From its origins in Watkins Glen, New York, after the end of the Second World War, American road-course auto racing has always been exclusive by design. The charters of those early sports car clubs were highly specific about what you needed to own and who you needed to be in order to be part of the action. In most cases, those rules even applied to potential spectators. Can’t meet the requirements? Well, you’re always welcome to watch the professional racing on television.
Over the past 20 years, however, there has been a thorough democratization of America’s racetracks, to the point where the vast majority of vehicles turning laps on any given weekend are privately owned, license-plate-bearing, everyday cars. The list of what you don’t need to participate is long: You won’t need a racing license, a Nomex fire suit, any custom equipment for your car, or a six-figure budget. What will you need? In some cases, nothing but a couple bucks and the willingness to get involved.
So, if you’re interested in getting a taste of the triple-digit-speed lifestyle, it can be surprisingly easy. Here are a couple of ways to do it, from dead-simple participatory events to a school that can turn you into a pro in a hurry if you catch the “trackday” fever for real:
Use your own car, safely
Over 100 racetracks across the country participate in some sort of “trackday” program. The most reputable and best-run of them is the Sports Car Club of America’s “Track Night,” found at www.tracknightinamerica.com. These are low-stress, low-cost evening sessions in which you will participate in a “lead-follow” session, driving your own car at a reasonable pace behind a credentialed racer who won’t let you get in over your head.
Almost any vehicle that is wider than it is tall will qualify for use; a pickup truck won’t cut the mustard, but some SUVs are eligible, and pretty much every sedan or sports car is good to go. You see a lot of Honda Civics and 3-Series BMWs out there with the Corvettes and Miatas. The TrackNight website will talk you through a brief safety inspection for your car and tell you what kind of helmet you’ll need; although there are loaners available, it’s really best to visit a local motorcycle shop and spend $100 or so on a helmet you like that meets the requirements.
On your first track night, you’ll be part of an instructional talk beforehand, where all your questions will be answered. Then you’ll get three 20-minute sessions behind the wheel. If you have a knack for it, you can join a faster group. If you just want to sightsee one of your favorite tracks at a safe-and-sound speed, you’re free to do that as well.
How fast will you go? It’s often possible to exceed 100 mph once you get the hang of it, and your humble author has seen speeds as high as 188 mph in street-legal cars at about some of the longer tracks. But the real thrill is in finding out just how good your car can be at negotiating a high-speed turn. Even an everyday Toyota Camry can thrill you, once you’re shown the ropes.
The program has an outstanding safety record, and it’s even possible to get special insurance that covers your vehicle when it’s on track, at a reasonable cost. Expect to spend anywhere between $200 and $700, depending on the track, your feelings on helmets, and whether you want to insure your vehicle against damage. There’s really just one serious danger: that you won’t be satisfied with doing it just once.
Other reputable providers of “trackdays” include the Porsche Club of America, the BMW Car Club of America, Audi Club North America, the National Auto Sport Association, Trackdaze.com, and Hooked On Driving.
Drive a Corvette… or something faster
If you’re lucky enough to live near Bowling Green, Kentucky, the NCM Motorsports Park has a real thrill in store for you. The new “C8” Corvette is so hard to get that people are paying almost twice the retail price at dealers, but for $799, you can thrash a brand-new one around NCM’s racetrack with competent, professional instruction to show you the ropes. The milelong front straight is a massive thrill in the Corvette, which can double the speed limit and then some before the first turn arrives.
Ah, but maybe you want to go even faster than a Corvette can go, particularly in the corners. Then you’ll want one of the “Radical Racing Experiences” held at Autobahn Country Club outside Chicago and elsewhere. What’s a “Radical”? It’s a pure race car that can corner at over twice the force of gravity, and it’s the closest you can get to winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans without being lucky enough to have started competitive kart racing at the age of 5. Your humble author owns a “Radical”; it’s serious business, enough to move your eyeballs in your sockets once you get the hang of it.
If your tastes run to Ferraris, Porsches, and Lamborghinis, then French stunt driver Romain Thievin’s Exotics Racing in Las Vegas has just what you want. Its purpose-built racetrack a few miles off the strip is designed for just one purpose: to let regular people learn the skill of operating $500,000 supercars at speed, without the danger of hitting a wall. Prices start at $299 for a session, and you’ll be accompanied by a coach who can bring you up to whatever pace you like.
Don’t worry about buying a helmet or race suit; the providers will take care of you. Just show up in long sleeves, long pants, and sneakers.
Get a taste of real racing
Driving your own car on the track is an addictive thrill, and renting a real-deal supercar or race car on a racetrack is even headier stuff, but if you’ve ever wanted to actually compete wheel-to-wheel, then you’ll want to check out the Skip Barber Race School, which runs around the country, or the Mid-Ohio school, at the track of the same name. In their licensing programs, which start at $1,999 or thereabouts, you’ll learn the skills needed to race head-to-head at max speed against other students.
Each program concludes with an actual race among the students, at full speed, with the instructors in the pack to observe your performance and coach you further. There’s no thrill quite like running at 150 mph down the back straight of a racetrack neck-and-neck with someone in an identical car, knowing that one of you will have to back off at the next corner.
You can leave the schools with a license that will let you compete in SCCA or NASA racing, but many participants just keep returning to the school for practice races, often for years to come. What kind of car will you drive? An open-wheel F4 racer is available for the truly committed, but most people will be more comfortable with the sports car or sedan options, such as a Mustang or Acura.
Not a lot of people know that car racing can cost less than an expensive set of golf clubs, and more people should. Some people are satisfied with a single day on the track. Others, like my wife, try it “just for fun” and end up winning regional race championships in their own pro-level car six years later. Where will you wind up on that spectrum? Only one way to find out.
Jack Baruth was born in Brooklyn and lives in Ohio. He is a pro-am race car driver, and he has been the “Avoidable Contact” columnist for Road & Track and Hagerty magazines.
