Need Help @ Pocono?

[tjcezar]

If anyone is looking for any extra help this weekend (Fri, Sat or Sun) at Pocono please let me know (I am looking to learn some things about formula car racing). I am pretty much a newbie to auto racing but am very capable as I raced moto x for about 15 yrs. and have ran my own maintenance company for about 8 years. I am trying to break into formula cars and am hoping someone can maybe "show me around". I am pretty much willing to do whatever in exchange for some useful knowledge.

Jason

[RobLav]

You don't have to help, but come on by... Maroon Citation F1000 - Number 07.

Black truck / black trailer.

[Zambo]

Stop on by John Hagerman's outfit and hang out if you like. I'll be there with the FE. Take a look and ask away. You don't have to help but I have to tell you, no one that I know turns away a spare hand in the pits. There is always something going on.
All the best,
Steve

[tjcezar]

I really appreciate the way everyone is so helpful. I guess it is contagious. I will definately be stopping by and have been wanting to check out an FE (have not seen one up close yet).

[rickjohnson356]

While you are there, don't forget to look at an FM or two for comparison.

Bring a camera and take pics of suspension, engine etc so you can get an idea about the ease of maintenance for the various cars. Maintenance is probably where you will spend the most of your spare time when you own a car.

So far it looks like your list is building:

FC -Citation
FE
FM

[tjcezar]

Ahh. You've been watching! Obviously I have not decided on anything yet but am pretty much open to all of them ( F? - narrowed down to winged formula's). I guess one day all of the stars will be aligned just right and I will purchase the one I am standing in front of at that moment. Hopefully with enough knowledge to know what I am getting too!

[rickjohnson356]

I have been following your quest for knowledge ... but I hope you don't think I am stalking you!

From the sum of your posts, you are taking a very good approach to getting in to this adventure as a growth from you Moto experiences.

We need your kind of folks and attitudes among our ranks and you would be welcome in whatever class you choose----- as long as it is OPEN WHEELED

PS: don't "buy the one I am standing in front of"-----

buy the one you have sat in and feel comfortable in the cockpit!

I'm pretty sure that most any of the guys will let you sit in their car for a few minutes to see how you fit and can reach the shifter, see in back of you from the mirrors etc.

Just don't ask at 10 minutes before a session starts--- wait until it is convenient for them ie--ask them when you can come by to try it on. Maybe after a practice session (if they don't have too much setup changes to do), or at the lunch break or after the day's sessions are over with.

And, before getting in, take your street shoes off first-- your driving shoes are much different!

Good luck at Pocono.

[tjcezar]

Thanks for the info. Although alot of my questions have been answered here on APEX I've also been surfing the web finding little tid bits of good stuff here and there and just got done reading a book "Inside Racing Technology" by Paul Haney and Jeff Braun which was helpful but at times extremely technical, and I just am not ready for that technical stuff quite yet. Can anyone suggest any good reads? First let me say that I have the attention span of a nat so it needs to be interesting. There is another book I am almost finished with about race driving techniques which is pretty good and has kept my attention so far.

[RobLav]

Read all of Carroll Smith's books, Racecar Aerodynamics by Katz, A Twist of the Wrist, and then there's those thick books sitting on the bookshelf by Mitchell....

Carroll Smith's Prepare to Win is probably the best place to start. Some of it is outdated, but the concepts are all right.

BTW, my Citation is not an FC. It's an F1000 (FB). You'll see all kinds of stuff at Pocono. And you'll eventually have to decide what you want in a Formula Car, which I'll gladly talk about when you come by. Don't forget that the car is for you and not anybody else.

[rickjohnson356]

Rob: Sorry about the class error.

You hit the nail on the head with your last bit of advice for sure.

..... Don't forget that the car is for you and not anybody else.

Amen!