A club racing career - analysed!
Discussion
I've spent the last week building a spreadsheet of all my racing activities since I started racing in 1996. I am quite lucky in that most of my races have been with the 750MC and they have published an archive of all races since 2002 which was my first year with them. The rest of my race results I can get from TSL. I can remember all my races pre 2002.
So some stats (although I won't bore you with results)
26 years consecutively racing. Minimum races entered in 1 year - 2 (1997, 1998, 2014, 2022) max 9 (2011)
No of races 137
Cars raced 8, all FWD.
No of test days - 30
No of track days 45
Total track time 282 hours of which 102 was racing
No of retirements - 24, of which 8 were crashes (17% retirement, seems like it was more than that)
No of DSQ - 1 (ride height)
No of non starts (2)
No of Championships entered 13
No of disciplines entered, 3 (circuit racing, 1x hill climb, 1x autotest)
No of circuits raced at ( all configs) 20 ( missing Knockhill - which is 350 miles away, and Thruxton which is 40 miles away)
Cost, well , if you race, you can work that out yourself..
What strikes me most, is how little track time I've had. If you consider a pro has 10,000 hours, and there's me after 26 years having done 3% of that. But then I am 100% self funded and don't borrow money to race.
I also did 13 days at various race and rally schools from 1991 to 1995 as that was my way in ( I don't come from a motorsport family)
Here's to another 26 years.
What are you stats? Anyone race for longer, or done more races?
So some stats (although I won't bore you with results)
26 years consecutively racing. Minimum races entered in 1 year - 2 (1997, 1998, 2014, 2022) max 9 (2011)
No of races 137
Cars raced 8, all FWD.
No of test days - 30
No of track days 45
Total track time 282 hours of which 102 was racing
No of retirements - 24, of which 8 were crashes (17% retirement, seems like it was more than that)
No of DSQ - 1 (ride height)
No of non starts (2)
No of Championships entered 13
No of disciplines entered, 3 (circuit racing, 1x hill climb, 1x autotest)
No of circuits raced at ( all configs) 20 ( missing Knockhill - which is 350 miles away, and Thruxton which is 40 miles away)
Cost, well , if you race, you can work that out yourself..
What strikes me most, is how little track time I've had. If you consider a pro has 10,000 hours, and there's me after 26 years having done 3% of that. But then I am 100% self funded and don't borrow money to race.
I also did 13 days at various race and rally schools from 1991 to 1995 as that was my way in ( I don't come from a motorsport family)
Here's to another 26 years.
What are you stats? Anyone race for longer, or done more races?
Love the stats, Definitely want more info though! Avg grid position, avg finish position etc etc!
And whilst I’m sure your numbers are right, even total track time seems low. 102 hours of racing from 137 races sounds right, 15-20 min qualifying then 20-30min racing so I’d expect hours raced to be less than races completed.
So that leave 180 hours from 75 track/test days which is less than 2.5 hours a day which I guess, when you think about it, is right, test days are split between closed/open wheelers and not all track days are open pit lane so you can’t get much more than 3 hours on track a day at either .. jeez don’t ever look at the numbers….
And whilst I’m sure your numbers are right, even total track time seems low. 102 hours of racing from 137 races sounds right, 15-20 min qualifying then 20-30min racing so I’d expect hours raced to be less than races completed.
So that leave 180 hours from 75 track/test days which is less than 2.5 hours a day which I guess, when you think about it, is right, test days are split between closed/open wheelers and not all track days are open pit lane so you can’t get much more than 3 hours on track a day at either .. jeez don’t ever look at the numbers….
I love this idea, that will give me something to do between Christmas and New Year!
I’ve been going since the end of 2016 and am up to about 135 races now. Mainly shorter sprints with a few longer endurance types in there too.
I’ve picked up a few wins and a class championship on the way, still love it!
I’ve been going since the end of 2016 and am up to about 135 races now. Mainly shorter sprints with a few longer endurance types in there too.
I’ve picked up a few wins and a class championship on the way, still love it!
I dare not add up costs.
2017 five races, five podiums @14 hours on track that year. No wins.
2018 seven races, 5 wins, one 2nd and one fourth. Around twenty hours on track.
2021 only finished five races. Won two, and a second place if I remember right
2022. Finished 4 races, no wins, I think maybe 2 podiums.
Twenty one races this far.
7 wins, 30%
8 on the podium (2nd or 3rd)
So, on the podium for two thirds of the races I have done. I guess I should be happy with that. I'm not, but that's just me.
2017 five races, five podiums @14 hours on track that year. No wins.
2018 seven races, 5 wins, one 2nd and one fourth. Around twenty hours on track.
