First Timer

[slyphen]

Hey guys, I am a noob when it comes to cars. however I do want to learn all about it... I am looking to go to an autocross event(recommended after going to a car meet) to learn about the performance of my brz. that being said, what do i need to know? what type of autocross event should i start with? any must haves? thanks!

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by slyphen

Hey guys, I am a noob when it comes to cars. however I do want to learn all about it... I am looking to go to an autocross event(recommended after going to a car meet) to learn about the performance of my brz. that being said, what do i need to know? what type of autocross event should i start with? any must haves? thanks!

just listen well. there is a wealth of information out there. get ride alongs and have people ride with you if at all possible. ive heard from very respected drivers that autox is the way to start and then move to track days. hard to disagree with them. i think the biggest issue is to have fun so as not to be discouraged.

[bimmer635csi]

Originally Posted by slyphen

Hey guys, I am a noob when it comes to cars. however I do want to learn all about it... I am looking to go to an autocross event(recommended after going to a car meet) to learn about the performance of my brz. that being said, what do i need to know? what type of autocross event should i start with? any must haves? thanks!

Believe it or not, Google is very knowledgeable about autocrossing for noobs.

Having recently gone through this experience, here's what I can tell you.

1] You are highly unlikely to win, so just have fun and make friends your first few times out.

2] Talk to people who have the same car and see what they do and why they do it. (For example, someone may have fluorescent green wheels because they have less aero rotational drag. Avoid this person.)

3] Go to as many events as humanly possible. It is the only way to get better. Parts do not guarantee a fast car, but a capable driver can make damn near anything fast.

You're not going to come home with a billion dollars, so just go have fun.

Smaller clubs/events tend to be less competitive and more friendly, so I'd suggest looking around at multiple clubs if they are available and go to the smaller ones. Plus you tend to get more seat time this way.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Chris

[slyphen]

thanks guys. like i said, my goal is to learn the performance of my vehicle and at the same time having some fun. not trying to win any competition, altho my competitive nature might get the better of me later on. that being said, what event should i go to. all i see is stuff like championships or solo regionals. are those events newbie friendly?

[kevman_101]

Go with your car fully stock, even stock tires. I did this last week for the first time ever and learned a TON about my FRS. You wont cook anything on an autocross. I hit a few cones, and hurt nothing on the car. Talk to people, most are super nice and ready to give advise. If you see a veteran, he probably has a portable air compressor if you don`t have one . Ask him nicely if you could add a few pounds of air in your tires. I could and should of, but I was too nervous and forgot to do it. It won`t hurt anything, but it could make the car more responsive and slightly more stable. Should yield a bit more grip as it won`t roll the tires on the edge as much. I left mine at stock pressures and didn`t come close to the sidewalls, but the outer edge was being used more then the rest. I walked the track like 5 times. Just tell them you are new and they will station you with veterans for track work.

But the most important thing is to go and enjoy yourself. It`s so much more fun and safer and cheaper then racing on the street. Also, final time of your run maters. Not the time itself, but getting that time lower on each run. Especially your first times. That means you`re actually learning what the car likes and how to better drive it. And don`t worry if you get beat by Civics and Miatas. You could drop 20 000$ on you`re car and still be slower. Had a Locost D Mod there with 2 drivers. One was 4 seconds quicker then the other driver, same car, same setup. So the car wont matter one bit if you don`t learn how to better drive.

P.S. Solo regionals are usually just for fun, no points are awarded nor prizes. Just satisfaction at seeing your name on the board .

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by slyphen

what event should i go to. all i see is stuff like championships or solo regionals. are those events newbie friendly?

To start with, any event will do. I'm mostly familiar with BMWs, so you might try your local BMW club: http://www.bmwpugetsound.com/events/autocross/. Also, there may be an autocross-specific club in your area. Any speed shops specializing in Japanese and/or European cars may know where the local autocrosses are being held. And, of course, there's SCCA.

@kevman_101 gave you excellent advice; wish I'd known that when I went to my first autocross.

[ddeflyer]

Autocross can be a great way to get your feet wet and most any group will probably be a blast. The down side is that you don't get much seat time. Realistically your best bet is to do a combination of auto-x, track days and (both indoor and outdoor) go karting. Each of them teaches you complimentary skills that are difficult to acquire using only one. At the same time you also need to be aware of patterns you learn on each that are detrimental to others (for example, the cadence of auto-x not only makes it difficult to learn car balance and smoothness, but it also tends to make people do fast, jerky inputs that on a big track can cause a bad off).

Also, most importantly, don't worry about it. No matter what you do you'll be shaking with adrenaline after your first run.