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We are getting back to our podcast roots and wanted to start a special series Vicki calls \u201cSo You Wanna Racecar\u201d that Bill can\u2019t seem to say correctly.\xa0 This is part 1 of the series (of ~10) where we go over where we started and how things went at our first events.\xa0 We then move on to how to build your first race car.\xa0 In case it isn't clear, Vicki strongly feels its better to purchase a car that already races in the series you wish to enter.\xa0 So, if you need to build your first race car or only if you need to make sure your race car is ready for your first race, this episode goes into the various steps and areas that should be your primary concerns.\xa0 As with most areas, especially safety related, if you aren't already familiar with the specific area, please seek help from us or someone with experience, or the racing series technical representatives.\xa0 This should be considered a starting point to work from and not an exhaustive, detailed plan.\xa0 We have already talked through many of these areas in prior episodes and will continue to cover each of these areas in future episodes.\xa0 Always In Training.

The outline for the series is:

Part 1:\xa0 Building Your First Racecar (and options to not)

Part 2:\xa0 Safety and Safety Related Equipment Needed

Part 3:\xa0 Best Entry Points To Start Performance Driving

Part 4:\xa0 Buying and Selling Cars (With Special Guest Lara Vernon)

Part 5:\xa0 Expectations between Going To and From The Event/Track\xa0

Part 6:\xa0 Paddock and Pit \u2013 Best Practices

Part 7:\xa0 Perspective of a New Driver (With Guest Adam Owens)

Part 8:\xa0 Tools, Spares, Supplies Needed for a Race Weekend

Part 9:\xa0 Common Issues All Drivers Will/May Experience in When On Track For the First Time

Part 10:\xa0 Miscellaneous Topics (& Things We Forget to Mention Earlier)

Continuing with our racing 101 Series within our Dominating with Dawson segment, we go into many of the ways to enjoy racing at the track.\xa0 Especially when you are just getting started, racing is not only about winning the race, but there are also hundreds of \u201cwins\u201d each time we are at the track, many of which occur when you are not even driving on the track.\xa0 Just going and trying is a victory.\xa0 Winning isn\u2019t everything and it definitely is far from the only thing.

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Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating or even better, a podcast review, we would greatly appreciate it and it would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving.

For instance, leaving an Apple Podcast rating\xa0is very easy.\xa0 If you go to your podcast library, under shows and click on the podcast you can leave a (5?) star rating and enter your review.\xa0

We hope you enjoy this episode!

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PS\xa0 Please don\u2019t forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, don\u2019t forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.\xa0 Just enter the code \u201cghitlikesapex!\u201d\xa0when you order.\xa0 We have two systems for our team and Bill is looking to add a third for this season, pending CFO approval from Vicki.\xa0 They are a great system and truly invaluable in safely increasing your speed on track and/or autocross etc.

Best regards,

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Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

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Highlights from this episode include:

1)\xa0 We start off with a quick summary of our first racing events.

2)\xa0 The car preparation required varies widely, depending on what you are trying to do.\xa0

3)\xa0 At first, we cover what is required for an HPDE event or an autocross event.\xa0 There you need very little besides a helmet, but we do cover a few potential upgrades like brake fluid and better brake pads.

4)\xa0 We then go into the preparation needed if you want to go on track with a particular target series or type of racing.\xa0 The first step is deciding (or guessing) where you want to learn, race, and compete.\xa0 Then you need to look at the rules for that series. \xa0Everything is there, but it is at varying levels of difficulty in reading and understanding the rules and their implications.

5)\xa0 One additional factor that you should take into consideration when looking to buy or build or fix your first car is making sure it is fairly easy to get parts, support, and work on.\xa0 Ideally you should choose to use an already proven type of car that is widely used and raced, ideally with a low cost of consumable items, i.e., brake pads, rotors, tires etc.

6)\xa0 The first step would be having patience and waiting for the right car to start with.\xa0 The less issues to start with, the easier this whole process will be to complete.\xa0 Once you have the car selected and in your work area, you should likely look to clean the car up (inside, out, underneath, and within the engine bay) and during this time, perform a thorough inspection and generate a list of to do items that you will find.

7)\xa0 If it a dedicated race car, you will likely be taking the entire interior out of the car so that you can install your roll bar and/or full cage.\xa0 In general, you will remove anything heavy, anything flammable, and anything not required to race the car.\xa0 We prefer to leave the defroster for the windshield.\xa0 It\u2019s up to you but be careful of the electrical systems and the ground connections.\xa0 If you damage any one of these, they can be very difficult to trouble shoot.\xa0 Also, in some series, you will need to remove the lock from the steering wheel.

8)\xa0 The next area to address is installing a roll bar or a full roll cage.\xa0 A roll bar is a project that you may want to try even if you are new to racing.\xa0 However, a full roll cage is likely one of the most difficult projects required in racing.\xa0 It is not a great beginner project and we would recommend working with an experienced cage builder or racing team in your area.\xa0 This is not an area where you should risk a mistake.\xa0 Besides the skills required, the design of a cage is not a trivial endeavor, both for safety reasons and fitting within the rules of the series.

9)\xa0 Vicki is very subtle in her preference towards buying your first race car and learning from there.\xa0 This is by far the easiest method to get started and reduces the hurdles/excuses to not getting started TODAY.

10)\xa0 Once the cage or roll bar is installed, you will want to paint the cleaned interior of the car and the bars for two reasons.\xa0 The first is to protect the bare metal. \xa0The second is it is easier to keep clean and inspect the interior for part, tools, debris, before going out on track.\xa0 The key to a good project is prepping and protecting surfaces that you don\u2019t want painted like glass, electronics, wiring, etc.

11)\xa0 This is an opportune time to review the rules again to make sure you are planning to conform to the series.\xa0 It is much easier now, than redoing or undoing.\xa0 It is also often way cheaper.\xa0 We also provided several tips for generating a to do list and ways that we have found to work for our team that can have as many as 20 or more people working on the cars at a time.

12)\xa0 At this point, it is a great time to reset your car and do a full inspection including changing/replacing all fluids and wear items like brake pads and rotors, and any rubber bits within the suspension etc.\xa0 (Essentially try to look at and at least inspect anything on the car that goes round and round or up and down)\xa0 In many cases, you will not know the history and current status of the car and this is a great time to make it yours and bring everything up to date and current.\xa0 To the surprise of absolutely no one, Bill has a long list, and it is available on our website.

13)\xa0Vicki mentions No Money Motorsports blog where he tries to show how to save a bit of money and still enjoy your racing hobby.\xa0

14)\xa0 Next is safety.\xa0 Don\u2019t ever try to skimp on this area and make doubly sure to meet any and all safety standards.\xa0 You can replace your car but your drivers, not so much.

15)\xa0 It is at this point that you should even consider working on the process of making your car pretty and things involved with the livery of your race car.\xa0 There are a few different ways to add numbers and a multitude of ways to change design/color.

16)\xa0 Bill misspeaks HVLP as High Volume, Low Pressure as high velocity.\xa0 Sometimes the brain doesn\u2019t engage fully with the mouth.