ONSC Track car

[NCFJ]

Good article from 2010 that explains the insurance requirements for regulated and IHRA registered tracks (at least in NC). It looks like in these situations, the track takes on most of the liability and provides a master policy in case of accidents

http://www.wral.com/news/local/wral_investigates/story/7942908/

Cool way of doing it. So you basically lease time on the track and all liability is on them. I think a Miata is a good choice. The aftermarket is huge, most raced car in the USA. I think Rice has the right idea, buy a used track car and at least the blueprint is there and all the stripping work has been done, it is already bare bones and built. You just have to either re build or tweak it.

 

[FJ40Jim]

I do like Miatas.
Jim, I know that you race, so it's easy to trust what you say, but it's crazy to me that tracks don't require that you carry insurance for the car. Are there any (general) track requirements that we need to consider when planning this? Not so much safety as we can look that up, but anything else?

The track needs insurance against us idiots suing the track after we do something stoopid.

Track users can get insurance (at very expensive rates) for being on track. Everybody has to accept the fact that running a car full tilt is hella fun and hella dangerous. Sooner or later, a car is gonna get borked. Buy a cheap car and be on track with other cheap cars, so nobody is gonna be on the hook for buying a replacement GT3.

Some medical insurence won't cover injuries during a race. That's one reason to just do open track days. Lap timing is prohibited, so it is not a competitive speed event, is not the legal definition of 'racing'. It's just driving around a private road. If something bad happens, it's no different than your mother-in-law backing into your new FT86 in the driveway.

I did see somebody talking about medical insurance on a racing forum, saying they were reading the fine print on the new health insurancedocument. It said something to the effect of "no coverage for injuries incurred on a race track at anytime" (IOW, didn't matter if it was a F1 race, or just a scenic parade lap between races with your vintage car club.) I am not worried about it because with modern safety equipment, it's hard to get badly injured on the track. The med crew at the track sez the most dangerous thing at the track is car trailers. People are jumping/falling off & on them or walking into the edges of open doors, etc. No fatal injuries but a lot of bloody foreheads.

TLDR: On the track it's generally accepted that everybody is self-insured. If car #1 crashes into car #2, it would be polite of car 1 to offer to assist in making it right for car 2. But there is real obligation to do so. Bottom line: Do not put a car on a track that you are not prepared to lose through no fault of your own.

Disclaimer: all of the above is my own experience & opinion. YMMV.

 

[izzyandsue]

One place in the Carolinas is http://www.carolinamotorsportspark.com/ . I am a founding member of the club, have been racing or "spirited driving" here for about 12 years. I have a few track cars, or cars that I track. You can go full stock, or full race, doesn't matter. I even saw a Ford Explorer once.... It can be expensive if the bug bites, I have been engaged with PCA, BMWCCA, NASA, and Rezoom Motorsports all over the Southeast, they all do great events from beginners to club racing. An easy way to try is to do a single day at CMP above, I think it is about $150 per day. You can even take a rental car if you want to.

Most tracks make you sign waivers, so you are on your own if you end up bending the car. I have had minor disagreements with tire walls in my past, it will happen if you track a lot and push the limits of talent against adhesion. Scariest track around here is Road Atlanta, awesome elevation changes, but a lot of concrete wall.

Another option could be to build or buy a Lemons car. I have done this a few times. 24 Hours of Lemons, cars must cost less than $500, need full cages and no limits to safety equipment investment. I have worked on 5 cars for this, 1 Kia, 1 BMW E36, 2 Porsche 944s, 1 Mazda 626. The Kia was indestructible, the 944s the most unreliable. If the club wants to enter, typically need 4-6 drivers on a team as the race is long. could cost around $300-500 initially for fees and car. I am in if there are enough people to do it. We need someone with a trailer and a place to store it when not racing it. Last one I worked with was with Nick Short of Competition Race Parts (he builds pro race cars), and it was a hell of a weekend.

Lemons typically comes to CMP in the Spring, so there is time. https://www.24hoursoflemons.com/events-results/article/145-southern-discomfort

 

[Rice]

If there was talk about doing something "lemon" like I would seriously vote we consider a Chump Car.

http://www.chumpcar.com

A little along the lines of Lemon but with less gimmick. I have not run a chump car but it has been on the bucket list for a while.

Rice

 

[JohnVee]

Didn't @Burt88 bring up the 24 Lemons idea a couple years ago?

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Didn't @Burt88 bring up the 24 Lemons idea a couple years ago?

Yeah, he did. He was racing in it for a while.

 

[jamesurq]

So did this ever get off the ground?

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Unfortunately no.

 

[tgadd]

Classic Car Club Manhattan

These guys did something similar, but on a grandiose scale.