New to Autocross Options

[Paragon]

Thanks for all the advice, I am a little leery about trying to see the course with cones only. Like playing the old Atari game night rider. It's hard to see far out where your turns are going to be. I'll try and get there early, there is also a drivers school coming up that I will try and make it to.

At first you're going to see a sea of cones and think you'll never figure things out. Don't worry, you will. Ride with instructors as others mentioned as this will give you more "looks" at the course. Take your first solo run at a more leisurely pace so you can get comfortable without the pressure of trying to go fast. Often times events will print course maps to hand out and that's a great way to learn the course as well.

[00r101]

I love autocrossing but I admit that it is one of the most unintuitive motorsports. Here's my advice to all newbies.

1) Leave your ego at home. No matter how fast your car you will be humbled.
2) Your goal at your first autocross should be to have at least one run on course. You will get lost somewhere and miss a gate. Don't be surprised if you are marked off course and you have no idea where.
3) Walk the course as many times as possible (at least 3 times).
4) Ask someone to watch your runs. That way may be the only way to know where you went off course.
5) Your goal at your second autocross should be to improve your time each run.
6) Here are your mantras "slow in, fast out" and "Look ahead" On sharp 90 degree turns you should be looking out the side window before you get to the turn.
7) You will be surprised how much harder the course is driving than walking and how slow the car is going yet the cones come up very fast.
8) Don't be embarrassed. No one will expect you to be an expert. Also no one will pay attention to your runs, they are more concerned about their runs and the people who are beating them. You will be slow - get used to it.
9) Don't worry about where your car is classed. When you are starting out nothing matters but your experience. A well driven stock 914 can beat a novice driver in a Bugatti Veyron
10) There are only 2 important things - be safe and have fun.

[Jetsetsurfshop]

The best advice I can give you is to get there early and walk the course.....a lot. You have to basically memorize it and learn there method of marking the course. It's hard to go fast if you don't know where you're going. It seems every club has a different way of setting up their courses. Some completely line the course with cones. Some use gates and pointer cones. Anyway, you have to figure out where you're supposed to go. Most will tell you to walk it alone so you can concentrate. Anyway, walk it as much as you can before you run. FWIW (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Oh yeah, have fun!!

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[ClayPerrine]

My wife and I have been running 914s in Autocross for 28 years. The advise we always give newcomers is to improve your own driving first, then improve the car. Improving you goes with you to any car you drive.

That being said, SCCA has pushed the stock 914 up in classes until it is completely uncompetitive. We figure it was because the guys with the new cars got tired of getting beat all the time.

I don't know about your area, but our local PCA region is really big on AX, and they don't class us unfairly. They do put Betty's 1.8L in with the huge behemoth Cayenne. But the Cayenne's HP is made up for the by the weight and the high CG. So she regularly whoops up on 'em.


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[Randal]

My wife and I have been running 914s in Autocross for 28 years. The advise we always give newcomers is to improve your own driving first, then improve the car. Improving you goes with you to any car you drive.

That being said, SCCA has pushed the stock 914 up in classes until it is completely uncompetitive. We figure it was because the guys with the new cars got tired of getting beat all the time.

I don't know about your area, but our local PCA region is really big on AX, and they don't class us unfairly. They do put Betty's 1.8L in with the huge behemoth Cayenne. But the Cayenne's HP is made up for the by the weight and the high CG. So she regularly whoops up on 'em.


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+1

Out here on the left coast running a 914 in SCCA is tough. A modified car, like mine, typically gets classed in XP and gets to run against cars with 3 times the rear wheel HP. So when we get close, say a second and one half, against a national champion, on a 40 second course, we feel pretty good!

Oh, one more piece of advise. Get Hank Watt's book off Amazon - read and learn about autoxing and tracking.

[Joe Ricard]

I have to echo a lot of what is said above.

1st thing to know it's not the car holding you back. AX is controlled chaos. It takes a long time to see through the sea of cones and only pick out the ones that matter. What you need to learn is car control in a slow car of regular street tires. Slower speeds will allow you a bit extra time to concetrate on car placement and getting close tot he edge of cornering limits and well as when to brake and when to gas.
Have one of the hot shoes drive your car with you as a passenger. or catch a ride with them. Take note of the way they hold the wheel how amazingly hard they brake and not slide a tire. how they exit a corner already set up for the next feature.

[r_towle]

I would not worry about many of those cars showing up except the GT2/GT3 porsches....

Those cars are hard to beat.

rich

[Randal]

I would not worry about many of those cars showing up except the GT2/GT3 porsches....

Those cars are hard to beat.

rich

But definitely beatable. A number of well driven GT2/GT3's have gone down to 914's at Marina events including faster courses like American AutoX Series. And I'm talking about a 4, not a 6!

But taking one on a hill is a different matter. The fast ZR6's (2) that we got in front of at Cascade Lakes were almost 2 seconds behind Boynton at Hoopa, although that course is all about power.

I think Boynton could run in the 40's at Cascade Lakes, which is crazy fast. But hope he sneaks up on it as Cascade Lakes is very technical.


http://www.nhahillclimb.org/results/Hoopa-hillclimb-2013.pdf

http://www.nhahillclimb.org/results/cascade_2013.pdf