rtpassini

Im a bit nervous. Just going out to have fun.

All the videos I watch, I get totally lost. Im hoping that when I'm there in person, Its less confusing. I had the same issue during my motorcycle safety class, But they had the "course" set off with small cones and there were tons of other lines all over the place.

I just dont want to make a fool of myself.

Any tips on an automatic? Just leave it in 2nd?

punz

The first run don't worry about speed just learn the course, speed will come. Walking the course before the sessions may help also. 1st or 2nd depending on size of course. At Tire Rack I was mainly in 1st on most courses, man. trans. Have fun!

MartyZ51

I would suspect they have the course well marked for passing zones. When I was out there several years ago all the corners looked the same. I admit that for the first few track days I taped the track map to the dash so I could at least see where I was.

this is a very fun track and you will enjoy it even at low speeds.

mikahb

As for your car being an automatic, I wouldn't even worry about it to start with. The little bit of time that the transmission in "Drive" is going to cost you will pale in comparison to all the other things you need to learn. 2nd would be okay, but even just plain ol' Drive is good.

Number one thing: do NOT worry about your times or going fast. If this is your first autoX ever, just learn the ropes and learn how to learn a course. The course is definitely easier to see in person, but it still takes some getting used to.

Some other tips:
- Make sure your brake pads are in good shape and all 4 tires have the right air pressure
- Make sure you've got the motor topped off with oil
- Take everything out of your car that is removable - nothing in the trunk, glovebox, console, etc. All that stuff flops around during a run and can be distracting
- Bring plenty to drinnk, plenty of sunscreen, snacks, etc. (take it out of your car before you start your runs, though!)
- Get there early, and walk the course - over and over as many times as you can. Try to pick out 2 or 3 important spots to remember first - places where when the line you initially walked is going to make you tight or pinched downstream.
- At the end of each run, when your adrenaline slows down (will take a few minutes!), think through the last run and where you would like to improve. Try to limit it to one or two improvements per run (more than that and you'll overwhelm yourself and forget in the heat of the moment)
- Ride along with anybody who will let you - watch what they do and learn (good or bad). I also encourage you to let experienced drivers ride with you, but some are better at giving advice than others

If you stay relaxed and don't take it too seriously, you will have a blast. Don't push yourself to go fast, just push yourself to learn and the speed will come. Enjoy it, you will be hooked!!

MB

93Rubie

Read this is really helped me to learn before I tired it: http://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/handbook.htm

Warning: Auto-x becomes addictive...It is a LOT of fun. You'll learn a ton about your car and your capabilities.

I would run 2nd if the course is a bit more open, you don't want the car shifting around. Just take off in 2nd and leave it there.

Be Smooth to be fast, no hamfisted inputs.

Walk the course as many times as you can before it starts up. You should be able to visualize the entire course if you do it right and be able to draw it on a piece of paper. This helps tremendously at least for me. I'm still a newbie too(only 4 auto-x's so far) you'll have fun.

Don't try to beat anyone but yourself.