https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rqd_xAspow


Well my dad and I finally got around to doing our first autocross last weekend. Took the Miata to eliminate headaches and since it was 39 degrees in the morning, it turned out to be the right idea.

I had an instructor for the first two runs, which helped me learn the course, though I think his shouting actually made me more nervous and less smooth. By my last two runs I decided to go to left foot braking, which really helped.f

The last run at 5:03 was my fastest, and put me ahead of several cars that were 24 years newer, including a BMW and a Mini. However, I know there is still a lot on the table - I feel like I'm missing the cones by a mile, and my entry into critical turns is not ideal. I felt like I was reacting too much and not setting the car up for the next turn, making me saw on the wheel a lot harder than was probably necessary. I also was braking way too late for the critical slow-downs.

The most important part was that we both learned a ton, and having a day of driving with dad was priceless. His runs were awesome! It took him till the last run to finally keep it in second the whole way - I told him that Miatas redlined at 7200 and he'd be fine, but he was scared he was going to break something.

Congrats! Did he ever give you an explanation of why you should lift? Just in case: the cars weight shifts onto the front wheels giving you more traction up there. Then your car does better when turning. Do as many autocrosses as you can and try to learn a couple of skills like this. Try to master this skill and don't worry about you times yet.

Looking ahead and have fun is where I got faster.
FYI GCAC is doing a AutoX in Ft. Myers on Sunday. Its always a good layout. 5-6 runs and its only down the street from you...

Thanks for the heads up Shane. Not sure if I have time to make it down there this weekend, as I need to start making more progress on both my thesis and the 914. But I'd love to do an autocross with you at some point in the future!

Thanks Andy,
I'm familiar with the principles behind weight transfer and the "physics" of going faster from my (admittedly limited compared to many of you guys) track time. But autocross is such a more visceral experience, really making it obvious what one is doing wrong. I began to really feel that in my last two runs. My main problem was that I felt like I spent more time learning the course and freaking out trying to read cones, so I had less time to really focus on what my mind knew what I was doing wrong. That and, I am still working my way into understanding how to drive a "momentum" car - I'm hoping a few more of these will really help me with the 914 at Sebring.

This is a hard one to explain, but autocrossing draws a lot of parallels with some of my other pastimes - primarily trapeze. In trapeze, at some point your mind knows what it needs to do to get better at a specific trick or discipline, but getting your body to actually complete the circuit is another story. They also both share the fact that you have a *very* limited amount of time to finish one movement, or component before moving onto something else. In fact, the only thing that really helps is repetition Hence, I'll be doing another AX here in the near future I'm sure!

Did you walk the course? If not that's part of the equation. I typically walk it twice.

Seat time is the magic pill.

And ride with as many instructors as you can. You'll learn lots from each.

And walk the course as many times as you can, essentially getting to the point, even walking, where you can play back where you'll be going. And after each run re-drive the course in your head, until you know exactly where you have to go and THEN you'll be able to start thinking about improving your lines.

And there is a ton to learn about driving slalom courses fast. Think about setting up a turn pattern as opposed to driving to the first cone and turning in.

In any event it sure looked like you were having fun! Congrats on finishing your first event.

I never let an Instructor ride with me - too much Dead Weight and by the time they say something it's too late

Yep, got to watch my dad in the morning session, then walked the track before I went out in the afternoon. It was still pretty foreign though the first time I went out. I probably would have had it down pretty good by the third, but damn instructor yelled at me so much the second time I really didn't focus on learning it as well as I should have.

I think I get better feedback after posting the video and letting you guys look at it anyway. It's a little different than having an instructor at the track - TC was awesome!

Hang around the start line and ask for rides. Most people (at least at the AX I go to) are happy to take passengers. Good way to learn the course and also get a feel of where people are braking/turning in, etc.

If an instructor is a must, have them DRIVE your car and watch closely. It's one thing to see what other people are doing in their own cars as they're all set up differently, but if someone gets in your car and cuts a couple of seconds off your time you can see exactly where you're losing time. Sometimes it's amazing to see what your car can do in the hands of a really experienced driver. Have fun!