What Paperwork do I need?
Here's our Registration page - we'd like you to register online rather than the paper form we used to use. It'll show you the payment process too, either by check or PayPal. You'll need to fill that out to get registered for the event. Once at the track, you'll be asked to sign an insurance waiver, and then you're set to go. Okay, worst case scenario, here's the link to the registration form you can print out.
Here's our Tech Sheet, you'll be responsible for tech on your car. Check all the items on this list, and ensure your car is in good working order before coming to a track event. We may do a minor tech at the track, but you (or your mechanic) are responsible for the major tech.
How do I contact you?
You can contact Dave or Luc via email, or during office hours you can call Luc at (805) 238-1093.
What are the different activities NCRC puts on?
Descriptions of the types of activities, car groupings are available here.
I'm a beginner at this, what should I read?
First, go through our own track logistics pages. We've spent considerable time trying to get everything in one place that you'll need to know.
The Navigator, by Dave Farnsworth, good reading on how to avoid that track "incident".
BMW CCA Golden Gate Chapter, Driving School presentation, by Jim Grinstead.
Nor Cal Shelby Club Open Track Handbooks, wonderful write-ups of all the turns, lines and tricks to our local tracks.
Spend some time reading over the flag descriptions. You'll definitely need to know these.
Do I need a fast car?
No, any car in good working order will be fine on the track. We do not allow SUV's or other vehicles that will not handle safely on a track, but certainly a "regular" street car is acceptable.
What does it cost?
NCRC/ARC membership is $40, which must be renewed annually. We do have slightly higher non-member pricing for events as well. Event prices range from $180-300 per day, depending on the track, date, etc. Actual prices for each event are listed on the event page, in the section titled "registration."
Will my car insurance cover track days?
Back in '01 we spoke with two underwriters in great detail (State Farm and Allstate) about insurance coverage. They said the bottom line is coverage exists until the event gets competitive (usually defined as "timed") . So, going to a NCRC event your insurance covers you like it would at a 'high performance driving school', but the minute *you participate* in any competitive exercise (including our own Time Trial events), your coverage is waived - at least with Allstate and State Farm. However, this may be changing. Since mid '02 there have been a growing number of examples outside of California where claims, even from driver education events, are not covered at all.
The best advice is to check with your insurance company for specific information - the above is just what the NCRC was told regarding our own vehicles in '01, which may now be inaccurate. We also suggest looking into "umbrella" insurance policies to cover you from a broad set of potential situations you might run into with your car, not just an on-track collision. Also, some companies will offer annual or daily coverage for such competitive circumstances and DE events, American Collectors Insurance is one you might check out.
Can I share a ride, or bring two cars?
Two drivers may of course use the same car and register independently for two different sessions. Equally, one driver may bring multiple cars, and run them in the same run group for different sessions.
As a general rule, NCRC discourages sharing a car in one event, and does not support two drivers sharing a session simply to split the cost and sessions two ways.
It is allowable under these specific circumstances. If the driver's spouse is interested in "trying out" open track driving, or "testing" the new car, it is acceptable to run a session or two instead of the primary driver. Alternatively, the driver's mechanic may run a session or two, for purposes of evaluating the car, again as a replacement for the primary driver's session. We call this "test-driving" (we used to call it "co-driving" but that wasn't descriptive of the intent). In both cases, the primary and alternate driver must run in the same run group, so please designate the run group level of the least experienced driver. Any alternate driver must be an NCRC member and sign the appropriate track and NCRC registration/waiver forms. Please send a note to Dave to confirm a test-drive request during registration. There will be a small fee to cover administration, lunch, etc.
How do you handle cancellation and refunds?
Our cancellation policy is as follows. If you cancel two weeks before the event, we give a full refund. Within two weeks of the event, we credit half of your event payment to a future event, but as of 48 hours before the day the event begins there are NO refunds or credits given. This includes multiple day events, even if your car breaks the morning of day one. We'll feel bad for you since we truly want you to enjoy what you paid for. However, we must cover the costs of the event that are fully committed once the event starts, or there won't be an NCRC in the future. This is a generous policy among track clubs. All NCRC credits are held with us for two years before they expire, so you have plenty of time to use them.
How do I move up to the next run group?
