Are you willing to push your car off a cliff?

[SkullWorks]

Originally Posted by Jared0934

guy says a fucking slow 2:04 ()

if there was a slap smiley I'd be all over that on you!

On a real note though, I think the expression is crap. There is definitely a huge fear that comes into play when tracking any car let alone a $25,000 dollar investment but, that's the choice you make. Risk over Reward comes into play and for me enjoying a car that was purpose built from the factory and purpose tuned in the aftermarket there really is no better reward. Don't track a car faster than your level of experience is all I could say, and take it easy until you feel the track, not just know it... They are two very different things.

I know right? I think the fastst i have been around Buttonwillow was 2:06 and that is in my 450WHP s13 with rs3's in 255 flavor at 2400lbs before driver

[CSG Mike]

The above 2 posts are very accurate. I always hold back that last 3%, because I don't want to wreck. I've never wrecked, and I plan on keeping it that way, whether its at a track or a canyon, or even daily driving on the street.

The thing is, as you drive more that last bit is always going to be at a higher and higher limit. The last 3% now is easily 500% beyond what I thought the limit was when I started driving, and after I develop further as a driver, I'll wonder why I even held back that amount. The same goes for everyone; your comfort level will continue to get higher and higher as you gain experience.

That being said, I'll still always eject if I'm not 100% certain that I'll catch the car and I'm in a risky area.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by SkullWorks

I know right? I think the fastst i have been around Buttonwillow was 2:06 and that is in my 450WHP s13 with rs3's in 255 flavor at 2400lbs before driver

I'm gonna get you sub-2 faster than you're gonna believe... HMU when you're going to BW again and I'll tag along

[SkullWorks]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

I'm gonna get you sub-2 faster than you're gonna believe... HMU when you're going to BW again and I'll tag along

well the next planned outing conflicts with the RTA schedule, I wanna say mar 23rd but that is only the east loop anyway so maybe i'll come play at RTA...unfortunately since the 240 has a cage now I need several thousand more dollars worth of safety Equipment to participate so I may be bringing the BRz...hoping the PRODUCT is ready for debut by then lol

[iLuveKetchup]

Originally Posted by ST185RC

No one goes to the track and says, "I'm gonna race with no holds barred and if the car happens to die in a fire, I'll have 0 fear of crashing it, and potentially killing myself or by-standers". That statement is basically a sociopath talking.

OT.... I read an article of a study of F1 drivers. It stated that most have sociopath tedencies. You really have to be a little off when you are in the pinnacle of racing & putting your life on the line at every turn. Have you watched Lewis Hamiltons early interviews? It looked like he was brainwashed. Odd seeing a 10year old kid with so much determination & knows exactly what he wants.

I think there are a few with track experience that bought the 86 specifically because of the lower cost (read can walk away from a total loss).

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by iLuveKetchup

OT.... I read an article of a study of F1 drivers. It stated that most have sociopath tedencies. You really have to be a little off when you are in the pinnacle of racing & putting your life on the line at every turn. Have you watched Lewis Haniltons early interviews? It looked like he was brainwashed. Odd seeing a 10year old kid with so much determination & goals.

I think there are a few with track experience that bought the 86 specifically because of the lower cost (read can walk away from a total loss).

Not me.. this car is far more expensive to walk away from than my race car is.

I also push the race car more, hence the tire wall.. and another teammate spinning in the bus stop at Daytona (80mph tire wall hit, luckily a glancing blow that only moved the frame a few inches over..).

We all care more about our street cars

[ayau]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Not me.. this car is far more expensive to walk away from than my race car is.

I also push the race car more, hence the tire wall.. and another teammate spinning in the bus stop at Daytona (80mph tire wall hit, luckily a glancing blow that only moved the frame a few inches over..).

We all care more about our street cars

Is a link to your Integra race car?

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by ayau

Is a link to your Integra race car?

Huh? Were you asking for pics or something? I haven't taken any for a year or two but I think I have some of when it was a lot less damaged somewhere on my hdd..

