So, in the world of racing re-runs I recently caught a round of skid plate racing. Not as loony as the figure 8 bus races, trailer races, or straight up demolition derby, but still a loony version of racing.
Sadly, it seems like it’s only a thing out west, and I my only route may be to figure out how to get a track in Texas to run it. If I’m wrong and can avoid that nonsense, let me know where I can go do it. I’ll go buy my FWD shitbox, weld steel plates to its wheels, put in a roll cage and show up. If not, anyone ever tried to attach their event to a much larger event and done it successfully? As the article says, it’s usually a bewildering feature added onto normal short track oval races.
So, basically, I’m asking on advice how to run an auto circus, or how to avoid running it and just participate if you can save me from the previous fate.
I can’t help you with any of the details of your quest, but know that you have my interest and support. I first heard about this a couple years ago and it looks like about the most fun shit ever.
There’s a track in North Carolina (Winston-Salem) that did it on occasion, though I suppose not as frequently as Irwindale (California). I wish I had more useful information, but my knowledge comes from a recollection of a handful of articles that got written on the matter.
There’s a few people who wrote (or maybe still write?) for Jalopnik that you might want to contact as a lead-off point for organizing an event. Some of them have participated skidplate racing and would definitely know more.
They do skid plate races at the Bullring at LVMS; I’d love to drive in one. I admit they’re not as much fun to watch as the boat races tho.
Well, mostly sober and a week later. I still want to do this, but am still at the nebulous thought stage.
I’m figuring to even be a participant, I’ll need to abandon my current low-budget approach and get a truck and trailer, which means new house with a longer driveway. Ooof, naturally, there’s other things to get besides a FWD car no one cares about anymore. Fortunately for me, the wife started shopping a different house this week, and the one we like the most has a nice long driveway, and even a garage!
Yeah, Acierocolotl places like Jalopnik would probably be a better location for advice like this. I’m also a participant in the SCCA, which would also be a good place to ask. Once I know enough to discern between a stupid question and one that might lead somewhere, I’ll start asking in earnest.
Well, I wasn’t really suggesting going to Jalopnik per se, @scabpicker, so much as I was just commenting that some of the writers there went and did it, and then wrote some articles and shot some footage about the experience.
Turns out the writer in question was Jason Torchinsky, and he went to Irwindale. There, they rented him a car for the night.
There was a track in British Columbia (okay, still west coast) that also would rent you a car. So maybe you don’t even need to trouble yourself with a beater of your own, if the nearest track can hook you up?