2011 TxMC Schedule

[miataspeedracer]

Many of the track guys (like your brother-in-law) are members at MSRC, and I suspect they have a hard time justifying spending money to go to another track when they don't always get their money's worth from their MSR membership dues.

Plus I'm way too busy making smart-ass comments in other threads...

[OZMDD]

Hey I can see it sounding pricey but if you autocross every week at 25 bucks a pop there's 200 every two months. I can't afford both so that's why I track only. I try to get out every couple of months and this TXMC is set up pretty good for that. 2010 I didn't see as much seat time as 09 and it showed in Sept at Hallett with all the damn spins I had. Including the M@H in Sept and the TDR@? this spring, I'm planning on getting to the track at least eight times for 2011, more if I can find a member who has guest priviledges.

I get what you're saying, and I know the old argument about seat time in autox, but the cost difference is substantial when you factor in tires, travel costs, etc. I don't see how you can compete in MC without dropping $1500 for the first half of the season alone. Even though I get less seat time in autox, I can participate weekly with a half-day commitment and a set of tires will last me 6-8 months, minimum.

Overall, its silly to compare autox to track, since they are apples/oranges. I'm considering trying a few MC events, but will not be able to travel enough to make the series worthwhile.

[altiain]

Sob story: My girlfriend starts her master's program this year. I will be the only one supporting us (trying to not do school loans) for the next three years. I am a full time student as well. So the money that would/could/should go to track days will most likely be going towards something stupid like electricity or water. And as lame as it is to say, being a full time engineering student and working 40 hours a week takes a bit of time.

Best of luck - I've been there and done that, and it's not easy. I went back to school full time to get a BSME while my wife was finishing up her teaching degree. We had to be very careful how we spent our money for a few years, but in the end it was worth it.

Where are you studying? What engineering discipline? Let me know if you need any advice. :)

[Rob®]

Thanks for the encouragement. It'll be tough, but we've both been through worse before.

I'm at UNT, in the Mechanical Engineering Technology bachelor's program. I went for tech since I'm actually trying to end up being a dentist in the long run (long story short: dental schools don't want bio/chem majors anymore). I figure that if I don't end up in dental school, I at least love engineering type things, and the tech part seems more hands on (and is the only accredited mechanical program at UNT right now). Looks like I'll take a hit money-wise if I stay in the engineering field with just the tech degree, but eh, the wifey being an OT should more than make up for it.

I will take any advice you feel like giving me :)

[Robert]

If you are going to spend 4 years get the Eng. Degree, if you can pass the math. Their are a lot of hands on jobs for guys with an Mech. Eng. degree.

[Rob®]

I only have 2 years left. I have switched majors so many times, then switched schools and of course they all want a percentage of your credits to be from them..I have 100+ credits already and no degree.

The Tech program is an accredited mechanical engineering degree. I will have a BSME...I think you lost me on that one.

[altiain]

If you end up with an actual BSME, you won't take an salary hit once you graduate. I don't think you will, anyway - I went through UTA's BSME program so I'm not sure though.

Don't sweat the credits. I did the same thing - when I graduated in 2005, I was just a few total credits shy of the point at which universities start charging out-of-state tuition rates (to discourage professional students, I guess). Although I had over 80 credits when I started at UTA, only 13 transferred into my degree program, so I was basically starting from scratch.

Your pay prospects as a mechanical engineer are pretty good, and there are plenty of job opportunities here in the DFW area for young engineers.

Best of luck!

[Rob®]

The paperwork tells me I'll have a BSME, as did my counselor. It sounds like one of those if they look into it they can offer me less kind of degrees. Like I said, it's really a fallback that I would actually love doing if I don't get into dental school.

The cool thing with my credits is that they took a good deal of them since most pre-reqs for dental school (maths, chemistries, etc) are needed for the engineering tract too. I need Texas government and the engineering specific classes, and that's pretty much it. I also have my business minor done already with current credits from other schools (an MBA was my original plan years ago), so I'm pretty well off in that regard.

I've been paying out of state tuition for the past few years since I could never stay in a state for a year This coming spring semester will be my first in-state tuition in about 3 years. No more paying literally 4-5 times as much! if only I could get grants again...

