anyone ever do any auto Xing?

Since it is your first time I won't get into car prep except that you should pump your tires up a few pounds above their normal settings to keep the tread flat on the ground when the side wall tries to lift them from the cornering forces.

The main thing, again I won't go into too much depth here either, is to walk the course a lot until you are absolutly positive where to go, I like to walk it until I can go sit in my car, close my eyes and visualize going through the whole course.

If you can, get a few rides with others who are more experienced to see what they do and also to help you to know where the layout of the course. On that note, find out who are the better drivers, go talk to them as most are very willing to help the new guy and watch them out on the course to see how they are doing things if you can't talk them into a ride along.

There should be someone who walks the course with the Novice group who will get a lot of your concerns answered and who can answer any other questions you may have Don't be afarid to ask questions either to him or any of the other competitors, most all are eager to help you get going.

Once you get your first event under your belt you will be more prepared for the next one and then can start getting into working on your driving technique/skills, changing around tire pressures to effect over/under steer, what mods you are going to do to get your car more competitve, etc.

In the future, if you can't do so before the event, install a panhard bar to prevent tire rub as the axle will shift lateraly when hard cornering forces are applied without one and will cause tire rub if you have close clearances.

Most of all, have FUN!!

Solo Racing is half mental, half driving.

If they allow it, walk the course beforehand as many times as you can. You want to have it in your head as much as possible. Identify the best route through the gates and the correct apex points in the turns. Also, when walking, squat down to get the view from cockpit level from time to time.

For the actual driving, smoothness wins the race. Smooth steering inputs, smooth gas and brake application are key. Look ahead, always at the next gate/turn, seeing the correct route (as you determined above) through.

Most of all though, don't sweat it if you make mistakes, plow through a wall of cones, totally lose your way on the course, etc. It's all part of the learning process, and nobody makes a big deal out of it. You'll see people in much better cars doing worse, I'm sure. At the beginning, just concentrate on not getting a DNF (did not finish) because of missing a gate or re-entering the course after a mistake at the wrong point...don't worry about your time.

Good luck, and you'll likely be hooked. And dare I say on this board that you'll meet a lot of cool, friendly people. Autocrossing is still very much a "gentleman racer" autosport...there's not a lot of ego, and people are more interested in racing than they are in proving they/their car is better than you/yours...

My friends dad owns some company and since he owns all the property we get to autocross or make movies on the HUGE lot of paved land....its great

Why would you have to roll your fenders, when you can go 315's without it.

Walk the course...a few times? Are you serious? Jeeze this is freegin texas man, you cant do that crap. LOL

Walking around in 101* weather for an hour or 2 isnt exactly fun . I say take it easy on your first runs and learn the track like that...its not like you have to push all out on the first run.

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/102583bb-d50f-4644-a425-980e0006699f.htm

That was my first time out, 2nd run. It was a small course as you can tell, lol. My best run was 43 seconds, the fastest Cobra out there ran 41's...

I got to walk that course cause it was small, but I had to wait a lonnng time before I could go out, and I messed up in the last turn on my first run... I got a DNF...

But the rest I ripped the course a new one...

Its definatly fun as hell. I enjoyed it just as much as drag racing. Its definatly more challenging.

hotmustang331 said:

Walk the course...a few times? Are you serious? Jeeze this is freegin texas man, you cant do that crap. LOL

Click to expand...

Where I live, we get the same temperatures in the summer, plus humidity. And people walk the course. Not everyone does, but there's usually a decent-sized herd.

But sure, you're totally right. Nothing wrong with taking things slowly the first time(s) out to learn it in lieu of a walk, depending on how many runs one gets in total of course.