ScaryFast

I have years of open track experience (and the occasional victory) but I've never been on an Autocross course. I may go this weekend with my street car since I foolishly loaned out my trailer to a friend and have no way to get the 'vette there.

Is there anything simple that you veterans can impart to a RR guy that may help me not look like a fool out there? I'll be running an E46 M3 on street tires, the car pushes like a pig so is it possible to late apex to open up the corners a little, or are the courses too tight for those types of strategies?

Please keep it simple, I'm not going to have enough passes to really hone my Auto-X skills...

TIA!

jwt1603

Not to be vague but it will depend on how the course is set up. Sometimes you can do a really late apex other times you can't, and sometimes you don't want / need to late apex. It all depends on what the layout is. You will need to get there early and walk the course a couple of times.

To me, the biggest difference (besides speed of course) is that things happen a lot quicker. By that I mean there isn't (typically) a lot of time between features. You come through a switchback gate then into a slalom then a pivot cone then a stop box. You may only be going 50 or so and you're only out there for about minute or a little more but a lot happens in that minute.

PatrickCarter

I think the most important thing for a novice autox'er would be walking the course and understanding what you are looking at. I think that most novices are confused but the track and it can sometimes be hard to follow. I would say swallow your pride and go do the novice walk through they usually have for anyone that hasnt autox'ed before.

I usually take the course map with me and picture my line in my head, then walk it once more without the map and envision my line again. I have been on some tracks that try and equalize the cars with some really sharp turns that driving a bigger car you cant get around real easily, but the smaller cars can, then the bigger cars just make up the time on the straights, where the smaller cars lack. Also unless the course is really long or there are some really sharp/slow corners you arent going to be doing much shifting, so just get it in whatever gear you think you need to be in and dont monkey around with shifting the car all the time.

There are some tracks out there that you run two laps on and are sparsly laid out with cones, so it can be quite confusing, so just make sure you knows going on in that respect, and have fun.

GL
Patrick

ScaryFast

And watch out for the light poles...

Solo2GS

Smooth = fast. Sometimes slower is faster as odd as it sounds. Many people try to power and over drive their car around the course. When I find that I slow down and go smooth its a faster time. Gentle on the brakes and throttle. Anything to keep the car from being unsettled prior to the corners.

Walk the course at least twice. Bring a note pad if that helps and draw out the course. Walk the course as if you are in the drivers seat and taking the lines. Find an experience auto-xer and walk the course with them. People are very helpful. Look at your course drawing before you go and always be one or two corners ahead. Drive the course in your mind over and over will help you visualize what you are doing where. In road racing you need to look ahead, just as you do in auto-x, but in auto-x you need to be two turns ahead in your mind while you are driving and it will just flow.

In a vette you will launch in 1st then go directly to 2nd and stay there 99% of the time.

Your road racing skills will come in handy. I found that after auto-x for years it helps with the high speed events as I know a lot about my car and how it handles under all kinds of situations.

Most of all enjoy the day!

Solofast

All of the above are good starting points.

If the car pushes a lot, aren't going to be able to carry as much speed as you might with a more balanced car. You can mitigate that with trailing throttle thru the apex to help shift weight forward and get some front end bite, and as you mentioned later apex.

LOOK AHEAD and know where you are going long before you get there.

Run tight lines, it is amazing how much that extra distance hurts your time, think less about "carrying speed" and get the corner done and get the H out of there.

69autoXr

Where are you planning on running this weekend?

gkmccready

I've been watching this thread with curiosity. As a RR guy you should have all the basic skills... the biggest difference I find on an AX course is that you have to attack everything hard. You're either on the gas, or you're on the brake. You can beat on the brakes as hard as you want; they'll probably barely get warm so you don't have to worry about that at all. There's no break time as you hit the straight away if there's even a straight away to hit. Pick up the key cones, ignore the rest, hit your marks.

asp04

My motto has always been, "knowing is going." To me that means learning the course before the race. Rarely will you post competitive times if you are trying to read the course with the hammer down. Regional courses are usually tighter and require more memory than the big races on big lots. I walk the little courses more than a couple of times, mostly by myself so talking and goofing around doesn't distract the mission.

Racin Jason

Just focus on learning the course, and being smooth.


Oh, and check out these "top 10 autox tips," by Andy Hollis- http://www.dmvrscca.org/topten.htm, I find these very helpful.

ScaryFast

Thanks for all the tips. Thinking two corners ahead...not sure I'm smart enough for that.

Does trail braking help on a tight course, or is there typically not enough speed for that?

What tire pressures (street tires) should I run?

69Auto - I think it's somewhere in Pontiac, I don't know where. A buddy just told me about it and I think I'm free so I said "what the hell."

69autoXr

Sounds like you're coming to the Detroit Region SCCA event at DTE. I will be there so be sure to drop by.

gkmccready

Helped when I ran a Civic. :-)

In a totally useless answer: Depends on the tires, car, alignment and your driving style. :-) You could try the good old shoe polish on the sidewall game...

0ATI Performance

As a complete guess, start out about 10psi over street (low 40's). Mark sides with chalk and see how far they roll over. Check after each run. Stock M3's have poor front camber and push really bad. You might try higher rear pressures to help loosen it up.

Don't try to kill it. DTE will probably be a slow tight "speed maintenance" course (for a Vette guy), so just run a smooth patient minimum distance line. Driver inputs will need to be much sooner than you think. Everything will come up fast. You really do need to think two turns ahead. Busy busy busy.

Have fun!

Bob

Solofast

The short answer is yes, usually.. depends somewhat on the car and weather or not it will rotate well under trail braking, some do some don't, but I have found it to be helpful to stuff it deep into the slower corners that way...

Miguels

Tire pressures for street tires...running as it is...