How to Race a Junker on a Dirt Track
Watch the track crew water down the track., Pull onto the track with the rest of the participants to drive slowly, packing the track down., Participate in the qualifying laps., The track will be very crowded during racing, so be cool at first until...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Watch the track crew water down the track.
Depending on the season's rainfall, the track may be hard or soft.
The additional water will make it a little slippery, a lot slippery, downright muddy, or a mix of the three. -
Step 2: Pull onto the track with the rest of the participants to drive slowly
No speeding, no passing, no bumping; just drive around.
This is a good time to get used to the bumps and the bank on the curves.
Hit the gas hard a few times to see how easy wheelspin is, but don't get out of control. , You'll get three or four laps at full speed with no other traffic around.
The fastest qualifiers will compete for trophies.
Everyone else will just run for fun the rest of the night.
This is the time to push your car as hard as you can without spinning out.
Find the muddy parts, the hard, dry parts and the slippery parts. , Make your way around the first couple of laps without bumping any other cars. , You want to make your path through the turn as straight as possible to avoid scrubbing off speed. , Maintain this slide through the turn by steering to the opposite direction than the turn.
Keep the front wheels in the direction you want the car to go, regardless of where the front of the car is pointing. , If there's not a wall between the track and the infield, there will certainly be a ridge of dirt.
Bumping your left front wheel against this will affect traction on that wheel, and you could lose control.
If you bump the infield, move the car a bit towards the outside. , Other drivers will try to spin you by bumping your left rear just behind the rear axle with their right front (known by police as the PIT maneuver).
This will cause you to spin out, lose position, and possibly crash.
If you know there is a driver in position to spin you this way, don't slide as much, if at all. , Doing so enables the other driver to push you to the wall or the infield, respectively.
Getting pushed to the infield is much worse than going to the wall.
The infield, if not walled off, is a complete mud bog that you'll spend many laps trying to get out of, if you can get out at all. , Example: if you can only get up enough speed to get high in first gear, but not shift to second, leave the car in first, not drive.
The engine will help slow the car down when you brake for turns, and your acceleration will be more immediately responsive going into the straightaway. , If someone has lost a bumper on the outside of the backstretch, remember to stay to the inside.
You may also be able to use debris to your advantage by coercing other drivers into it. , When you see a crash, think about what you're going to do when you come around the track again, because the wreck will probably still be there, and could be worse.
Consider a wreck to be a giant piece of debris, and use it to your advantage as well. , The key to winning is finishing, and the key to finishing is keeping your car moving.
Drive aggressively, but also be very calculating.
If you're not in good track position to muscle someone out of the way, bide your time. -
Step 3: packing the track down.
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Step 4: Participate in the qualifying laps.
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Step 5: The track will be very crowded during racing
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Step 6: so be cool at first until the pack spreads out and thins out.
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Step 7: As much as possible
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Step 8: stay to the outside in the straightaways and move to the inside through the turns.
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Step 9: When going through the turns
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Step 10: get the car into a slide
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Step 11: kicking the rear out toward the outside wall.
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Step 12: When turning
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Step 13: be careful of the infield.
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Step 14: Remember that you are most vulnerable when turning.
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Step 15: Don't pass on the outside during turns
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Step 16: and don't pass on the inside on the straightaways.
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Step 17: Drive with the transmission in the lowest gear possible.
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Step 18: Keep a keen eye out for debris on the track.
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Step 19: Plan ahead.
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Step 20: By the time the race is over
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Step 21: twenty-five laps or so
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Step 22: there may be only two or three cars still running at all
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Step 23: the rest having returned to the pits or sitting dead on the track.
Detailed Guide
Depending on the season's rainfall, the track may be hard or soft.
The additional water will make it a little slippery, a lot slippery, downright muddy, or a mix of the three.
No speeding, no passing, no bumping; just drive around.
This is a good time to get used to the bumps and the bank on the curves.
Hit the gas hard a few times to see how easy wheelspin is, but don't get out of control. , You'll get three or four laps at full speed with no other traffic around.
The fastest qualifiers will compete for trophies.
Everyone else will just run for fun the rest of the night.
This is the time to push your car as hard as you can without spinning out.
Find the muddy parts, the hard, dry parts and the slippery parts. , Make your way around the first couple of laps without bumping any other cars. , You want to make your path through the turn as straight as possible to avoid scrubbing off speed. , Maintain this slide through the turn by steering to the opposite direction than the turn.
Keep the front wheels in the direction you want the car to go, regardless of where the front of the car is pointing. , If there's not a wall between the track and the infield, there will certainly be a ridge of dirt.
Bumping your left front wheel against this will affect traction on that wheel, and you could lose control.
If you bump the infield, move the car a bit towards the outside. , Other drivers will try to spin you by bumping your left rear just behind the rear axle with their right front (known by police as the PIT maneuver).
This will cause you to spin out, lose position, and possibly crash.
If you know there is a driver in position to spin you this way, don't slide as much, if at all. , Doing so enables the other driver to push you to the wall or the infield, respectively.
Getting pushed to the infield is much worse than going to the wall.
The infield, if not walled off, is a complete mud bog that you'll spend many laps trying to get out of, if you can get out at all. , Example: if you can only get up enough speed to get high in first gear, but not shift to second, leave the car in first, not drive.
The engine will help slow the car down when you brake for turns, and your acceleration will be more immediately responsive going into the straightaway. , If someone has lost a bumper on the outside of the backstretch, remember to stay to the inside.
You may also be able to use debris to your advantage by coercing other drivers into it. , When you see a crash, think about what you're going to do when you come around the track again, because the wreck will probably still be there, and could be worse.
Consider a wreck to be a giant piece of debris, and use it to your advantage as well. , The key to winning is finishing, and the key to finishing is keeping your car moving.
Drive aggressively, but also be very calculating.
If you're not in good track position to muscle someone out of the way, bide your time.
About the Author
Ann Fox
Enthusiastic about teaching practical skills techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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