zero point zero) experience and we did just fine. You guys will do as good as anyone else....

Use Point Bys!!!

People were giving point bys at NPR and it was great.  I pointed a guy by and didn't see the car behind him too.  That almost got messy, oops. 

Like others have said, your driving experiece seems pretty typical. 

Show up, have fun, play nice and everyone will have a great weekend.

Y'know, I was thinking about this last night, and realized that there are probably lots of folks who run this race who have no freaking clue where the line is.  It's not really their fault, they just don't know.  I was on a team one time with a guy who thought the racing line was the line on the side of the track.  No, I'm not making that up. 
It becomes second nature as you gain experience to look for a racing line, but if you haven't had someone show you how to find it, you could be flying blind.  That would probably explain some of the wacky things I've seen people do.
So, if you don't know where/what the line is, it may behoove you to ask somebody.  In fact, would it be possible for Lemons to publish a track map showing the preferred lines for each track?  Maybe just aggregate something from the websites of each venue, and have them available for download -or- include them in the packet at each event.
Nick?  Jay?  You listening?

I'm the snail of our crew!
Don't be surprised if your inner animal will come out on the track .

What car are you driving/building?