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We all know what the holiday season should really be all about…you getting racing goodies!! No really, you deserve it. However, if you’re like me, people have no idea what you’d like as potential gifts. Below are some neat items that you should consider putting on your wish list. Continue reading
Several weeks ago we posted an innocent video where we attempted to “fix” some of the body damage after the Civic hit a wall at Watkins Glen International Raceway. We appropriately titled the video “Three Guys and a Hammer”.
I received an e-mail from Kai stating that he did a Google search to see how this blog would be shown, and one of the terms he tried was “Astrophysathingy” (Kai’s nick name). I saw there was a photo attached, but it wasn’t visible until the bottom of the e-mail.
His next comment was merely “Speechless and shaken.” Now I was a bit worried. I scroll down to see this! Continue reading
The Snell foundation recently released its 2010 certification for both SA and M rated helmets. What this also means is that racing safety gear shops such as OG Racing need to clear their Snell 2005 certified helmet inventory and are offering substantial discounts.
The first thing I thought after receiving notification about OG Racing’s “Helmet Blowout Sale” was why would someone want to purchase a 2005 certified helmet when they can buy one which has a 2010 certification? It sounded a bit silly to me until I loaded my car for an upcoming HPDE that I will be attending and looked my helmet. What was once a nice, clean, un-abused, fresh smelling helmet has evolved to become something different. Hot sunny days creating a nicely soaked helmet from sweat and the inability to effectively clean the interior padding for years – ewwww! This also got me wondering if a few of those times I accidently banged it, maybe even…well, slightly dropped it, have damaged the helmet? Based on what I read on the Snell website, I think the helmet should still be fine. In the section that answered that question, it contains information discussing their recommendation of replacing helmets every five years (which can be read here). I guess that makes sense.
Smelly, kinda gross, possible safety degradation, but what about the cost factor? The reality of my racing budget is this is another important consideration. After plugging the numbers, purchasing a SA2010 helmet versus a SA2005 doesn’t yield the cost savings I was anticipating. Let’s take the Bell 
BR-1 helmet OG Racing has on sale as an example. The SA2005 is currently priced at $269. They said that the SA2010 BR-1 will be priced at $439 and anticipate in 2015 when another Snell certification is scheduled to be released, it will go on clearance sale for $279. This means that purchasing two helmets with the older certification would cost $548 – a potential cost savings of $109. When viewed from these perspectives, purchasing the SA2005 seems to make the most sense.
Great. Maybe it’s time that I replace my helmet after all.
A few months ago I received an order from a soldier overseas in Iraq and I included a few additional books in the package. Not long after that, I received an e-mail from SSG Thomas Hastings stating that he already read them and his friends were now also enjoying them. I was a surprised just how much he appreciated these small gifts.
“I really appreciate it. Attached a pic, nothing much, just trying to show my appreciation to you and let you know who you’ve helped. Thanks again!!!!” (Included with Thomas’ permission.)
For some reason I didn’t think about it until just recently, but if he and several other soldiers enjoyed this book and it gave them something positive to daydream about (and plan for a fun new hobby upon their return home), why wouldn’t other soldiers? I ran the idea by Tom and a few others – they loved it! Continue reading
We all know how much men love duct tape, but racing has opened my eyes to a whole new world of tapes and adhesives. This just proves that tape can fix just about anything!
I don't hear anyone complaining about racing, do you? Ah, duct tape to the rescue again!
Having an array of these products when in the shop or at the track can prove to be quite useful. Anything from temporarily securing a bumper cover while at the track, creating numbers for the racecar if the number on your car isn’t available, securing roll cage padding…the possibilities are virtually endless! With these great opportunities, you need to know which adhesives you should have on-hand.
Continue reading
“Dave Gran, author of the how-to-go-racing guidebook “Go Ahead – Take the Wheel,” has been busy
reworking his website, goaheadtakethewheel.com . It now includes a vast resource guide that details everything a budding enthusiast needs to know about getting started in autocross, high-performance driving events, time trials, club racing and volunteer positions.
The expanded site contains new pictures, videos, and how-to articles. It details current costs for participating in various forms of racing, and it even has a section covering maintenance and repairs as they relate to motorsports. Continue reading
I was quite happy to open up my July 2010 edition of SCCA’s SportsCar magazine to find this nice article about this resource. Thanks SportsCar for your support!
“Go Ahead – Go Online
The book Go Ahead – Take the Wheel, a how-to racing resource that has been promoted through the SCCA, is now completely free and available online. “For the active racers, how many times are we asked, ‘What do I need to do to start racing?’ and, ‘How much does that all cost?’ said the book’s author Dave Gran. “It will be great for them to be able to say, ‘Take a look at this website – it has everything you’ll need to know.”
