5 Simple Tips to Prepare For A Great Road Race Weekend

I was daydreaming in the workshop of some simple things I could do in the shop before a race weekend to make the weekend go more smoothly.

We have a WhatsApp group for our race series, American Muscle Car Masters, so I decided to pose the question to my racing family and compile the 5 most effective and simple tips; here’s what I found out:

• 1.Clean the car
• 2.Do the work in the workshop not at the racetrack
• 3.Organize the trailer and replenish spares
• 4.Hydrate before you get to the track
• 5.Pack a cooler of food and drinks

Let’s dig into each of these simple tips in a little more detail and find out why they will improve our race weekend.

Not only does a clean race car look like it means business and is there to win, it’s also one of the best ways to find issues that can often go unnoticed and lead to a DNF, thrashing between races to make the grid. There are dozens of products available to make this process easier and it doesn’t need to entail rolling the car out onto the driveway and washing it like your daily driver. 

Try some Cleaner Wax on bodywork, it’s great at removing tire boogers, brake dust and track grime. In the engine bay use some degreaser, if needed, followed by some engine bay detailer. 

Vacuum out the cockpit and clean up the instruments with some Polycarbonate cleaner. Wipe your belts down with a damp cloth and place them so they are ready for you to strap in next time. Clean out the cool shirt box with some household cleaner, make sure it’s dry and leave the lid open so mildew doesn’t form. Use some Cool Shirt Maintenance Cleaner next time to keep lines clean and free of bugs. Clean the windows inside and out with Polycarbonate cleaner. If you do all this as soon as it comes out of the trailer, it’ll be much more enjoyable to work on and a wipe over with a car duster or lint-free rag before it gets loaded for the race weekend will be all it needs.

There’s a saying I once heard which will stick with me forever “races are won in the shop and lost on the track”. Profound right? Not really, it’s just makes sense. A road race weekend is typically made up of travelling to the track, a Friday test n tune, Saturday qualifying & races and racing again on Sunday before travelling back home. You’ve invested loads of money to get there and there’s enough going on as it is without adding complication to the weekend by fixing something you knew about from the last race weekend but didn’t take the time in the shop to correct. 

Road Racing is highly competitive and to be at the pointy end of the field (and stay there all season) you need to turn up with reliable equipment. Keep a checklist of items that are checked or adjusted before every race weekend. Keep a running list at the track so that any issue, no matter how minor, can be written down and addressed as part of your preparations. 

Nut and bolt the car by checking tightness of each fastener and use a dab of Torque Seal so that next time all you need to do is make sure the paint seal is not broken. Reminds me of a story about the new mechanic that told the crew chief he’d checked “all the important ones” and the crew chief said, “well go undo all the unimportant bolts and throw them out, they just add weight”. Several guys mentioned making a lap (or two) around the neighborhood at a sedate pace to make sure any gremlins are identified before putting it on the trailer. 

Speaking of the trailer, it’s part of your maintenance routine too and it can totally ruin a race weekend when you’re sitting on the side of the highway changing tires.

It’s almost routine to spend the race weekend in and out of the race trailer for one reason or another, after all it’s your rolling race shop, right? More than one of our guys talked about organizing the trailer before a race weekend and inventorying/restocking spare parts saved loads of time at the track looking for something or running off to the local auto parts store to buy a routine spare. Give the trailer a sweep or blow it out with a blower vac. No matter if you carry spares in plastic totes or in trailer cabinets, some labels on the side or door will help you keep a place for everything and everything in its place. 

I’m always envious of guys who have taken the time to organize their tools with cutout silhouettes in Kaizen foam or the elaborate drawers with every tool in the catalog laid out neatly, in purpose-built display holders. Ever watched Indycar or F1 mechanics closely? Theirs is the minimalistic approach; only the tools they need specifically for their part of the car, in a small handheld carbon tray. I think the grassroots weekend racer fits somewhere in between; you don’t need every tool you own at the track, but you do need the tool’s that your car needs (won’t find much metric on an American Muscle Car Masters car…). 

Track consumables always need to be replenished, it blows my mind how much brake cleaner we go through, not to mention, brake fluid, oils, blue paper towel and hand cleaner.

A weekend at the track racing your car means you will likely sweat more than normal, be awake longer than normal and partake in light refreshments more than normal. A great tip that I’d never considered is start hydrating several days before a race weekend to prepare your body for what you are about to put it though. It makes sense, right? This is one I’ll be adding to my routine preparation for sure, I’m certainly not as fit as my mind still thinks my body is and I’m unlikely to go to bed any earlier or drink any less…….

No matter if you head to the track by yourself with an open top trailer, or if you roll down the highway humming “East bound and down, loaded up and truckin….” with your extended family of twelve capable of surviving the apocalypse, think about staying well hydrated and fed throughout the weekend. I know a guy who has the big rig, but in the fridge is a bung of salami, a loaf of bread (no butter), case of coke and a bottle of JD. Feast of champions, right? Water is essential, drink more than you think you need, but it’s not always enough for racing; think about some Gatorade’s or some hydration tablets to put in your water. Drink loads before each session and again after. Most of us eat lightly during the day while racing and while there’s always something to do on the car to gain that extra tenth on track, take the time in the evening to eat a proper meal. Most race associations put on a Saturday BBQ, for AMCM it’s Steak n Potato night but if you are fending for yourself plan ahead. It can be as simple as a couple coolers, one for food and one for drinks. Our favorite time of the race weekend is after everything is packed up and we’re all ready to roll home, sitting down to stretch out the weekend over “one last beer” with our racing family, always make sure there’s enough for that….