I went to my very first autocross ever (as a spectator). Some nice cars and great bunch of guys. But come on, it was like watching paint dry! I was bored out of my mind. At the drivers meeting they told every one they would get three (3) runs! That's 3 X 2.5min! That's about 8 min. of driving in 8 hours. I know that autocross helps you with car control and tracking, but the excitement and energy is just not there!
I don't think autocross is in my future, I will just stick to doing DE's.

 

That's a pretty common sentiment, even among people that have actually tried it. Give it a try or take a ride some time. It's a lot more fun in the car than watching, and it will seem like you are going a lot faster than you really are.

There is one fundamental difference between autocross and DE that people often overlook: autocross is a competition, DE is not. I understand that most people autocross just for the fun of it, but if you want to actually compete in a motorsport, autocross provides that at a relatively low cost.

 

RXDOC you summed up my dislike of AutoX exactly. I love the driving but there is too much waiting at the average event.

 

That said, if hanging around with car guys all day is a Sunday well spent, A-X can be a fun day... but I wouldn't give up a day of DE for all the autocross I could do...

 

Autocross also gives you skills (both in terms of car control and driving line analysis) that you won't learn in DE's. I went from DE's to time trialing to wheel-to-wheel racing, and have always regretted that I didn't start with autocrossing.

 

I cannot argue the sentiment that there is too much waiting at an autocross, but what you gain from becoming a proficient autocrosser is worth it, IMHO. Having 12 years of autocrossing under my belt before I started DE's gave me car control abilities that quite honestly few other drivers have. Those quick flicks of the wheel, or stabs on the gas that I use to control a sliding car cannot be taught, they must be learned. And that is very hard thing to learn at 100 mph. We were just at an autocross and my 17 year old son's car had a problem on his first run so I let him use my car. It was a thing of beauty to see him in a power slide controlling those 400 hp. When he gets to the track next year he will be a lot more prepared. I guess that it is a question of wether you want to have fun, or if you really want to pay your dues in order to get good.

 

no doubt it helps, but lots of time beating on my dads Windsor powered cougar, up mountain roads and skiing sure helped too!!

Lets see 12 years of autoX'ing say you go 6 times a year, and 3 runs a day, thats 18min of track time a year, or 216mins of track time in 12 years. About as much track time on a road course as you could get on ONE action packed DE weekend with 4 sessions per day! 12years in a weekend. Now, we all get smarter with age, so 12 years just thinking about driving im sure,helps. but, if you want to get good fast, i think DE with some good instruction is the way to go. there are plenty of courses that have some tight turns that you can learn good car control.

Lots of ways to pick up this sport. dont know which is the best. But, Autox'ing is good stuff, no doubt, but you just dont get the track time you need to perfect the sport. Like any sport, its hours and hours of perfect practice!

I have never autox'ed, but sure would like to some day!

MK

 

It is still worth trying IMO. I too had about 5 years of autocross under my belt for statrting DE and each of the instructors commented on my car control skills and they said they knew I had autocrossed first. Things happen much faster in the autocross than in a car on the track. I'm not talking about speed, I'm talking about the number of imputs you must make. It is truly incredible. This really develops the instict you need to control a car.

BTW, check other regions first. My local region of the PCA autocrosses as an old Army Base. Here the courses are sometimes 1 mile long and inexcess of 120 seconds. Usually we get 7 runs too.

THat said, I do enjoy DEs more, but then again, this winter I'll be autocrossing on a ice covered lake (in the Audi) and you can't do that in DE.

 

AX, I found, is harder on the car, tires, brakes, and me. I like DE much better although as it has been said before, you certainly can learn from both. Quick moves which are predominant in AX are really not in DE. Yep, there are micro adjustments that are needed from time to time on the track, but the track usually requires be much smoother input than AX. And then again, the waiting time proportionate to the running time can make this a long day.

 

I agree that autocross is a little slow, but the biggest advantage I see is the fact that you can run between 10 and 11/10ths with no consequences. Everyone backs off at the track (if they value their life and their car), but autocross lets you play with your car at and beyond the ragged edge and learn a lot of things more safely than in DE.

 

Thats a good point. to remove that "nervous to go 10/10" element, must accelerate the learning curve! whats the worse that can happen, a brokent air dam from the cones!

MK

 

Keep in mind an autocross is usally $20-$30 per day.

I don't measure an autocross by total time in the car...it's total qty of repetitions at or beyond the limit. In that case it's far more experience per minute than a DE is.

You also need a different car set up and requires that you understand and practice chassis set-up. A lot of people who are either dedicated DE or AX set up the car once (or have a shop do it) and leave it. Folks who bounce back and forth have a better practical knowledge of chassis set-up.

I do both and I don't compare one to the other. It's sort of like road cycing and mtn biking. To the novice they are both about riding bikes but to the advanced rider they are different disciplines with different equipment and physical requirements and one compliments the other well.

 

For me, this is the most fun part -- to be competitive with your DE buddies.

Larry, I'm never telling you what I did again, I'll get you next time!

(.2 seconds grumble grumble...)

 

Man only 3-runs each? How many drivers were there? All of the Metro NY region autocrosses i have been to allow 8 runs, usually 4 morning, or 3 morning and the rest in the afternoon depending on weather. Still 8 minutes isnt much, but its still alot of fun.

DE's are to expensive for me right now, plus this is my daily driver and the closest track is about 2-4 hours away from me.

 

Remember, autox isn't limited to the competetive events. There are autox schools out there where you can get a bunch of runs in addition to great instruction in one day.