HOW RISKY IS CLUB RACING?

That's a pretty broad question. Depends on the car you're racing in, the safety equipment it has, the safety equipment the track has, how the track was designed, who else is on the track, your experience, other driver's experience. Motor racing isn't a safe sport people get hurt but you can take precautions to limit the risks. I know there are a few guys on here that will have some more in depth knowledge on track racing such as b-mak and Andreas, but I don't think anyone is going to be able to give you some kind of statistic for the chances of you getting injured as there are just too many variables.

 

I've never been injured in motor racing. Some friends have been in major (read: 30g) crashes and have walked away.

The best equipment, that is general prep, the go-fast stuff and safety equipment, along with the best training will minimize your risk of injury.

At the end of the day, it remains motor racing. It ain't tiddlywinks.

 

I've never seen anyone hurt in the road racing I've done. I've seen plenty of people hurt in the KART races I've been to/done.

 

Fatalities are rare. Skip Barber has had a couple deaths over the years; Porsche Club had one at Lime Rock a few years back. I don't know about SCCA. My wrist was broken when a nitwit speared my sports racer several years ago. I've always assumed that club racing is about as risky as advanced skiing, and I have absolutely no data to back that up. I think you can reduce your risk by using the best available safety gear, having your car properly equipped with the best safety equipment, and selecting a car and series based on safety considerations. There'll always be some risk; strange things happen. I race a formula car and spec racer ford in SCCA nationals, and, to be honest, I really don't worry all that much about getting hurt.

 

Racing at the club level can indeed be dangerous, especially in open wheel formula series. When I was competing in SCCA national races, one of my team members died in a crash at Bridgehampton and another driver died in a crash just a few weeks later at Summit Point. Both deaths were instantaneous, and not due to lack of safety equipment or procedures. Over the years I witnessed many horrific accidents. Luckily my own crashes, usually from wheel to wheel contact, were costly equipment wise, but I was never seriously injured.

 

Even with all of the best equipment and preperation, S*@T still happens. People are injured and killed every year in motor racing. Does it mean the risk is too high? I don't know. Everyone has their own risk limit. I would say that sometime in just about everyones racing "career" there will be some sort of incident. Most of my friends and I who have raced motorcycles, cars or desert trucks, have had atleast one big "off" if you will. Obviously the higher the speeds in a given class, the more dynamic an incident tends to be.


Darrell.

 

Do not fool yourself.
Racing is dangerous. Cars flip, crash into immovable objects and each other, and catch fire.
The same can be said for street cars but the forces generally are not as high.
Someone recently died in a Formula Mazda car ( my class ) in a race at the track where I used to run.
Life is full of risks.
If safety is an utmost concern I would get a sedan racer with a cage.
Hans device should be made first affordable, then mandatory by all road racing associations.
Open wheel racing is honestly the most exciting thing I have ever done and I've done a bunch.
2 major and 2 minor crashes in one year and I wanted to sit out a bit. That was 3 years ago.

 

I've been racing in Porsche Club since 2001 and have progressed to racing some in Grand Am (both Rolex and Koni/Cup). I agree with all the comments about racing and assumed risks. The PRO racing is just that - many people who seek to make a living racing and need to be fast and aggressive in order to do so. As such, it is a much more aggressive and possibly dangerous form of racing as compared to club racing. It is not a place to hang out without the appropriate skills or you become a danger to yourself and others. I have not raced in NASA or Ferrari but Porsche Club racing is well controlled IMO - contact is a BIG no-no and will result in probation and possibly suspension (the infamous 13/13). Yes, there have been people seriously injured and killed in PCA racing as well as the many other forms. However, like any racing body, PCA works hard to learn from incidents. The person killed at Lime Rock back in the early 2000s resulted from a rear impact after hydro planing on the front straight. The impact broke the seat off the seat rails and the person broke their neck (basal skull fracture) on one of the bars of the roll cage. As a result, PCA now mandates seat back braces to prevent such an incident. They are also in the process of mandating HANS devices. If you race long enough, you will be involved in an incident. I have had 3 incidents in the 7 years I have raced - 2 were single car issues and completely my fault and 1 was when another car hit me after it went off. The 2 single car incidents were significant in terms of damage to my car but I was completely unharmed. The first occurred during my second year of racing while warming up at Road Atlanta - it was very cold (40 degrees) and I lost control on cold tires and hit a concrete retaining wall at about 60 mph. This was before I owned a HANS and after I saw the damage to the car (a 993 RSR race car with full cage), I immediately purchased a HANS device. How stupid would it have been to not spend $1,000 to buy one given that a set of slicks costs $1,600 and get killed because of that? It really made me think a lot more about the safety issues. The second incident I had was while receiving coaching from an excellent pro and pushing too hard. I got the rear end out of whack and hit the ARMCO (guardrail) at 100 mph. Car was pretty messed up (2002 GT3RS) but again I was completely uninjured. None of this has deterred my passion and enthusiasm for racing. I have raced in some open wheel as well (Formula Russell) and agree that it is more dangerous than cars with fenders - wheel to wheel contact generally results in an airborne experience of some sort. Good luck in your decision process - I LOVE racing and can't imagine not being involved.