[rice_classic]

CSG Mike's situation hit a bit close to home and as I've been stuck in traffic for the last 2 days I've had a lot of time to ponder it (and now a lot of time to type about it )

How I came to think what I think and the conclusion:

When I started racing. $12k got me my first race car and all the other things I needed to go racing (but I was still renting a tow vehicle and borrowing the neighbor's trailer). I did well, upgraded from novice and was learning fast. I did something stupid however and that was "racing on credit". That's right, I was still a bartender, I was a still renting a house and here I was auto racing and doing some of it with a credit card. dumb dumb dumb. And then it gets worse... During a race weekend at Portland International my parents flew up to watch. It was great, having dad and mom see their son compete, but they didn't get to. Unbeknownst to me, my car had a blown right rear shock and in a 90mph corner the car when flying off track, over wet grass, meeting a tire wall at just under 90mph. The damage was beyond just the front clip, the car was done.

So I pulled off all the expensive bits, cut the frame into 3 parts and took it to the scrap yard. 3 months later the bar closed and I was out of work. So here I was, no job, no race car, a garage full of racing parts and a mountain of debt. I could not afford to play at the track, but I did it anyway. While I was lucky find another shell for almost nothing and some friends helped cage it for almost free, it still took me 2 years to get out of debt. 2 years looking at an unbuilt race car, 2 years without going to the track, 2 years paying off stupidity. So yes, please make sure you can "afford" to play at the track. Racing or otherwise.

Here's a little montage of my early racing start and end: (You can tell by the screaming that I immediately knew how bad I had screwed up)



All this leads me to the "IT DEPENDS" type answer to the big question. I'm not willing to drive any of my cars off a cliff but which one will "hurt me" if its life ends in a ball of fire? The answer: Not the Race Car. I only Race what I can afford to light on fire. If I have a massive wreck this season I'd be able to afford to purchase/build another car in 30-60 days and be back in competition.

When I used to track a street car I'd say to myself before the session started: "drive it back home"

Now, when I'm sitting on pre-grid in the race car before a race I say to myself: "drive it back on the trailer".



P.s. this is with extensive editing. Original post was 3 times longer. Seriously

[rice_classic]

Easier way to consider the costs:

Cost of ownership is Equation A: Insured, wear items wear slowly etc. Risk of car being totaled = low. Result of car being totaled = Insurance coverage

Cost of tracking is Equation B: no insurance, wear items wear very quickly and all sliding/moving/rotating parts have a substantial reduction in lifespan as well. Risk of car being totaled = varying degrees greater than Equation A. Result of car being totaled = not insured (most likely) and driver has to pay full price to repair or replace.

So IMHO the most reasonable question to ask yourself is: "Can I afford to buy myself another one of these right now?" If yes, then you're probably good. If no, then as along as you understand that...

[ayau]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Huh? Were you asking for pics or something? I haven't taken any for a year or two but I think I have some of when it was a lot less damaged somewhere on my hdd..

Typo lol.

Was wondering if you had pics/specs of the Integra.

[CSG Mike]

For the record, we have reached a resolution. While it is nowhere near ideal, with Alex's planned departure on 3/25, we figured that something is better than nothing.

I will still be selling the CR.

[Gixxersixxerman]

first on topic

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuVgkSIuouY"]Insane 5.0 Mustang Jump & Crash @ Willow Springs - YouTube[/ame]

i dont think anyone expects to wreak.. but like i said before.. going to the track you have to accept the fact it can happen


off topic.. damn Mike, this is the first i heard of the situation.. you and Dave have been awesome in talking with, dealing with, and bsing with.. id be more then happy to donate a bit of cash if you have paypal.. or stickers or something.. send me a pm and ill send something.. wont be much, im unemployed and all but every bit helps

[TemeCal]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

Here's a little montage of my early racing start and end: (You can tell by the screaming that I immediately knew how bad I had screwed up)

Really enjoyed your video. After you hit the tire wall, I could feel your pain..then the track worker saying "It's gonna be a wrecker, you might as well get out". I felt bad for you and the car. It looked like a lot of hard work, time, sweat and money went into it.

Sucks to see these cars getting destroyed, but I'm glad you're okay. I was at a Willow Springs track event a few weeks ago, when a Mustang lost a front tire and rolled a good 5+ times. The car looked like a monster truck had crushed it, but was glad to see the driver get out of the vehicle unharmed.