Come Race With Us!!
We are looking for drivers to join our team!
Since there are just two of us, we are always in search of rental drivers to fill the seat. Even for short races, we need at least one person to drive for us.
We require prior Chumpcar or other "Wheel-to-wheel" Road race experience: NASA, SCCA, Lemons, etc are all OK.
Preference will be given to previous rental drivers.
We also prefer a driver who is intersted in helping out and hanging out. "Arrive-Drive&Leave" style rental drivers will be given lowest priority.
So I'm intrested - What is the next step?
Check out the schedule page above to see our planned races. We are located in Raleigh, NC, and make every attempt to race all 3 VIR races each year.We may potentially attempt one further race as well.
If there is a race you are intersted in, send us an email! Email Huggins Racing
Incude the event you are intersted in, and your racing resume!
I don't have a racing "Resume"?
So you are new to Wheel-To-Wheel racing? New to Racing in general? We would still love to have you join us.We are always in need of Crew - Pit stops are a major component of a successful race. So is paddock support - Food, Hydration, Organization, Etc!
We would love to have you come out. We can introduce you to chumpcar or racing!
If you are interested in driving, We can introduce you to teams which may not require previous W2W experience.
Come out and join us - We always try to make it worth your while - Food, Beer, Good times, and Fun will all be in abundance.
If you are interested in joining the Crew, send us an email! Email Huggins Racing
OK, I sent you a Email
Awesome! We will get back to you soon.In the meanwhile, Educate yourself about Chumpcar:
1. Chumpcar FAQ
2. Chumpcar Basic Rules
Finally, if you are REALLY interested and have an abundance of time and a penchant for punishment:
3. Chumpcar 2016 BCCR
What will the race weekend be like?
Here is a excerpt from the communication I sent in preparation for the 2015 VIR 24 hr race. Shorter races (single day affairs or split doubles) will be simpler logistically.The Schedule:
Wednesday: Final loading of trailer in Raleigh. All gear, tools, parts, etc are loaded at this time, if not before. The #146 car will be loaded, prepped, and ready. The #92 (Spare) car will be loaded on the open trailer (for VIR races), and the 55 gallon drums loaded into the back of the truck.
Thursday: Chris will head to Track. I always like to arrive early if possible to ensure optimal parking for our pit/paddock area (near one of the two entry gates on pit row, depending on our pit assignment). This is always a "game" because VIR Security and Chumpcar are terrible at communicating the rules and then actually enforcing them. Its more of a "ask forgivness" policy - see what you can get away with type thing.
Friday: Sometimes this is a "test" day. If so, We usually sign up to allow the new rental drivers to get familair with the car. It also allows 1 day of :buffer: in case of a issue. We will absolutely not drive the car 10/10 on this day though - Protect and preserve. This will likely be used to bed in brakes and scuff up tires as well. Everyone who can arrive after work on Friday is encouraged to do so. Many other teams will be around and there will be many people who want to talk. Chump will likely hold a "new driver" information session that you are encouraged to attend (Sometimes its Friday, Sometimes its saturday)
Saturday: Start of race. Anyone who did not come Friday is encouraged to come as early as possible Saturday AM. We will be up EARLY to make final preparations. Chump usually allows us to set up the "hot pit" sometime this AM unless we got lucky and did it on Friday. I will need help to move fuel jugs, radios, tents, jacks, fire extinguishers, etc to the pit at this time. There will be a short drivers meeting immediately before the race. We try to get the car on-grid as early as possible, as east coast grid starting order is First-Come, First-Serve.
Sunday: Race continues. We will hopefully be still racing and perhaps maybe in a good position. Top 5 proceed to "impound" immediately after the race. This requires placing the car on 4 jack stands and removing all the tires. Also requires opening the hood/trunk for observation. Otherwise, tear-down starts during the last 2 hours to re-load the trailer. Only need to leave jack, wrench, impact, spare tire, etc in the Hot Pit while everything else can be moved back to the paddock area to be re-loaded in the trailer.
