808EB03Z06

After three years of having the z, I am finally getting the nerve to jump into autocross next weekend. While I am really excited, I am nervous too. Can't wait to get on track and get rid of the butterflies already.

vette6500

you'll be hooked!

808EB03Z06

I'm sure I will be.

UrbanKnight

Went down this road myself in August....

Now, two sets of track rubber, sways, shocks, and 20-some autocrosses later... LOL

Plus two car trailers and two trucks...

MX621

For your first auto x don't pay attention to your times. Learn and study the course, and try to become familiar with how the car reacts/responds to your inputs. U will most likely ride with an instructor, listen and be open to constructive criticism. Ull really enjoy it! I really enjoy auto-xing but my short attention spans sometimes gets the best of me. 8-10 hrs for roughly 4 min of time on the course is tough. If the new scca CAM class takes off I may do some events.

808EB03Z06

I don't expect good times, but it'll be fun regardless. It is kind of bitter sweet because I am about to sell the car, so I figured I might as well have some fun now while I still have it.

jwd

First...

Have fun!

Also:

1. Show up early.
2. Offer to help set-up (I've found you can pick up quite allot of knowledge working and helping set things up)
3. Bring lots of water (I usually load 12 12oz cans and a few 16oz bottles in a cooler) and sunscreen...
4. Walk the course as much as possible before the event... (don't get so caught up helping that you neglect this!)
5. Watch your tires... Maybe start at 36 psi all around... use some chalk just at the tread line / start of the sidewall, and watch the marks as you lower your pressure over the course of the event.. I've found my tires on a 2008 Z51 coupe really like 35psi all around... My father's 2013 GS seemed to like 35 front, 34 rear... *YMMV*.
6. Be polite, remember your P's and Q's.... and "Thank you"s... If the region/group has rules re: swearing, smoking, etc, even if others don't seem to pay attention to them, be on your best behavior...
7. Bring a decent tire gauge...
8. bring some sort of gloves... work gloves, foul weather sailing gloves, something.. Great for when you're helping set-up stacks of cones, or carrying stacks of cones after an event to help clean up...
9. When driving - a: Focus on looking forward and keeping your eyes up.. b: focus on smooth inputs..



Again... HAVE FUN! :-)


Other things you may want to consider....

1. an extra coat of wax to make cleaning off cone marks and brake/tire dust off your car easier...
2. Bring extra tape or maybe try some 3M Paint defender on your front bumper and the rear of your front wheel wells?
3. static cling numbers? I got a set of static cling car numbers, after I confirmed what number I would have at the event, from a local sign shop... Cost, aprox $40.
4. bring a air compressor... I use a Vair 12v ... Nothing's worse that taking a lunch break and finding your pressures are 2-4 psi too low after lunch/before the afternoon runs..
5. Buy an affordable rubbermaid-type container to carry your gear (helmet, shoes, go pro, spare batteries, etc.) in... Will be easier to carry and keep track of than individual items and will keep everything dry if it rains..

KRPTONT

Exactly what JWD said. Last year was my first full year of Auto X. Ranked 20 out of 200+ in the MWR. I love it. The people are great. Very helpful and just plain great. Ask questions. An the biggest thing is YOU are in control of your car. Dont look at times. Just have fun. You will have such an adrenalin rush you will be on cloud 9 all weekend. Best of luck. Shannon

808EB03Z06

Thanks for all the advice and support guys. It is bittersweet because the vette will be going away soon and this is the only time I will get to have fun and drive her to her true potential. Will report back on how it goes this weekend.

808EB03Z06

Well, today was the day, and damn was that fun. I improved my times each run and went under 45 seconds for my fastest time. The feeling of knowing just what the limits of the car are is awesome and I can't wait to do it again. I am really debating selling the car now too lol. Only bad part is today was the last race of our season and we don't race again until July.

jwd

Congrats! Glad you had a good time, and a positive introduction to AutoX!

Was there anyone there that took some photos that caught you running?

808EB03Z06

I am waiting to see those, but I do have a video of the run. It isn't the best, but you can get an idea of how my driving was. My run is at 3:56.


You can see I tok the slalom much slower than I should have, but I will learn these things as I go. All in all it was awesome, and now I want to mod the car some more to support this habit lol.