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You Know your addicted when . . . .

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Old 03-18-2006, 07:16 PM
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AU N EGL
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Default You Know your addicted when . . . .

1. You tell your wife not to bother you during the 12 hours of Sebring no matter what the weather or honey do list has on it.

2. you buy a new house based on the size of the garage, or land to build a larger garge and if it will hold a lift.


any one else?
Old 03-18-2006, 07:29 PM
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StArrow68
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You are on vacation with the wife and while checking email at a public internet cafe you get notice of a new event and you explain it will only take a little longer, while you sign up for the event 3 days after your return. Heck, can't wait, it might fill up.
Old 03-18-2006, 09:00 PM
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Bob 33
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I visited the home of a GM VP who once worked on Corvettes. Had an 8 car garage with TWO lifts, and 3 or 4 personal Corvettes of various vintages along with two other more sedate cars. Tom, think big! With the right kind of lifts, you can store one car elevated, and park another under it like this guy did. Tell the wife about your space saving innovation. And you will be less messy if you don't have to crawl under the car.

Bob 33
Old 03-18-2006, 09:42 PM
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joemoia
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from a previous thread on this topic ("you know you're a racer if...)

-You think the primary purpose of wings is to PREVENT flight.

-You take your helmet along when you go to buy new eyeglasses or check out cars (seats).

-You feel compelled on a road trip to beat your previous best time.

-You are happiest when your street car's tires are worn to "racing depth".

-When something falls off of your car, you wonder how much weight you just saved.

-When you hear 'overcooked it', instead of food you think 'off the track'.

-You change engine oil every other week.

-You sometimes hear little noises from your passengers when you get on the throttle right after turning in.

-You thoroughly enjoy showing the tailgater behind how to drive around a highway off-ramp.

-Your racing budget is one of the big three - mortgage, car payments/maintenance, dating.

-Your email address refers to your race car rather than to you.

-You walk "proper lines" through the grocery store.

-You've paid $4.00 a gallon for gas without complaining.

-You buy new parts because you don't know where you put the spares.

-You bought a race car before buying a house.

-You bought a race car before buying furniture for the new house.

-You're looking for a tow vehicle and still haven't bought furniture!

-You find that you need a new house because you've outgrown your garage and the neighbors are threatening violence if you park one more vehicle on the street or in the front yard.

-The requirements you give your real estate agent are (in order of importance):
1) 8-car climate controlled garage with an attached shop.
2) Outside parking for 6 cars, a motorhome, a crew cab dualie, a 28' enclosed trailer and a 34' 5th wheel.
3) 3 phase 220V outlets in the garage for your welder.
4) A grease pit.
5) Conveniently close to a hazardous waste disposal site.
6) Deaf neighbors.
7) Across the street from a paint and body shop.
8) Some sort of house with a working toilet and shower on the property somewhere or hookups for the motorhome.

-You measure all family acquisitions in terms of the number of race tires that could have been purchased.

-You know well that orthodontic work is the equivalent of three sets of tires.

-You sit in your race car in a dark garage and make car noises and shift and practice your heel and toe, while waiting for your motor to get back from the machine shop.

-You look at the purchase of tools as a long term investment.

-Your wife says, "If you buy another set of tires, I'm getting a new mink."

-Your garage holds more cars than your house has bedrooms.

-You have enough spare parts to build another car.

-More than one racer supply house recognizes your voice and greets you by name when you call.

-You have car parts in your cubicle at work.

-You think the last line of the Star Spangled Banner is: "Racers, start your engines!"

-If you can't remember when you last worked on weekdays and rested on weekends.

-You're registered for wedding gifts at Pegasus and Racer Wholesale.


-Your Christmas list begins with "another set of Toyo RA1's" and aluminum rods (and your 'significant other' knows what these are).

-After your answer to "What did you do this weekend?" the next question is always: "And you do this for fun? Right?"

-You have a separate drawer for 'garage clothes'.

-Your reading material in your bathroom consists of auto parts and racing supply catalogs, several books written by famous drivers, every book Carroll Smith has ever written and 400 car magazines, none of which have centerfolds.

-People know you by your class letter, car number, and car color.

-People know you by your "off"s". "Oh, you're the one stuck in the mud at ButtonBog last weekend!"

-Your first date involves asking her to crew for you.

-Your criteria for selecting a significant other include auto repair skills. Air tools optional.

-Your friends don't recognize you without a helmet and driver's suit.

-Your family remembers your hair color as "grease".

-You plan your wedding around the race schedule.

-You astound the clerk at Sears by bringing in a snapped breaker bar every other week or so.

-You remember the dates and details of every race you've ever been in, but can't remember your phone number.

-Your family brings the couch into the garage so they can spend some time with you.

-You complain when cars in front of you on highway off-ramps don't stay on the line, causing your exit speed to drop.

-A neighbor asks if you have any oil, to which you query, "Synthetic or organic?" and they reply, "Vegetable or corn."

