THSCC Forums

Okay, it isn't. But it seems it is doing strange things to my aging body. Not sure if any of you who drive a LOT (street and track) have any back or hip problems, but if so you might want to check out my blog entry about it. The side effect here is that even if I'm wrong about what's causing this condition, I might finally learn to left-foot-brake anyway.


--Donnie

Get a race car that doesn't need a clutch for shifts. Now you can go to LFB all the time and not worry about the extra pedal.

I see a F1 ride in your future!

So far, I've only had body issues after karting, but I don't do a lot of racing these days

Scott

Wonder what the minimum actually is to get a LEGAL car eligible and entered in just ONE F1 race. I don't mean to have any chance of winning, just LEGAL. It wasn't but just a few years ago when you could get a legal (but not fast) car into a Winston Cup race (so it was like five years ago) for maybe $40k or so. There were a few races around where they didn't have a full field, so a few cars got into races that were hauled in on open deck trailers. They entered, started, dropped out quickly, and left with money in their hands because prize money went THAT far back.



While you can have other body issues, I was actually thinking karting might help with my current thing. Since you need more fine grained left foot control and because you're sitting more symmetrically as well as using your muscles more symmetrically...


--Donnie

Dick Trickle?


the driver, not the condition...........

Donnie you need to ask yourself whether you are carrying too much cash around (i.e: fat wallet). This has been the culprit for many imbalanced seating issues. I currently my fat wad of cash is in my front pocket I had complained about a similar problem and the physical therapist went straight to my wallet, literally. The problem side may not be the same side as the wallet, but the wallet can cause you to shift your posture or can impinge a nerve.
If you still want to carry your wallet on your hip, just send the excess cash and credit cards to me.
Spending too much time on track can also cure the bulge in your wallet!
Charlie Guthrie

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1998 BMW Z3
1987 BMW 325is
2000 BMW
1996 F250 Turbo Diesel

Charlie, while I understand that you're both being funny and somewhat serious at the same time, that isn't my problem. Most of the time my wallet isn't in a back pocket (particularly through the warm months as I typically wear cargo shorts and put it in a front cargo pocket), and when it is (almost only winter), it's as small as you can get. I only carry a money clip with like three cards in it and some cash, nothing else.

So I'm sorry to say I won't be sending any wads of cash your way, but I can agree that too much track time can lighten the load significantly.


--Donnie

when i was driving the loader, at hte gravel pit. I put a rolled up towel, like a burrito rolled up.. in the small of my back, in the seat. Because riding around a rough tough gravel pit, with huge tires and no suspension. was murder on my back. it is not comfortable, but it saves your back alot when you are taking a beating 6-10 hours a nite.

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hey yall,watch this...

Another question is where is your left foot when you aren't clutching or braking. Is it hovering or is steady on the dead pedal. Keeping it elevated over the pedals causes a lot of stress on the upper legs and hips.

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Marty Howard
2011 NASA SE Factory Five Challenge Champion
Track Events Logistics Coordinator - TZC/THSCC
2007 Factory Five Challenge Car.
http://www.mh-motorsports.com

I agree and you bring up a very good point.

I do not hover unless there's definitely another change coming very quickly. I do notice and HATE it when I have to drive a race car with no dead pedal. Everything I've been driving lately has had a dead pedal (or something similar enough) and I definitely use it.

Strangely, one thing I drive on the street a lot of my Jeep, which has no adequate dead pedal. I need to put something in there. My Tacoma has a good dead pedal.


--Donnie

How much "contorsion" do you do getting in and out of your various street and race cars? As I "age" it appears that the formerly routine strains and contorsions of getting in/out of racing type seats (Lotus Elise at the dealer for example) tends to aggravate otherwise moderately sore back muscles caused by a car repair or home project. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) I do not have regular exposure to the contorsions and one short period of muscle relaxant allowed the muscles to heal.

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

Nah, it's not the contorting. Not for me, I mean. I'm 6'2" and getting in and out of a Miata can be a little cumbersome, sure, but that's not what was bothering me. I think my initial injury came while working out, actually, but the condition that set it up was the act of driving itself.


--Donnie

I'm not a doctor, but there were a couple of Ferrari F360 Challenge Stradale F1s in the parking lot of the Holiday Express that I stayed in last August in Monterey. Not the latest model, can probably be had for a song. Suggest you look into that

In the cars that you're driving, are the seats lined up well with the pedals and wheel, or offset a lot?

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Art McDonald
Premier Amateur #518
2008 Dishman Cup
Pivot Cone Snob

Rodney is a waxer (but in a good way)

Good question. I'll check that and report back. I don't think they're offset much, but there could be something to that. In a Spec Miata I may not have much choice, though. But in the Acura...


--Donnie

I forwarded this to Laura (she's a massage therapist) and she recommended trigger point therapy.

Let me know if you want contact information.

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Not spectacular just decent.
I'm not sure what I'm driving.
Maybe an ITR in DS.
Or half-assed STX prepped 330.

Good point. I've found another really good therapist close by, but she's doing a dual residency thing between here and Rock Hill through sometime in the spring and is only around here on Friday and Saturday. Going to see her tonight, but it's been tough fitting her in my schedule. Leave next week for Hawaii for a couple weeks (never been, yeee-ha!) and when I get back in December fitting her into my schedule will be much easier.

I haven't seen anyone in a month, so that's bad. Need to get better about that. If you've got contact info for someone not terribly far from me, send it on.


--Donnie