Dale,
Great to see some interest coming from the autocross community, since
that's how I got into this game. I attended my first North Carolina
autocross at Maxton in 1987, and have autocrossed there up through this
year, but now I'd much rather go to Maxton with the ECTA. A nicer bunch of
folks would be hard to find anywhere.
I first heard about the ECTA at the Beech Mountain Hillclimb about 4 years
ago, and since my primary transportation back then was an E-Mod Datsun 510,
it sounded interesting. Especially since the safety requirements were the
same or safer than those required for SOLO I (That's one car at a time going
fast around corners for the non SCCA members out there.) it was also another
way to justify car preparation expenses for future Beech Mountain hillclimb
events. (1.3 miles up the side of a mountain with 13 curves in the course.)
I attended the last ECTA meet of the season in 1997 and was instantly
hooked. After spending all winter getting the car ready I drove it to my
first ECTA event, had a fantastic time and drove home. Between land speed
events and 8-10 autocross events a year I eventually got tired of changing
tires all the time and bought a trailer. However, there's no reason you
couldn't drive your Neon to the event and participate, if you don't already
trailer it. You'll get a chance to stretch it's legs a lot further than
during any autocross.
Just like autocrossing, this is a sport that is much more fun to be a
participant in than to simply be a spectator. Although the sights, smells,
and sounds are glorious! It's a sport the whole family can participate in.
Much of the gear list for the weekend will be the same as for an autocross
event. (Helmet, sunscreen, non-alcoholic drinks, etc.) There's also none of
the pressure to perform that many novice autocrossers feel when confronted
with a sea of orange cones for the first time. You won't get lost anywhere
on the Maxton Mile. Definitely a good place to "test the waters" of land
speed racing. Most folks get caught in the current and catch "salt fever"
at their first event.
If you have any other questions about what you'll need to make the
transition from autocross to land-speed you can be sure the folks on this
list will have answers for you. I only wish I'd had this kind of tech
support back when I was putting my car together. That was one loooonng
winter, and if it hadn't been for Jim Bodenheimer and John Beckett, who I
called regularly with questions, my car would never have gotten finished.
Chuck Rothfuss
"USS Wankel" #510
East Coast Timing Association
Tarheel Sports Car Club
Cape Fear Chapter SCCA
At 11:33 AM 11/5/1999 -0500, you wrote:
>I've been lurking the list for about a year now and have enjoyed the topics,
>including all of the old engine stuff, a lot more than I would have
>expected. The latest fuel thread was quickly over my head, but later posts
>did a really good job of making it understandable to a person like myself.
>
>One thread I haven't seen yet regards new participants getting into the
>sport. I joined SCTA about the same time I found the mailing list, and have
>since found the ECTA website and many of your own personal websites.
>
>I haven't quite figured out where Maxton is yet, but I'm sure it's closer to
>the Northeastern states than the Saltflats are. I have a simple car, a
>Dodge Neon, by no means a record car, but it's a place to start. If you
>lived in the Northeast, how would you go about getting involved in a meet?
>Where would you go and when?
>
>It's funny, I answer questions like this for people who are interested in
>autocrossing all the time. I used to think I was answering an obvious
>question, but I've learned from trying to figure out Land Speed Racing that
>it's not as obvious as it seems sometimes.
>
>I'm not against going to the Salt at all, I'd just like an opportunity 'test
>the waters' before jumping in with both feet....
>
>Thanks for your patience,
>Dale
>
>
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