 

(Porsche * California Speedway, Fontana) + 1 idot + 1 passenger = 2 wasted lives

 

You can mitigate risk when you spend some time learning what is a high or low percentage pass. Set up rules to your racing and don't break them like working yourself up to speed and not try for qualifying speed just off the trailer. Pick your spots to push with lots of runoff and pick your spots to save some reserve like near concrete walls. Know where your cornerworkers are and always look up high and have an escape route. Prepare your equipment! I have seen a guy get t-boned etc. because they spin on their own oil and someone else hits them. Race with car owners they preserve their equipment better than races who know "its not my car". Race with some higher dollar cars they don't bumper car like $5000 miatas. Meet the other drivers. In club racing everyone is friendly. The arrogant ones....well just let them go by. The $4 plastic karate trophy isn't worth it. Proper safety equipmant is a given and I could go on for pages on that but being safe on track starts with you.

 

Usually it is not how safe you are but, the other drivers around you. There is always one that like to drive agressive and causes all the issues.

 

There are many different philosophies that various organizations promote in "club" or amateur competition. Pro racing is completely different and not what we're talking about here.

The ready access to viewing pro racing on the internet and on TV, most notably in this country "stock car" racing, has lead many amateurs to emulate what they see on TV and to bad effect.

Contrary to popular belief, "rubbing" is NOT racing. It means you don't know where the edges of your car are or are too undisciplined or inexperienced to know better.

Unfortunately without direction, "club" racing can easily decline into what people see on TV and lead to organizational and participant confusion defining the acceptable level of aggression or contact.

These smaller clubs are generally pretty good, but trust your gut and speak up to the stewards or the people in charge if you feel overtly at risk.

As long as everyone is on the same page, you'll be fine. It's the miscommunication, lack of clearly defined expectations and lack of immediate disciplinary action that cause these events to descend into anarchy and, as a result, become dangerous (more dangerous than driving home from work on I-70 or I-25.) <grin>

 

I have to agree with you on this. I race karts at the regional level and I must say even though I am going up against some pro's and get my ass handed to me by them. I feel safer racing with them rather than a club racer. They are more predictable and have good race craft. They wont do anything stupid. They will be aggressive and hard on you, but they are in control. Club guys are usually racing for fun, so they are not in the seat that much. There knowledge of racing is limited and in result they are unpredictable. This is when Sh*%$ happens.

 

First, some great advice here. Of course we could also say that driving on public roads is dangerous, so is skateboarding, and other activities. Still, RACING has more risks than HPDE yet there are still risks.

Appreciate hearing that as open wheel (with wings/aero) has been extremely rewarding for me as a driver and engineer. The learning curve is truly wonderful and, for me, much more intense and challenging than closed wheel.

Again, plenty of great advice on this thread so no need to repeat what others have said.

 

Sorry fellows, I'm a *******. Sports racing cars and tin-tops for me, thank you very much!

I just don't trust anybody else!

 

Also depends on location. Ferrari event at lime rock is like the NJ turnpike going through Newark due to the number of cars and short track. The VIR event is awesome with low attendance vs the long 4.2mi track in every run group!!!

 

I'm a fan of Vintage racing because most drivers respect each other, understand that the cars are the stars and that you can only spend money, not win money. Of course, I was standing at the start finish line and witnessed the big wreck at Elkhart Lake in 2005 and so valuable vintage cars don't always translate into safer, more thoughtful racing. That being said, I'd recommend vintage racing if it floats your boat.

I've raced open wheel exclusively - Formula Junior and then Historic Formula One. I'm now preparing to join the vintage Formula Ford group because while outright performance makes for serious fun, motorsport is about competition and that exists at all levels of cars and at most venues.

Make sure you get lots of seat time in school cars and when/if you buy your own car, ensure that it is properly prepared. Buy good quality equipment including a HANS device and don't cut corners with maintenance. I think racing is inherently risky but it absolutely worth the risk because it is so fufilling.

...Keith

 

NASA 944 Cup also has a modified 13/13 rule. I race in both NASA and PCa and the vast majority of the drivers I have met are level-headed and drive sensibly.

I find drag racing, especially in A/Fuel, to be much more dangerous than road racing. I don't get scared too easily in my 944 Cup car but I ^%@# myself a few times in my dragster.

 

If you're worried about getting hurt, buy a video game. One of the reasons that I raced was that if you screwed up, the probability was high that you were going to take a ride to the hospital. While that sounds somewhat brutal, it sure made a difference between those willing to test the last ounce of traction and those that thought about that little ride. Over the years, I ended up with probably 20, 30 broken bones from being over the edge in that little contest. My last crash ended up with me getting run over, and frankly, I wasn't worth a crap after that. However, I'd never trade those moments, not even for a normally aged 63 year old body, remember it isn't the destination, it's the journey, and if you're not up for it, find something else to do.

Art

 

Art, sounds like OSB...

 

??????

Art

 

OSB = Other Sports Beckon

I first heard this at Skippy.

I race a formula car, but you couldn't get me on a bike.