We were lucky enough to paddock next to Austin and his team and see the immense effort they put toward their program. Awesome guys, awesome effort, and a BEAUTIFUL car. Hope to see Austin and the team next year at Road America!
Austin and Family (Bradshaw Motorsports) are a class act and great ambassadors for the sport. Great video and definitely something SCCA needs to focus on.
Fanstastic to see Austin getting recognition for running a competative program on a tight budget. A great friend, and an amazing role model. Inspires me and gives me motivation to get out there. Even just getting to VIR and competing is a herculean task in my mind, to see that he was able to do it is amazing
So free advice. Always build a race car from the bottom up. The most important part on your car will always be your tires. From there it goes to your brakes, suspension, weight, areo, fuel pumps and lines, injectors, intake, Piston rods, cams, headers, exhaust, boost if desired, and finally a good chip and Dyno tuning. I know from personal experience budgeting often gets people to skip steps and try to upgrade ones car with what they can afford at that time instead of saving money up and building it from the ground up. My advice to everyone is don't skip steps when building your car. Be patient, budget your money and keep learning and gaining experience at each track day you can as you build and tune your car the right way.
VIR has no sand traps or paved runoff area while intentionally deciding to use grass to nearly assure you will have extensive body damage in many turns and the real risk of rolling it up in a ball. What are you going to do if your race car is totaled? Quit?
30-40 years ago the average guy could afford to do this. You could enter an Autocross for $10-$12. You didn't have to be a member either. It attracted thousands to the sport where back in the 1990s you had hundreds of entries at just the local level. Now, it cost $100 for a two day autocross event at the LOCAL LEVEL!!!.(Regional, Divisional, and National costs are even higher)Tires that use to cost $100 ea. are now $200 ea. Autocross is by far the cheapest form of motorsports. Road Racing is 3-5 times higher in entry, maintenance, and transportation fees. Sorry SCCA but this sport is strictly for wealthy well off individuals and certain people in America are weeding those out as fast as they can. Plus the push to electrics will isolate motorsports even more as more people stop buying cars cause they can't afford them. Your sport is being brainwashed out of the young population as a waste of energy too. A bourgeois thing that doesn't benefit the People and by killing off cheap energy this will have devastating effects on all motorsports.
I have been racing in Autocross for 2 years now, and drag racing for as long as I've been driving. I only make $15 an hour doing valet. Money is always super tight and no I can't afford every event the SCCA holds. However I tend all the ones I can. My car is my daily driver and my track car. And it's expensive to use it as both. My point is cost is an obstacle but it doesn't have to be a deterrent. It can still be enjoyed with good budgeting.
@Cain88M not saying it's not affordable to at least enter some but let me give you an example of what I'm saying. In 2002 I ran not only the 12 events at our local club but the 18 events my Region ran + another 6 events in their winter "slush" series. Add to that I ran the full American Autocross Series of an additional 14 events. That's Four championships I competed in finishing 1st in three of them and 2nd in the fourth..... All on about $30,000 income per year. Travel to each event was a minimum 100 miles and most were more than 200 miles and one was a 1000 mile rd. trip. Also many were Sat&Sun prompting a stay in a motel at least one night. Try doing that today on a $30,000 income is all I'm saying and still be able to keep a roof over your head and food in your gut.
@plantfeeder6677 I totally get it. Believe me, racing is all that I still live for. I'm a disabled combat veteran on a very limited income. It absolutely kills me that I can only do a couple events each year. I just don't want people to just give up. I myself have been looking into getting donations on road cones. If I can get enough eventually I'd like to start organizing my own race days for people who are like myself and can't afford the bigger events. Every problem has a work around my friend.
Why not just go karting? - It's a WHOLE LOT less expensive; - The racing is a lot closer; - It's a lot more fun; - The vehicles are a lot simpler and easier to set up and maintain; - You can do it yourself without a crew; - It's everything you like about racing, distilled down to its essence.
We were lucky enough to paddock next to Austin and his team and see the immense effort they put toward their program. Awesome guys, awesome effort, and a BEAUTIFUL car. Hope to see Austin and the team next year at Road America!
Austin is the man! Hands down such a kind talented humble guy !
