I have always wanted to race on a race track. I finally got my new G35 and was dissappointed to find out that the local race tracks (I live in the OC) do not let you bring your car to the track to take it for a spin! I don't want to race my G35 against other cars, because I am going to leave it unmodified, but I was hoping I could just take it to the track and see what kind of times I can get.

Well this last weekend I went to the taste of lexus and thought that was fun and wanted to see if anyone here knows anything about how to get started raceing.

Is there any way to get into racing with out having to spend assloads of cash on a car that is just for racing, or tracks in teh So Cal area that will let me atleast bring my car to teh track on certain days?

Welcome to NICO. You'll have to post up a few pictures for everyone. Did you get an 05/06 coupe?

Most tracks won't let you just go out there and drive. There are quite a few ways to get out on the track. I know that BMW and Porsche clubs along with many others have track days. You don't have to have a BMW or Porsche to join either. Also there are mayne types of driving schools that you can do that don't cost too much. You get classroom and in car instruction.

I'm not sure what is really out there in California though. Check out our regional meets forums and I'm sure you'll be able to get some more directed responses there.

Since you are in socal, you're in luck. There are usually plenty of organizations hosting fun safe events. Couple I know of:

http://www.gfos.net/serca/2005/bigwillow/reg.php

http://www.speedtrialusa.com/index1.html

If it's your first time out, I'd recommend the latter. The Streets is a slower course than big willow but still fun and technically challenging as it has several elevation changes, a blind chicane, and a banked increasing radius turn. Big willow is quite a bit faster but if you've not done this before, you should work up to it. Driving on a track is much different than driving on a street.

And do keep in mind, these are not actual races. You can stretch your legs quite a bit and let lose, but passing is limited. If you really want to get into real racing, you should start with a race car driving school to learn the proper techniques and work towards getting a racing license. I'd perhaps look towards getting a dedicated race car as well.

If you are talking about drag racing, California Speedway hosts street legal drags. You'll need to check their website for dates. You can also head up to palmdale to race on the Los Angeles County Raceway. Elevation is a bit high there but still a decent track. I'm not sure when they allow the racing, but I think it is more often that the California Dragway. Carlsbad may be an option as well, but I don't know much about it. Hopefully they've at least fixed the pit and return lanes as my friend said they were poorly paved. If you're okay with 1/8 mile racing, Irwindale has that as well...you'll have to check with them fot dates as well.

Thanks for the reply that really helps!

I'm going to check into it

-Shawn

A path to get into racing is through the SCCA. There are many on NICO that participate in autocross. You can learn a ton through http://www.scca.org Good luck and welcome to NICO!

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