We grew up playing Gran Turismo and Need for Speed, watching NASCAR on TV, challenging ourselves to name the brand and model of every car we saw on the street, and making and remaking lists of our dream cars. It’s fair to say we were automobile fans from a young age.
Fast forward a dozen years, we finally scrounged together enough money to buy our own sports cars to take to local tracks. Finally, we were able to experience motorsports behind the wheel instead of behind a screen.
The experience was incredible, but also challenging. There was so much to learn about — our cars, the tracks, how to drive properly, and vehicle physics. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a straightforward way of acquiring all of this knowledge.
We took a brute force approach and spent countless hours — and dollars — fiddling with our cars, going to track events, talking to more experienced drivers, and sifting through web forums. It was a non-linear path with a lot of dead ends, but we now know a lot more than when we started, with much more to go.
One of our core realizations was that many assumptions about motorsports — that it was expensive, unsafe, and unaccessible — wasn’t necessarily true. This served as the inspiration for Track Manual, a resource hub that helps regular people get into the world of road racing.
Track Manual is a resource that will continually grow over time as we gain more experience. We will also be bringing on new contributors to add their perspectives and expertise on motorsports.
Our goal is not to create a one-and-done guide, but a community of next-gen motorsport enthusiasts. We’re always happy to hear from fellow enthusiasts, so reach out to us at https://trackmanual.com/contact.