Thanks again for the well wishing. I am sure I will be in touch with you over teh years.

[spoolin2bars]

please stay on topic guys, maybe in a few years you can join us. that's a serious degree, much more important than TxMC..... except in this thread.

why do you guys think you have to run the whole series to be worthwhile? you don't have to tour with the band to enjoy show when they're in town! come join us for 1 event if that's all you can do. would you rather run a trackday with a bunch of stuck snobs in ferrari's (okay, i'd love to see a track full of ferrari's) and be by yourself, or run with a bunch of guys driving the same car you have sharing stories, ideas, setups, etc.?
i'm just saying, plus we plan on doing those 4 tracks twice each. if you guys are close to msr-c maybe you could make both of those events.

as far as cost, it's a track day. $125-185 depending on track/club. if you drive your car (what i did most of the last three years) gas is cheap. tws from corpus is > $100 total including track and 4.5 hr drive each way. i can leave early morning, track all day and be home same night, no hotel. and that's a little drive. going to houston is cake, only 2.5hrs. for me. if you have to get a hotel, split a room. i have never paid more than $30 for a hotel room during an event. i always have friends to share the cost. we have even camped out at the events before. figure about $30 for food to eat like a king and that's it. most events are spaced 4-6 weeks apart which gives you time to recoup or fix or upgrade whatever.

as far as NASA TX goes. we are doing nothing different than any de/tt driver would be doing. trying to get a fast(er) lap. only difference is we're having a little fun with it comparing miata's with similar mods to each other. they allow timing in hpde, so you're not an outlaw by being in TxMC. most there know what we're doing including the chief instructor that may be joining us this year, i think he sold his ff cobra. all we ask is that you not try to sign-up for TxMC at the nasa registration. besides not knowing what your talking about, we don't wanna get anybody there in trouble. obviously, nasa cannot promote a competition in an hpde group. nasa would allow a class in TT as they did in the northeast region this year. problem is alot of you guys would have to run several events with them before you could get signed off for it. so that just doesn't make sense. also we are only running a few nasa events this year. the rest will be open track days or TxMC banner events.

sorry for the novel

[Nails]

I'm definitely in for at least 2-3 events but will try to make it a season. OZMDD you must be talking R-Comps if you get 6-8 months on your tires. I get almost a year on my street tires.

[slowchildmiata]

I'm definitely in for at least 2-3 events but will try to make it a season. OZMDD you must be talking R-Comps if you get 6-8 months on your tires. I get almost a year on my street tires.

I got <6 months out of set of street tires from brand new to corded over this summer.

I'm very interested in doing some events. Probably won't make the first event at Houston tho. I've got an addiction problem so once I start I probably won't stop. Miatamoto will vouch for that.

[OZMDD]

I'm definitely in for at least 2-3 events but will try to make it a season. OZMDD you must be talking R-Comps if you get 6-8 months on your tires. I get almost a year on my street tires.

Nope, street tires. Bear in mind that I did 3-4 events every month last season, and I replace them when they start to lose max grip. I don't drive them down to the cords.

[geezer]

Don't need any more backmarkers...

Willing to let M3s play this year or too scared?

[Double O 86]

Did you forget about the fun? Here go some reminders:

TxMC MSR H 01/30/10

TxMC MSR C 03/12/10

TxMC TWS CCW 04/25/10

TxMC TWS CW 11/19/10

and that's only four of the seven events in 2010.
Pick one in 2011, and participate. What, going to just one event isn't fun?

[Electro]

I've got a few things in the works that should be fit for a few events this season. Looking forward to 'em. Just gonna burn off my street tires this season though.

[SirHustlerEsq]

I've got a few things in the works that should be fit for a few events this season. Looking forward to 'em. Just gonna burn off my street tires this season though.

I may have a free set of r-comps for you on 99 wheels.

[Electro]

Awesome!

[miataspeedracer]

I may have a free set of r-comps for you on 99 wheels.

You do?

[SirHustlerEsq]

You do?

He can contact my sister/bro-in law since it looks like she's never going to track that car again. Are you going to join us this year at TXMC? I know you want to drive MSR-H and TWS in something that's not a heap of shit.

[Electro]

Bwaaahaaa! :)