Just got home from round 3 of the San Francisco Region SCCA Championships. The course was dry in the morning, but the storm finally arrived around 1pm or so, and I was in the last run group of the day... my first autocross was wet and rainy.

All I have to say is.. WOW. What a total adrenalin rush. Being able to feel the ABS working under hard braking and finding the limits of traction on a wet surface was quite the experience. Being able to do it under controlled circumstances was a definite plus as well. I managed to not hit any cones and improved my time 2.5 seconds from the first run to the 3rd run. (44.159 to 41.740).

When that last run was done.. I was so sad.. I wanted more, but I had been there since 7am (helped with course setup) and was pretty wore out, so I didn't stick around for the fun runs that were offered. Now I'm already counting the days until round 4 rolls around in 2 weeks

 

You're hooked, cool. I still remember my first. On thing, though. I remember how proud of myself I was for not hitting cones. Then I noticed that the top drivers were getting 2, maybe 3 clean runs out of 6. I now know that if I'm never hitting cones I'm not driving on the ragged edge.

 

Congrats on your first auto-x! One time I did one in Flagstaff, it rained later... an EVO did really well. Where did you place overall?

 

It's great you got out to try autocross. Good job. Helping to set up the course is a good exercise. Ask if the Chief of course setup can give you any rules or handouts of course design- this helps you understand why the course is setup the way it is.

On hitting cones- Different people have different approaches to hitting cones. I tend to be a conservative driver with a strong tendency for precision no matter how fast I go. I tend to error on hitting no cones and once in awhile I overcook a corner and will brake hard to miss a cone- ruins my time. I'd recommend scarring cones on a regular basis and get nice and close like 2 inches away but don't run them over just to be "sloppy".

The best drivers are smooth, precise, on the edge and very fast. While they do hit cones they mostly drive as cleanly as anyone else.

On being aggressive, you have to see how many runs you have for a given autocross. We have four runs and in our championship event we have only three runs. This doesn't leave as much run for error as when you have six runs.

If you want to have some idea how good your car is get one of the best drivers to drive you car at the end of the day on a fun run and sit in the passenger seat. You'll see that your MINI isn't the limiting factor, your driving skill is the biggest determinant of your run time. Second is your tires.

Remember that the more things you change and upgrade the more you'll need to adjust for when driving. The more you keep things the same the more you can get used to them and drive better- again, skill counts the most not equiptment.

A couple of suggestions on staying the whole day- bring lots of water or drinks, bring food (but don't eat too much before you drive), stay cool if it is sunny, use sunscreen. I also use power gel for a little pick up right before I drive. Have fun.

 

I have signed up to run my first one this coming weekend. They have a tuning day on Saturday so I get a chance to go run the track a few times before the event. I'm going to do it with my 14 year old son in the car so we're just wanting to go faster every run, not expecting to win anything.

 

Have fun! I know I still am.. the bug definitely hit me hard. I'm off chasing cones just about every weekend now. Thankfully I have a tiny bit of down time coming up (3 weeks between events). Sleeping in on the weekend has definitely become the exception and not the rule.

So many things that I've only read about I now understand more.. understeer, oversteer etc. they are easier to understand, once you experience them first hand.

 

Carl,
You should come out and play this weekend at Atwater. AAS is holding 2 one day events.
http://www.americanauto-x.com/schedule/
Who needs sleep when you can drive fast ??

 

James,
I might come out on Saturday, but I can't manage a full weekend of fun, the wife would probably kill me. Especially considering I just ordered my JCW kit (with her knowledge and approval.. but still), I need to be around the house to do some yardwork and such, or I'm gonna be in the proverbial doghouse. Oh! got the SFR 9 results in the mail today, grats on being #5 Pax out of 194 entrants. Heh I just noticed I beat Erik in PAX, but he was running in EM just to run the car through its paces, not really a fair contest with that multiplier, but he still beat me (as I would expect) in OA times. Maybe you can do a fun run in STX some time, so I can see what the car is capable of in the hands of someone who drives a MCS (vice BMW beasts). I'd be happy for you, Tim or Jeremy to give it a run through its paces.

After the JCW is installed (June 22), I'm getting coilovers and corner balancing done, and the car will be 'done' for now (short of a few minor things).

-Carl

 

We are scheduled in run groups 3/4. I'd plan on being there by 11 am at the latest. There will be concessions there 'Jeanie's Weenies'. If you need directions let me know.

 

Still pondering it.. my tires took a beating this past weekend at Candlestick so I was also going to avoid running on them until we got the alignment sorted as well, I pretty well slicked the outside edges of the fronts. Still not sure if it was due to not enough air, or camber issues. I almost suspect it was due to the high pressure I was running in the rear, making the front work much harder. Gonna get them flipped, and run them on the rear until it is replacement time.

But the lure of the cone is a tough one to resist.

-Carl

 

You can't get less camber in a car then a stock mini. You have camber plates don't you? As far as the tire roll goes you could be a little low on pressure or overdriving the corners. How were your tire temps? You should probably have a sprayer to water them down between runs to keep them from overheating.

 

One of the things you might read on the SCCA-SFR website, is a link to a great page about your first autocross. Over inflate your tires a bit, adjust as necessary. This will prevent "roll over" of the sidewall.