Once you're a member at a certain group (Limited, Point-By, Open), you may request to be moved up a group only at an event. To do this, you should have a discussion with your run group lead (and instructor if you have one) who is chartered to approve the move. He may ask to drive around with or behind you during a session, or in some other way verify your readiness for the next group. Please understand we're trying to tightly control group memberships to avoid having anyone over-extend himself. The run group lead has the final say in this decision.
How much does it cost to rent a track?
We often get asked what it costs to put on a track event. Well, here's the answer - it's not cheap!
We've posted a page here showing typical track costs in California, and encourage everyone to make intelligent judgments as to the cost of events versus the services rendered. We think NCRC has picked the "sweet spot" in this department.
Who do I contact with questions or issues about NCRC?
Luc Noel and Dave Mills run NCRC. You can contact either of us, at luc@ncracing.org or dave@ncracing.org
What books will help me get started or learn more about autocross or road racing?
Secrets of Solo 1 and Solo 2, Henry Watts. Great intro to autox'ing and driving big tracks. Basic concepts covered, etiquette, and gives checklists for car prep and stuff you'll need at the track. A good read for beginners. Hank is NCRC's Director of Curriculum Development, and you can purchase the book directly off our site.
Porsche High-Performance Driving Handbook, Vic Elford. One of the greatest Porsche drivers ever and gives insight into how to drive these cars (911->914->928->917), some atypical concepts are discussed (like off road driving, how to handle pot-holes, etc). Competition driving, braking, cornering, acceleration, etc are covered. Each chapter begins with one of his racing stories, which flows into the lesson. An intermediate driving book... unfortunately it's very Porsche centric and might not carry over well into other types of cars. Most of the book centers on 911/read-engine type cars, though other types are discussed.
Porsche 911 Performance Handbook, Bruce Anderson. Covers all aspects of how 911s work. From brakes, trans, engine, tires, chassis and what mods make the most sense for your type of driving. Extremely detailed in the description, formulas, pictures, everything needed to mod your 'porch'.
Chassis Engineering, Herb Adams. If you're thinking about tweaking your suspension, this book is a must. Covers drag racing to road course setups. Introduces all types of chassis and suspension types, terms like sprung/unsprung weight, aerodynamic effects, even shows how to calculate performance improvements based on lightening the car. Written by an engineer.
How To Make Your Car Handle, Fred Puhn. Right there with Chassis Engineering in terms of quality. Lots of formulas and advice on how to setup your car for whatever purpose you have in mind (oval, drags, off-road, road course, etc). Great for tips and tricks for us 'non professional' types. Can get kind of technical. Read this when Chassis Engineering isn't quite enough.
High Performance Driving, Bob Bondurant with John Blakemore. Good stuff on how to drive a track. Acceleration, braking, late/early apex, shifting, etc. Nothing radically different in this book that other driving books. An easy read, good pictures, and conveys the point. I'd say it's the basic level of driving/racing training.
Brake Handbook, Fred Puhn. Everything you ever wanted to know about brakes... really! Gives you everything you'll need to design your own braking system, upgrade your braking system, determine what the effect of a braking mod will be, how to make the trade-offs for drilled/slotted rotors vs regular rotors, what type/size tires you need if you upgrade your brakes, etc. More info than you can ever use. Kind of technical, but readable.
John Lingenfelter on Modifying Small-Block Chevy Engines, John Lingenfelter. A carry over from my 'vette days. A great intro book on compression, stroke, turbos vs superchargers, displacement, valvetrain, effects of different metals in the engine (like alum heads vs. cast iron). Wealth of info and easy to understand descriptions of common terms e.g., blueprinting and balancing or the difference between superchargers and turbos.
Performance Handling - How to Make Your Car Handle, Techniques for the 1990s, Don Alexander. A pretty solid technical description of suspension setup on modern cars.
Drive to Win - The Essential Guide to Race Driving, Carroll Smith. One of Smith's series of good books, he writes with an easy style, and has great knowledge. This book could easily be named "Zen and the Art of Race Driving" - there's a fair bit on the "people" side of racing, as well as the technical stuff.
Going Faster, the Skip Barber Racing School. A very comprehensive book covering all aspects of racing and driving, from car control to finding the line to car setup to driving in competition. Its theory and physics are explained in a very readable and entertaining format. Interspersed within the text are various anecdotes from several successful drivers. "I've read a lot of the classics also mentioned above on this web page ("How to Make Your Car Handle", the " ____ to Win" Carroll Smith series, etc...), and if I only had one book on driving this would be it." Amazon.com has several sample pages online.
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