Racing and babies - how?

To all you old hands out there, how do you carry on racing when babies start arriving on the scene?

I have go a motorhome to make mother and sprog more comfortable (and still come to meetings so they can't use the 'we never see you' pitch).

I am in the process of selling off no longer required spares to fund things.

I am now no longer spending whatever credit limit is left on my cards for those essential go faster goodies.

Any other ideas?

Leave them at home. As for money, I was far better off when my daughter was younger, now she is in her late teens she has started costing nearly as much as the race car.

See what you can get for the babies on the black market. I reckon the proceeds could fund 2 or 3 seasons.

Yeah when I was racing on a budget through the 80's and 90's often getting beaten because of lack of funds and with three kids in tow I said to a few people wait till you try it, its not easy! Most did'nt bother once the kids came along.

you have my sympathies mate. i tried it for a couple of years and it aint easy. in the end someone else nicked em off me. werent mine in the first place though.........niether was she.....

Err, Colin, sounds like one for a night in a circuit bar!

I work it on a 'payback' basis...

I go racing on weekend 'A' without the wife & kids in tow, and the following weekend the wife goes off to a health spa, or at least that's what she tells me...

Makes the racing even more expensive though, because she spends the same amount on 'health spas' as I do on racing... Bugger, still haven't got it right!

I have three kids, the way to do it is to get the grand parents really involved!!

I try and get babysitters for race weekends, the gramps like staying with the kids at my house, changing the cupboard arrangements, and the kids like being spoilt by the said gramps.

My missus and me get a weekend "off" from the kids, and I even get to race round and round for the day.

Win win all round!!!

I remember when my daughter came along. She was only 3 months old when we did a race at Croft. We had an old battered 2 berth caravan and we all spent the 2 nights in that. That was different. It was warm enough, but we had to get up at 3 or 4 in the morning, stick the gas ring on to boil a pan of water to heat up a bottle of milk!!!!!!!!!!!

It got too much really and we had a few years off.

Back at it now and I'm lucky, the family enjoy it as much as me. My daughter is now 5 and loves coming to the track. She helps clean the car and cheers me on. I'm very lucky really as I know a lot of the guys I race with, their wives can't abide the racing and leave them to it.

Can't imagine it with more than one kiddie though.

I suppose you have to strike a balance really. Make sure that when your not racing, you spend time with them. As I said, I still get to spend time with them at the circuits because they love to come along and help, but it can still get hard at times when your doing all nighters trying to get the car ready in time for the next round.

Give and take really isn't it??????????? :)

Well Denis. What have you done!!

As you know, I now have two.

So far, I haven't had both of them with me at once, but that's going to happen at the next time out. Thomas, being only four months is only interested in a couple of things, mostly feeding, and sleeping, with the other involuntary operations inbetween. Jasmine, being 4 1/2 is going through the "proper madam" phase, and sprouts horns from time to time. To keep her occupied, there's TV/Video/DVD to watch, and we usually bring her other things to do, like drawing stuff.

Thomas likes to go to the trackside. Noiser cars the better, it helps him sleep!!!
Jasmine likes to watch daddy go grass cutting (damn cheeky child!)

Can get stressful at times, usually when all need attention at once, as well as the car.
But can be very rewarding.

In my opinion, it's time that our type of racing took notice of what happens in other forms of racing (ovals) and realised that they have to be more family orientated now and in the future. What would it take for the circuits to provide a creche facility? They have one at the Rock. Add some fairground attractions, and there's something for everyone to do, especially between races.

Rob.

Rob, certainly agree about the lack of family facilities at race circuits, especially as I will now be in need of them.

Thruxton and Pembrey have little play areas (slide, swing etc). Oulton seem have started an amateur photographer competition. Can't recall much anywhere else.

I realise that most motor circuits would rather rid themselves of the scourge of the club racer but they could at least put some effort in. You only have to look at the significant number of respondees to this thread have taken a sabatical because it was just too much grief!!!!

Just think, some drivers may actually have to BUY extra tickets if they have enough kids, additional helpers, grand parents etc coming along!!!!

