Ready To Race - The Honda Challenge

Preparations The first thing to remember about this is that the Honda Challenge race series is for racecars only. It is imperative to remember that the modifications made to build a racecar negate the car's ability to run on the street. In the event of a street accident, an un-helmeted driver hitting his head on the thick metal bar of a roll cage can be disastrous. Picking brain pieces out of your seats after a 15 mph crash is not a pretty image. In addition, the modifications required to build a racecar make it illegal to drive around town and you'll probably get a fistful of tickets if you go to buy groceries in a racecar. If you're serious about becoming a racecar driver, you must follow the correct safety requirements.

-Air bags must be removed or disabled
-Glass sunroofs or moonroofs must be removed or properly covered per the NASA safety specifications
-Side door glass must be removed or covered
-Installation of an electric kill switch is required
-Compliant fire extinguisher must be installed
-Compliant safety roll cage must be installed

This is just a very short list of safety modifications, the complete NASA Club Codes and Regulations must be consulted. Other driver safety items to keep in mind are a helmet, driving suit, shoes, and gloves (all approved, of course).

Other preparations one must keep in mind before tackling a racing career are the little details. A canopy or some cover when you're waiting in your pit area, food and drinks, and tools obviously. When you're not out racing, you're probably in your pit sweating and fixing whatever broke. Spares for wear items should also find a happy home in your pit area; brake pads, rotors, tires, fluids will all wear out and spares must be swapped in at a moment's notice. If you're unsure as to what you might need to survive a racing weekend, look up the NASA schedule, hit a race as a spectator and talk to a Honda Challenge driver for advice. There are friendly people at the track that will steer you in the right direction. As long as you think ahead and bring yourself fully prepared for each race, you will have a very fun time.

How To Get Started Racing right next to another car's door at 110 mph is tough work, regardless of what you're driving. It doesn't matter if you prepared your car to tip-top shape; the driver is also a moving component of the machine. If you've followed all the steps and prepared your car for racing duty, congratulations, you're halfway there. The other half is the fun and rewarding half, the reason why you wanted to start racing in the first place: to become a better driver.

Street racing is very dangerous, any mishap or uneven patch of wet road and send you or your family spinning into the hospital, or worse. Keeping the competition on an enclosed track with safety crews and lots of runoff room adds an element of safety, but racing is still a dangerous sport. Driver skill is important and required at this level of competition. In addition to a Honda that meets all specified rules, a Honda Challenge driver must also have a NASA recognized competition license. A racing license from many other sanctioning bodies such as the SCCA, FIA, or BMW club will allow a driver to obtain a NASA license. For those that have no racing experience whatsoever, the path to racing is an important learning experience. The fastest is to spend a couple thousand dollars and attend a professional driving school, getting professional advice and on-track experience, but at a cost. Another option is to rise through the ranks of NASA's High Performance Driving Events (HPDE). HPDE is non-timed and non-competition on-track driving that gives drivers experience at high speeds with less risk than racing. In fact, a racecar isn't even required to attend HPDE events. As a driver reaches advanced level HPDE, they can then apply for an instructor evaluation. If approved, a provisional competition license is issued. Complete four racing events without crashing and a full competition license is yours. Rules can vary with each region of the country, so go look up the rules in your neighborhood. The only way to get to the top is to get out there and start moving up the ranks. This isn't the DMV, don't be confused by the rules; the requirements are setup to allow you to build experience before racing.

Ernest Hemmingway once said, "The only real sports are bull fighting, mountain climbing, and auto racing; all the others are just games." There is no thrill for a speed-head quite like passing 30+ cars at 100+ mph in a Honda that used to sit in their driveway on blocks. Bull fighting aside, the Honda Challenge racing series has become one of the premier venues for Honda enthusiasts to get their yah-yah's out, and to see who has the skills to become the top Honda pilot. Maybe 2NR will throw down the gauntlet to you on the track; do you think you're fast enough?