Zone 7 Autocross School (long)
05-02-2002, 10:52 PM
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Zone 7 Autocross School (long)
I haven't seen any write ups of the PCA Zone 7 Autocross School that was held April 13 and 14 at the 3Com/Candlestick parking lot. Well, I enjoyed the school so much, that I just had to remedy that. 
I also write these things so that if anyone is on the fence about going to an event like this, well, I hope to encourage them -- THEY SHOULD GO!!
Anyway, this was a two-day autocross school. The first day was entirely devoted to car control exercises. So, after registering and getting the car ready (I was so into it, I even took out the spare tire!), we broke up into groups and headed out to the exercise areas. Each instructor teched their student's car.
First up for everyone was a skid pad exercise, to practice throttle steering. Most of you probably know the drill: drive around the cones until you're going fast enough that your car starts to understeer. Then lift off the gas so the rear end starts to come around. Then catch it with the gas pedal. After a bit of practice you can do this in smooth, graceful motions without much drama. Yee haw! Until the practice kicks in, you just might spin your car a few times. Anyway, the skid pad was run in each direction, and I think everyone in my group was pretty comfortable with it.
Next up was the braking exercise. Get the car into the upper reaches of second gear, and try to stop before you mowed over the cones. The idea was to learn threshhold braking, and not rely on ABS. I swear, this should have been the simplest exercise, but I just couldn't get it. Blame it on the early morning -- I don't know what was up, but I never could get my braking points down. I assured my instructor that I didn't drive that way on the street, really!
Thankfully the braking exercise was over and we got to run a figure eight, which combined throttle steering and braking points (gulp!) Well, after my disaster at the braking exercise, the figure eight was pretty fun.
After this was an oval exercise. I think the main point was getting the concepts of turn in and apexing. It went pretty well -- I joked with my instructor that maybe I should become a NASCAR driver. ;-)
Anyway, then we had a slalom exercise -- two slaloms, the first close-set, the second higher speed. Great to feel the car dance!
Next up -- the double-box exercise. A great way to learn how to look ahead, among other things. Thankfully I had an instructor who was great at shouting without making me feel like he was yelling at me. He saved my bacon on my first double box run, as I felt pretty lost. OK, I was lost, but his "RIGHT here, LEFT here" was a big help. With looking ahead, you can actually plan for your apexes and drive the course pretty well.
Last part of the day -- the chicane. YES! My car & I love chicanes! It was the closest exercise to an actual autocross course, and boy was it fun!
The second day consisted of running and working two different autocross courses. The first course we ran was very technical -- lots of tightly linked turns, a bit of a straight followed by a decreasing radius turn, and a few chicanes. The second course was a high speed course designed by Hank Watts (who wrote the Secrets of Solo Racing.) Thru the timing gates, a hard right, then up the front "straight" -- well a couple of turns, but you could do them fast. Then a sweeper (throttle steering thru it -- yee haw!), another "straight" and a chicane (!) before you turned right and went thru the timing gates again.
As you can imagine, a great time was had by all, even though the Candlestick winds on Sunday deposited about every spec of gravel imaginable in my car (top down, doncha know.) I swear, I spent a whole day vacuuming it out and 303'ing the nice layer of grit that was on my dashboard. I met a ton of great people, including a few lurkers and participants of this board. You know who you are. <img src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" border="0" alt="[bigbye]" />
I must say that the instructors and organizers from Zone 7 did a tremendous job.
So, if you've read this far, then you probably agree -- the next time an event like this is offered, by all means GO!
-- Melissa
I also write these things so that if anyone is on the fence about going to an event like this, well, I hope to encourage them -- THEY SHOULD GO!!Anyway, this was a two-day autocross school. The first day was entirely devoted to car control exercises. So, after registering and getting the car ready (I was so into it, I even took out the spare tire!), we broke up into groups and headed out to the exercise areas. Each instructor teched their student's car.
First up for everyone was a skid pad exercise, to practice throttle steering. Most of you probably know the drill: drive around the cones until you're going fast enough that your car starts to understeer. Then lift off the gas so the rear end starts to come around. Then catch it with the gas pedal. After a bit of practice you can do this in smooth, graceful motions without much drama. Yee haw! Until the practice kicks in, you just might spin your car a few times. Anyway, the skid pad was run in each direction, and I think everyone in my group was pretty comfortable with it.
Next up was the braking exercise. Get the car into the upper reaches of second gear, and try to stop before you mowed over the cones. The idea was to learn threshhold braking, and not rely on ABS. I swear, this should have been the simplest exercise, but I just couldn't get it. Blame it on the early morning -- I don't know what was up, but I never could get my braking points down. I assured my instructor that I didn't drive that way on the street, really!
Thankfully the braking exercise was over and we got to run a figure eight, which combined throttle steering and braking points (gulp!) Well, after my disaster at the braking exercise, the figure eight was pretty fun.
After this was an oval exercise. I think the main point was getting the concepts of turn in and apexing. It went pretty well -- I joked with my instructor that maybe I should become a NASCAR driver. ;-)
Anyway, then we had a slalom exercise -- two slaloms, the first close-set, the second higher speed. Great to feel the car dance!
Next up -- the double-box exercise. A great way to learn how to look ahead, among other things. Thankfully I had an instructor who was great at shouting without making me feel like he was yelling at me. He saved my bacon on my first double box run, as I felt pretty lost. OK, I was lost, but his "RIGHT here, LEFT here" was a big help. With looking ahead, you can actually plan for your apexes and drive the course pretty well.