With a 2 year old daughter I have found that going away for the weekend racing is not the best way to spend time with the family. What we have done is that if I am racing locally (Oulton) then the family will come for the day arriving just before lunch, if I am further afield then I get a 24 or 48 hour pass.
If we are racing at Brands, then as it is near my father we all troupe down on the friday night and have a day of non racing stuff before we go racing on the sunday. I can see the advantage of doing a series based near one's home when the kids are small.

I am only 18 and don't have any offspring so I cannot really help you on this one Dennis! :laugh:

I am only 18 and don't have any offspring so I cannot really help you on this one Dennis! :laugh:

Can you be sure of that?! Durty teenagers!!

We're expecting our first in September, being relaistic its first meeting (and my next) will be Easter next year I reckon.

I'm not sure it'll be a qualified mechanic by then, but as the wife loves going racing as well we're determined to keep going and hopefully the liitle addition won't turn out to be a ponce who likes ponies or anything expensive we hate ! :eek:

reckon there's a baby boom at the moment.
Our first is due in August and I reckon will kybosh the rest of my season.
But then again thats a good excuse as I dont have the cash anyway.

Guess its time to ditch the truck and camping (in the back of), and end up trailering & B&B'ing again in 2006.

kids love camping though, and its more affordable . . . I have this idea of a van the car goes in to transport it . . .you take the car out, lower the bead, unfold the table, hey presto you have a camper as well. . . . I've been spotted round town measuring up the local councils disabled bus !!!

eww! and if your car is anything like mine you step out of bed into a pool of oil ;)

ha ha . . . firstly, my car doesnt leak ( it sweats a little!)

secondly, notice I said lower the bed . . .IE the car bit remains seperate from the camping bit ( nearly)

I'm working on drawings and patenting the design now :-)

what you lot on about can't cope with racing and kids we've raced for 20 years took four children some who were only a couple of days old and now we take our grandchildren who are both nearly three.
chill out let them get as mucky as they want give them a what they want when they want .
let dad get on with the racing it's what you're there for .
enjoy the time together make it a weekend away.
it gets easier i promise.

what you lot on about can't cope with racing and kids we've raced for 20 years took four children some who were only a couple of days old and now we take our grandchildren who are both nearly three.
chill out let them get as mucky as they want give them a what they want when they want .
let dad get on with the racing it's what you're there for .
enjoy the time together make it a weekend away.
it gets easier i promise.

Wise words Grandad ! :rofl:

thats the kind of thing I want to hear . .. . not our neighbours 'oh, we wanted to go out for lunch, it took us 4 hours to get ready now we've got a baby' blimmin wimps !

The thing that i have found really helpful with my 5 year old daughter is a lot of the other competitors are older and dont have there teenage kids with them and their wives enjoy playing with a 5 year old again. Even if it is only for a while when you are changing wheels or something else it can be a great help.
My daughter has been coming to the track with me since she was born. Nat is know by a lot of people at the track now and can usually be found "visiting" another competitors garage or one of the tyre suppliers trucks, who has a tv in it. I dress her in her jeans and jumper amd let her get into it with me, if she gets dirty so be it. The race track isnt the place for a fasion parade.

grandma actually.
babies work round you not you round babies.
one of my daughters was 6 months old when i raced fed her,changed her left her with dad while i went out to race(if thats whatyou'd call it) .
all our kids loved it we've slept in vans caravans and now gone all posh and have large motorhome .they all grew up did'nt want to be seen with us when they were teenagers and now they all bring there familys .it's nice.

At last, someone other than Racing59 who is telling me what I want to here. They must be right!

The consensus seems to be chill out, treat it as a weekend away but watch the pennies.

Hopefully if the ball and chain drops on time we will be trying it out at a nice local circuit (Lydden). However I suspect we now won't be able to stop granny and grandad turning up to races now even if we tried!!!

Sorry Watson . . . but its confirmed our belief, little people will fit round big people, and not the other way round!