KIDS! Listen to this guy💯🎯🏁
Austin and Family (Bradshaw Motorsports) are a class act and great ambassadors for the sport. Great video and definitely something SCCA needs to focus on.
Way to go AB!! Proud of ya
High Quality advise and video from a high quality driver! Always a blast to see Austin and the crew at the tracks here in the PNW!
As a college student attempting to build a racecar in my garage, this gives me hope that it can be done.
Nice video, good content, Austin is a class act. Keep racing!
Fanstastic to see Austin getting recognition for running a competative program on a tight budget. A great friend, and an amazing role model. Inspires me and gives me motivation to get out there. Even just getting to VIR and competing is a herculean task in my mind, to see that he was able to do it is amazing
So free advice. Always build a race car from the bottom up. The most important part on your car will always be your tires. From there it goes to your brakes, suspension, weight, areo, fuel pumps and lines, injectors, intake, Piston rods, cams, headers, exhaust, boost if desired, and finally a good chip and Dyno tuning. I know from personal experience budgeting often gets people to skip steps and try to upgrade ones car with what they can afford at that time instead of saving money up and building it from the ground up. My advice to everyone is don't skip steps when building your car. Be patient, budget your money and keep learning and gaining experience at each track day you can as you build and tune your car the right way.
Nice documentary
Mike Lewis... I would love to have the FD body he did in 94!
VIR has no sand traps or paved runoff area while intentionally deciding to use grass to nearly assure you will have extensive body damage in many turns and the real risk of rolling it up in a ball. What are you going to do if your race car is totaled? Quit?
30-40 years ago the average guy could afford to do this.
You could enter an Autocross for $10-$12. You didn't have to be a member either. It attracted thousands to the sport where back in the 1990s you had hundreds of entries at just the local level.
Now, it cost $100 for a two day autocross event at the LOCAL LEVEL!!!.(Regional, Divisional, and National costs are even higher)Tires that use to cost $100 ea. are now $200 ea.
Autocross is by far the cheapest form of motorsports. Road Racing is 3-5 times higher in entry, maintenance, and transportation fees.
Sorry SCCA but this sport is strictly for wealthy well off individuals and certain people in America are weeding those out as fast as they can. Plus the push to electrics will isolate motorsports even more as more people stop buying cars cause they can't afford them.
Your sport is being brainwashed out of the young population as a waste of energy too. A bourgeois thing that doesn't benefit the People and by killing off cheap energy this will have devastating effects on all motorsports.
I have been racing in Autocross for 2 years now, and drag racing for as long as I've been driving. I only make $15 an hour doing valet. Money is always super tight and no I can't afford every event the SCCA holds. However I tend all the ones I can. My car is my daily driver and my track car. And it's expensive to use it as both. My point is cost is an obstacle but it doesn't have to be a deterrent. It can still be enjoyed with good budgeting.
@Cain88M not saying it's not affordable to at least enter some but let me give you an example of what I'm saying.
In 2002 I ran not only the 12 events at our local club but the 18 events my Region ran + another 6 events in their winter "slush" series. Add to that I ran the full American Autocross Series of an additional 14 events. That's Four championships I competed in finishing 1st in three of them and 2nd in the fourth.....
All on about $30,000 income per year. Travel to each event was a minimum 100 miles and most were more than 200 miles and one was a 1000 mile rd. trip. Also many were Sat&Sun prompting a stay in a motel at least one night.
Try doing that today on a $30,000 income is all I'm saying and still be able to keep a roof over your head and food in your gut.
@plantfeeder6677 I totally get it. Believe me, racing is all that I still live for. I'm a disabled combat veteran on a very limited income. It absolutely kills me that I can only do a couple events each year. I just don't want people to just give up. I myself have been looking into getting donations on road cones. If I can get enough eventually I'd like to start organizing my own race days for people who are like myself and can't afford the bigger events. Every problem has a work around my friend.
Why not just go karting?
- It's a WHOLE LOT less expensive;
- The racing is a lot closer;
- It's a lot more fun;
- The vehicles are a lot simpler and easier to set up and maintain;
- You can do it yourself without a crew;
- It's everything you like about racing, distilled down to its essence.