WesM951

Hey guys,
Found out there is an auto-x very close by sunday. I need help knowning what all i'll need or need to do. Few things, my ABS don't work, my sunroof don't come out, but everything else is fine. Will this be a big problem?

Any help or would be great guys!

0_o i'm excited!

adrial

tech at most autox's is a joke .... check your lug nuts, throttle return spring, battery isn't flopping around and you will be good to go. The best I've ever seen was shaking the wheel with the car on the ground.

Have fun, take it easy your first few runs, just try to stay on course ... then start to push.
YMMV, some courses are harder to follow than others....
Regardless, walk the course as many times as you can.

WesM951

adrial,
Thanks for the help! I'll make sure to check everything before I get there.

heh.. I'm just afraid of getting lost on the track. Ya know, all those damn orange cones

HarryD

If your car is road worthy you should be ok. Take anything loose out of your car. Be sure your helmet meets the requirements of the group running the event.

Bring a hat and something to drink, it gets hot standing out there.

Relax... have fun.... if they have instructors, be sure to get one. Try to get a ride with some of the faster fellows to see what they do.

Check your ego at the door...... Be ready for the fact that some fellow in a Yugo is going to beat you big time.....

Joe Weinstein

Have fun. The car will be fine. Put a lot of air in your tires (~40psi), or get recommendations
from owners of the same car.

It's not all about the car: The single best thing you can do is to get there early enough to
walk the course 2 or 3 times so you have it memorized completely and can run it in
your head with your eyes shut. Then you can devote all your attention to what the car is
doing when you drive.
Joe Weinstein

http://www.sfrscca.com/solo2/Results...nship/asp.html
http://www.pca-ggr.org/acresults/031205.html

M758

Best thing is to see if you can fine some to help you out. Don't be afraid to ask dump questions and don't be afraid to be slow.


It will be the most fun you have had at 35 mph!

Techno Duck

I am a novice as well. I was pretty scared of getting lost and making a fool out of myself as well. I figured i would have been that guy who drives the wrong direction. When you arrive for the first time and see the sea of orange cones its kind of disheartening. But once they give you the layout of the course on paper and you walk the course a few times, its really not as hard as it looks. I always take my first run fairly slow to make sure i am familar with the course in my car (and not just on foot).

Bring alot of water with you to drink. Depending on the temps in your area, and how many people are participating in the event, you could be standing out in the sun for a very long time (wear sun block, bring an umbrella!). And if your car burns as much oil as mine at high RPMs, you can probably burn up all the old dirty oil and refill enough to have clean fresh oil by the end of the day (ok maybe thats exagerated a bit)...but yea, bring a quart or two of oil with you.
One of biggest problems i have as a novice is that i am about as smooth as sand paper. I have a horrible tendency to go WAY to fast into turns and spend most of my time correcting and getting the balance of the car back. It feels like im flying through the course. When i drive smoothly it feels like im going way to slow. But its funny how i pass the finish area and see my times are usually 2-3 seconds lower driving smoothly. Like M758 said, do not be affraid to go slowly on the course. There is one particuarly guy in my region that looks like hes out on a leisurely sunday drive when hes running the course.

And as a novice being out for your first time, i highly recommend spinning your car atleast once. I seem to do it atleast once every event. It really is quite a bit of fun seeing all 360 degrees of the horizon in less than 2 seconds. Just make sure you go both feet in...clutch and brake, when you spin. I am a bit of a hypocrite, when i start spinning i just keep giving it gas...i was once able to pull off close to a 540 spin (i was about 45 degrees short). A nice cloud of white smoke...and i mananged to spin right through one of the gates not hitting any cones ....

Typically most courses are just 2nd gear...so set it and forget it!

WesM951

Hey guys,
Thanks for the tips! Looks like i'm not going to be the only novice out as quite a few of my friends are going to be there as well.

Couple of questions I have thought of:

1. Helmet? What does it need to be? I have a Motocross helmet from when I rode. Will this work? I can also get a friends Old Moped Helmet. (full faced)
2. Spare tire and jack? Leave it in or take it out?

I might have more but cannot remember them off hand.

Joe Weinstein

helmet should be snell 95, but the organizer will have their rules. They
will likely have loaners.
Bring your spares and tools etc, just in case, but take out anything
loose before running. Later you may want to take off anything
heavy that is unnecessary during your runs.
Make sure you have about 1/4 to 1/3 of a tank of gas. No need for
the extra weight, but you need enough to keep the outlet submerged.
Don't forget the air peressure to ~40psi
Joe

Techno Duck

Some clubs allow a DMV approved motorcycle helmet, although not everyone does...so check the rules. If you cant use the helmets you have, like what was said above they have loaner helmets you can use.

You can remove the spare tire if you wish, i figure its about 45-50lbs right there. I usually run without the spare tire in daily driving anyway.

WesM951

Well i'm ready to go! I took everything loose outta my car cept the spare tire, which I think i'll remove in the AM. Aired up the tires, checked lug nuts ect. The only thing i'm worried about is the helmet. I'm taking my ATV helmet with me, which is DOT approved. Hopefully they have some if mine isn't good enough.

Oh, the camera's in the car as well. Have to get some pics of my first time of course

I'll letcha all know how I do!

Vlocity

Hey Wes....where are you running?

I'll be in Cleveland on Staurday. See the new thread,

Regards, Ken

WesM951

Ken,
I've been running with nwor. (www.nworscca.com) We usually run at the toledo airport, napoleon and fostoria.

I'm assuming that would be a bit closer than Cleveland for you

James-man

In my experience, from a distance the cones look confusing, but once you are on the course in a car, it is very hard to get lost as the path is very visible and apparent while in the driver seat. Newbies need not get too worried about the possibility of getting lost.

The AX courses are frequently very tight and doesn't leave much room for you to prepare for the next turn based on visual assessments. The key to AX courses, once you have the basic car control skills down, is learning the course so that you know what you will do and where as you visualize it in your head. Strategizing (in advance) the compromises of slowing speed down for one turn to maximize the set up and exit of the next also need to be done off the track. You just do not have time to think those things out when you are a beginner. Advanced AXers strategize in advance too, but have a bit more capacity to think while on the course. Anyhow, back to the original point, learning the route in preparation + the fact that the cones tend to look more like walls once you are driving on the course = no worries.


So, howdja do?

WesM951

James,
I didn't do the greatest, but not the worst either. There was only 2ppl in my class (ASP), a 911 Cab and myself. The cab was running 35-36sec that day and I was running 41-42sec. 40's seemed to be average for all us n00b's out there.