I got taken to racing when I was little, not that I remember much of it, My Dad loved it and was a keen photographer, I don't think my mum did though.
My Wife and I are both keen, and I'd like her to get ther ARDS done next year as well then she can drive too (if she can reach the pedals!) we've already discussed the camper option

we've just done 4 days up in anglsey 2 none racing 2 racing ,i love the circuit and the place it has playgrounds loads of grass to play(and pitch tents etc)and now it has a new shower block 'well 2 showers anyway ! beach nearby what more could you ask for ,it may well take 5 hours to get there but once your there it's great if its on your race calender don't miss it out cos it's too far it's worth every penny in petrol.

Think you need to look again as Anglesey has 6 new Male showers when I was thier at the weekend. They are very very nice too. As for kids the best way is to leave them at home and get your better half the weekend off.

Let the gramps spoil them. <More money on the racing then !!!!!.

SPB

Think you need to look again as Anglesey has 6 new Male showers when I was thier at the weekend. They are very very nice too. As for kids the best way is to leave them at home and get your better half the weekend off.

Let the gramps spoil them. <More money on the racing then !!!!!.

SPB

Michelle, care to comment on this?

SPB - you were replying to Mrs Watson, who correctly pointed out that there are limited facilities for the laydeez.

there are only 2 lady showers 3 if you count the old naff one at the old race school at the bottom.there were 7 of us down there as everyone else had gone to the new ones in the end we had one in the ladys shower and one on look out as one went in to the mens to make it quicker .
thinkthe sight of 4 girls hanging round just insde mens toilets put them off trying to use them.
anyway thats a bit unfair 2 ladys 6 mens oh yes there competitors showers sounds like a good excuse for giving us 2 and they say they want more women to be involved in motorsport if they cut the crappy ads in motorsport equpment catlogues (like having a woman sitting on an exhaust makes it a better buy )suit half undone ,spark plugs god no's where,have you sat back and took alook at demon tweeks and other equip sale mags then tell me if thats equal .
how many ads have a bloke in thong wrapped around drive shaft(actually thinking about it best not!!!)
hit a nerve there i think ouch!
so sorry i did'nt know there were 6 (is that what we were on about i forgot in all that redmist)

The thing that i have found really helpful with my 5 year old daughter is a lot of the other competitors are older and dont have there teenage kids with them and their wives enjoy playing with a 5 year old again. Even if it is only for a while when you are changing wheels or something else it can be a great help.
My daughter has been coming to the track with me since she was born. Nat is know by a lot of people at the track now and can usually be found "visiting" another competitors garage or one of the tyre suppliers trucks, who has a tv in it. I dress her in her jeans and jumper amd let her get into it with me, if she gets dirty so be it. The race track isnt the place for a fasion parade.

I couldn't agree more.

Our Meg is 5 now and she loves coming to the circuit. We were at Anglesey at the weekend and she gets the freedom she doesn't normally get at home.
She would wake up in the morning and after a quick shower, she was off to the park. As a Formula Ford driver, we have the Moose Hospitality Unit and she can nip over there for a drink or a biscuit whenever she pleases. Quite a number of the drivers know her face and as you said, the wives like to spend some time with her.

I think it is just such a good enviroment for the kids. It teaches them social skills that they wouldn't normally get just playing in the same old street with the other kids day to day. She is becoming confident and can talk to adults with ease. Far more than some of her friends at home. And she loves to help and clean the car which is a bonus. The good thing with Anglesey is they are restricted to where they can actually go, so they are always within a stones throw of you.

Daddy's No.1 fan!!!!!! :rofl:

do you know if they found the 8 year old they kept announcing that went missing?
you never think of bad things happening to your kid when your at circuits do you they just go there own way when we get there sleep in tents by themselves wander round like i would not let them maybe at home it somehow feels a safe enviroment

So I did it.

I went racing with my wife and one month baby girl (Gemma) at Rockingham.

Piece of cake with a motorhome, a lot of organisation and a (fairly) relaxed attitude.

Pity the car decided to be a complete b*st*rd and the driver useless. I blame nappy brain!

Nah, lack of sleep does it for me.