Do you feel at the mercy of race organizers, running from one end of the country to the other? Are you spread too thin on time, money and energy? If your family is tired of you missing events then perhaps it’s time to rethink your schedule. How do you plan your races? Setting goals is an important driving factor. Partners can also drive participation, some have a minimum event count meaning you have a contractual obligation. What do you do to balance life with racing?
Weather you are starting your race career, or have been racing for years, picking a race can be daunting. Racing for the experience is always one of my favorite ways to chose an event to attend. Picking a race that is a once in a lifetime event, or an event that everyone raves about is fun and can make great memories. Events like Baja, or The Mint are events that you can attend as stand alone events, simply to experience the lore. King of The Hammers often falls into that bracket for many racers. If there are events that you want to attend I recommend doing it if possible. For teams like us those events may mean that we can’t afford to attend other events that season. That is one of the tough choices we have to make often. That is when it is important to understand what your goals as a driver are.
Why do you race? Is it for the experience and the fun? Or is it to win a national series? If you want to win a national series you may not be able to attend other stand alone events. Both time and money can weigh heavily on choices made for a season. With King of The Hammers starting the Ultra4 season in January we often find ourselves on the fence on attending. While it is a once in a lifetime event every time we go, it takes a huge financial commitment and limits the rest of our season. I 100% recommend KOH as a race, it is fun but be prepared for trials and tribulations you have never expected. Racing in the desert in the winter is a challenge, and will require more financial commitment then just entry fees. The experiences and stories that we come away with are amazing and worth it for us, but the time will come when we have to skip this race so we can attend other events.
Now, if you are really feeling dedicated you may chose to run an entire series. Make a run for points and placings instead of just one or two races. Or even winning one race. Ultra4USA hosts a national, east, and west coast points series. Even if you never win a race you can get enough points to place high enough to earn recognition. Many teams attempt this at least once in their racing journey. Picking East vs West vs National will be based on how far you want to drive. The race schedule may also provide some insight. Can you be out of town for a week at a time for each event? Are their family commitments or work that would limit your ability to travel? The time it takes to race one series can be easily underestimated. Don’t forget between each race you need to prep your car, repack your equipment, replace any broken parts, and try to work a job to get paid!
The last few seasons have seen increased turn around times for parts, some are even unavailable now(specific gear sets cough cough). While manufacturers are catching up on year long back logs caused by that illness that shall not be named there are still delays in shipping that can hobble your turn around time. We have had to modify our race goals on several occasions this year due to unavailable parts or prolonged shipping delays. We have also had some hard ‘no’ races that we will not run for personal reasons. We also measure our strengths as drivers and our vehicles. We can’t beat specific cars in short course applications and we know that. Do we want to haul 24 hours away and have a less then great race? Not really. Do we want to haul 30 hours to have a good race but potentially get severely injured? NO.(I know all races have this risk, some events just encourage behavior that is MORE LIKELY to hurt you). All I am saying is it is ok to look at a schedule and mix and match events that will set you up for your best successes. Being successful is more fun isn’t it?
The last thing to discuss is obligation. Some partnerships will dictate the number of events you attended, or what events you attend. Sponsorship money and support is important and their needs should be met as a priority. It is very important to have open conversations about any contracts including what the expectations are. Availability to attend events that may not be races can be very helpful to a partner, and they can be fun. There are so many events that may interfere it is important to understand where your obligations are, and if there is a scheduling conflict communicating with your partners is key! For example, this year SEMA falls on the days immediately following Nationals. While it won’t be impossible, it will be difficult to race Nationals, turn around and get a car into a booth at SEMA for a partner. That means that if your obligations included attending SEMA you would be spending another week away from home and your vehicle will be in ‘post race’ condition and you would be dropping your car off the night before the event opens. This was actually one of the reasons we can’t attend SEMA this year, we chose to race Nationals and then return home to do adult stuff, like work to make money.
Schedule choices are difficult and can require a year long plan. Changing finances or personal situations can cause the need to make changes so staying flexible is important. Remember that racing is supposed to be for enjoyment first and foremost so it is never worth ruining your financial future or your family life. The best advice I can provide after years of racing is to remember your goals, and have fun!