Anybody do it? I've always wanted to do it but never had a car to do it with. Now I do. Just wondering if I should and how bad are the cones for the car if I run them over.

 

It is a riot!!!

Just be ready to put some pads and rotors on after your done.

The cones usually get stuck under your car for a second because it is so low. They dont usually damage anything except your pride.

 

our club (eastern carolina corvette club) hosts and annual auto cross...held last weekend at southern national speedway in kenly, nc...had cars from pa, va, nc, sc, ga, fl, and a couple of other states...first time i'd seen one held on an oval track...very interesting...most cars were off road set up for this type of competition-engine, gears, suspension, brakes, exhaust (headers w/collectors-no mufflers)...a few were driven cars-even had a c6 with only a few hundred miles on it...lotsa fun...check with your area clubs for info....

 

a lot of fun. cones don't hurt the paint. I had a few black marks from them on my car, but they rub out easily by just rubbing them with your fingers.

If you're really concerned, you can use blue masking tape to tape up the edges of the front bumper and area near the rear wheels.

 

Go to general corvette then to autocrossing, great info

 

Do it and the cone debris comes off easily.

 

If you own a Corvette, you've got to do it at least once. It's the safest form of racing available and the most fun you can legally have in a parking lot!!

 

Personal opinion:
Normal autocrossing (they call it low speed, that means something like below 60 mph) is about 2/3 the fun of open track driving but about 1/10 the cost. Because the runs are usually less than a minute each, heat buildup and wear are minimal. There are divisions for stock cars so you don't need mods to compete.

Use some common sense and it's probably safer than highway driving. Get stupid and you can crash anywhwere.

I'll have to disagree with Viper Punisher, brake wear has not been not a big issue for me, again because of the short runs.

Corvette club autocrossing is (for me) more fun that SCCA, because the SCCA courses are more balanced toward smaller cars. The 'vette is a little large to be the perfect AX car but loads of fun to run against each other.

Stay away from AX on "real" race tracks that have A WALL. The orgainizers will talk about the cones keeping you away from the wall, etc. But the only 3 'vetes I have known to be totaled in AX have all met THE WALL. Most courses are set up in big parking lots, much safer.

Have a blast!

 

The cones won't hurt the body, just put an fresh coat of wax on and the scuffs will rub right off. The problem with the cones comes when it gets up where the radiator sits. I had a trans cooler mounted in front of the AC condensor and the cone trashed my trans cooler. I'm glad it was there because it was only $35 to replace whereas the AC component...

But by far the biggest concern while auto-X is the road debris. Those little pebbles that are all over the parking lot. Do yourself a favor and buy some 2" blue painters tape and mask off all 4 wheel wells really well. This will save your paint job for those Sunday drives. Otherwise it is a real adrenalin rush.
As for brakes, get some good pads for autoX because even though you only run for 60 secs, some of the turns require heavy braking and I found real bad brake fade coming into the hairpin turn with stock pads. Also, contact DRM Doug Rippie has a brake bias spring for $12 that will balance out the brakes giving you more rear braking power and better control. It'll take approx. 30 minutes to put the new spring in.

Before you run your car, take a drive with another racer who knows what he's doing. It'll give you an eye opening experience of just what the C5 is capable of.