Feeling underwater

Today is a track day at road atlanta. I will be there.... But unfortunately only to watch a few races and see people I haven't seen since just about this time last year when I drove HPDE.

Since then I have done a grand total of 5 rain laps in which time an off at 5 broke my exhaust downpipe free from the flange... Ending my weekend. Work, updating the house for my bride, and getting married seemed to eat up the rest of the last year. And while having a job and an awesome wife have been fantastic I can't help but be bummed that I am about to go over a year without any real track time. The fact that the track car won't start now, the trailer has a hot bearing, and the adaptor for the trailer hitch lights has a bug aren't helping this.

Thanks for listening. I needed that.

Just make sure your new wife knows that its important to you and that your jonesing about it. That helps when it comes time to scheduleing your free time.

My two year anniversery was Monday

Do you have any buddies that will share a car for a track day? That might be an effective way to scratch your itch until you can get your car in shape again.

I thought the title of this thread was "Feeling Underwear". I'm not going to tell you if I opened it before, or after I realized what the actual title was.
And yeah, what HappyAndy said. I have a buddy that will share is LS3-powered FD with me. Not only does that help me feel better about not having my project done, it helps to push me into the garage to work on it.

House+Wife+Carreer and possibility of kids is pretty hard to fit in with a race car hobby. Best bet is to find a segment of the hobby that you can keep a toe in and play at it for the next 18 years. Course marshall worker is one option. Crewing is another

I went to occasional autocross and usung my classics to go to historical/beautiful places. I have no business being out on a full blown race course when all I can think about is "if I get busted up, my wife and daughter go homeless and hungry. "

I miss hpde, but have found comfort in autocross/day tripping.

Rental car ? enterprise ?

There's always Forza/Gran Turismo/IRacing too. It's kinda like track day methadone.

Went to the track. Watched a race. Yapped with some friends I haven't seen in too long. On my way home now.

Car will get fixed, transport to the track is a worst case u-jail rental, and I have no doubt the wife will give me the time. I just need to make it for myself.

Thanks for the encouraent .... And underwear joke.

You can comeback and work with us on grid anytime. We'd love to have you. Just leave the underwear out of the discussion.

In reply to LopRacer:

I saw Amber and skip today and saw Miley's truck. But I couldn't find you guys. I will definitely be out again for working and driving!

I used to do 60 days a year between instructing, open track, and racing. For almost 17 years... if I dipped below 30 days once it was a slow year. I am not overly bound by my commitments, wife, children, etc but I've somehow only managed to do 3 this year. Three. 10-7. 2+1. Three. Because it's run it's course. I have ridden a motorcycle 12k miles since October 2014 though.

I mention this because while I lost the drive to go thru all the prep, cubic dollars and time to have a competitive race car at the ready... I replaced it all with an easy-access machine that is more intense than a race car. Maybe you could arrive in the same place trying to alleviate the siren song of the track.

For a small outlay of cash you can get a 2 wheeled machine you can roll out of bed on a Sunday AM at 6 and get as many hours as you have of very intense, mind-bending, time warping focused therapy in. Or laid back cruising. Or ... exploring a trail. Or two up with the Mrs. No need for towing, expensive tires, run groups, schedules, rules... none of it. Just you and whatever you want to make of it.

The thing is that you can make something of it every day because it requires no effort to go to the garage, hop on and go.

GPS

I have a bike I bought for that purpose. Unfortunately it didn't grab. I am honestly more comfortable last second braking into a track turn than I am riding a bike on any street in Atlanta.

I tried out a similar alternate with taking my truck offroad on mountain trails and this seems to have stuck as a good activity with the wife. But trying to ride the line between "just a dirt road " and "you need a trailered jeep to do that trail " is getting harder around here. And honestly that hobby could easily get to be more expensive than track days in a hurry.

Hopefully I can get the track car running and ready for December at the latest... And maybe find another opportunity in the nearer term. Wife seems enthusiastic about getting me back in too after seeing me go through the roller coaster of going to the track but only watching yesterday.