Friends: Better Than Money

EJ2 Track Rat

Introduction

The other night, I was talking with my friend Kelley and he thanked me for giving him advice on how to get faster at the track and for my tips on how to get into a race car in the shortest amount of time possible.

Figure 1: My friend Kelley in his Civic Si

My reply was, don’t worry about it.

If it weren’t for some key individuals, I wouldn’t be racing right now. I would be watching my friends fight it out in the newly revived Honda Challenge H4 Group with the Northeast Region of the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) from the sidelines.

I would be at a stable point in the learning curve, perhaps advancing slightly in High Performance Driving Education (HPDE) and Time Trials (TT). However, I highly doubt I would be learning anywhere near as much as I am now, fighting it out with others in wheel to wheel racing. I wouldn’t be learning race craft. I wouldn’t be learning discipline. I wouldn’t be learning patience.

My Background

At the end of 2017 I was a relatively competent HPDE driver in NASA HPDE 4. I was recently granted permission to drive in TT by a good friend and instructor, DK and I had three years of track driving and about an additional three years of autocross under my belt. I felt comfortable where I was at, but wanted to compete on the track.

My plan was to put a B18B1 from a 94-01 Acura Integra into my Civic and do TT while my friends, Ken, Kallie, and Damien decided that they were all going to revive the Honda Challenge H4 Class in the Northeast. I was going to learn the optimal H4 setup with my B18B1, and improve my speed over time by doing TT as a volunteer-- saving money.

However my friend Zephyr called me personally, and explained to me the reasons I should go racing and his solutions to my perceived problems. And within three to four months, I had purchased an Integra for $1700 as a donor car for my new H4 motor which would be going into my beloved ‘93 Civic Track Car named “Chelsea the Civic,” and I had accomplished other things.

Figure 2: Side-by-Side Shot of my Track Car and my ‘98 Integra

I talked to my friend Alex, and he let me store and work on my Integra and my Civic in his garage in Northwest Philly for about three months since I didn’t have a place to build my race car.

I drove 160 miles per day at times, driving from my job in Central Jersey straight to his place, I swapped the 1998 Acura Integra B18B1 into my 1993 Civic DX after doing a partial teardown and rebuild,

Figure 3: B18B1 Engine Removal in Progress

Figure 4: Refreshing the Head Gasket on the B18B1

I purchased a 1999 Chevy Tahoe as a tow vehicle for $1300, installing new tires, a battery, and doing a basic tuneup, and towed my Civic back to my storage unit using a Uhaul dolly,

Figure 5: Surprise Snow Storm in the New Truck!

Figure 6: Picture of Truck and Civic in Northwest Philadelphia at Night

I swapped the ‘93 Civic Motor (a D15B7 making a whopping 102 break horsepower) into my ‘98 Integra, eventually using this car as a daily driver to and from my job in Central Jersey (120 mile round-trip commute),

Figure 7: Single Cam D15B7 Acura Integra

I found my own tow dolly, well-equipped with its own heavy-duty brakes, purchased it for a good price, and asked my friend Rick to let me store it at his house since I was low on space,

Figure 8: Unloading my Dolly at Rick’s House

I had the car fully caged by Alexander Fabrication in Knoxville, MD for a great price which included NASCAR bars, and a rear x-bar,

Figure 9: NASCAR Door Bars in my New Cage Thanks to Lee Alexander

Figure 10: More Glorious Work from Alexander Fabrication

I fully painted the whole cage and installed everything to get the car running,

Figure 11: Door bars painted with padding fitted

Figure 12: Rest of Cage Painted with Other Padding Fitted

Figure 13: My Old Sparco Ergo II with G-Force Cam-Lock Harnesses Installed...Gauge Cluster Zip-Tied to Roll Bar, ECU Secured to Bracket Taped to Floor

And I got my car to the track at the last minute for my opening track day at Lime Rock Park with NASA Northeast.

Figure 14: A Day at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut

However, I spent a large amount of track time troubleshooting a gushing oil leak, missing both days at Lime Rock, missing two days at Watkins Glen, and missing my competition school day at New Jersey Motorsports Park in May of 2018.

Figure 15: Zephyr Helping me Troubleshoot While Listening to Ska Music

I was devastated, but eventually, with hard work, perseverance, and support from my girlfriend, Zephyr, Alex, members of Junior Varsity Honda Challenge (JVHC), and others, I was able to get my Civic to NASA’s second competition school of the year.

On June 8^th, 2018, I finally earned my provisional competition license, and my first race weekend I got a 1^st and a 2^nd place out of four people in the Honda Challenge H4 Class.

Figure 16: From Left to Right, Kallie, Dame, Ken, and Me

Figure 17: First Place Trophy and Some Mini Roses

My car is nothing fancy. It has suspension, brakes, safety gear, and an engine swap, but I do all of my alignments by myself, with string. I do my own welding, I install my own parts, I do my own pit-crew work, and I do my own research and development.

Figure 18: Note Linoleum Tiles Under Tires Used as Turn Plates for “Frictionless Surface” Needed for Alignment

Figure 19: Bags of Grout Simulating Driver Weight While Doing Alignment-- Steering Wheel Held Still by Ratchet Straps

I’m not rich. I make a decent amount of money at my job, but A LOT of it is overcome by a massive amount of student loan debt. However, I knew I wanted to go racing, and as my friend Zephyr said when he was convincing me to do wheel to wheel racing, if you want it bad enough, you’ll make it happen.

