It's been a while since we've put out there, so it's about time to ask again: what are the most affordable ways to legally drive a car in anger near you? We'll start with the Northwest and work our way across the country.
We're looking for the best motorsport cheap thrills near you, regardless of genre. Track day deals, drag nights, enduros, rallycrosses, racing "experience" days, autocrosses—you name it, we're interested. We'll put together a list of the best bangs-for-the-buck when we're done, and then move on to the next region.
I keep saying I need to fly out to one of the 24 Hours of LeMons or ChumpCar races out in the northwest, mainly because I used to live there. Crap, I went to high school in the same town as Pacific Raceways and it's an utter tragedy that I haven't made it over there to run that course.
So, those series get my nominations, to start things off: the amount of seat time you get in an endurance race like that is a fantastic bang for the buck. Split three-plus-ways, the race fees are pretty reasonable. I've seen seats go on the beater series' forums for as low as $300 plus consumables. Provided the car runs, you'll usually end up spending twice the time you'd get in a standard high performance driver's ed day there. (And you're racing!)
The scenery is spectacular, if a bit soggy on the western side. (Hey, rain driving practice! I don't get that much in Texas.) There's a growing rally community, thanks to bigger events like the Oregon Trail Rally and the presence of the DirtFish school up in Snoqualmie. There's also a bunch of regional road racing series that are unique to the region, like ICSCC and SOVREN.
So, let's not get busted for doing stupid and dangerous things and take it to a track or some other sanctioned hoon event. (We love playing in the dirt, too.) Show us the easiest, most affordable, and most fun legal ways to drive a car in anger—go!
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