2021 only finished five races. Won two, and a second place if I remember right
2022. Finished 4 races, no wins, I think maybe 2 podiums.
Twenty one races this far.
7 wins, 30%
8 on the podium (2nd or 3rd)
So, on the podium for two thirds of the races I have done. I guess I should be happy with that. I'm not, but that's just me.
I look after the bodywork side of things on an old Jaguar XK120,
owned by a now retired Doctor, he has raced it every year since 1980, mostly here in the Uk but also the Mille Miglia and the Le Mans Classic.
It has had more hits than the Beatles, been rolled twice and done a lot of miles as he drives it to and from all races unless badly damaged.
I once mentioned to him about having it fully restored and he replied if it was immaculate he wouldn't want to race it, I think a feature has just been done in one of the Jaguar magazines on the car.
owned by a now retired Doctor, he has raced it every year since 1980, mostly here in the Uk but also the Mille Miglia and the Le Mans Classic.
It has had more hits than the Beatles, been rolled twice and done a lot of miles as he drives it to and from all races unless badly damaged.
I once mentioned to him about having it fully restored and he replied if it was immaculate he wouldn't want to race it, I think a feature has just been done in one of the Jaguar magazines on the car.
bltamil1 said:
I love this idea, that will give me something to do between Christmas and New Year!
I’ve been going since the end of 2016 and am up to about 135 races now. Mainly shorter sprints with a few longer endurance types in there too.
I’ve picked up a few wins and a class championship on the way, still love it!
135 races in 6 years is going some. What sort of racing is it?I’ve been going since the end of 2016 and am up to about 135 races now. Mainly shorter sprints with a few longer endurance types in there too.
I’ve picked up a few wins and a class championship on the way, still love it!
My problem is that either I run out of money, have a mechanical failure that takes too much time of money to repair, or have an accident that takes too much time or money to repair. I am of the school of thought that damage is paid for by the races I won’t be entering as a result of the damage IYSWIM?
pablo said:
Love the stats, Definitely want more info though! Avg grid position, avg finish position etc etc!
As you asked:Ave Qualifying 12th,
Ave finish 7th.
No of poles - 24
No of wins - 27
NO of podiums - 18 ( exc wins)
I have calculated using class finish and qualifying performance. So I might have finished 22 overall, but if I was 3rd in class, that the position I used.
I should also note that I competed in stock hatch when it was at its craziest, and usually qualified between 8-20. Or 20-30. They don't sound great, but in those days, you have 90 competitors turning up at some tracks, so a top 10 or 20 out of 90 is quite good. Although I never felt it at the time.
And I forgot to add, that my racing was definitely stymied by not knowing one end of a spanner from the other. The early races would good as I hired cars, the middle races were poor as I couldn’t set them up. Or even know how to. But in the last years my spanner skills improved and so did my results. Funny that?
Edited by Dynion Araf Uchaf on Monday 12th December 19:47
Dynion Araf Uchaf said:
135 races in 6 years is going some. What sort of racing is it?
My problem is that either I run out of money, have a mechanical failure that takes too much time of money to repair, or have an accident that takes too much time or money to repair. I am of the school of thought that damage is paid for by the races I won’t be entering as a result of the damage IYSWIM?
Mostly triple header weekends, so they add up quickly! Last year (2021) I did that and an Endurance championship, so was on track most weekends! It was great fun but hard work keeping it going and changing the spec between series.My problem is that either I run out of money, have a mechanical failure that takes too much time of money to repair, or have an accident that takes too much time or money to repair. I am of the school of thought that damage is paid for by the races I won’t be entering as a result of the damage IYSWIM?
It’s definitely a big time commitment for sure. I look after the car myself, so there is a lot of time lying underneath it between meetings. The wife and kids like to make comment on it for sure!
jeff666 said:
I look after the bodywork side of things on an old Jaguar XK120,
owned by a now retired Doctor, he has raced it every year since 1980, mostly here in the Uk but also the Mille Miglia and the Le Mans Classic.
It has had more hits than the Beatles, been rolled twice and done a lot of miles as he drives it to and from all races unless badly damaged.
I once mentioned to him about having it fully restored and he replied if it was immaculate he wouldn't want to race it, I think a feature has just been done in one of the Jaguar magazines on the car.
Love this type of car far far more than any pebble beach private collection queen.owned by a now retired Doctor, he has raced it every year since 1980, mostly here in the Uk but also the Mille Miglia and the Le Mans Classic.
It has had more hits than the Beatles, been rolled twice and done a lot of miles as he drives it to and from all races unless badly damaged.
I once mentioned to him about having it fully restored and he replied if it was immaculate he wouldn't want to race it, I think a feature has just been done in one of the Jaguar magazines on the car.
Exactly the right approach.
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