My First Autocross Event

[Jeff Stuart]

After my first time ever autocrossing today, my first reaction is that it was a ton of fun, and I want more. My problem is that it's hard to justify driving 5 hours in a day just so I can drive for 4 minutes on the course (I live in Santa Barbara). I had been planning on doing an X run, but when I finished doing my work assignment after the 3rd run group I was informed that there weren't going to be anymore X runs, so I stared my 2.5hr trek back to SB. Are there any tricks to getting to race more on a day that I don't know about? If I wanted to come down for practice, how many runs would I get? Is it alright to come for practice but not go to the championship event?

Thanks for answering my newb questions!

[Leonard Cachola]

As someone who gets up at 4 a.m. to do the 2-hour drive to compete in San Diego and only does 4 runs before driving 2 hours back, I will tell you why I do it:

It's not just four minutes of seat time. It's all the friends I meet there who are there for the same thing I am. It's the conversations we have - all the bench racing, the autocrossing gossip, the racing stories, etc. The cars. Walking a course several times I've never seen before and running it over and over in my head until I run. It's all the stuff that happens between the runs - trying to figure out where to grab that extra .1th of a second. Preparing the car. It's instructing all the newbies. It's getting instruction from more experienced drivers... etc. etc.

The practices are structured for those who compete on a regular basis. You can still try to get in, but you are more likely to be bumped for someone who shows up regularly or is one of the regular volunteers to help run our club. It's better to compete a few times, show your face around so we know who you are, and then try and get into the practice.

You already know about X-runs - if you're going to purchase X-runs, you have to do so before registration closes. I believe we've been limiting how many can take X-runs. Sometimes we have fun runs at the end of the day (usually $1 or $2 per run, depending on the hosting club), but our daylight time is limited in the winter, so it's unusual that we do at this time of year.

[George Schilling]

Glad you enjoyed yourself Jeff. I usually make a weekend of autox. Enter the practice on Saturday the 11th. Book a hotel through Priceline. You'll get the Marriott or Hilton for about $36-$40. Enjoy the thrill of competition on Sunday. Drive home when your ready. Makes for a relaxed weekend without the feeling your on the road all the time.

[Mako Koiwai]

Maybe you can also get together with your fellow Santa Barbara AX'er Brandon Fitchett (fast WRX racer, recently moved here from the Washington DC Region). He's been looking into the SB AX scene ... which apparently has a couple of events per year. There are also the occasional Corvair and Porsche Club AX's at Camarillo Airport.

I emailed Brandon to get in touch with you.

[Doug Teulie]

After my first time ever autocrossing today, my first reaction is that it was a ton of fun, and I want more. My problem is that it's hard to justify driving 5 hours in a day just so I can drive for 4 minutes on the course (I live in Santa Barbara). I had been planning on doing an X run, but when I finished doing my work assignment after the 3rd run group I was informed that there weren't going to be anymore X runs, so I stared my 2.5hr trek back to SB. Are there any tricks to getting to race more on a day that I don't know about? If I wanted to come down for practice, how many runs would I get? Is it alright to come for practice but not go to the championship event?

Thanks for answering my newb questions!

Auto-X is about making it happen in 4 (under 3) minutes on the course.
When you get to the point where you are racing (not just going for the thrill) you will find that the entire day is full of activity.
Self improvement, car set up and learning how to go even faster takes more than 4 minutes. For some it takes a lifetime.

[Mako Koiwai]

Here's a quote

I thought autox would be kind of boring coming from the track, but it's surprisingly a TON of fun. In some aspects I think it's MORE fun in the sense that you go balls out.

from one of the Suby Newbies that ran with us for the first time on Friday. Some people think that Track Days/HPDE's are better because you get more seat time, but most of us couldn't afford to go FLAT OUT on a track ... with the resulting wear and tear on ones car's components and the increased risk to life and limb. And, on a track like Willow Springs, you do about 9 major steering inputs per lap ... the rest of the time one is transiting down the straights. In Auto Cross we get a lot more steering inputs per lap. So the seat time might be limited (some of the gals got 23 laps during the Ladies School on Saturday!) but the Thrills Per Second is higher and more intense. No doubt wheel to wheel racing is even more intense, but that's a whole difference league of spending. Go-karting is nicely situated between the two. Ryan's B. parents at the TDI Cup Banquet at then end of last season, over heard some other parents saying that "Johnny was going to get one million for the next season and not a penny more!" Try competing with that.

[Bucky MacConaghy]

This is only my opinion, take it for what you paid for it.

Car control lessons learned at autocross speeds will serve you better throughout your life than lessons learned at track speeds. What I learned back in the 70s has served me well (and saved my bacon on more than one occasion ) over the years.

It's an old cliche, but the best way to survive an accident is to not be there when it happens. AutoX can help you do that better than track time. And you'll probably make lifelong friends along the way. I know I did.

[Bill Schenker]

Preaching to the choir here, and the "track guys" probably won't listen, but many of America's best road racers of late got their start in AX: wanna learn crazi car control skilz? Learn how to AX. I remember watching Randy Pobst spank the field on a walled street course (San Jose?) where he was rotating around the corners. Afterwards, in the post victory intv. he accreted his win to all the AX racing he did.

Like I said; we AXers know this - most likely falls on deaf ears w/the macho track guys.

[Dan Shaw]

I echo most of the sentiments here about track days/etc. I'll say that AutoX improved my ability to memorize and get familiar with the better lines on a road course much faster than my roomie who didn't have autoX under his belt and had to do it the longer/harder way. There are benefits that circuit racers might not realize could help them if they could see past the glitz of doing trackdays. Granted, wheel to wheel is very different.

The best place to get more seat time is at practices or other events that are not for competition but for simply improving (there are the Solo classes held in various parts of CA, and the Ventura events as Mako mentioned). I'd keep an eye out or do research on those. Just keep in mind the more practices you do the more tires you will inevitably consume!

Autocross is as cheep as you make it!

[Jeff Stuart]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I think I'm going to try and do what George recommended and stay the night Satuday and go to the practice. I'm going to send in my check tomorrow and if all goes well I'll see you on the 12th!

[Mako Koiwai]

You mean stay the night and race on Sunday ... besides Sat's Practice ? ;)

[Jeff Stuart]

Yeah, practice Saturday, stay the night, then Championship on Sunday. Sorry that was worded poorly.