I'm so new to this, and caught the bug quickly, now I am feeling withdrawal and feel like the little bit I was learning is slowly vanishing away with the last events already done this month.
How can I practice being a better driver? How can I prepare my car? What can I read/watch to help prepare myself for the next season as well as help me keep learning during the off season?
P.S. I have a 1990 Miata.
I race karts indoors but it helps that I own an indoor kart track. I think most indoor tracks have specials for people wanting to race during off hours. All I know is that I always do better in the auto-x results at the beginning of the season and I think it's because I race karts all winter.
There's some good reading suggestions in this thread: http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/best-driving-books/42152/page1/
I would also read as much as you can about your car. There is probably enough information on racing Miatas to give you reading materials for the next 100 years. Inevitably, during the "off season", I always start thinking about modifications. I think mod planning and a project or two is always a good use of the non-race seasons of the year.
There's an age old debate about whether karting or sim racing are useful. Karting isn't available around me, so I can't really comment on that, but I have done some sim racing. Honestly, I'm not sure whether its useful or not. I did find that racing fast cars on small tracks was the best form of sim practice for me. I found that it helped me a little bit at picking up corner apexs, picking lines from corner to corner and quick decision making. (A force feedback wheel helps with realism) Might not really help that much, but it is fun.
Work on my car.
Pray for snow.
The_Jed wrote: Pray for snow.
Stop doing that.
The_Jed wrote: Pray for snow.
So "Not cool"
I own my own gokart. There's an unfinished development within kart driving distance so I usually motor over there and burn gas for a few hours.
I work. And play video games. And eat.
There is no off season down here
Another vote for ice racing,I did it for years before I went autox'ing-can't afford to road race and oval track has 0 appeal so..
Prepae for races and thinking about how much more track time I get for my money. 
Really though in FL there is no off season.
I am definitely jealous of you guys who don't really have an off season. I am fairly close to the dallas region. (3 hours) So when my Miata has all the Maintenance work done to it, I will more than likely start driving there during our off season here in Oklahoma.
It seems our region is afraid of the cold weather, and therefore there is no racing from December til March :(
I guess Oklahoma is just so unpredictable that they just try to prepare for whatever. I definitely don't want it to snow, because I want to drive the Miata as much as I can.
There are a few road races around here, but the price is way to high for me. A cost for a day is more than two autox races for that month alone.
Modify / maintain my car and/or other people's cars.
DILYSI Dave wrote: Modify / maintain my car and/or other people's cars.
Don't have the money to modify my car over the winter (Plus I plan on staying in e-stock), or even a warm garage, but maintaining it is definitely going to happen. Also, it's going to be a pizza delivery car for the time being until I find a new job. Got let go at my old one. :( Was an unfair decision, but life happens right....
Start a fitness regimen -- even if you are already in good shape. Think about the line for every corner you take, even while driving a shopping cart at the grocery store.
autocross? Oh I missed that again this year. Too busy doing trackdays and drift days :P
I build my car more, and snow drift when I can in the offseason. I want to move to a place thats less cold in the winter months so I don't have to stop :/
~Alex
Just think, racing every weekend with a couple of two day events thrown in, all through Janaury and February.
Ice racing of course.
Our local sports car club does a winter karting series at our local indoor electric kart track (don't scoff - they're 20hp karts that'll hit 40mph+ on the back straight).
That, and Forza. 
I might consider getting a wheel and pedals for my Xbox and Forza. It seems to be the only thing I can do, besides working on the car and improving my driving daily.
adrianrodriguez wrote: It seems our region is afraid of the cold weather, and therefore there is no racing from December til March :(
Man you "southerners" are lucky. Our "off season" is from the second weekend in November until May most years. And that if the weather cooperates enough for a season ender in November, otherwise its early October. Man, I'm so jealous . . .
iceracer wrote: Just think, racing every weekend with a couple of two day events thrown in, all through Janaury and February. Ice racing of course.
But I'm sure that you're not praying for snow.
In reply to adrianrodriguez:
I have a car to build for the 2009 season.
Same thing I do during the autocross season.
Don't autocross. 
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