For us it depends what track we are running most consider us motorcycles so all we need is Jackets, Gloves, long pants, closed shoes and a DOT full face helmet. For the tracks that treat us as cars - they require a race helmet and arm restraints.
Can't wait until we have an organized body of rules so we can do some racing
Working on it 
The other thing that needs to be worked through is how to create a level playing field as so many owners have modified their Slingshots to some extent.
Display MoreLooks like fun.
You talk a lot about safety and buying the "appropriate gear" to participate. I think it is great to keep everyone safe, but you will have a hard time getting people excited about buying race seats that are not weather-proof. It just doesn't make sense for most people, as these type of seat aren't very comfortable and quickly get trashed when they are out in the conditions.
I also can't believe you not having the drivers wear arm restraints. This is usually a requirement for open air vehicles / convertibles. I would say they are probably much more important than having a fire suit on.
Hi TravAZ,
Yes I agree. We see race seats as being a possible stumbling block however they are probably the single most important piece of safety equipment in the event of any incident. I drove a Slingshot with race seats all year on the street and never had any issue with weather, but mainly because I was extra careful not to have it out during a rain shower. I enjoyed the extra protection while driving but it's obviously not as comfortable to drive around in. Many of our participants actually had the seats swapped out just before/after the race event...so that is a possible solution to the problem.
Our driving instructor, David Richert, has driven open-cockpit vehicles for many years at different levels and has never been required to wear arm restraints. Though it does seem to be more prevalent (and a requirement) in sanctioned grassroots racing.
Each of our drivers were reminded to pull their arms close to their chest in the event of any incident, but for those with less experience the natural reaction could still be to raise their arms in an attempt to cover their head...so to make it foolproof the arm-restraints will help. However, the race seat and race belts create a very nice cocoon around the driver and limit movement in all areas significantly. But with that said, arm restraints are something we have been seriously discussing for next year to continue improving safety.
If it's not safe then the fun will quickly disappear 
Here's video from our final race of the season.
...and here are some photos...
Slingshot Racing Cup - Round 10 Photos
Sorry...didn't see the responses to our last post so apologies for the delay in replying. We just finished the final event of our Slingshot Racing Cup season and are now immediately putting together a plan for the winter/next summer.
Thinking of how we can incorporate existing Slingshot owners and whether we create an "open" class which would allow any kind of Slingshot to participate. We recognize that those who already have a Slingshot may not want to spend more money to upgrade...or they've spent a lot of time doing modifications to their Slingshot.
One thing that would be difficult to compromise on though is that for wheel to wheel racing we would need to require everyone to have a proper race seat with side/neck support (like the Sparco ones we used this year) as well as racing belts plus necessary driver safety gear.
Any thoughts, suggestions, recommendations, etc welcome!! Hope to be in your area very soon
Here's some action from our last race event in the Slingshot Racing Cup. The Slingshots are producing some extremely close racing so it's a huge amount of fun!
Slingshot Racing Cup - are you using the old road course at Gimli?
Correct!! It's not the fanciest race track but it's great for learning on and there's very little to hit if something goes wrong 
You got any video of that race? I would love to see it. I think the idea is excellent. You'll find plenty of interest in the states
We currently just have some onboard video from a few of the Slingshots but we're hoping to build towards showing the full races online at some point. Here are some onboard highlights from one of our races earlier this year. Not sure if embedding is possible but hopefully the link works...
Display MoreWelcome @Slingshot Racing Cup
I am sure we can gather up some interested slingers on the east coast
If you check out our event section you will see we have a Track Day scheduled for Track Day Roebling Road Raceway
Would be a great place to show us what we can do.
I know a few people who would love to get a racing circuit started - feel free to PM me if you want to pursue it.
Thanks for the info. Been to Roebling Road years ago and think it could be a very good location to start doing something like this...especially if there is an interested group already. Will send you a PM soon and we can bounce some ideas around.
I would be very interested, as I already do "fun" track days out here in AZ.
You would probably have to make different classes though. I think my turbo Slingshot on track tires might be a tad faster than some of the stock SLR machines...
Looking forward to see you can make something happen in the states. If you need to collaborate with someone, I know a couple of people in AZ that are already organizing track days. Maybe you could run your own group within their already set events.
You bet! We are already discussing the idea of having a class for modified Slingshots and how that would look. Thanks for the feedback and perhaps it will be a good idea to have a chat with some of the people already putting in some track time in AZ.
Blipping the throttle when down-shifting on the limit, or even when down-shifting on the street, will completely remove the sudden compression you feel in the rear of the Slingshot. It allows the gears to mesh together better when releasing the clutch and, if you do it right, you will not feel the downshift.
Half of the drivers who are racing are doing heel-toe, the other half are not. We find that as long as full traction control is on, and you get all shifting and clutchwork done prior to entering the corner, there won't be a major issue. However, remove traction or stability control and you MUST heel-toe if you're braking on the limit and entering a corner.
Heel-toe is relatively easy once you get the hang of it...practice, practice, practice. Size 13's may seem tough but try to push down the brake pedal with the ball of your foot, then pivot the heel over to the throttle and give it a short stab before quickly letting the clutch out
Hey everyone. Earlier this year we decided to create the Slingshot Racing Cup and test out the concept in Manitoba, Canada. We're not making any money on this so hopefully it doesn't come across as tacky self-promotion...we simply love both the Slingshot and Racing so are extremely happy to combine the two
We're mainly using the Slingshot SLR and, apart from putting in a Sparco race seat and harness, we have kept the Slingshot's completely stock. Everyone entered with their own Slingshots and had no prior racing experience...part of the program is that they are put through several training courses and are working closely with a professional driver to make sure everything is done safely as well as enable each driver to improve their lap times.
So far this year we have had an absolute blast with some incredibly close wheel-to-wheel racing. Race 1 had the top 4 Slingshots all finish within 1.8 seconds of each other.
We are wondering if there is interest anywhere else in North America to do some championships like this. We'd love to see it grow and maybe even give everyone the chance to travel around experiencing different race circuits. Thanks!
