I agree with Mike, do as many autocross events as you can. I've been doing them for a few years now and they definitely help. You can learn very quickly how the car will behave in transitions, sweepers, quick jerky movements, etc. A lot of the skills from autocross are required on track and transfer well. Heck, a lot of skills learned in autocross for car control and learning how the car behaves are a huge help in the real world too. If you ever have to dodge a dishwasher in your lane on the highway you know how the car will react, lol
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Originally Posted by DarkSunrise
I think some track organizations are trying to teach more of these skills in HPDE's. My last track weekend, the chief instructor specifically told our group that we shouldn't be lifting to let others pass. It made for an interesting dynamic.
With low hp cars like ours, it really forced you to pass off-line in corners with the other car not giving up much ground if any. Also when you were stuck behind a higher hp car, you'd have to think about where you could build enough speed to make the pass given he wouldn't lift (e.g., leaving space entering a corner and passing with higher exit speed). If you couldn't complete the pass by the end of the straight, you'd have to think about entering the corner two-wide, off-line at speed. It had some of the thrill of racing without being nearly as competitive.
They also had a combined HPDE3/4 group with 60+ cars on track, so during that session you were constantly off-line (either passing or being passed) and checking your mirrors. There were so many cars you couldn't see your reference points. It was one of the more fun track events I've had, even though there was more risk involved as well.
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That sounds like a blast. Definitely something I'd prefer to do in the GTI though, due to the extra risk involved (and the GTI isn't quite so slow in the straights...) Down at Shenandoah I struggled with passing people because I'd set myself up for a pass and gain a ton of ground then have to lift and wait for a point-by... Pretty frustrating!
Which group were you running with?