OK, so you’ve found yourself daydreaming about becoming a weekend racer, maybe even taking on the SCCA Runoffs, but you honestly have more questions than answers. How much is this new hobby going to cost me? How do I maintain my race car? What if I want to rebuild the engine on that new Spec Racer Ford I just picked up? How do I put a radio in my helmet? Aussie-born James Chartres of San Jose, California, found himself running through his own checklist of what-to-dos before giving weekend racing and track days a try. He found it an adventure in just getting his 1972 Datsun 240Z ready for the track. About four years ago, Chartres decided to chronicle his racing endeavors on his personal Kanga Motorsports website (kangamotorsports.com). It’s a gem of a site for would-be racers. “I started out just hosting the website to keep friends and family up to date,” said Chartres, who works as a contract employee with NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. “When I was looking into trying to go racing, I couldn’t find a lot of detailed information. There wasn’t a lot of specifics online or research available. I had a lot of questions but really didn’t know who to ask or where to find the information.”
Now, Chartres, who today races a Spec Racer Ford, has become a go-to guru for SCCA racers looking to maintain their own race cars. He shares his racing knowledge on his site, which is loaded with articles (i.e., “8 ways to start in motorsports,” “10 tips for the racing offseason”) and self-produced how-to videos. “Doing things like oil changes, spark plugs and stuff like that are relatively straightforward, and you can find a lot of that stuff on YouTube,” Chartres, 36, said. “But rebuilding uprights, doing suspensions, tie-rods, putting a radio inside a helmet and things like that—it’s not as easy to find. “I worked with a local shop, and as I found the information for how to do something, I’d write it down and put it on the website for my own benefit so I’d remember how to do it when I had to do it again later.” And through feedback from folks visiting his website, he learned others were looking for much of the same information.
“There’s kind of a barrier keeping some people from getting involved in motorsports,” Chartres said. “They love driving, but they don’t know how to work on their car. The website helps me keep track of maintenance I need to do on the car, and it helps others.” Chartres added that he isn’t afraid to cut to the chase with those interested in taking on a new challenge. “I’ve tried to be more transparent about the costs so you don’t have any surprises,” he said. “The worst thing would be to decide to start racing and then realize you can only afford to do one weekend a year and that racing isn’t really feasible for you. “I try to break down some of the costs for people so they understand what it really takes.” And how to fix it when it breaks.
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