Rather than tack on to the end of the 2018 thread, I figured I'd start a new one for 2019.

Here's a video of my fastest run from the San Diego Region PCA event on Saturday, January 19.

I just stated autocrossing in 2018, and I ran a 2016 BMW M4 convertible last year.

This event was the first time I autocrossed my 2019 Porsche 718 Cayman (base, PDK, PASM, PTV, SportChrono).

As a newbie to the sport, I appreciate any comments or feedback on the run.

Thanks!

John

 

 

I find it difficult to comment on the driving of a course where the entire path is constrained narrowly on both sides by cones. This is typical course construction in some places and really maddening to me. The problem is that the differences in proper line vs. improper become so small (yet real) that it's hard to see on a video. The times between racers become compressed so that where 1s might separate 5 or 6 top drivers it decreases to tenths when the course eliminates most sources of error. I'm not saying it's not fun, but it becomes difficult to learn much. Driving only courses laid out like that will prevent progress as a driver.

I thought you drove the course quite well. The start looked good, the slalom looked good. I thought you did a good job of finding the straightest path yet properly entering the key corners. There are a few places where you may have over-braked and then turned too tight as opposed to carrying more speed in a smoother, wider arc. Maybe. As I said, it's hard to tell from a video. Courses like that, at least for me, are hard to evaluate if you didn't drive it yourself.

 

 

Thanks for the replies! I usually run in the SDR SCCA autocross. But there wasn't an event in January. So I ran with the PCA, which is what that shows. The SCCA courses use a lot fewer cones than that PCA course.

I switched from a Waylens to Solostorm with a GoPro, but I didn't have it set up right for last month's SCCA event. Hopefully, this weekend it will work, and I can post new video. I've mounted the camera on the bar behind the seats, so the steering input will be visible too.

Cheers!

John

 

I find an over-the-shoulder view ( ) a little more useful than the one you used for a few reasons.

• You can see how close you are getting to cones at least on one side of the car. The further you progress in skill, the more every inch off an apex starts to add up.
• You can see steering inputs. This lets you see your timing, input rates, corrections, etc. which can be very useful when combined with Solostorm data.

We have a local club that does those mini-roadcourse style courses with a million narrow gates and no line choice. Except they almost never include a slalom at all in their events. So crappy. But I still go, because I'm dumb and like autocross too much to miss one.

One thing you'll never get from video is just how much you are getting out of the car. The people that are really good at AX can work a bit of magic - find grip where there should be no more, summon rotation where a car should just plow, make a car dance in transitions. To be able to do that you need to ride along with fast people and really pay attention to the way things feel, and try everything to replicate that feeling. Fortunately, the process is a TON of fun, and those "Aha!" moments are more addictive than heroin. I don't have much natural driving talent, but I've done 23 seasons of stealing and copying techniques from the best and have been able to elevate my game to, uh, moderately ok.

 

Here is my second autocross in the stock 2019 GT3RS. These are two back to back runs both were good enough for FTD at our Space Coast Region PCA autocross last weekend. Ran these as fun runs since I was driving a friend who is partially blind and can’t drive. It was his birthday and the ride along was his present.

 

This run in the 1989 944 was good for the local E-street win against a bunch of pretty fast Miata drivers and 4th PAX of 107.

 

I've had a busy spring thus far, driving VIR, Laguna Seca, and 3 autocrosses. Doing well locally so far in both SCCA and the local indie, 3/3 FTDs 2/3 top PAX, and the 3rd was lost by just 7 hundredths of a second. This was our first autocross at a new-to-us site, one we've not been to since the 80s. It's no bigger than our other local site (Pungo, of which I've posted many videos), but it's so nice being able to autocross locally somewhere new! #NotPungo This run would have been both FTD & top PAX if had been clean, but I thought it was my best driving of the day.

Tidewater Sports Car Club @ Hampton Coliseum, Hampton VA

 

Not technically an autocross, but thought y'all might appreciate some trackcross @ VIR Patriot Course which is a very autocross-like track in the infield of VIR:

 

I recently tried autocross after doing HPDE for several years. My main motivation for autocross was to learn to drive my car closer to the limit to help improve on the track. After my first autocross event, I'm actually starting to enjoy it a bit more than HPDE. Here is a video from a PCA autocross this past weekend.

 

I agree completely with your plan. the autocross is the place to safely learn at-the-limit car control.

Most of us autocrossers would say you are way too much under control! (and not nearly tight enough/close enough to the cones)

Take a look at this (not me) especially the left side:

 

Nice vids! I ran with PCA-SDR last weekend and had lots of fun, but didn't take video. I made the mistake of not bringing a spare set of tires with me, and assumed I had enough life left on my RE-71's for one more event...I was wrong. Rears were heat cycled out and I couldn't get traction all day no matter what adjustment I made. Just place an order for 2 new sets, as well as some 18" Apex SM-10 wheels.


987 Cayman S - AUtocross - CC09 class

 

+1, I've found I actually enjoy autocross more than HPDE because the consequences for exceeding the limits of grip for a DE are so high that it requires a significant safety margin, so you're always having to hold back. While for autocross, you HAVE to be right on the hairy edge of traction the entire run to be competitive, which is just so much fun! I have a lot of fun doing autocross-style time trials on slower speed tracks with lots of runoff for similar reasons.

 

Which is harder on the car? (Not referring to a dedicated track car)

Assuming one drives at around 8/10ths, and no accidents. Which will lead to more cosmetic issues, more stress on the drive train, suspension. Etc