Want to hit the track, advice?

[Moto]

Hey guys,

I'm a total n00b when it comes to organised motor racing, i'm not a novice driver by any means but i'v come to the conclusion that it's time to stop pushing my luck in the hills and take it to the track. So how does one getting into racing?

I would prefer to do some timed events like motorkhana or hill climbs before I hit a track with traffic, is there any websites I can look up to find events in victoria?

And lastly, does anyone know of any driver training days where I could get some racing tuition?

many thanks!

[Hot Rodders]

I'm sure there are plenty of places including state MX5 clubs. If we new where you lived, we might be able to get you a little closer to a destination.

[Moto]

Ah sorry I did mention Victoria, but yeah i'm in Melbourne.

[Hot Rodders]

The Victorian club has a very strong motor sport contingent. I strongly advise that you join and then the world is your oyster.
And don't forget to join us on a Thursday night. See the events section.

http://www.mx5vic.org.au

[Damo]

Look here for the vic MX-5 club events and a list of tips etc. You'll need to get a CAMS licence to compete and you'll need to be a member of a CAMS affiliated car club (ie. MX-5 Club of Vic) to get a CAMS licence.

If you want to get some training first try here. I did one of the performance courses a few years back. You have to do a defensive driving course first which is also fun. Lee Holdsworth was in my group. When I asked him what he did he said he was a driving instructor - didn't mention racing at first! Then I did the performance course and got Will Davison as my instructor.

[manga_blue]

As Damo said, just join the MX5 Vic club and watch the motorsport calendar.

In the meantime you could come up to Winton on 25-26th October to meet most of the motorsport group at the 6 Hour event. We don't bite.

There's a club organised driver training day in the planning for February. If you can't wait until then there's nothing to stop you from joining one of the MX5 Vic competition rounds. Track or motorkhana are the best places to start. The next round is Phillip Island in December, a bit of a daunting track, but many of us have started there. We give driver instruction, familiarisation laps and mentoring for newbies on the day.

Don't stress about preparation, less is better for a rookie in the first year. A stock MX5 is very raceworthy, poorly thought out mods make them less so. All you need is club membership, a CAMS 2S licence (easily arranged, about $80), fresh fluids, legal tyres and meat in the brake pads for the car. Everything else can be borrowed from the club.

pm me with contact details if you want to talk.

[Fatty]

excellent advice from manga_blue. if i had left my car unmodified before i started tracking it, i would have saved many thousands of dollars by now. but no... thanks to my early modifying bug, i now own a money pit.

.... it's time to stop pushing my luck in the hills and take it to the track. So how does one getting into racing?

a common misconception - just because you "take it to the track" does not mean you are "racing". the vic mx5 club has many "sprint" events on it's calender as mentioned by previous posters.

altho, if you really want to "race" there is other options for that as well.

[Moto]

Again, thanks for the great info.

I understand the difference Fatty, was just the wrong choice of the words I suppose.

[de Bounce]

Have a look here
viewtopic.php?f=67&t=35793
Not a full on, high speed, track day but a heap of fun and a good way to learn car control in a safe environment.
Damn site cheaper than DECA at only 25 - 30 for the day.

Still need a CAMS licence though.

[Moto]

Thanks for the reply, I've already done 2 sprint days at Winton since I posted this thread! Loving it