If you've always fancied taking your car up the drag strip in a Run What Ya Brung Public Track Day event, but have been put off for the fear of coming a cropper or embarrassing yourself, it's time to overcome that fear! Everyone has to start somewhere, and a RWYB event is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to do it. Here's how....
Step 1:
Find a RWYB Public Track Day at Shakespeare County Raceway and get your self down there. All you need is your car/bike, your driving licence and a crash helmet. If you haven't got a crash helmet then we can hire you one for the day for a minimal fee.
Step 2:
Get scrutineered. The Scrutineer does basic checks to make sure that your car/bike is safe and doesn't have any major fluid leaks - a seasoned scrutineer has seen it all before, so don't try to sneak unbolted seats, loose batteries or worthless brakes past him! Once you have passed he will write a RWYB number on your back window in shoe-white.
Step 3:
Sign on. Take your scrutineering slip and your licence to the signing-on office. Pay your money and sign your disclaimer. Sometimes there's an information sheet for the benefit of the commentator.
Step 4:
You're ready to race! Take your place in the queue in the staging lanes/fire-up road that leads to the start line. There will be a staging lane marshal at the end of the fire-up road who will tell you when you're ready to go, and a start line marshal who will tell you when to approach the start line. Be ready with your crash helmet on and your windows wound up by the time you reach the front of the queue, and always follow the marshals' instructions.
Step 5:
When the staging lane marshal waves you on, head towards your lane. If you are going to do a burnout, there is a concrete burnout pad with some water on it for this purpose. A marshal will wave you into the right spot. If you're not going to do a burnout, try to drive around the water on the burnout pad.
Step 6:
Stage. Watch the marshal - when the track is clear, he will wave you forward into stage. This is tricky first time - there are two beams of light crossing the start line about 6 inches apart. Approach slowly, and when you front wheels break the first beam, the top set of yellow lights on the christmas tree marked 'Pre Stage' will light up. Creep forward about six inches more and when your wheels break the second beam, the second set of yellow lights will announce that you're in 'Stage'. Stop!
Step 7:
Get set, go! When both cars are in stage, the start line marshal will start the tree. At a RWYB you will usually get a 'Pro Tree' - this means that all three amber lights will light up simultaneously, then 0.4 of a second the later the green light will come on. Floor the accelerator pedal and keep it floored for 440 yards....
Step 8:
The End. The end of the quarter mile is marked by the timing scoreboards. Back off the throttle and look for the first exit road on your right or further to the end of the shut down again to your right. Be aware of where your opponent is, and make sure you don't turn across his lane in front of him. If you haven't slowed down enough to make the turn, don't worry - the starter won't send the next pair down until you're clear.
Step 9:
Well done! See, wasn't that easy? Follow the return road to the pits and you can either join the back of the queue for another run, or park up and go and collect your timing ticket. You'll get your tickets at the office where you first signed-on. Just tell them your RWYB number and you can see how well you did!
Step 10:
After a few runs, you'll learn how you can improve on your times, such as lowering the tyre pressures for a bigger footprint, different gear shift points and rpm's away from the line. But be careful though. This drag racing lark can get addictive!
For 2016 Shakespeare County Raceway offers a wide and varied selection of Public Track Day RWYB events catering for all tastes. Please see our events page. General admission to the raceway for Public Track Day RWYB's is £12 per person or £22 for a weekend pass. Track fee is £25 per day or £40 for a weekend of unlimited runs or at least until the fuel runs out! There's no pre booking either. Just arrive at the track and we'll take care of the rest. Check out our Safety Requirements pdf page in the Downloads section of this web site.