Figure 20: From Left to Right-- Ken, Me, Kallie (Photo by Windshadow Studios)

Figure 21: Me Being Chased by Damien and Ken Behind Two Spec E30s (Photo by Windshadow Studios)

What’s This Blog About?

It’s impossible to make the jump from doing track days to racing without hard work, friends, and careful planning-- especially in three months. However, with enough will power and drive, anything is possible. Don’t restrict yourself because you think you can’t.

I want to show the reader that it is possible to go racing on a budget. I want to offer the reader do-it-yourself (DIY) articles, empirical data, product reviews, and a sight glass into my own racing “career.”

If you ask any racer, professional or amateur, if they thought they’d be actually racing when they were adults, they’d likely laugh and tell you “NO!” I know that if I had been told I would be racing at 25-years-old when I was 18-years-old, I would have told you to kick rocks as I drove my $900 auction car from my blue-collar neighborhood outside of Northeast Philadelphia to the train station so I could get to class on time.

My goal is to show you that racing and performance driving can be done for cheap. At the end of the day, your biggest obstacle is yourself. Welcome to EJ2 TRACK RAT, The Blog.

Figure 22: Me at Pocono Raceway, Testing (Photo by Sam Cowan)

Notable Mentions

Figure 23: Zephyr Rounding the Bend at Watkins Glen

Zephyr is a mechanically-skilled, logically adept, manufacturing engineer based out of Middlesex, NJ. He has been racing before I was in high school and has given me a lot of advice on how to progress from a mere autocrosser to a race car driver over about four years. He races the LoBuk 517 Acura Integra in Honda Challenge H2.

Figure 24: Alex With His Hood Open at a MoE Track Day

Alex is one of my best friends. He introduced me to Zephyr and he and I share a bond that goes beyond racing. We met through autocross and mutual friends. I am currently helping him build and drive the Number 55 “Trash Teg,” which we got for free through friends on a racing forum!

Figure 25: Rick's Whip Sitting in Paddock

Rick is a friend I met at work. He has a family and lives in South Jersey right next to New Jersey Motorsports park. He is an instructor with NASA Northeast, a driver with the Prompt Critical Racing 24 Hours of LeMons Team, and a crazy good driver.

Figure 26: Anthony in LAST YEAR'S trim

Anthony is another great friend, who wasn’t mentioned in the article above. He has helped me to a great extent as well, even lending me his own truck when my truck broke down so that I could go race at Lime Rock in July of 2018. He races in Honda Challenge H2 with the Number 9 Civic. He was partially responsible for the formation of Junior Varsity Honda Challenge (JVHC) which WAS mentioned above.

Figure 1: My friend Kelley in his Civic Si

Kelley is a friend I got into track driving after meeting him in autocross. He’s a college student with an immense amount of talent. If you have any interest in getting on track. Message me!

Figure 27: DK 

DK is a friend and instructor and also an internet troll (like me) that is dumb fast and has been driving for years. He earned his competition license alongside me after years of instructing and earning multiple track records in NASA Time Trials.

Figure 28: Alexander Fab Out of Maryland!! 

Alexander Fabrication is a business owned by Lee out of Maryland. He does amazing work at a great cost. 

 His Facebook Page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/Alexander-Fabrication-LLC-325429727489732/.

Figure 20: From Left to Right-- Ken, Me, Kallie (Photo by Windshadow Studios)

Kallie is a friend who I’ve been driving with since at least 2016. I met her back when I was in HPDE 2 at Palmer Motorsports Park. She joined the JVHC Crew in late 2017 when she bought her soon-to-be Integra race car. She drives the Number 49 H4 Acura Integra.

Ken has been driving with me since late 2016 to early 2017. My car got a flat tire on the way to Watkins Glen, and he lent me two RA1s to complete my track day on! This was my first track day that I had taken my girlfriend to and she got to experience first-hand the generosity of the JVHC Crew. Ken drives the Number 358 H4 Acura Integra.

Figure 21: Me Being Chased by Damien and Ken Behind Two Spec E30s (Photo by Windshadow Studios)

Damien has been driving with me since I first started volunteering with NASA in 2016. He and I both rock the term “single cam rage” as we were the only ones doing HPDE with single cams for the longest time. He drives the Number 6126 Honda Civic and he’s one of my fiercest competitors in H4.

Figure 29: Girlfriend

My girlfriend, Gabby, has supported me to a great extent through family troubles, personal conflicts, and my own fears that all served as obstacles during the time I was building my car and for that I can only simply thank her and say, “I love you.”  Sometimes you need someone who's stronger than you.

Figure 30: JVHC Stickers made by Anthony

JVHC is a group of individuals who drive Hondas on track with hopes of doing wheel to wheel racing in NASA’s Honda Challenge Series. Some are currently building or preparing to do competition school, some are doing track days and time trial while they save money to race, and some just love Hondas.

Figure 31: National Auto Sport Association, Northeast Region

The NASA Northeast Organization has provided my friends and I huge opportunities to learn about the club racing environment, driving technique, and to make a lot of great friends. Without them I would not have been racing today. To learn more about their organization, go to the following URL: http://nasane.com/

Figure 32: Alan, lead volunteer (2017), pushing a GTS3 BMW while I speak with another volunteer and Ken watches over

The NASA Northeast Volunteers have been a great crew to party with, drive with, and laugh with over the years. We have developed a strong bond together and we continue to share a passion for driving with our friendships.