Track day for formula cars?

[Want2race]

Long time stalker- hopefully soon I’ll get that fixed.

One thing I’ve been looking for is where to get some track time, if I do purchase a formula car, before going to an scca event.
I’ve tried a few track day companies (chin Motorsport and just track it) but get told no a lot.

Is there any organization in the SE US that allows them? I’ve seen a few practice sessions but assuming I need an scca license to do those as well.

[Lotus7]

Very hard to find "track day" time for open wheel cars, usual reason given is risk/liability.

You might want to pursue getting track time and an scca license through something like an SRF3 or specmiata, then transition to open wheels.

You might find an open-wheel team that will put you in a car for private testing, but most tend to want prior experience, and limit it to potential season customers.

[Purple Frog]

You are in the SouthEast. If you get a car and have it prepped by February, just sign up for the Drivers School at Roebling Road in February. You will get lots and lots of seat time in a controlled environment.
Many of us drove our cars for the first time that way.

If you have any autocross experience, you might also be approved for time trials. That would get you some track time without going first to wheel-2-wheel.

[janton9736]

Chin track days allows it. I asked them a few months ago. Might have an experience requirement

Very hard to find "track day" time for open wheel cars, usual reason given is risk/liability.

You might want to pursue getting track time and an scca license through something like an SRF3 or specmiata, then transition to open wheels.

You might find an open-wheel team that will put you in a car for private testing, but most tend to want prior experience, and limit it to potential season customers.

[BeerBudgetRacing]

Many tracks have open test days Fridays before a race weekend. Typically no license required.

[Want2race]

You are in the SouthEast. If you get a car and have it prepped by February, just sign up for the Drivers School at Roebling Road in February. You will get lots and lots of seat time in a controlled environment.
Many of us drove our cars for the first time that way.

If you have any autocross experience, you might also be approved for time trials. That would get you some track time without going first to wheel-2-wheel.

thanks. I have done the school before a number of years ago. Is it still a 2 school requirement to graduate to a license?

My memory was that the event was very much about the process of racing and not much about learning your car. Looking at a few recent events and I’m not sure FC in the SE is too healthy but might have just been a couple of events.

appreciate the info! I sent Chin an email as well. Thanks

[Rich_G_SC]

I'll be at the Roebling school in February helping out and running a race weekend with Drivers Cup (FV) between school groups. You only need the Roebling school for SCCA, assuming you pass. I think it runs Friday afternoon, Saturday and a good part of Sunday. Lots of track time but you're right, most of the focus is on safety and following rules.The on-track instructors provide some coaching and some folks even bring a coach to help out too. Once you get your novice license you need to run 3 SCCA events and get the stewards to sign your novice log before you can get a full competition license.

WRT track days, I've done open wheel at CMP's Turn One track day but they don't usually have OW. We brought 6 Vees and I think someone may have talked to the track ahead of time to get our own run group. CMP would not let me do a track day in an OW car until I had a full competition license. As mentioned, SCCA often will run a track day ahead of a race weekend and they don't seem to check licenses (or do tech).

[Messenger Racing]

Nixon Motorsports https://nixonmotorsports.com/ is starting a true Formula Car limited entry Test & Tune/track day service. The first event is scheduled at Eagles Canyon in February.

The facility is a very nice/challenging driver's track - not a typical follow the leader country club track. Various services will be offered. I encourage you to reach out and get on their contact list. Contact information is on their webpage.

This is the inaugural event with the possibility of other tracks in the future. Registration is live now on MotorsportReg at:

https://www.motorsportreg.com/calend...rts&radius=300

You can also follow Nixon Motorsports on Youtube at:

https://www.youtube.com/c/NixonMotorsports

We plan to offer F1600 testing for experienced drivers at these events.

Messenger Racing
Jay Messenger
8069467252

[douglap1]

thanks. I have done the school before a number of years ago. Is it still a 2 school requirement to graduate to a license?

My memory was that the event was very much about the process of racing and not much about learning your car. Looking at a few recent events and I’m not sure FC in the SE is too healthy but might have just been a couple of events.

appreciate the info! I sent Chin an email as well. Thanks

I race FC out of the Atlanta Region, and would be glad to help you get started - just message me your contact info.

Brad at Primus recently said that he might restart his series running either SARRC or Majors races, which would draw out a few more cars. There are some FC cars running in Florida, but they don't seem to like traveling North of Roebling. A good turn out for us at Roebling is about 4 - 5 cars. FF will generally have about the same, with maybe 1 - 2 more. Lately there are certainly more FE cars coming out around here, but a typical FE car costs about 3 times as much as an FC car for very little performance difference, and then there is the whole SCCA conflict of interest issue, and Enterprise parts cost premium to deal with.

The FRP races seem to have more FC cars, but then you are into traveling more than I want to travel.

Personally, I would not run my FC car on track with any of those tin-top track day guys. I don't even want to think about what a formula car tangle with a Mustang or Camaro would look like. I do know some guys who have run closed wheel prototypes like P1 and P2 cars with PCA, and attached flags to the top of their cars to make sure they could be seen, but the guys I know still weren't too comfortable with that.

SCCA Southeast Division used to run time trials and have an open wheel group with huge amounts of track time, but the whole "funwithcars" Time Trials National initiative put an end to that.

I have heard that Bob Woodman does some track days at Roebling with only 10 -12 mostly Porsches in attendance, with all day open track time. I might consider that since there should be ample space during the course of a day to do some open track testing.

Good luck, and hope to see you out next year.

