Have Your Say: Tell Us Your Real World Racing Experience

Paul Jeffrey · Apr 3, 2017

RaceDepartment would like to know which of our great community have past (or present) racing experience and in what, when, where and how it happened...

We know that the vast majority of us dedicated sim racers are basically frustrated racing drivers, people who for whatever reason no longer have the time / means or opportunity to lay down the rubber on the real life racetracks of the world.

In many cases we as sim racers are also committed petrol heads ourselves, with a love of fast cars and door to door racing. But how many of us have felt the adrenalin of pulling out of the pits in a dedicated racing vehicle, be it two, three, four or more wheels for our own real world on track thrills?

Well wonder no more! What I would like to ask you all is the following question:

Do you have any real world racing experience? If so what did/do you compete in, when did you do it and can you share some highlights / pictures / videos and experiences with our readers?

We would love to know what you guys been getting up to on the race tracks of the world, and now it's your time to tell us!

Leave a comment or two below with some words about your own track adventures...!

Ryan · Apr 8, 2017

TrumpetReich · Apr 8, 2017

Unfortunately I'm just a poor college student who lives in one of the worst places for racing in America. So simracing is the only option I have at the moment. Can't wait to hear what the others have been up to.

Dan Allen · Apr 8, 2017

I once started to work with a team called Swift Cooper in the FF1600 championship at Castle Combe. Unfortunately, I only managed to do one test day before I had to stop due to smashing my road car on the drive home from the track. Of course, I had to buy a new car so I couldn't afford to carry on in the race cars.

I am still hoping to compete against in the future, maybe rallycross or Classic and Retro Time Attack

speedyx56 · Apr 8, 2017

I did a few endurance races in karting when I thought I'd try my luck at getting into real life motorsports. I stopped the day I fainted when I was driving because of how bad my heart is. That day I discovered doctors had basically been lying to me for the past decade. ("It's all in your head." "Your x-rays are clean, I don't understand what the problem is." and such) I think I am going to be bitter about this one for a very long time.

Joseph Wright · Apr 8, 2017

I have done a few local karting races, but I am doing a 3 hour endurance event at an outdoor circuit in the coming months. A team is going to be letting me run with them and they are looking at recruiting me, so I will have lots to say in the near future

Although with the way I drive on the streams, I think its safer for everyone if I commentate the races instead of run them!

Austin Ogonoski · Apr 8, 2017

I race two cars.

At our local oval in Edmonton, the front wheel drive econobox class has taken off in popularity while the higher classes have regressed to an extent, so I got in on that last year and ended up winning Rookie of the Year. Led the championship for about half of the season but ended up settling for third thanks to two catastrophic engine explosions. Had both engines held together, we extrapolated I would have been almost two races ahead of anybody else in points. Running these cars again this year because I made a lot of good friends in the class and the atmosphere is like Xbox Live private lobby racing with your bros.

Then there's the late model sponsored by a certain sim developer but that's a can of worms we probably shouldn't open in this thread.

I think I'm racing every weekend from May to October of this year. This is not the career path I expected to land from starting a blog.

Gijs van Elderen · Apr 8, 2017

I do some trackday if i find some time. I've driven at Zolder, Zandvoort and Spa.
Car is a BMW E30 325i with a 3.0 L engine, car weight is 920kg.

oorjit07 · Apr 9, 2017

I am racing Junior max karts in the asian rotax max challenge this year, hopefully I can move into formula cars in the next year or two.

robnitro · Apr 9, 2017

I've done direct drive karts, some had 4 wheel brakes, some with rear only brakes (scary at the end of the straight!). Perfect for drifting a sweeper without the stupid clutch, but if you spin out you stall and need to be push started!

The best racing was at the 24 Hours of LeMons 2008 South Carolina.

See the rear left wheel? A mustang spun out and Tboned us. He was wrecked, we kept racing!

It was a 635csi that we had to gut, swap a motor in and fabricate/weld in a roll cage. A lot of work for a single race, but luckily the next year my friend was able to use it again (I couldn't make it because of work).

