My daughter is now 15 and will be 16 before you know it .I would like to get her into drag racing my car when she gets her DL .Only problem is she has never raced obviously ,so how do i legally get her sum time behind the wheel of my car ?I have let her drive my street vehicles out in the country with me riding shotgun since she could reach the pedals ,but thats not racing. I dont know of any tracks around here that allow a passenger on the strip.I am thinking that i could let her race my daily pickup (which would be lucky to run a 9.5 in the 1/8) first ,and learn the basics of drag racing ,before she gets behind the wheel of my 7.20 Dodge.I mostly want her to learn how to do a burnout ,stage ,and basically prove to me that she can handle the car before i let her run it .Any ideas on how to do this ???
There is a level of responsibility that needs to be used when doing anything dangerous. Most parents who have children that show an intrest in racing, buy them Jr dragsters ect at a young age, so the get the feel. My opinion is, start her slow. She needs to learn tree timing anyhow. The frustrating part for her is, she will want to go fast, its a novalty, but that novelty could hurt or kill her if it isnt respected. In Ohio, they have high school night at dragstrips, and they even have The High School Nationals every spring and fall. Alot of girls driving down the track with there dads at those events. I usually go with some kids, and help them dial there cars in. Read the rules before going. There is a time limit imposed for the kids safety Nice runin car in your sig, but thats a scarey lookin dragstrip.
Hi! I went out and bought a beater for $500.00 bucks then had the student go over the car from front bumper to rear. Made them do the work. Then on their 16th birthday start letting them on the track. Speed has nothing to do with learning what to do at the track. When I thought they could handle more then step up the car to fit the driver. Still have the 72 Fury 2dr 360/auto. waiting for the grandkids to learn on. Ran low 20. high 19s at 68 mph. Its still worth $500.00 in parts. Ter409
Actually, At the Fontana Dragstrip they do let passengers down the street, for an extra fee of course. Maybe that could help, teach her about recovering when the ass end comes out.
Thanks for the imput guys.I guess im gunna start her out racing my tow vehicle first on an 1/8 mile track ,then move on the Dodge later.I may make a throttle stop for it or disconnect the secondaries till shes ready when that time comes...
Can you ride with her on test and tune nights in your truck just to help her with the basics? Put some different tires on to let her burn up and kick back and have fun.when she is ready detune your car a little.
When i was 13 my father brought me to GREAT LAKES DRAGAWAY. It was really slow that night. He cut off his wrist band, taped it togather on my wrist, put his helmet on me and let me make multiple passes in his 12 second 55 chevy. I must have made like twenty passes that night. Thats a memory that will stick with me for ever. im 26 now and i have a daughter of my own. i cant wait to do the same for her.
I think your correct start her off in your truck. My son just turned sixteen and I have a bone stock 82 elcamino 305 for him. Teaching him to launch a car and burnouts. he will start making half passes at thunder valley soon. See Ya there
I think it depends on the kid. I grew up on a farm driving everything there was, from tractors, combines, trucks, pickups ect...long before I ever had a license. I say, start out racing in what you are going to drive. Although a throttle stop of some kind would be in order. Put em in a race car right off the bat. Take a couple turns out of the stop as you go. JMO. Lippy
My daughter was 16 when i built her first formula indy car for her,i thought it was going to be a one year thing and over, boy was i wrong. She raced for 7 years,won every award you can think of,only woman to win 2 feature races in one night,and only quit because i got back into building HOT ROD's.These car's are cut down version of a full size indy car,front wing rear wing,ran snowmobile engine's in them.VERY FAST.No kiddy toy.I think they either have it or they don"t.Bring her along slow,and by all mean's SAFE...........PINCHER
I was raised on dirt bikes as a kid.My first dirt bike was a Cam Am 125 at age 9.My legs were to short to reach the ground ,so my old man would start it for me and balance it till i got going .I would then ride it around for hours and then he would come out side and grab me and the bike as i rode by slowly so i could get off of it.I went to a KX 250 at age 13 (that thing would haul ass with a 98 lb kid on it).I was drag racing my first car a 13 second 67 Chevelle at age 16 ,but my daughter is my only child and has had a real sheltered life (because of me ),and i just want her to have fun racing safely at her own pace .There is alot for her to learn first like staging ,burnouts ,launching ,and my tow truck would proly be alot more forgiving than my Dodge to learn in.I wouldnt worry as much about a boy ,but she is no tomboy .Im surprised that she is interested in racing at all ,so i have to take it easy on her and be extra carefull not scare her away before i get her hooked ...
C,mon Dad, the car will get her hooked. Just put a bolt in the floor. The allure of racing is the noise of the engine and the car. I don't mean let her run tens right off the bat, but you can put enough stop on the pedal and still let her get the excitement of being in a race car. She can learn to stage a noisey car just like a slug truck. I have two daughters, I know how you feel. It's entirely up to you, I'm not trying to sway you. My daughter warmed up the dragster, you couldn't shut her up for days. Lippy
There are special days at the tracks around here that let you run with passengers. I've had my daughter with me on many passes. I made a point of making sure she learned the fundamentals. Once she learned how to heat the tires, pull to the lights, clear the engine, etc, then she could practice the rest. She has a 72 Maverick, so it's nice and slow. She got her license this fall, was at the track within a week. It's slow enough that she can practice the routine and get the feel of everything besides controlling a fast car. It worked so far, now she wants to go faster. A little at a time... Good Luck!
It just depends on the kid. My daughter could ride a motorcycle without training wheels (the obiquitous PW50) before she could ride a bicycle without them. By the time she was 7, she could slide both ends of her YSR 50 street legal road racers through turns. When I turned 16, Dad helped me get a max wedge Dodge factory super stocker. It was the first thing I drove on the 1/4 mile. All I had driven to that point was my Morris Minor on the street. Give her instruction, tell her not to worry about going all out right away, and let her drive the Dart; asuming you believe her to be mature enough to drive anything.
Take her to a tune and test with a stock vehicle..Ride with her (they usually let a rider in a daily)....she'll learn a little with each run.
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