[TimH]

Personally, I would not run my FC car on track with any of those tin-top track day guys. I don't even want to think about what a formula car tangle with a Mustang or Camaro would look like. I do know some guys who have run closed wheel prototypes like P1 and P2 cars with PCA, and attached flags to the top of their cars to make sure they could be seen, but the guys I know still weren't too comfortable with that.
.

This. It is very scary to be invisible to those big heavy guys.

[Goallie11]

The groups who privately rent tracks sometimes allow them, but most official track days put on by the track don't allow open wheel and closed wheel to run together. You just have to ask the organizer if they allow open wheel.

I did a bunch of track days before I started racing the car and would say it's not worth it. You're far far faster than everyone else and so low to the ground that most people can't even see you so it can be a hazard. In the driver's meeting before the day I would ask people to turn their mirrors down if they were in my group so they could see me coming. Never had a very close call, but the risk is there.

[EYERACE]

As opposed to a separate 'school event' - at times SCCA will allow a driver on a Novice Permit and an X on the car to be part of a regular race weekend. The Chief Steward keeps an extra eye out for the Novice while on track and then may sign them off at the end of the one weekend - thereby sidestepping the School event all together. It would all start with getting the Novice Permit.

Some Friday 'test days' are put on by the Track - other Friday 'test days' are put on by the SCCA Region - I'm certain for the SCCA Friday you would need at least the Novice Permit. All SCCA events have a virtually never brought up or talked about degree of Insurance applicable to everyone on track....which would explain why one would need some sort of SCCA License for their track event.....with the possible exception of Track Nights / America.....which would not allow open wheel........but then, what do I know?

[swiftdrivr]

Do the school. Good refresher on safety and some track time, and a license. Then do race weekends. The license buys you entry and insurability. You don't have to race, you can run test days and practice groups, but you will not be running with Tin-Tops [way too dangerous] and you will have lots of knowledgeable people around who can give advice. We want you to be safe and keep racing. More people on track + more fun for everyone

[cory mcleod]

For those interested, I received confirmation a couple weeks ago from the registrar that there will be an open test day at Roebling on Feb 24, as part of the school weekend.

[Farrout48]

The Roebling open test day is run by the track and not SCCA. They usually do 3 run groups - big bore, small bore and open wheel. The open wheel group includes P1, P2 and SRF3/SRF. In June the open wheel group with the SRFs was a disaster and they created a separate group for the SRFs after the first session. IMHO, running with the SRFs is trouble waiting to happen for the formula cars. I have found the SRF guys not watching their mirrors. I have had a number of close calls with them, been pushed off track in Turn 3 by one, and had another very slow SRF hit me in the side after I had passed him with a car width between us in Turn 5.

[TimH]

We've been able to run with some SRF drivers. Certainly not all. Better than a lot of Miata guys, though.

[JoshuaJustice]

As a SRF driver (who's driven a Vee one weekend), I suspect that SRF/formula compatibility is heavily track dependent, and also local culture dependent.

MSR Cresson in Texas is a track where their member/test days have passing only on the 4 main straights, and the SRFs and FMs (along with whatever other open-wheelers happen to be present) share the track on a regular basis because the run groups are cars, motorcycles, and openwheelers. The track itself offers plenty of opportunity for the FMs to get by the SRFs cleanly with no real problem for either group due to the track layout making it easy to pass on the straights. The FMs may have to be smart about timing a run out of one of the four turns leading into a straight but that's about it - if they're right on your tail coming out of the turn they can easily blow by you on the other three before getting to the next turn. The local track culture is one that's clearly acclimatized to the shared track since this happens all the time. The regulars are used to it, and the new guys are set straight from the get-go about the differences between the two classes and - as a SRF driver - the importance of checking the mirrors at the start of the straights to let the FMs by.

The only time I had an issue sharing the track with a formula car was with that one guy who tried to divebomb me at Ricochet (a turn where you really shouldn't even attempt a pass in a race) where I barely kept my car on track after delaying the turn-in for him at the last minute. Would have been entirely on him because passing's banned in the turns in the first place. He got black flagged and I was later told he got yanked off track that session. But, you know, I bailed and held on and there'd have been plenty of grass out there if I didn't - I sailed way the hell out there on my own this past weekend with nobody else to blame! I would probably be a little less comfortable sharing the track if it were lined with closer walls like most of the ones on the east coast, so that's a factor too.

[Skip Weld]

I may have a test day at Roebling Road some time in mid December.
Right now I have 2 or 3 cars that want to go. Could use one or two more.
It would be mid week. Contact me if you are interested.
Skip Weld
Weldmotorsports@gmail.com

[Rich Spritz]

In my neck of the woods most (but not all) true open track days do permit formula cars. It seemed a bit scary at first, being on track with production cars, but I quickly got used to it. Most open track days do not allow open passing, and often require point-by's. I have had far closer calls on pre-race open track days with wildly diverse formula cars all on track together.

[cory mcleod]

The Roebling open test day is run by the track and not SCCA. They usually do 3 run groups - big bore, small bore and open wheel. The open wheel group includes P1, P2 and SRF3/SRF. In June the open wheel group with the SRFs was a disaster and they created a separate group for the SRFs after the first session. IMHO, running with the SRFs is trouble waiting to happen for the formula cars. I have found the SRF guys not watching their mirrors. I have had a number of close calls with them, been pushed off track in Turn 3 by one, and had another very slow SRF hit me in the side after I had passed him with a car width between us in Turn 5.

Thanks for the info. I run F5 and we avoid running with SRF if at all possible. They just can't see our small cars. Hopefully the Feb test day will not be highly subscribed.