We were the driving team, pit stop team, and mechanics. First night we had to repair the exhaust after someone rear ended us in the stupid super narrow chicane they put in. We also had assorted small issues with suspension but luckily brought extra bushings and arms.
Day 2 we lost spark and gave up a few hours early before the end of the race. It turned out to be a crappy butt splice on the wire that runs the switched negative to the coil.

Quite a fast car too on the straights and we did it on BFGoodrich Traction T/A street tires, while others were running autocross/racing tires. Handling was very good before the hit, after a little bit sideways happy at slow speed but manageable.

Frank · Apr 9, 2017

I have done a trackday at Zandvoort in a Ford Mustang GT500 (stage 2 tuning to 650 BHP) and 2 track days on the Nordschleife in a BMW 330i E46 completely race ready. Was a lot of fun, but can't call it real racing I guess :-P.

Kurupt CDN · Apr 9, 2017

2 x 10 min races at speeders indoor go kart track in calgary where I smoked my wife and 10 teenagers claiming back to back victories.....i feel if i keep at it and practice sim racing more i might be able to quit my day job and go pro at 39 yrs of age

Jordan Dion · Apr 9, 2017

Ryan said:

MEN IM DOING KART SINCE 10 YEARS AND THIS IS ONE OF THE BEAUTIFUL TRACK I EVER SEEN...

We dont have this in quebec

Jordan Dion · Apr 9, 2017

Gijs van Elderen said:
I do some trackday if i find some time. I've driven at Zolder, Zandvoort and Spa.
Car is a BMW E30 325i with a 3.0 L engine, car weight is 920kg.

Nice Ride men!! You are very lucky to drive on this circuit!

Matheus Machado · Apr 9, 2017

Some rental kart racing so far. But it may be changing soon™

I plan on uploading full races, but takes ages with a 1Mb up speed.

Austin Ogonoski · Apr 9, 2017

Kurupt CDN said:
2 x 10 min races at speeders indoor go kart track in calgary where I smoked my wife and 10 teenagers claiming back to back victories.....i feel if i keep at it and practice sim racing more i might be able to quit my day job and go pro at 39 yrs of age

Speeders was hugely popular here in Edmonton for a couple of years (hence why they opened one in Calgary), but the long wait times, jacked up prices, and their general disapproval of racing (lots of no bumping signs and yellow flags being thrown), saw a lot of people abandon the place in favor of FastTrackKarting - who opened up about four months ago and whose existence is basically "lets undercut Speeders everywhere."

FTK also has a deal where it's half price from 10pm to midnight, so if you don't value sleep, there's no excuse not to be karting twice a week, if not more.

MSKbeans · Apr 9, 2017

15 years plus of eating dirt, Moto-X . 125-500 preferred the 500's but they liked to spit me off whenever they could, that was a lot of dnf's.
Broke my neck in a pre90's championship race.
Tried to get new race licence but doctor wouldn't take my bribe. haha.
10 months later broke my back!!!!!
Wife said that was enough, i whole heartedly agreed but Damn i would still race if possible, Might be able to loose this big round pot belly that i gained hehe

Thombike · Apr 9, 2017

Well...

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And it's one of only 500 Ford Escort RS2000 4x4

Luis Villalba · Apr 9, 2017

Rally of Argentina navigator 84,85 and world 86

Bozian · Apr 9, 2017

I sat in a kart the first time at the age of 3. Did a lot of kart-races (slalom, sprint and endurance races) up to the german national championship. From the age of 18 I am driving in the VLN-endurance-championship at the nürburgring-nordschleife. Cars included (chronological): BMW 335i, Opel Astra OPC Cup, Renault Clio Cup and at the moment a Seat Leon Cup Racer (TCR). We won the championship in our class two times (2014 and 2016). I also started two times at the legendary 24-hour-race in the "green hell".

Here are some onboard-videos of the clio and the seat:

Some pictures of my race cars:

I am also working as a car-journalist and therefore I am also testing sports-, super- and race cars such as McLaren 675LT, Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, Opel Astra TCR and many more