pitchadude

I am thinking about trying this SOLO racing thing in East Tennessee in a couple of weeks. Do we have any members here that can give any tips or advice? I went to the SOLO in the park event at Chilhowee Park in Knoxville, TN last Sunday and liked what I saw. It looks fun and any help would be greatly appreciated. Strangely there was only one Corvette there and it was a C-6 built for racing and a beautiful car at that. Thanks in advance for any help at all. My Vette is a 1995 C4.

thehammer69

Biggest suggestion....don't do any modifications to your car and just concentrate on "seat time" with regular street tires.

PushinTheLimit

Are you talking about the event they are having on August 21st at Pellissippi St. CC? If so, I will be at that one... but not in my vette. I'll be co-driving with someone or if you want some help, I can co-drive with you. Alot of the guys there are very willing to help newbies out and learn the ropes.

pitchadude

Yes its at Pellissippi. I may have some questions...what vehicle will you be at?

AverageVetteNut

The ETRSCCA is a good region. I'm a SCCA member( not that region ) and the best advice I can say for a new person is just focus on seat time and not worry about everyone's times there.

Ask questions: everyone in Solo for the most part are a great bunch and if they can't help you, they will direct you to someone who can. Just tell them @ registration that it's your 1st time and you will need help.
They will probably get a seasoned driver to ride along to make sure you have fun and don't get lost on course. IF you do get lost, don't panic...it happens to everyone.

You'll be outside all day, so have a hat, sunscreen and plenty of drinks to hydrate.

There SHOULD be a novice walk for new drivers. A regular there will round up all the new drivers and walk the course with everyone to give you tips and pointers and answer questions.

Don't be afraid to ask for help.

We, as drivers that have been doing it for a while, want you to go and have fun and come back. So, don't be shy.

As far as car setup... when registering, be sure to tell them what you have done to the car so they put you in the right class. ETR has a novice class as well so you'll be competing with people of similar experience.

have a tire pressure guage handy and see what your tires are doing. If they seem to be scrubbing on the sides, you can add pressure ( bring a small plug in compressor if you have one ) and if you feel like you're sliding alot you can take some out.

Sorry I won't be down that way for the event. I'll be running in my local region this weekend and won't be in Knoxville until the 25th
Hope this helps some and have a great time!
good luck!

BrianCunningham

agreed, just run the car 'as-is'

the hardest part for a new guy is finding the course.

get there early, and make sure you walk it several times before

they should offer a 'novice walk', make good use of it.

keep in mind the course looks a lot different when your low in the seat of your car, as opposed to walking height

rfn026

Work on driving and learning the course. Don't start making changes to your car. First, it's generally a waste of money in your first year of Solo events. Secondly, even the simplest mods can put you into a class where they'll eat you alive.

During the first year spend all your money on entry fees and travel. Don't even think about spending money on the car.

Richard Newton
Vintage Motorsports Magazine

Daniel_Mc

RxCritical

You must not have stayed the entire time as I was there in the second group with my blue C-6.

l98tpi

As others have stated, "seat time" is the best mod you can do to your car. Since you have a couple of weeks, read as much as you can about the sport and you can pick up a lot of helpful tips as well as have an idea about the schedule and functions of an autox event. Some quick tips I would sugggest are; walk and learn the course before you run, do not focus on the cones, focus on the course they create, keep your eyes ahead of you like you should when driving on the street: about 6-8 seconds, and lastly learn to read the tires. Have fun and Good Luck.

AverageVetteNut

In the fall I need to come down and drive with you. My car won't be on the street anytime before November it seems. It's relegated to cone killing for the time being.

c4cruiser

Here's a link that provides some really good information for novice/first time autocross competitors.

Don't be afraid to ask experienced entrants about autocross. Many will help you with suggestions as you walk the course if you just ask.

And SEAT TIME is the key to getting an understanding of what the sport is all about. The more events you enter and get seat time, the faster you will go. I would suggest that you run at least one full season or maybe two before you start to modify your car. Stay in a Novice class as long as you can then move to a stock class for a year.

As pointed out, once you start modding the car under SCCA rules, you will find yourself in with some pretty serious racers.

pitchadude

I saw one Vette when I walked by the pit area. It was white and blue...looked like this !

RxCritical

Come on down anytime Brian!

RxCritical

Odd, I ran the same group as them. They are members of the East Tenn Corvette Club.

AverageVetteNut

I have my car loaded on the trailer now and will be running @ our region's big charity event. 2 day weekend event.

Nice to have a big class in SS now. 5-6 drivers

Thanks, Paul. I do plan on coming down sometime in the fall. Hopefully it will be a weekend you guys run.

Night!

gsxnut

First I want to say Solo AKA Autocross is a lot of fun. It is a real test of driving skill and you are against the clock so as you learn you can concentrate on your ability and your times. I agree that you may not be competitive the first year. What you do learn a lot about is your car and how it truly responds. Over time if you are really interested you will start to see how the line you take through the course is important and smooth wheel control and throttle control is also important. I have driven a 1970 Buick with modded suspension, C6 Z06 and C5 FRC. They are all a lot of fun and each one is totally different. I have never had a small light low power car so I don't know what that is like but it is always wild to me they run fast times due to momentum.

I suggest going and trying it. I have found it to be tremendously enjoyable and challenging. I also have found the people involved are typically very helpful and enjoy sharing the experience.

Mark

pitchadude

Thanks for so many comments. I am pretty sure I will give it a try.