Solo I newb questions

[Casius]

Hey guys I have a few basic questions about Solo I. After my first track day I'm hooked, I thought maybe it would be something I'd have some fun at but I realize now that I belong in this stuff. As a result I'm thinking of starting some Solo I next year, and do some more lapping days this year. I know Solo II exists too but to be honest I don't really have a passion for racing around in a parking lot. I'm not trying to put it down or anything, I'm just saying that to me track time, with all the elevation changes and blind corners, etc is what it's all about.
I'm just wondering how I would start into this. I am going to go out on a limb and assume I need a racing license for it? And I guess the biggest thing I'd like to know is what kind of costs I'd be looking at to start, and can I use just my daily driver or is this crazy serious to the point you need a race car?
I'm not rich by any means, but I feel this is something that needs to be done because I can't get my mind off it.

Thanks everyone,
Peter

[wing]

Nothing against you not enjoying solo II and wanting to do solo I, but have you even tried solo II? It's a good stepping stone to Solo I as it teaches you car control at the limit.

[Casius]

You know come to think of it that is a very good point. And Solo II is pretty cheap no? I think I could be much more productive at the track if I learned some things in Solo II first. Need tires now

[wing]

$30 for members $40 for non-members. It gives you experience at slower speeds controlling your car at the limit.

Was Calabogie your first ever lapping experience? I don't want to discourage you from doing Solo I at all by all means go for it if you wish. But there are always other open lapping days and Solo II to hone your skills a bit first.

[craig]

Hey guys I have a few basic questions about Solo I. After my first track day I'm hooked, I thought maybe it would be something I'd have some fun at but I realize now that I belong in this stuff. As a result I'm thinking of starting some Solo I next year, and do some more lapping days this year. I know Solo II exists too but to be honest I don't really have a passion for racing around in a parking lot. I'm not trying to put it down or anything, I'm just saying that to me track time, with all the elevation changes and blind corners, etc is what it's all about.
I'm just wondering how I would start into this. I am going to go out on a limb and assume I need a racing license for it? And I guess the biggest thing I'd like to know is what kind of costs I'd be looking at to start, and can I use just my daily driver or is this crazy serious to the point you need a race car?
I'm not rich by any means, but I feel this is something that needs to be done because I can't get my mind off it.

Thanks everyone,
Peter

Hi, we're all at Calabogie now for the big race, but I'll get back to you. To get started, you need a helmet. That's it. No license, daily driver is perfect because of the way we class cars (and we class tires too).

I was on tracks for 10 years before I did any Solo2, and there are plenty of people who have an interest only in Solo1 or Solo2 - as well as people who do both. Most of the people who have done Solo1 have little to no interest in Solo2 for the reasons you mention - but it is better to do both (and rally, and winter events, and ... )

[Casius]

You can't understand how happy the thought of spending time at tracks makes me

[sfong]

There are different types of motorsports for all types of people and budgets. A lot of wheel to wheel racers would have the same no-interest comments on Solo 1. Although, I haven't actually participated in a Solo 1 event (because I'm only mildly interested in the competition aspect), I've done a lot of lapping which is more or less the same costs. It's actually a good idea to try a lot of different types of motorsports, as they teach you different things, sort of like cross-training. Here is my take (I do like to research) on the "pyramid of speed" and the costs (your mileage may vary).

1) Autocross (Solo2): Single car time trials, with pylons in a parking lot, limited to highway speeds. Cheapest way to race. Teaches car control, how to read a learn courses quickly, and to instantly turn on your mental race mode. It's more about quick reactions and the courses will put the car in extreme transitions at over 10/10, but at safe speeds. Doing well is 80% driver skill, 20% car. Best done in a street car, with race tires if you're really serious about competition. There are dedicated autocross race cars too, but they are rare.
Requirement: helmet
Cost: entry fee - $30-$40, tire usage per event - $10-$60, gas - $5-$10
Track time: MCO typically has 6 one minute runs

