Autocross in a Corvette
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 7,625
Likes: 4
From: Director of Bands
St. Jude Donor '08
Originally Posted by tempest
not always my friend... the auto-x's i run around here are sponsored by two clubs - the Michigan Sports Car Club, and the Corvette Club of Michigan. both clubs create very interesting courses every time i go out - some are small and twisty, and others are a lot faster. even the CCM does the twisty ones. usually the speed of the course is limited by how big the lot is.
trying to compare absolute track times with everyone is all fine and dandy, but autocrosses are structured so that you run against people in your own class.
trying to compare absolute track times with everyone is all fine and dandy, but autocrosses are structured so that you run against people in your own class.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,238
Likes: 0
From: walled lake MI
Originally Posted by eschoendorff
Hey neighbor! Do you ever go to the events in Hamtramck?
i actually made it to most of the CCM auto-x's last year. the last couple were a blast since they moved to a different part of the parking lot. fairly large courses (45-60 sec) that definitely favor our Corvettes.
it shouldn't be too far from you, right? guess i'll see you and Ruby this year!
PS: the Alfa Romeo Owner's Club has theirs at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor. smaller courses, much like MSCC's.
Last edited by tempest; Jan 16, 2005 at 01:13 AM.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 30,858
Likes: 293
From: Boston, Dallas, Detroit, SoCal, back to Boston MA
Originally Posted by tempest
yup. those are the ones i go to. the MSCC has theirs up in Great Lakes Crossing.
Here's a pic me running there
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,238
Likes: 0
From: walled lake MI
Brian, you da man!
glad to report that we've been on our best behavior and they haven't kicked us out yet!
although last year the course was usually on the west side of the lot, most of the events this year moved it to the east side to make for a bigger course. i think your pic shows it on the east side too.
glad to report that we've been on our best behavior and they haven't kicked us out yet!
although last year the course was usually on the west side of the lot, most of the events this year moved it to the east side to make for a bigger course. i think your pic shows it on the east side too.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 434
Likes: 0
From: Santa Barbara Minnesota
Originally Posted by BrianCunningham
I used to run with those guys, as a matter of fact I'm the one that made the phone calls and got them the lot!
Here's a pic me running there
Here's a pic me running there
Unfortunately my 355 blew/up .. But my mechanic has an 88 supercharged MR2, (59K.mi.), I might buy it to play with while the vette gets sorted out. Then we can race / your Mustang my Tyota .. heads up!
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 85
Likes: 0
From: Woodstock IL
Autocross in a Corvette
Bring that Civic boy up to Blackhawk Farms Raceway in Rockton for a Midwestern Council event. About 2 miles to stretch your Vette's legs there. See mcscc.org for details.
Chuck
Chuck
Last edited by VegaVette; Jan 16, 2005 at 07:45 AM. Reason: added photo
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 5,713
Likes: 105
From: Manassas VA
IMHO I would not race him to prove a point. There is a good chance you will loose and as you already said, it is a loose loose deal for you. It will only give him bragging rights at work.
I have a simular situation with a drag race and a friend who owns a 93 mustang. He actually is a nice guy, but likes to rib me about the race. Again, it is a loose loose situation. All anybody remembers is a mustang beat a vette, if it was the other way around, no one would notice. They would expect the vette to win. No big deal.
By the way, he runs a 6.95 at 102.7 mph in the 1/8
I have a simular situation with a drag race and a friend who owns a 93 mustang. He actually is a nice guy, but likes to rib me about the race. Again, it is a loose loose situation. All anybody remembers is a mustang beat a vette, if it was the other way around, no one would notice. They would expect the vette to win. No big deal.
By the way, he runs a 6.95 at 102.7 mph in the 1/8
Race Director
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 14,165
Likes: 9
It entirely depends on driver skill and how the course is set up. If you're good enough to force a power oversteer and correct for it quickly and the course NEEDS that, you can have some real fun because front wheel drives can't easily reproduce that situation. Usually though the course isn't quite that tight and it's all about hitting everything just right and a power slide will actually cost you time.
I actually saw a Jetta doing pretty good at an autoX. Horsepower is great but you've got to be able to apply it correctly.
In short though it's an absolute blast.
I actually saw a Jetta doing pretty good at an autoX. Horsepower is great but you've got to be able to apply it correctly.
In short though it's an absolute blast.
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Michael S. Palmer
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 11,672
Likes: 20
From: Lake Wylie SC
Go out to an auto-X event and try it out, but leave your buddy at home. See how the other Ricers are doing and how you compare. That should tell you if you want to chance a run against him. Our club [RCG] in the southeast forum, goes all the time and we do some serious trash talking, but all in good fun. It's very addicting. 
Racer
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 483
Likes: 0
From: Hurricane Alley FLorida
Autocross has two catagories, SOLO I and SOLO II. I believe the
SOLO II is the shorter course you descibe on flat surfaces around cones etc. It would depend on just how tight the course is, what helps you is the straight aways, if any, where you can have bursts of power he won't have. SOLO I is where you race on actual road courses, with longer straights and winding curves. The course would serve you better since you can open it up. Either course however you are not directly in direct competition like a drag race. You are racing against time, who will have the best time on the course wins.
SOLO II is the shorter course you descibe on flat surfaces around cones etc. It would depend on just how tight the course is, what helps you is the straight aways, if any, where you can have bursts of power he won't have. SOLO I is where you race on actual road courses, with longer straights and winding curves. The course would serve you better since you can open it up. Either course however you are not directly in direct competition like a drag race. You are racing against time, who will have the best time on the course wins.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 30,858
Likes: 293
From: Boston, Dallas, Detroit, SoCal, back to Boston MA
Originally Posted by #70SM2
Cool pic, boy is that a small area for a vette .. or any big car, but you can still use the Vette Torque .. the ace in the hole! If you get to Cal. Speedway next weekend for event, it's usually a vette course. This one is designed by a National Level Vette Lady. Her dad is like 5 or 7 time BSP nat. champ, I understand he's bringing out a new Vette next time.
