BWF07

I went to my first auto cross this past weekend with a group from the club I am in. I have been into the car show group for a long time, but because there was a special event just for our group I decided to try it out. Well I am hooked.

I was able to improve on each run so I am going in the right direction. I started out with a 54.212 and my last run was a 48.013. Not the fastest of the group, but with in a second or less of those that were novice as I. One member has a '77 that is set up for this and HPD at Sebring and his best was a 38.967.

My real question is now that I am planning to get into this and maybe try the HPDE at Sebring later in the year I need a helmet. What would be best and open face or full face. I saw both types this past weekend. At this point I do not want to spend a fortune on one so I have looked at a few on the Safe Racer site.

Here is a video of one of my runs taken with my Samsung Galaxy S5 mounted in my Garmin holder.

Xian

Looks like a cool site. Where is that and what club? May be worth driving down at some point...

As to helmet, I'm a fan of full-face for anything on track. At track speeds, the last thing you want is stuff blowing in and getting in your eyes. Additionally, a full-face helmet will protect your eyes/face much better in the event of a smashed windshield/crash/fire.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your first time out!

Christian

dhowdy

Do you actually leave the visor on?

I just close my eyes when I spin so the dust cloud that follows doesn't get me

BWF07

It is at Brooksville Regional Airport. They set this up for a Novice such as I and a few others that attended, plus the group that runs these evens, Florida Corvette Racing was not told by the airport that the sheriff was also planning a training event so they had part of the area that would have bee for the AX.
The club is the Bay Area Corvette Club and we are in Clearwater. Been around since 1970.

Xian

For autocross I leave the visor up but always wear sunglasses with pretty good coverage. For anything on track (instructing, club racing, LeMons/Chump, etc) the visor goes down. If it's super hot and/or no coolsuit option in the car, I'll crack the very bottom of the visor to get some airflow but otherwise it stays shut.

Stuff can happen at DE's... it's typically a pretty low risk place but that doesn't mean "no" risk. Also remember that your eyes are easily injured and very difficult to fix.

Ahhhhh... I haven't been to the site but I think SCCA and maybe FAST runs there periodically. It's been on my list of places to hit up but it's ~3 hours from here. Any idea how many runs Bay Area typically does? I know North FL Corvette Assoc up here does 12+ runs per day which would make the trip a bit more palatable.

BWF07

We all got between 6-8 depending. I think we also got a late start because of so many (myself included) that had never done AX before, so they took more time at the drivers meeting and walking the course. Plus the first car out spun off the track and buried itself in soft dirt so it took sometime to pull him out. Also there were some that ran well over a minute each run. Next time is just their normal test and tune so I think it will go faster. I was told by the club member that organized the event, that 10-12 is about normal. You can also run after the event, but there are no corner workers so if you knock down a cone, you have to stop and put it back up.

z28lt1

Congratulations on your new hobby.

For helmets, I much prefer full face (due to protection as mentioned), our track is famous for deer run-ins, so a cracked windshield with glass flying is a possibility.

In terms of picking one, I'll say this: For autocross it doesn't matter much as you won't wear it long, but for HPDE's when you'll wear it for multiple 20+ minute sessions, comfort and proper fit is important. If you think you'll be doing HPDEs, spend some time looking. Everyone's head is different so find one that 1) fits properly, 2) is comfortable. If you'll spend lots of time in the heat add 3) has decent ventilation.

Other things I look for (not everyone does, this is the unique list to me)
4) has good vision area (some of the full faces block some side vision, but I'm one of the few bothered by this. I think because it was really important to me to have good peripheral vision on the motorcycle and that has carried over.)
5)Has ability to quickly change face shields (and availability). I prefer not to drive with sunglasses, so I used a tinted shield in the day, but switch to clear if it is very overcast or getting darker.

BWF07

Thanks for the info. The next test & tune is March 7 the same day as an annual open car show I always attend. Not this year even though I per-registered over a month ago, I plan on being at the AX.

FKING1

Be sure to get a Snell approved model.
2010 is the last update on Snells.
I use a Zamp full face. Zamp is about the cheapest Snell I could find.

Xian

That's a good point on the Snell rating. Some clubs/orgs may require Snell vs. just DOT. On top of that you may want an "SA" rated Snell vs. the "M" rated one. Double check with the clubs you may run with and see what their requirements are.

PS
The Snell 2015 rating should be out later this year (Oct maybe?). Helmets expire periodically but that comes down to the club level... SCCA allows the most recent 3 Snell ratings for autoX and most recent 2 for Club Racing.

BWF07

That is the exact one I was looking at on the Saferacer .com site. I am still trying to figure the size. Medium or large. does it come with the clear shield or are those separate?

08velocity

since your close to Sebring, go to the track store, they can help with sizing and answer any questions you might have. not sure if your going to the 12 hours, but they have race day sales and you might get a good deal. I've done the auto x at Brooksville a few times ! nice fast coarse, and you do get a lot of runs there.

miracle_whip4130

Get a SNELL approved close-faced helmet and do NOT buy one without trying it on. Trust me on this. I was set to buy a Bell helmet because the HPDE group I was doing my first event with could get me them at wholesale pricing. I was just going to order a large because that's what my Fulmer motorcycle helmet is, but when I tried on some Bells, none of them fit me right at all. The closest fit was a small, and it still wasn't right. I put on a large HJC and it fit like a glove and I bought it.

I would highly recommend Wine Country Motorsports, down in Jupiter, if you have the time to drive down there. They have a good selection of helmets in stock and spend a lot of time with you to help you get one that fits well. Check out my thread here:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...l-florida.html

fmcokc

What he just said. People have different shaped heads and manufacturers make different shaped helmets. Bell's tend to be on more of the "round" side while Simpson are more oblong shaped.

You have to try them all on and see what fits because that's the most important thing.

BWF07

Thanks everyone for the advice. As I mentioned this was my first time doing AX and I fell in love with it right a way. I have always been a waxer and doing all the shows, but it has gotten old and I really don't care about the trophies any longer. At my age I will never set the world on fire, but as long as I enjoy it I guess that is the important thing. There are a few shops in my are that I can go to and try on different helmets, so I will do that prior to my purchase.

I am planning to go to Sebring, but just race day.

dcamick

Nice Job! You didn't overdrive the coarse which, I feel really can slow you down!

G Force makes a reliable helmet that will not cost you an arm and a leg!!

Call Scott Heintz at Heintz Performance in Charlotte, NC tell him Doug the tether guy referred you.... Can't hurt for getting a price.

BWF07

Thanks