poindex30

I have only autocrossed twice and I am very slow. Someone once told me that you should do all of your breaking in the straight away and as soon as the turn starts hit the gas. Is this true?

If this is the case it may explain why I plow through just about every corner and go so painfully slow.

Thanks,

Mickey

AW

The answer to your question is very complex and depends on many things including your car, tires, corners, etc...

I recommend you read a good book on the subject such as "Going Faster! Mastering the art of race driving"

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0837602262/qid=1053990182/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-6298923-9839913?v=glance&s=books" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/08 37602262/qid=1053990182/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-6298923-9839913?v=glance&s=books</a>

ACW

Stuttgart

as a general rule you should do all of your braking in a straight line, then as you turn in you roll on the throttle.
-now if you car starts to plow, as most cars do in slower speed corners, i usually try jumping in and out of the throttle to get the front end to bite.
-as you get faster, you can trail brake into the corner(begin to turnin before you are done braking).
-for autocrosses, if your car is plowing like a john deere try braking with your left foot, this is usually easier to do b/c most autocrosses are slow enough to allow you to stay in one gear. Try trail braking to the apex and stabbing the brakes with your left foot to get the car *** happy.

HarryD

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by poindex30:
<strong>I have only autocrossed twice and I am very slow. Someone once told me that you should do all of your breaking in the straight away and as soon as the turn starts hit the gas. Is this true?

If this is the case it may explain why I plow through just about every corner and go so painfully slow.

Thanks,

Mickey</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Hi Mickey,

Get someone to ride with you as an instructor.

If you want a few books:

Autocross 101 - Secrets of Solo Racing, by Henry A. Watts

Autocross 102 - Winning Autocross Solo II Competition, Dick Turner and J.B. Miles

Most important though is seat time.

poindex30

Thanks for all of the information. I think I will try all of the above especially having an instructor ride with me.

I've already tried braking in the straights and hitting the gas while turning the corners on the local streets (when no one is around of course). It is much faster but the opposite of what I've been doing my entire life so it'll take some getting used to.

Thanks again,

Mickey

Z-man

poindex30:
You keep saying "hitting the gas" Keep in mind that mashing the throttle, or the brakes can upset the suspension of your car. Try a smoother approach: dial in the throttle smoothly and progressively. You still need to be quick about it, but don't go from idle to WOT in one fell swoop!

The "slow-in fast-out" approach is a more effective way of describing what needs to be done to better negociate an autocross course.

You can still be braking while starting the turn (called trail braking). With tight corners and cars that understeer, this is an effective way of getting the car to rotate a little in the entrance of a given turn. Note that this is a more advanced techique, and requires some practice to get the hang of it.

For now, your best bet is to get most or all of your braking down up to the point where you begin your turning. As you turn, start to apply the throttle progressively, until you at at wide open throttle on the EXIT side of the turn. Mashing the throttle at the ENTRY side of a turn will typically result in a spin or some extra cones charged to your finish time!

I too, recommend the Henry Watts book.

Good luck!
-Zoltan.

clubrcr

I agree with everyone, but I think braking 102 is next. You also need to get comfortable with trail braking and rotating the car. Braking in a straight line is fine, but in some corners you need to brake going into the corner and rotate the car under braking. While the weight is on the front of the car, you have the opportunity to swing the rear of the car and point the car toward the apex. This technique has to be done with a smooth brake and smooth acceleration. Once the car is pointed in the correct position, then you apply the throttle slowly to full.

This trail braking technique also helps you scrub of speed while in the corner.

Just my two cents.

A930Rocket

Are you guys left foot braking to achieve trail braking? Seems you would need to, to make a smooth transition from braking to gas, otherwise you might upset the balance of the car.

Jim

poindex30

I'm not as slow as I thought!!! I just found out that I placed 11th (time adjusted for the car I drove) out of 82 racers in the BMWCCA. I was driving my 540i/6 and there were three tight skid pads and other very slow sections of the course.

I am very excited about my results and I will try all of the tips mentioned above in order to get faster.

Thanks,

Mickey

Zeke

Sometimes slower is faster. You can very easily out hustle yourself. Relax and many times your lap times will decrease. If you use every inch of the track , remember that's the long way around. For hot rods that have the horsepower, that's the way to go. Lower powered cars should cut the track down to its shortest distance and roll thru the corners as smooth as possible. Thirty years with less than 20 hp and a locked (solid) rear axle taught me that.(Karts)