-You give out Automotive Engineering's number when a friend asks for the best hardware store.

-You refer to the corner down the street from your house as "Turn One."

-You look at the fire hydrant at that corner and see an apex marker.

-You enjoy driving in the rain on the way to work or school.

-You always late apex the intersection and try to pass a few cars coming out.

-Everywhere you go, you try to find the fastest line through the turn.

-You always do a toe & heel downshift while your passenger gives you a real funny look.

-You can't stand anyone telling others how to drive. Of course, you are the best.

-You can't stand understeer.

-You always want to change something in your street car to make it handle better.

-You will gladly pay up to $8 for a quart of engine oil.

-You hate long distance drives to visit relatives of to go on vacation, but you will gladly drive 800 miles to the race track.

-You think that traction control and ABS are for those who can't drive.

-You've ever tried to convince your wife you needed that flow bench to fix the air filter on her van.

-You save broken car parts as "mementos".

-Your last several freeway forays included just brushing the curbs as you apexed the on-ramps perfectly.

-You've found your lawn mower runs pretty good on 108 octane gas (but doesn't care for alcohol).

-The local tire shop won't honor the tread life warranty on any car you have been within 50 yards of.

-The shop manager at your local car dealer mutters "dear Lord" under his breath after he sees the size of your exhaust system.

-The local police and state Highway Patrol have a picture of your car taped to their dashboard.

-You spend more time polishing your exhaust tips every day than you do bathing.

-Instead of pictures in your wallet, you have qualifying times.

-You would choose a roll bar over air conditioning if it were an option.

-You enjoy driving through wet, empty parking lots and using the emergency brake to kick the back end out.

-White smoke coming out from under your tires is a common sight.

-You consider the redline a "conservative suggestion" and the rev limiter "a fun limiter."

-You spend more on insurance premiums than on food.

-Your idea of a good time is sitting around figuring out gear ratios and the ideal final drive ratio for given situations.

-When someone refers to "The Good Book", you think of "Prepared to Win."

-When someone asks where you went to school, you reply, "Skip Barber".

-You have racing shops programmed on your speed dialer.

-You own five cars and only one of them is street legal.

-You know the 1/4 mile times and skid pad numbers of your riding mower and want to improve them.

-You've embarrassed your significant other at least once by insisting on wearing your full face helmet while driving.

-You know the "racing line" of every turn in your daily commute, including your alternate routes, and practice hitting them every day.

-You quote your street tire wear life in weeks rather than miles.

-You regularly live test your rev limiter on that straight that's a little too long for 2nd but not worth going into 3rd for.

-You've started looking for sponsors for your daily commute.

-You've slalomed in a construction zone, and counted your penalty time in the rearview afterwards.

-After you tell your wife where you'd like to go on your vacation she answers: "Why... is there a race there?"

-A cop pulls you over and ask for your license and registration so you give him you SCCA license, SM logbook, and the tech card from your last race.

-The only reason you clean out your street car is so that you dont have weight transfering around the car when you make a hard corner.

-You are about to buy a new street car and the salesman asks if you want in automatic or manual, to which you respond "they still make automatic transmissions? I thought those were illegal"

-You only wash your car is to lessen the aerodynamic drag that dirt causes.

-when you compare the cost of something to the number of tires you could have bought, you know the exact decimals of each dollar amount.
i.e. a $215 mattress is equal to 1.3023... tires ($140 tires)

-You wrote a complain letter to Sears when you found out that they no longer offer wedding registery

-You know your wife's a racer when she's called you on her cell phone from her car, and interrupts the conversation to tell you that a really clean "donor" just pulled up to the light beside her, she think it's a '91.
Old 03-18-2006, 10:13 PM
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Yep said many times.. I can deal with a bigger garage and less house....
Old 03-19-2006, 06:29 AM
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AU N EGL
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Originally Posted by Bob 33
I visited the home of a GM VP who once worked on Corvettes. Had an 8 car garage with TWO lifts, and 3 or 4 personal Corvettes of various vintages along with two other more sedate cars. Tom, think big! With the right kind of lifts, you can store one car elevated, and park another under it like this guy did. Tell the wife about your space saving innovation. And you will be less messy if you don't have to crawl under the car.

Bob 33

Bob

I am looking at an empty ware house in a small town near by 100,000 sq ft, loading dock and place to drive the tow vehicals inside to load up like the NASCA shops.

Just may have to get into racing too support my habbit AND start a race or DE prep shop along with a retail and mail order store for DE junkies.
Old 03-19-2006, 08:09 AM
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Originally Posted by AU N EGL
Just may have to get into racing too support my habbit AND start a race or DE prep shop along with a retail and mail order store for DE junkies.
I think you should get with Lou and start an LG East, then we have a place to go get quality work and parts nearby. Closest now I think is Phoenix.