Unfortunately my 355 blew/up .. But my mechanic has an 88 supercharged MR2, (59K.mi.), I might buy it to play with while the vette gets sorted out. Then we can race / your Mustang my Tyota .. heads up!
Unfortunately my 355 blew/up .. But my mechanic has an 88 supercharged MR2, (59K.mi.), I might buy it to play with while the vette gets sorted out. Then we can race / your Mustang my Tyota .. heads up!
Why don't you show up anyways, we can go head to head in the rent-a-stang.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,490
Likes: 2
From: Oviedo FL
With drivers being equal and both on race tires, the vette will win every time. In the DC area we went to many an SCCA event (some never getting out of 1st gear), and the Vettes from my club (all C4's and all modified) would take the top 3 or 4 spots every time. This would be out of 100 plus drivers. Occasionally a guy in a M3 would slip in there, but never a Civic (regardless of mods).
Mike
Mike
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 3,270
Likes: 26
From: Winchester VA
Cruise-In V Veteran
Originally Posted by luvmy92
With drivers being equal and both on race tires, the vette will win every time. In the DC area we went to many an SCCA event (some never getting out of 1st gear), and the Vettes from my club (all C4's and all modified) would take the top 3 or 4 spots every time. This would be out of 100 plus drivers. Occasionally a guy in a M3 would slip in there, but never a Civic (regardless of mods).
Mike
Mike
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 3,490
Likes: 2
From: Oviedo FL
Originally Posted by RainDelay
NOVA CC, I'm guessing. Some very serious racers there. I look forward to learning quite a bit from them over at Old Dominion this summer.
I really miss ODS, btw!
Mike
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 3,031
Likes: 74
From: If you don't weigh in you don't wrestle Road America
Have him come up to Milwaukee at Miller park and I'll show them what a Vette will do. Some of the Civics in the Moded classes absolutly fly though. There is one guy that flat out flys up here, autocrossing is mostly driver though. Make it a rac-olimpics and just for more fun take him to Road America then he will know how fast his Civic really is while you dissapear from him down one of the big long straits.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 7,625
Likes: 4
From: Director of Bands
St. Jude Donor '08
Tempest: I tried to PM you, but it didn't work. Everyone here probably knows that I am a true novice when it comes to autox (I only drove in one event before), but I sure enjoy the whole atmoshpere. Hopefully I'll see you at an event this summer!
The event that I participated in was at Gingerman raceway in South Haven, MI. That was FUN!!!! Some nice long straights (of course with cones for slaloms... gotta keep it low speed
) and a real nasty decreasing-radius turn (I almost had it figured out by the end).
There was another even that was held at Jackson (MI) speedway. Thius is actually a 1/2 mile go cart track. Now THAT was interesting watching the Corvettes duke it out there! I didn't run the Vette, but I did run a few go karts - truly addictive (but the wife says NO. Go kart or Vette, not both.
). They actually had some small sports racers there (kinda like the radicals) which were DEADLY on that tight track! They also made noises that I will never forget!
See you all this summer!!!!
The event that I participated in was at Gingerman raceway in South Haven, MI. That was FUN!!!! Some nice long straights (of course with cones for slaloms... gotta keep it low speed
) and a real nasty decreasing-radius turn (I almost had it figured out by the end). There was another even that was held at Jackson (MI) speedway. Thius is actually a 1/2 mile go cart track. Now THAT was interesting watching the Corvettes duke it out there! I didn't run the Vette, but I did run a few go karts - truly addictive (but the wife says NO. Go kart or Vette, not both.
). They actually had some small sports racers there (kinda like the radicals) which were DEADLY on that tight track! They also made noises that I will never forget!See you all this summer!!!!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 1,238
Likes: 0
From: walled lake MI
Ed, just sent ya an e-mail.
glad to see you're getting the auto-x bug. other than getting up at a "decent" hour in the morning on the weekends, hitting the events are a blast. most of the stuff i go to are in parking lots, with the exception of the July 4 CCM event at Waterford Hills race track. both types of venues are great.
if you love cars, man, the auto-x's are a great place to spend a Sunday. at both the MSCC and CCM events there's a great variety of the types of vehicles out there. we get to talk trash and drive the living crap out of our cars - what could be better? oh, BEER? well, that's the post race event. oh, WOMEN? ...... uhhh, sorry, can't help you there.
glad to see you're getting the auto-x bug. other than getting up at a "decent" hour in the morning on the weekends, hitting the events are a blast. most of the stuff i go to are in parking lots, with the exception of the July 4 CCM event at Waterford Hills race track. both types of venues are great.
if you love cars, man, the auto-x's are a great place to spend a Sunday. at both the MSCC and CCM events there's a great variety of the types of vehicles out there. we get to talk trash and drive the living crap out of our cars - what could be better? oh, BEER? well, that's the post race event. oh, WOMEN? ...... uhhh, sorry, can't help you there.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 182
Likes: 0
From: Newberry SC
Originally Posted by vader86
When I used to race at Clemson's autocrosses, we guys with the vettes usually ended up in the top 5-6 but rarely won, because the courses are extremely tight there.
Any of these small *** cars can run with us in the autox, but they cant compete consistently in upper limit low-speed or high speed events.
Any of these small *** cars can run with us in the autox, but they cant compete consistently in upper limit low-speed or high speed events.