Is it really worth the money? I have the chance to go this Saturday, but I wanna make sure I'm not wasting my money.

 

I always hear it's WELL worth it, I'm taking Phase 1 in a month

 

That's what this one is.

 

I did it in Philly region. If you Autox, then it is totally worth it. If you have no intrest in Autox, then don't. Goto a HPDE for the $300 instead. I had a great experience and it definately helped me with time and technique.

 

I've never auto xed before, but I thought this would be a good start.

 

I think if you've never autoxed then the Evo school, even phase 1, is a little advanced for you.

Don't get me wrong; I think Evo schools are great and anyone who has a few events under their belt should take one. But phase 1 is all about going faster. Since you've never "gone" at all the Evo focus is too advanced for you. Go to a few ax's first then go to Evo.

At your first ax you should concentrate on just navigating the course. Your goal should be at least one run where you were not dnf and did not get lost. Once you have the basic idea of how an ax runs and how to learn a course you will be ready for Evo.

On the other hand, the Evo school teaches all the right stuff, so if you take one now, before you develop any bad habits, you might end up ahead. I just think, for you, its not going to answer the questions that are most important to you now.

When you go to your first event (go this weekend if you can) make sure you ask people for help. Tell them at registration that you are a first timer. Most clubs have novice instructors, a novice walkthrough. Get there early. If registration opens at 8:30 get there at 8:00. Walk the course at least 3 times (twice by yourself and once with someone who knows what they are doing and will talk to you while walking). Read the great novice guide at http://www.tirerack.com/featur...k.htm


There are often local, regional, novice schools that are perfect for someone with no experience - see if one is in your area soon.

A few last pieces of advice - join in right away. Some people want to just spectate at their first autox. Why miss the fun? Don't worry about not knowing what to do. We were all novices once.

Leave your ego at home because you will be humbled by all the great drivers you will meet. But those same great drivers were novices once as well and felt the same things you might be feeling. They will be happy to help you learn.

Regards,
Alan

 

agreed with 00R101 on this one. even the evo school instructors will recommend that you have some autocrosses under your belt before you take the phase I school. get out there and do a few events before you drop the money on evo school. good luck and have fun!

jeff

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 00R101 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think Evo schools are great and anyone who has a few events under their belt should take one... Once you have the basic idea of how an ax runs and how to learn a course you will be ready for Evo.

On the other hand, the Evo school teaches all the right stuff, so if you take one now, before you develop any bad habits, you might end up ahead.

...Leave your ego at home because you will be humbled by all the great drivers you will meet. But those same great drivers were novices once as well and felt the same things you might be feeling. They will be happy to help you learn.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

00R101, allowed me to ride along with him at a couple of autocross events when I first started out. It was a very eye-opening experience. If you can find an instructor who will let you ride along, this will help. There are quite a few skills that good autocrossers use. The best and most frequently talked about is looking ahead. When riding along look not only at the course, but if you're not prone to car sickness, look at the driver's head. Try and see where he's looking.

I agree, do a few events before going to an Evolution Driving School, and you'll get more out of it. However if you have the time and the money to go, eh, why not? You'll get lots of seat time for the price you pay. Either way, yeah it's worth the money.

Good luck and Enjoy the drive.

 

When I took the Phase I Evolution school there was a young guy there who had never autocrossed before and he had a stock Honda S2000. He started off timidly at first, but after instruction from Ann Hollis he was flying through the course at the end of the day and basically doing it perfectly at 100% effort! So I don't think it really matters too much if you have or haven't autocrossed before, you just need to be willing to learn. Though it would help if you had some autocrossing experience from the standpoint of measuring your performance level before the Phase I course and after the Phase I course. But for all practical purposes, starting off with a Phase I school is probably a good experience and will do a lot for getting you started in autocross. As long as you have a concept of the basics of car control (braking, accelerating, steering, weight transfer) and a willingness to learn then a Phase I is an excellent course to take. Just don't take an Evolution Phase I course in a '00+ Ford Mustang Cobra and wrap it around a lightpole on your very last run of the course after you've done so well previously....

Very important lesson for everybody - when you go WAY off course don't try to save it, put both feet in and come to a stop ASAP!!! That's the main thing I brought away from that particular Evolution Phase I school. Well that and how to brake hard for a corner.

Closing comment, An Evolution Phase I course is probably the best thing you can do if you are into autocrossing! Definately worth the money!

 

Thanks for all the info. I'm not sure if I am going to take it or not now. I just thought that taking it before doing anything would help me in the long run, so I would know what to do and what not to do at my first event.

 

You are already doing a good thing by asking questions... I'm assuming you've gone to the tirerack link (see above) or something similar?

Most important thing, have fun, and try and soak up as much info as you can.

 

I have 7 autox events, and I heard the Evo class is very good, so I am taking it next month in CA, phase 1 and 2 same day. Eventually, I want to go to national competition in two years or so, so I want to learn asap, I have no patience
I am paying $450 for both phases.

 

Well I decided not to take the class. Partly because I figured I would try it a few times first. And partly because there is a 50% chance of rain Sat. I am going to take Phase 1 and 2 in the fall when they have it. I figured I might just take the next novice class they have around here.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BETO736 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...phase 1 and 2 same day.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hey dude you might want to make sure this is correct. I could be wrong about this, but I don't think you can take both phases in one day. Usually folks do phase 1 on Sat. and phase 2 on Sun.