so ive been trying to put together a semi-permanent outdoor track on my property and the commercial gates are just insanely priced for what they are. like i get it, theyre branded and packaged nice but cmon. been looking at pvc pipe + pool noodles for the flag markers and maybe some cheap ripstop nylon for actual gates but im not sure how well that holds up when someone inevitably clips it at 80mph

anyone here actually built their own track setup that lasted more than a few weekends? curious what your gate frames look like and whether you bother staking them down or just rely on weight. also wondering about the layout ? how tight do you typically space your gates for like a mixed skill group where some guys are just starting to race and others are hitting sub-30 lap times

pvc is the way honestly. half inch works fine for flags but if your doing actual gates you want three quarter or even one inch for the uprights or they'll flex too much and knock over constantly. i use sandbags at the base, the kind you get at hardware stores, way more stable than stakes when the ground is uneven. for the nylon i just grab cheap ripstop off amazon and sew velcro tabs, nothing fancy

spacing really depends on the field but for mixed skill i usually put a comfortable rhythm section in the first half and then tighten it up toward the end. lets the slower guys build confidence on the first run through and still gives the fast guys something to push on. we've been running the same pvc setup for like three seasons now with some repairs here and there, totally worth it vs buying the branded stuff

we tried irrigation pipe once which is basically just thinner pvc and it snapped on the first real hit lol, definitely go with the thicker stuff. one thing i'd add is get some bright flagging tape from a construction supply store to mark the gate poles, makes it way easier to spot the course when youre flying especially if the light is bad