Last part of the day -- the chicane. YES! My car & I love chicanes! It was the closest exercise to an actual autocross course, and boy was it fun!
The second day consisted of running and working two different autocross courses. The first course we ran was very technical -- lots of tightly linked turns, a bit of a straight followed by a decreasing radius turn, and a few chicanes. The second course was a high speed course designed by Hank Watts (who wrote the Secrets of Solo Racing.) Thru the timing gates, a hard right, then up the front "straight" -- well a couple of turns, but you could do them fast. Then a sweeper (throttle steering thru it -- yee haw!), another "straight" and a chicane (!) before you turned right and went thru the timing gates again.
As you can imagine, a great time was had by all, even though the Candlestick winds on Sunday deposited about every spec of gravel imaginable in my car (top down, doncha know.) I swear, I spent a whole day vacuuming it out and 303'ing the nice layer of grit that was on my dashboard. I met a ton of great people, including a few lurkers and participants of this board. You know who you are. <img src="graemlins/xyxwave.gif" border="0" alt="[bigbye]" />
I must say that the instructors and organizers from Zone 7 did a tremendous job.
So, if you've read this far, then you probably agree -- the next time an event like this is offered, by all means GO!
-- Melissa
05-03-2002, 01:00 AM
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Melissa,
That does sound like a really good time as well as a great learning experience in a variety of conditions (much safer than trying all that stuff on the street!)
Also, your enthusiastic and comprehensive description of each section does a MUCH better job of attracting interest to an event like this than say, a description like..."Zone 7 2-day autocross school -- please pre-register for this informative driving event designed for beginners...!
I hope to participate in one of those here in Florida in the very near future as I have yet to "test the limits" with my car and really want to get some quality instruction before I get into track/competitive driving events of any kind. I'm really curious how my supercharger will affect the throttle steering technique and understeer concern (I've got a C4).
Thanks for the post and glad it was a well-run event...
That does sound like a really good time as well as a great learning experience in a variety of conditions (much safer than trying all that stuff on the street!)
Also, your enthusiastic and comprehensive description of each section does a MUCH better job of attracting interest to an event like this than say, a description like..."Zone 7 2-day autocross school -- please pre-register for this informative driving event designed for beginners...!
I hope to participate in one of those here in Florida in the very near future as I have yet to "test the limits" with my car and really want to get some quality instruction before I get into track/competitive driving events of any kind. I'm really curious how my supercharger will affect the throttle steering technique and understeer concern (I've got a C4).
Thanks for the post and glad it was a well-run event...
05-03-2002, 01:10 AM
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I second that!
I just went to the Chicago Region Autocross School last weekend and it rocked! Yeah, it was about as cold as a Candlestick ball game but everyone had a great time learning the limits of their automobiles. I could do that skid pad all day, but of course a new set Pirelli's is no bargain, so I'm glad I only had a few cracks at it because since smoking the tires came naturally too me (lot's of practice
).
Yes, do sign up if have the opportunity.
First Drivers Ed is in two weeks--can't wait!
I just went to the Chicago Region Autocross School last weekend and it rocked! Yeah, it was about as cold as a Candlestick ball game but everyone had a great time learning the limits of their automobiles. I could do that skid pad all day, but of course a new set Pirelli's is no bargain, so I'm glad I only had a few cracks at it because since smoking the tires came naturally too me (lot's of practice
).Yes, do sign up if have the opportunity.
First Drivers Ed is in two weeks--can't wait!
05-03-2002, 12:32 PM
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Tim,
I think you have the right approach of testing the limits at an event like this and then going to the track. At the very least, autocross schools (and autocrosses themselves) are a great confidence builder.
I'm glad my descriptions were "good marketing." A few years ago someone described the Zone 7 autocross school on the pre-Rennlist mailing list, and I'd wanted to go ever since. This is my way of "giving back." (I know, we're not talking Mother Theresa here....)
Joey Bagadonuts -- what can I say, but you ROCK! Try to keep the tread on those Pirelli's a bit longer. Or better yet, buy a second set of wheels and slap a set of Kumho's or Hoosiers on 'em.
-- Melissa
I think you have the right approach of testing the limits at an event like this and then going to the track. At the very least, autocross schools (and autocrosses themselves) are a great confidence builder.
I'm glad my descriptions were "good marketing." A few years ago someone described the Zone 7 autocross school on the pre-Rennlist mailing list, and I'd wanted to go ever since. This is my way of "giving back." (I know, we're not talking Mother Theresa here....)
Joey Bagadonuts -- what can I say, but you ROCK! Try to keep the tread on those Pirelli's a bit longer. Or better yet, buy a second set of wheels and slap a set of Kumho's or Hoosiers on 'em.
-- Melissa
05-03-2002, 02:45 PM
#5
Burning Brakes
Talk about coincidence - my wife and I are going to an SCCA autocross school tomorrow. I'll be in my C2 and my wife in a rented Neon. She's done one school in her Camry and had a good time except for the lethargic Camry.
They emailed us a detailed handout with the exercises, and it sounds almost exactly like the course that Melissa took. Now I really can't wait until tomorrow.
They emailed us a detailed handout with the exercises, and it sounds almost exactly like the course that Melissa took. Now I really can't wait until tomorrow.