2) Lapping: Performance driving on road courses. Longer (not higher) braking, cornering and accelerating forces than autocross. Higher speeds, but also higher risks for making mistakes. Since you do the same lap over and over, you can get warm up and get into a groove and work on very fine points of driving. This makes lapping more about precision and preperation than autocross, and driving at slightly below the limit to prevent the expensive accident. Probably the best for track time to $ ratio. Being fast is 50% driver skill, 50% car. Best done in a lightly prepped (for safety and reliability) street car with race tires once you have some experience. Depending on your car you might have to do more work to make it consistent and reliable for a session and the day. People do use dedicated race cars, but only for a test day, since there is no competion.
Requirement : helmet, and any other safety requirements from the particular event organizer
Cost: entry fee - $300-$400, tire - $100-$300, brakes - $50-$100, gas - $100-$200, other car maitenance - $50-$100
Track time: 2-3 hours of track time per day

3) Solo1 or "Time Attack": Time trials, but on a track. Essentially the same thing as lapping, but with a competition aspect to it. Solo 1 in Ontario requires a license, but it is really only $60 admin fee for the year, not a driving skills requirement. There is going to be extra cost since you'll probably want to prep the car for performace now also. Here you might consider a dedicated race car, since you'll probably want to go to the limit, which means taking more risk and will to loose the car if you have an incident. If you go all out there's the extra cost of tow vehicle etc. Solo 1 competions tend to have less track time than straight lapping days.

4) Rally: Time trial on public roads (with only a navigator with notes to tell you where the course is). Don't have any practical knowledge of it, but it is probably the ultimate type of time trialing. It combines the instant reaction time and improvisation of autocross with the speed and danger of Solo1. The car gets beat up pretty bad and there is a good chance of stuffing it, so I would probably lean to a dedicated car for that.

5) Wheel to wheel racing: What some people would call the only "real" motorsport racing. Most exciting and dangerous type of motorsport since there are actually other cars competing with you. In this type of motorsport the final key skill of racecraft is required. Things like how to pass, taking different lines for different situations, judging the competition to pick a spot to pass, being aware of your track postion, etc. are required to do well. Needless to say this is the most expensive type of racing, which basically requires a dedicated race car. There is going to be race damage and incidents beyond your control, so extra budget for that. The cheapest way to go is karting, and with shifter karts that's pretty fast stuff. Note that almost all professional open wheel racers started in shifter karts, so if you're serious about competition a racing, this is probably your first choice.

[msix]

here is the link with all the answers - http://www.soloontario.com/index-s1.html
and links to forms and applications

basically to run in Solosprint you need:
belong to a CASC affilliated club (MCO, SPDA, HADA ..)
buy a Class 'C' license ($60)
have a helmet (M2000 or SA2000 or newer)
a safe car that complys with the CASC Solo Ontario rules
get your car classified on line
register, pay the fees and show up
have fun

If you have questions in regards to classifications, ask, there is lots of help everywhere.

No modifications required, stock car is fine, better than stock brakes is recommended, tires will be chewed up, good performance street tires (summer tires) will be okay, but expect to have them used up in one season.

Experience is not really required, as Craig mentioned, you can start at the deep end and go right to Solosprint.
HOWEVER some Lapping days or Performance Driving Schools are highly recommended.
Solo 2 experience is the best first step, get to know your car.

oh yeah, none or a very understanding g/f or wife.

[Casius]

Awesome guys, thanks a lot this is great info. For Solo II do people just go and show up or does one have to sign up for a league if you will?

[Robin2]

For the MCO solo2 events, you show up and register/pay. It's better to show up earlier the better as walking the course is good to do more than once. I always walk it 2-3 times. The solo2 course are always different. If you're changing tires/wheels at the event, come earlier. Most show up before 8am.

For the event itself, bring the essentials only... and come prepared as we run in any weather (rain/shine). anything thats loose in your car is to be removed (this is why I say to leave anything unncessary at home).

