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Author Topic: Starting a race team!  (Read 22583 times)
racn4fun
Rookie
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Posts: 18


« on: June 10, 2009, 07:11:02 PM »

Hello to all.  My husband and I are interested in buying a car for our almost 5 yr old daughter.  Daddy has raced for several yrs and now its time to pass dwn the reigns.  How do we go about doing this without having to spend a fortune out of our pocket?  Is there any help out there for "rookies"?  Any info would be greatly appreciated.  Im sure you've all been there.  Thanks! Smiley
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sfreitas20
Triple Crown Champion
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Posts: 525



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« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2009, 07:54:13 PM »

I just emailed you a copy of a great Novice Handbook that we found to be very helpful when we started last year.  If you haven't started her lessons yet, you will want to get those scheduled at your local track ASAP.

Check out the email I sent and feel free to call me if you want to talk about the things we did when we started last year.
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Scott Freitas
Patriot Motorsports Inc.
spilltiff
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Posts: 7


« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2009, 09:14:16 PM »

Hello we are a family that is retiring from quarter midgets.  We do have some great cars for sale.  You may have seen our ad under the classifieds but we need to sale our cars to be able to buy the mini sprint that we are driving now.  We are ready to deal.  We have 3 cars...2 Stanley's and 1 Bullrider.  Please ask around and you will see these are the best cars out there and easy to handle.  We have an 2007 Stanley that is listed @ $2650, and a 2008 Stanley for $2800, and a 2006 Bullrider for $2500.  We are ready to deal and will drop prices a lot more if you are ready to deal.  Please go to wesleyspillersracing.com under photos and click on thumbnails for larger photos.  You can also call Wes at 317-965-1384 at any time.  We have raced in all different parts of the country and if we can help with set up we would do that too. 


Wes Spillers
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gadams
Veteran
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Posts: 58


« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2009, 10:29:40 PM »

what area are you from, there are alot of great deals on cars and equipment, you made a good first step asking on this forum. Most people on here will be glad to help find you find a car that fits your needs and budget.
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BQwkR
Rookie
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Posts: 24


« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2009, 09:00:27 AM »

What I have learned about buying a used racer:
1. Take your time and look around.
2. Price is not always the most important thing to look at; consider safety 1st.
3. If a racer is set up for 13 year old Tommy, it doesn't mean it'll setup easily for 5 year old Mikey.
4. Just because a particular race car has won an important race or set track records, doesn't mean it'll race the same for your kid.
5. Tier 3 or Keyed? Vega or Hoosier? Tanners or Hunters? Seat or no seat? USAC or .org?
Honda or ?? Caster and Camber. Stagger? Locked or unlocked? 5 point or 6 point? Dyno'd or out of the box? 35's or 40's?
6. Ask the previous owner to allow a little non agressive test ride. If they say no--walk away.
7. Ask other in your organization if they know the car.

This is probably not a complete list. I'm just the handler and the financier of our little race team, but when you get the racer home and in the garage, be sure you just haven't bought a money pit.
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Swartz
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« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2009, 09:44:42 AM »

Dents on the right are from passing. Dents on the left are from getting passed. If they say it was never in a wreck it was either not competative or.......
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QMMOM2
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Posts: 22


« Reply #6 on: June 11, 2009, 10:23:30 AM »

You may want to start by talking to the novice director or officer of the club that you are going to join.  They should know of cars that would be for sale in you area and which ones you might want to stay away from.  Also try going to a few races and talking to some of the jr. honda families, they might know of any used equipment that some of the smaller kids have or will be out growing. By talking to the Jr. honda families you may also get alot more insight about what you may need to get first as far as tools and equipment and what you can wait on.  Sometimes it helps to watch a family on race day and ask questions before you start buying stuff.  When we got started we went to a few races first and it really helped us get more comfortable on how things ran before we jumped in. Hope this helps. 
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BQwkR
Rookie
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Posts: 24


« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2009, 11:13:40 AM »

or dents in the rear bumper might indicate the racer is slow or the driver was not trained to get out of the way of faster racers.
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Swartz
Guest
« Reply #8 on: June 11, 2009, 11:38:19 AM »

Or brake checking the starts.... Grin
A few dents and dings don't make a racecar bad, just usualy cheaper.
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IndyQMDad
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Posts: 75



« Reply #9 on: June 11, 2009, 11:55:50 AM »

There is some useful information that I gathered as a rookie Dad/handler on our website, www.freemanracing.com. Just click the links on the left for "useful documents" and "learning center".

