Stock Car Racing

A few weeks ago i went to Birmingham to take part in some fun stock car racing. I have watched stock cars and banger racing before but never actually been in one. 

Now i thought it was all very similar but stock cars is supposed to be a non contact sport. Emphasise the NON CONTACT.

So we turned up at Birmingham Wheels early for a quick look before lunch, I have to say first Impressions were not the high tech glamourous circuits I have been used to nor even close to an average club circuit , but the circuit itself was intriguing, short but wide and banked on the corners.

Not fully convinced it was time for a racing drivers lunch at the nearest McDonalds.

On our return it was time to sign on,  suit up and get ready for drivers briefing and free coffee. The briefing went through all safety aspects , flag signals and that it was a NON CONTACT sport. They also mentioned that the safety / pace car was his own and not to hit it. Now I am sure in Days of Thunder there was something about hitting the pace car?

Anyway all ready for race one, ear pieces fitted, helmets on and off to the cars. Now straight away you can see this not going to be a level field with different varying levels of damage varying camber angles on various wheels on all cars, but the race organisers are great in putting you in different cars through your races to give everyone a fair chance.

The only way into these cars is through the windscreen area as all the glass is removed and all doors are welded shut with bars around the whole car as well as a roll cage. A little excessive for a NON CONTACT sport you may think.

So in the car and all strapped in with race harness belts it was time to pull out and do a few practice laps to get the feel for the car and the short oval banked circuit. All felt ok so it was time to line up and follow the safety car without hitting it before it pulled off and the green flag was down. 

Into the first corner and I am leading the race, corners are good but losing in a straight line, a few laps in I get a nudge on the back , NON CONTACT remember, but that's racing anyway, recovering from the nudge then i get full on t boned in the side, remember NON CONTACT. The car now turns left on it's own and does not turn right which is a small problem on a clockwise oval when you only need to turn right. Red flag out , my race over and race control having words with certain drivers.

Next race started at the back and finished fourth, car had a mind of its own and then I just got in to too much of following the car in front.

Before the finals we had a break and a de brief and time for a coffee before making our way back out to the cars. 

Final 1, had to start from the back and made a good start picking cars off and finishing 2nd at the flag.

Final 2, again starting almost at the back and got up to 3rd quite quickly but with a lack of power I was catching in the corners but losing down the straight so was never going to gain any more places. 

At the briefing the top 3 were asked to come back in November to take part in a charity race for children in need which I will go back and do. The winner will get a chance to race in a legends car next year.

All in all it was a good day, the cars may be all different but the staff are very good giving different cars each time to give everyone a fair chance. They all worked very hard on the day to make sure everyone had an enjoyable day.

If you haven't raced before and even if you have done a supercar experience, this is the closet you will get to actual racing without a race license albeit a stock car and not a race car, but racing is racing no matter what you are in and a good day out. 

If you would like to find out more and would like to book an experience day then please contact us via the website or message us fo more information.