[morrow]

"4) Rally: Time trial on public roads (with only a navigator with notes to tell you where the course is). Don't have any practical knowledge of it, but it is probably the ultimate type of time trialing. It combines the instant reaction time and improvisation of autocross with the speed and danger of Solo1. The car gets beat up pretty bad and there is a good chance of stuffing it, so I would probably lean to a dedicated car for that."


Just to clarify the above, it is referring to stage rallying, which is done on closed roads. It requires a caged car, and the driver and co-driver wear a helmet, driving suit, etc. Competitors must be licensed. Next one up: the Galway-Cavendish Forest Rally on August 9.

The other type is a Time-Speed-Distance rally, which does not exceed legal speed limits on public roads. Next one up: Summer Night Rally this Wednesday, July 30, from Carp.

Jeannie

[evidence01]

pete. Im in for solosprint next year. Lets do it. solo2 was great this year but ide like to leave 2nd gear.

[PMcD]

mco mainpage- disciplines- solosprint. Bling! Its all there. BTW MCO will need a club solo 1 director next year. If anyones interested contact the exec.

[-Ferdinand-]

... all the elevation changes and blind corners, etc is what it's all about.

Parking lot Solo-II events should be a required mandatory experience for anyone trying to get a drivers licence, or within the first couple of years of obtaining a drivers licence, coupled with MCO's Winter Driving School and snowcross events.

Nothing is better than Solo-II at teaching car control, awareness of where the corners of your car are located, braking, smooth arcs through corners, etc. all with no danger of harming your car. Solo-II is very useful for teaching mental focus. You can spend plenty of time relaxing, watching and learning from others between runs, then have to focus on an intense but relatively short duration burst of sensory overload during your own run. Don't ever let anyone tell you that Solo-II is simple and therefore not worth trying. The concept may be simple, but the execution is not. The guys that are consistently good at this stuff deserve a lot of respect!

Solo-II also very quickly and clearly demonstrates that driving sideways with lots of noise and smoke, á la Fast and Furious, is almost never the quickest way through a corner. Smoothness is critical for quick lap times.

All the same applies to snowcross events, except it's really slippery. Way sideways is still not the quickest way around. You need to hunt for the maximum grip and not go beyond that. The neat thing about ice is that you don't need to be going anywhere near as fast, as on dry pavement, to reach and experiment with the limits of grip. You can learn all about how you and your car react to varies inputs at the limit of grip, all the while travelling at slow safe speeds. You can have fun and learn and compete while not risking any serious damage to either yourself or your car.

Solo-I and lapping should be the next step after that, not before. Driving at speed on a roller coaster race track is way cooler than driving in a parking lot, for sure. Plus you get to use 3rd, 4th and maybe 5th gear while using the whole width of the track to try different lines, as opposed to being forced through often frustratingly tight and narrow pylon gates in Solo-II. But, if the goal is to find the limits of your car in order to attain the best lap times, then you are likely to sometimes find yourself exceeding those limits. The inputs required to catch the car when it slides wide in a corner in either oversteer or understeer are all pretty much the same as those required in parking lot Solo-II events, or ice track snowcross events, or muddy dirty rallycross events. The difference is in Solo-I you'll be going a lot faster and things can get out of hand much quicker. You don't have a lot of time to think about it, so your responses need to be automatic and come by reflex. And those don't happen without practice.

If you want elevation changes and blind corners, then nothing beats rallying!

[wing]

Very well said Ferd!

This year I was sideways a few times at 140km/h+ and it wasn't until I corrected and was on my way in a straight line that I realized Whoa geez that was scary -- reflexes I would not have had if it wasn't for solo II.

[eyemaster]

I saw that all the events next year are at Mosport and a few at Shannonville. What's the cost for one weekend of Solo1? I might be joining in on the fun if I can prep my stuff correctly (tire trailer and storage of it, which I don't have).

Also, how many participants on average?

[sfong]

All the info is here:

http://soloontario.com/index-s1.html

Check the event results for number of contestants etc.