I like to develop a tentative schedule for driving. This is subject to change based on race conditions and weather, as well as performance or mechanical failures. I usually post it on the inside of the trailer door for easy access. (Keep in mind this is just an example for the 2015 race)
| Start | End | Driver | ||
| 1 | 2:00:00 PM | 4:00:00 PM | Chris H | |
| 2 | 4:05:00 PM | 6:05:00 PM | Robert | |
| 3 | 6:10:00 PM | 8:10:00 PM | Andy | sunset |
| 4 | 8:15:00 PM | 10:15:00 PM | Cotrupi | |
| 5 | 10:20:00 PM | 12:20:00 AM | Robert | |
| 6 | 12:25:00 AM | 2:25:00 AM | Andy | |
| 7 | 2:30:00 AM | 4:30:00 AM | DriverA | |
| 8 | 4:35:00 AM | 6:35:00 AM | Chris H | sunrise |
| 9 | 6:40:00 AM | 8:40:00 AM | DriverA | |
| 10 | 8:45:00 AM | 10:45:00 AM | Robert | |
| 11 | 10:50:00 AM | 12:50:00 PM | Cotrupi | |
| 12 | 12:55:00 PM | 2:00:00 PM | Chris H |
For the Pit support, I would like to schedule people in 8 hour "shifts" in teams of 3-4. This obviously depends on the number of crew available.
This will be discussed at the track on Saturday AM depending on who is there.
For the 2015 August race, the shifts were be 1:30 PM - 10 PM, 9:30 PM - 6 AM, 5:30 AM - 2 PM.
The overlap will allowed for skills transfer if required.
For the 2016 race, I am looking to do two shifts of 12 hrs each - this should allow for more flexibility and give the crew plenty of time to sleep or walk around before/after.
The "CREW" will ideally consist of the following people during each shift:
Crew Chief: Primary radio contact for driver, to communicate position, lap times, next pit schedule, etc. Coordinate other "team members" and maintain communication with them to ensure they are around when needed for pit stops (Scheduled or unscheduled). Communicate with "on deck" driver to make sure he is prepared, hydrated, etc.
Mechanic: Maintain presence in pit/paddock area to provide technical advice to crew chief on car if required. In the event of a mechanical failure or accident, perform diagnostic and repair activities with help from other team members. Could also double as Crew-Chief. *** I am interested in a fellow E30 "expert" in joining the team permanently. *** This person would be guaranteed first right of refuasl for stints and be the "third" member of the team on a permanent basis, in exchange for being my backup for car repair/maintenance decisions and assisting in upkeep/repairs between races. Email us.
Fueler: Wearing fire-proof suit/helmet/gloves (team provided if you don't have) and closed toed shoes, quickly pour fuel into the car on hot-pit lane during pit stops in ~2 hour intervals. Fuel jugs contain 5+ gallons, and likely will require 2 full jugs and 1 partial jug per pit stop. Jugs weigh about 40 lbs. and need to be lifted to about chest height.
Fire Watch: Wearing fire-proof suit/helmet/gloves (team provided if you don't have) and closed toed shoes, provide fire watch during pit-stop on hot-pit lane. Will require standing near drivers door of the car and aiming a live fire-extinguisher at the fueler during the fueling process. Maintain awareness of cars around and approaching for fueler and self safety. Fire extinguisher weighs about 20 lbs.
Optional: Spotter: if we have 5 avaialble persons, or someone who just wants to spectate, we have radios we can distribute to "spotters" who can distribute around the track. This helps with radio reception (sometimes the car cannot communicate with the pit, but a spotter can act as a relay). All that is required is to keep up with the radio and communicate when necessary.
If you are willing to volunteer for any of those positions, help would be much appreciated!!
If you have a favorite flashlight, headlight, or floodlights, please bring it/them because it gets very dark at VIR in the night.
Other Helpful Items
The following items will also be helpful if you plan on joining us.Note: this is absolutely not a required list - If you can come and have none of these, we will be more than happy to have you.
1. Popup/EasyUp Tent
2. Camping Chairs
3. Food/Beer
4. Driving/Fire Suit, Helmet, gloves, Etc (for fire and fueling)
5. Radios/headsets
Documents
Ok, so you made it this far - Congratulations!If you are driving, Please review the following documents.
If you have rented before, they will be familiar to you - I created them after reviewing contracts from a few other popular/successful east coast teams.
Huggins Motorsports Drivers Contract
Huggins Motorsports Team Information Packet For questions about this web page:
Email Huggins Racing