2017 Push It to The Limit Autocross Series

[JBezugs]

Originally Posted by Frost

Thanks for coming out! Autocross is insanely cheap fun but its a great way to improve your driving skills. The goal is not to focus on the fact that you didn't do well but to focus on how much improvement you made!

Just a little feedback on your video:

1. Don't palm the wheel. Ever. It doesn't really give you better control compared to holding the wheel securely. In fact, it will likely slip from your palm! Your seating position looks good enough that you should be able to hold 9 and 3 throughout so no palming! By keeping your hands locked onto the wheel, you get solid reference points on what the car will do when you turn the wheel so much. This leads me to my second point...

2. 'Sawing the steering': What I mean is that you chop up one big turn into 3 to 4 smaller turns by turning in, then turning out a little, then turning back in more, then out. What you do with each steering feedback is upsetting the suspension and constantly keeping it in flux instead of allowing it to settle the tires and give you maximum grip. If it is a single constant left turn, you should be making one single motion turning left. Make sense? The reason why you are chopping up the turn is...

3. 'Vision': Throughout the entire video, I don't think you were looking beyond your left side A pillar and at most, just past the right side of the front windshield. On Sunday's course you should be looking out the left and right SIDE windows because a lot of turns were 90s leading to 180s (the two loops!). If you don't look ahead, you don't allow your subconscious to help you plot your course ahead but instead you react to the upcoming gate so you swing the car last minute, never give it time to settle and then swing again. On the other hand, if you looked ahead, it would allow your brain to piece that information coupled with the course-walk (which I hope you did) to realize: "Hey, it's one giant right sweeper turn... ONE turn" instead of "Oh shit, gate in front, NOW GATE TO RIGHT, NOW ANOTHER RIGHT.

When in reality, it was just three gates to show you turn entry, apex and exit of ONE turn.

Did you get a chance for anyone of us PADA crew to sit in with you?

Hope to see you next year as a full time competitor!

Cheers.

Kev "LemonJus"

Thanks for all the feedback Kev. I didn't get a chance for any of the PADA crew to sit in with me, but next season I will definitely do so, I have a lot to learn for sure!

I think I was so focused on not hitting cones and passing through all the gates that I was restricting my vision to what was directly in front of me, instead of piecing a cohesive line together.

Coming from track-based stuff it surprised me how different Auto-X feels, from what I gathered talking with the more experienced guys, you learn to look past the cones and see the course instead.

I'll be back next year! It's probably the most fun you can have with your car for your dollar by far.

[Frost]

Originally Posted by JBezugs

Thanks for all the feedback Kev. I didn't get a chance for any of the PADA crew to sit in with me, but next season I will definitely do so, I have a lot to learn for sure!

I think I was so focused on not hitting cones and passing through all the gates that I was restricting my vision to what was directly in front of me, instead of piecing a cohesive line together.

Coming from track-based stuff it surprised me how different Auto-X feels, from what I gathered talking with the more experienced guys, you learn to look past the cones and see the course instead.

I'll be back next year! It's probably the most fun you can have with your car for your dollar by far.

Hey no worries! That's what we're here for. The good thing is that you understand your weaknesses so that's a start! You have no idea how many people think they've got it down and then blow all the runs of the day only to complain to me they think its dumb. Pssst! Maybe it's the driver :-P

AutoX is extremely twitchy but there's still smoothness to be had. Assuming that OTA doesn't overlap too badly with PITL, I should be back for another full season next year. I highly suggest hopping in with an instructor and see what we do differently than you. I'm no slouch but I also have lots to learn and find it insanely helpful to ride along and watch how other better folks handle themselves.

My strengths is being able to maintain a good constant weight transfer and transition well left to right. So I can definitely help you there. Colin is where I'm projecting myself to be with more confidence. He's smooth and quick.

Val is insanely good at pitching the car into a turn and getting it to turn well. A ride with him will guarantee you smiles if not a high ranking time at PITL. He tends to be more drifty but yet still quick. You might even say Colin and Val are two different approaches to the same result. I'm trying to be a blend of both to round out myself.

Looking forward to more folks coming out to PITL next year! I still maintain I have more fun at PITL than other autocross events (nothing against them).

Something about that trash talking timer makes me smile everytime...

[v1beeee]

Originally Posted by Frost

Hey no worries! That's what we're here for. The good thing is that you understand your weaknesses so that's a start! You have no idea how many people think they've got it down and then blow all the runs of the day only to complain to me they think its dumb. Pssst! Maybe it's the driver :-P

AutoX is extremely twitchy but there's still smoothness to be had. Assuming that OTA doesn't overlap too badly with PITL, I should be back for another full season next year. I highly suggest hopping in with an instructor and see what we do differently than you. I'm no slouch but I also have lots to learn and find it insanely helpful to ride along and watch how other better folks handle themselves.

My strengths is being able to maintain a good constant weight transfer and transition well left to right. So I can definitely help you there. Colin is where I'm projecting myself to be with more confidence. He's smooth and quick.

Val is insanely good at pitching the car into a turn and getting it to turn well. A ride with him will guarantee you smiles if not a high ranking time at PITL. He tends to be more drifty but yet still quick. You might even say Colin and Val are two different approaches to the same result. I'm trying to be a blend of both to round out myself.

Looking forward to more folks coming out to PITL next year! I still maintain I have more fun at PITL than other autocross events (nothing against them).

Something about that trash talking timer makes me smile everytime...

I hope you don't take this the wrong way and take it as constructive criticism, but PITL cannot accommodate any more new drivers than it already has unless they move to a bigger lot and shorten up the course. Last event had way too many people and way too long of a course that the day just dragged on. I'm sorry but for an autocross to last as long as the last event and to only get 4 runs is completely unacceptable.

[Frost]

Originally Posted by v1beeee

I hope you don't take this the wrong way and take it as constructive criticism, but PITL cannot accommodate any more new drivers than it already has unless they move to a bigger lot and shorten up the course. Last event had way too many people and way too long of a course that the day just dragged on. I'm sorry but for an autocross to last as long as the last event and to only get 4 runs is completely unacceptable.

Not taken the wrong way. I don't control the registrations however as PADA is strictly a sponsor and not the organizer.

PITL ran a double promotion and got way more signups than anticipated so yeah, it was excessive and I agree with that. Would've capped it at 110-120 and designed a smaller course.

Still, it was a fun day - hope you come back next year!