Bret 944

A friend of mine (who has a 2000 Mustang GT) are planning on attending an Autocross event on April 27th. Any tips from you veteran or even novice Auto-Xers? For me and for my car? Should I run in the novice class? Thanks.

Bret

Bret 944

bizzump

ilikemy944

Don't be scared to hit a cone.
I've always heard that if you don't hit a cone, you aren't going fast enough...

Al P.

If you are a novice and they have a novice class by all means run in it.

Probably the most important thing you can do is walk the course as many times as you can before the start of the event. After the course is set and before the runs start there is usually half an hour or so dedicated to walking the course. There is nothing more frustrating or frightening than suddenly realizing your lost on course and a wrong turn could put you in the path of another competitor.

Do your first runs slowly and build speed as the day progresses and you learn the course. Each run should be faster than the last. The best auto-x drivers have a knack for memorizing the course and recognizing the best line through it. It's very hard to be fast if you're trying to figure out which way to turn next.

Good luck and have fun.

Al P.

Oh and don't forget all the usual things necesary for standing in a parking lot in the sun or rain all day.

water
food
sun screen
hat
rain gear (nothing red or yellow in case you have to work a flag station)
etc. etc.

Bret 944

Thanks for the tips guys. My friend with the Mustang is a first timer too. He's got an automatic, I have a 5 speed, should we expect similar times? His is compeletely stock (except for a cold air intake) as is mine, anyone know what to expect?

Bret

Sami951

All that, and for your car: make sure the battery is securely in place, you've got oil topped up and enough pressure in the tires. Also lose any items inside that might distract you.

Most important thing however is to have fun

RS 2.7

turn your rear view mirror to the side so it cant be a distraction. leave you sunroof at home if it isnt going to rain, take out your spare

Bret 944

Thanks guys. With the sunroof out, does that not create more wind resistance, or does the weight of the sunroof outweigh the wind resistance factor?

Bret

Porsh-uh

You're 944 has the capability to stomp all over that Mustang in an auto-x, but that is really up to you. But honestly, if he's got an automatic... you should really kill him. Anyway, wind resistance makes very little difference in the low speeds of an auto-x. Weight is certainly much more of a factor. My one tip:

Smooth is fast.

951sickness

Pull the wiper fuse....nothing more embarassing as pulling into the finish with the wipers going.

Al P.

Yeah maybe pull the wiper and directional fuses as you will hit the stalks in your frenzied effort to get through the sea of cones. Don't bother with the sun roof it's not heavy enough to make a difference to a novice and since I assume you're driving there if you take out the spare do it at the event, leaving it home could be a bad thing. Do remove everything that's loose in the car, floor mats etc.
You will want to run slightly higher tire pressures than normal. The guys you see putting little spots of white shoe polish on the sides of their tires are looking to see how far the tires are rolling over. By the way the polish takes forever to get off.

Z-man

Learn the course: drive slowly at first: at least then you can get a baseline time. If you drive fast out of the box, but go off course, you won't get any time at all!

Slow-in fast-out is typically a quicker way around a course. Any extra mph you attain in corner exit speed you will carry through the whole next straight!

Don't feel pressure to do better than others around you: focus on improving your own times. Competition is great, but the best competition you have is besting your own times!

Smooth inputs to throttle, steering, braking is paramount. Sawing the steering wheel, stomping on the gas...etc. will not get you around the course fast, but it will quickly upset the balance of your car!

Experiment with different lines: sometimes an 'ideal' line in one section of the course will mean a less ideal line in the next section: determine which section is more important to go fast in, and adjust your line accordingly.

I wouldn't worry about the wiper fuse: if you are constantly hitting the wiper arm, then you are moving your hands too harshly! You don't need to thrash the steering wheel and your hands about: the more presice you are with your hand movements, the quicker you will be!

Oh yeah, and have fun! It is addicting, BTW.

HTH,
-Zoltan.

who1

Sunscreen if you're like me.

Take a deep breath. You'll probably be nervous. They should have a novice walk through with an experienced driver. Get there early so that you have plenty of time to check in and get your car tech'ed. You might try stomping on the brake pedal at home to make sure you don't spring a leak. (Experience speaking there. Do try to push yourself on each run (within limits of course.) Watch other cars during runs to find the proper lines through optional slaloms. Try to catch a ride with other more experienced drivers.

Bret 944

Thanks for more input. So I guess I should take out my speaker box, it probably weighs like 50 pounds. My girlfriend plans on coming just to watch, so I can just leave my spare and probably my speaker box with her. I guess we'll have like a "pit area" or something like that, where we can set up chairs and what not. You guys are more than helpful. I'm hoping I can turn out a better time than my friends GT, b/c he always talking smack about how fast it is.

Bret