You missed one more above:

When you complain that your wifes SUV only got 50,000 miles out of its tires and you had to spend $600 to get them replaced. Then you go replace a set for your vette that only had 5000 miles and they cost $1000 to replace!
Old 03-19-2006, 08:52 AM
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Tom, you may have stumbled upon the secret of how to make a small fortune in racing.

Bob 33
Old 03-19-2006, 09:02 AM
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TedDBere
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Here's one that happenned to me yesterday:

While the wife's checking out second homes down south your doing an internet search on SCCA regions in the area, and distance to the local venues.
Old 03-19-2006, 12:03 PM
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Uhhh . . . . . . OKay joe, I scored a 85 out of 94 on your test . . . .


WhaddaIwin ?
Old 03-19-2006, 01:30 PM
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AU N EGL
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Originally Posted by TedDBere
Here's one that happenned to me yesterday:

While the wife's checking out second homes down south your doing an internet search on SCCA regions in the area, and distance to the local venues.
Ok Ted

Let me help you out.

I live just 10 miles NE or Raleigh NC. Distance to tracks ( towing a trailer of course)

VIR - 85 miles. 1.5 hours
New Track in NC open late 2006 or early 2005 - 2 hours
CMP - 3 hours
Summit Point 6 hours
Road Atlanta - 6 hours
Roebling Road - 6 hours
Barber Motorsports - 9 hours
Watkins Glen 12 hours
Sebring 10 hours.

HTH
Old 03-19-2006, 07:12 PM
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TedDBere
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Originally Posted by AU N EGL
Ok Ted

Let me help you out.

I live just 10 miles NE or Raleigh NC. Distance to tracks ( towing a trailer of course)

VIR - 85 miles. 1.5 hours
New Track in NC open late 2006 or early 2005 - 2 hours
CMP - 3 hours
Summit Point 6 hours
Road Atlanta - 6 hours
Roebling Road - 6 hours
Barber Motorsports - 9 hours
Watkins Glen 12 hours
Sebring 10 hours.

HTH
How far from Ocean Ridge Plantation? Any SCCA autox's near by...Sunset Beach, NC?
Old 03-19-2006, 08:12 PM
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kellsdad
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Ok, I can admit this here without taking a lot of grief for it. I retired last September and sold my house last month. I'm now in the market for a 7,000 square foot metal building. I'll use about 1,200 square feet for an apartment and all the rest will be the garage and workshop I've been dreaming about. My workshop list includes a lift, paint booth, wash rack, fabrication room, and grows a little longer every day. Does that pass the test for addicted?
Old 03-20-2006, 07:12 AM
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AU N EGL
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Originally Posted by TedDBere
How far from Ocean Ridge Plantation? Any SCCA autox's near by...Sunset Beach, NC?
Sunset Beach is on the NC and SC bouder about 1/2 in between Myrtle Beach SC and Wilmington NC. Wilmington NC is 2 house SE from Raleigh NC.

DOnt know of any SCCA autocrosses in the NC SCCA reagion, not to say there aren't any, just dont know of any. More NCCC auto-x in the carolinas. Dont know where Ocean Ridge Plantation is either.
Old 03-20-2006, 10:22 AM
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when driving home following either your wife or kids once you arrive you fuss at them for crossing the BLEND line on the interstate entrance ramp!
Old 03-20-2006, 04:33 PM
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Red Gump
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Originally Posted by TedDBere
Here's one that happenned to me yesterday:

While the wife's checking out second homes down south your doing an internet search on SCCA regions in the area, and distance to the local venues.
sebring = 33870. real estate still reasonable. local track. moroso is 1.5 hours, homestead is 2.5 hours. lots of auto-x in our region--tampa (1.5 hours), orlando (1.5 hours) and east coast (1.5-2.5 hours).
Old 03-20-2006, 09:31 PM
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Racing is a crack pipe.

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To You Know your addicted when . . . .

Old 03-20-2006, 09:36 PM
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emf
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Naw, I'm pretty sure Crack is cheaper.
Old 03-21-2006, 10:02 AM
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edz
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Originally Posted by AU N EGL
Ok Ted

Let me help you out.

I live just 10 miles NE or Raleigh NC. Distance to tracks ( towing a trailer of course)

VIR - 85 miles. 1.5 hours
New Track in NC open late 2006 or early 2005 - 2 hours
CMP - 3 hours
Summit Point 6 hours
Road Atlanta - 6 hours
Roebling Road - 6 hours
Barber Motorsports - 9 hours
Watkins Glen 12 hours
Sebring 10 hours.

HTH
Now thats impressive, it takes me 11.5 hours from Palm Beach to Pinehearst, about the same as Raleigh to Sebring, however the "New Track" caught my eye. Gonna possibly retire to Southern Pines pretty soon and would like any info on the new track, already know the old ones.
Old 03-21-2006, 12:46 PM
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actully two new tracks in NC

One will be off I85 south of Salisbury NC.

The other is I95 near VA boarder - alternatice fuels test track.


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