Well, we made it through the course without destroying the car
It was very interesting to say the least. There were Miatas, Mustangs
(including a Cobra R), MINIS, a VW GTI, a couple of S2000s, a
bitchin', highly tuned Corvette and, of all things, a Subaru Legacy wagon.

The morning was spent going over safety issues (of which there are a
LOT), rules of autocrossing, i.e. what constitutes certain car
classes,walking the course, learning how to work a course, i.e. when
you're not driving,
you're manning the start box, replacing cones that get knocked over,
keeping track of times...stuff like that. Necessary I suppose, but I
found it a bit of a snooze, PLUS it was c-c-cold and windy.

We had lunch and then started our engines!! We were divided into two
groups, so the the course could be properly "manned" (and
"womanned<G&gt while other folks were driving. Your time was based
upon 2 laps around the course which was laid out with orange safety
cones in various configurations...slalom, skid pad, etc. The 1st 2
laps, we went slowly with instructors riding shotgun to get a feel of
the course( finding the "line&quot and getting tips on what to do when
and why. Then we got to try it ourselves...woohoo! Then the
instructors drove your car and you ride shotgun, so you can watch them
drive and learn from your mistakes (I found out what "understeer"
REALLY means <G&gt.

Man, that is some HARD work. You gotta be steering(very tight turns),
accelerating, braking, getting the car set up for the next gate....all
in like 2 milleseconds! Yowza. We got 6 or 8 runs in, if I remember
correctly, then we switched...those who had been working the track got
to drive and vice versa. At the end of my second solo run, I had such
an adrenaline crash, I was shaking like a leaf. You do have time to
recover...slightly....before it's your turn again. I never beat any
land speed records(not even the Subaru "grocery getter&quot BUT I didn't
knock down any cones either, which is a 2 second penalty for each cone.
However, when the second round of "seat time" came, my bad knee and
hip were acting up and quite sore. I had been trying to brace myself
to stay in the seat (it feels like you're in the spin cycle) with my
left leg which is the bum leg. I didn't do round 2, but still learned
alot just by watching the others. I'd say average times for the
novices was about 37 seconds and up. At the end of the day, Brian
got into the car he'll be racing this year, which is LOADED with mod
stuff.....and shot around the course in 33.7!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Was
a sight to behold.

All in all, a very enjoyable experience. I haven't been bitten hard
enough by the auto-x bug, so I need to take a Level 2 class<G>. Paul,
however, is ready to go out and buy wheels, tires and a cat-back
..tomorrow <G> You certainly find out the limits of the car and
yourself...it can be very humbling, actually. And
exhausting....Paul's already aleep and I'm not that far behind and
it's only 9PM! We did get up at 6AM, which doesn't help.

So...there you have it....fun, fast and informative...just like auto-x
school <G>.

Night night all,
Katie :smile:

 

It's good to know that there's a whole "beginners course" kinda thing. I'm really interested in Auto X but was very intimated by it until I read this!
Sounds like you had a hell of a time :smile:

 

Stick with it Katie...loads of fun.

 

Katie...
Can't do this in a Mini but can't beat the price....
AutoX school....
You could win a car as well!!

 

>>Katie...
>>Can't do this in a Mini but can't beat the price....
>>AutoX school....
>>You could win a car as well!! :smile:
Katie

 

Look again.
Washington, DC, FedEx Field July 26 - 27
You missed that one. If you get beyond the
first day Mazda pays, I believe.
Kumhos....good.... 16" light wheels good.

 

>>Look again.
>>Washington, DC, FedEx Field July 26 - 27
>>You missed that one. If you get beyond the
>>first day Mazda pays, I believe.
>>Kumhos....good.... 16" light wheels good.
Ok, thanks. Can you recommend a light wheel that isn't an arm and a leg? RSpeed has some cool looking ones that are 13.25 lbs....any other suggestions?

 

Thread moved to Racing and Competition.

Randy, Ficcion, and I will be autocrossing this weekend. :smile:

 

>>Ok, thanks. Can you recommend a light wheel that isn't an arm and a leg? RSpeed has some cool looking ones that are 13.25 lbs....any other suggestions?
>>

Check AK Tires They have a 16x6.5" wheel that is 14 lbs and is designed to meet the specs required for SCCA Stock class. Not the lightest thing out there, but still lighter than most and won't break the bank.