The first thing I recommend, if you haven't done so already, is going to your local track for a couple of races to see what a race day is like and to talk to some of the people. Try to talk to a veteran family, a new family and the novice/rookie trainer at a minimum. Setup a time to do a test drive and get information about the clubs training program.

Don't rush to buy a car. Chances are that you don't quite know what you're looking for, or at for that matter, at this point. Our first car was a total piece of junk. I was so excited to buy a car for my then 6 year-old, but I didn't really know what I was doing. I made an uneducated purchase that ended up costing me a lot of frustration, time and money. Don't buy anything until you've had a chance to make sure your child really wants to race and you've had the opportunity to build a relationship with someone that you trust to guide you into a good buying decision.

If you're in the Indy area I will be happy to help if possible.

Good luck with your new venture into the world of quarter midget racing. I am sure you and your family are going to build memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.
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David
two_tenths_off
Rookie
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Posts: 36


« Reply #10 on: June 11, 2009, 12:16:13 PM »

Here is our experience - just FYI.

We bought a local car and paid $3800 for the "package". We may have overpaid, but consider the package.

1.5 year old car that finished 2nd in points, in the class we wanted to race (Sr. Honda). The car was in reasonably good shape (not a real attractive car and not real clean) and the engine continues to run well.

Along with the car came:

6 extra wheels (for all corners) with used tires mounted
bead breaker
tire inflation safety ring
a few extra gears both motor and axle
axle lead alignment tools
a few springs of various weights
a few extra hubs front and rear open and locked
pit cart and furniture dolly
racing notes
and various tools that are QM specific (axle nut wrench)
basic tach for RPM only

This was a package from a driver that was moving on from QM's. We were able to almost get completely through Novice Training prior to having to purchase tires. However since moving up to Sr. Honda we have purchased new shocks, springs, different gears, valve springs (a few times), lots of tires, a Mychron 3, beacon, etc. So this fairly complete package was still missing some items.

The car is not competitive for us so far. We are still two tenths off the track record on our best lap time and often a quarter second off. But we are working on it. I do not regret purchasing this car.....but this is a tough sport, particularly for the Novice handler!


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TysonThompson
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Posts: 46


« Reply #11 on: June 11, 2009, 01:16:59 PM »

The Spillers' cars are fast. I bought one last year and we have one of the fastest Jr. Honda cars in the country.  Not only are the cars good the help that they provide is invaluable.  They take pride in seeing their cars do well.  We had an older car and the very first race we ran in our car from Spillers, my daughter set quick time during the Indiana State Championship race.  This is gong from barely making the show to setting quick time with no practice.  They have great set up advice.
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racn4fun
Rookie
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Posts: 18


« Reply #12 on: June 11, 2009, 01:52:42 PM »

Hello to all!  Thanks for all the info so far.  Were doing our homework and just went to a local track this past wknd to watch a friend of ours race.  We also took her to the "Arrive and Drive" in Columbus on Tuesday.  Man, did she enjoy that!  She smiled from ear to ear the rest of the nite.  We live in NW Ohio.  Our home track would probably be MacOChee in West Liberty.  Its the closest one to us.  Keep the info comin'.  Its all very helpful.  It feels good to be part of the racing family!
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Swartz
Guest
« Reply #13 on: June 11, 2009, 02:05:26 PM »

Stop by Mac-O-Chee this weekend if you can. I believe there is a weekly race Sat. and I know we will be there for the Mid Ohio race Sun. I'm sure lots of people will be willing to talk your ears off.
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d4hall
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Posts: 55



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« Reply #14 on: June 11, 2009, 02:48:46 PM »

Just to clarify. 

Friday - 6/12   Buckeye Weekly
Sat    - 6/13   Mac-O-Chee Fun Race (Rain makeup)
Sun    - 6/14   Buckeye Mid-Ohio

Dale
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Dale Hall
Columbus, Ohio
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