I posted this in our build thread as well, thought it was appropriate for the Road Race/Auto-X Section!

....After running around for the past couple of weeks getting our K20 CRX ready to race, we were finally able to get the car out to an auto-x for its first shake down run. I was a bit nervous of how the car would handle since I had never driven a CRX before. From reading around and talked to other CRX owners, Ive heard the CRX can be quite the handful on track. On top of that, our CRX has the K20 swap so its a little heavier up from and more than double the horsepower of a CRX in stock form! We loaded up the trailer and headed down to Zephyrhills, FL for the PCA vs BMW Auto-X. As we arrived, the crew helped me unload the car and get it through tech lane to be inspected. While this was going on, I walked the course with Angela, another CRX owner and experienced auto-x driver. I have never driven an auto-x course before and was quite worried about find my way through the "sea of cones", as we walked the course Angela gave some good pointers, told me what the cones meant and how to pick a line through them. When we got back to the pit area, the car was tech'ed and ready to go. We were called in for a drivers meeting, got our assigned run groups and the racing began!

Read more about our experience on our blog! http://blog.brakespros.com

Our first run, taking it easy, learning the line.
https://vimeo.com/33560404

Last Run, our fastest of the day. I even botched the U-turn. We had plenty left in the car..er..driver! After watching this video 100+ times, I just keep cringing thinking I could have rev'd out more here, gassed it there, brake later there..so much time I could have shaved! All in all, it was my first time driving the car, so I was happy with the times.
https://vimeo.com/33594987

For more of our videos, check out our Vimeo page HERE.

We really didnt know what to expect with so many unknown variables, we just wanted to get some seat time and find any bugs in the car. We were one of the few Hondas at the event, there were well over 50 cars that competed!


A little lost in the sea of Porsches and BMW's, but everyone was very kind and helpful, we will be racing with these clubs more in the future!




In "tech-lane" to make sure everything looked safe.


Everyone was curious about our CRX, little did they know what our 4 cylinder powerplant was capable of!


A beautiful Turbo staged in "tech-lane".


Angela and myself walking the course, taking some pointers for my first auto-x.


Staging for my first run, here we go!


Unleashing the beast!


Made it through the first set of slaloms, this was a fast course, alot more fun than I ever imagined an auto-x being!




And were back! Had slight oversteer into one very sandy corner, almost turned it around, but I was able to catch it and keep on going.


We looked at the time and to our surprise were were around 9th fastest on our first run. The car was running great!


A sweet BMW, this car was really cool to watch!


The club took a break for lunch, Brian had the grill going and made some amazing "frozen" burgers!




Before heading back out, we popped the hood to make sure everything was in check and no leaks, etc.


Had a little fluid leaking from our radiator cap, time for a new one, but this one held us over for the rest of the day. The runs were less than a minute each, so the car never really got hot.


Tyler, giving me some "pro-tips".




As the day progressed, I was starting to get comfortable in the car. With each run I was able to push it further and further. There was still a TON of potential left in the car, but we ran out of time in the day. Overall, we were all still very impressed with how the car performed and without a hickup!






If you notice, our bumper is sagging quite a bit here. Turns out those little orange things they call "cones" are pretty tough, dont hit them.






The sponsors that made it all happen!


These guys were dropping sky divers all day long, was pretty cool to watch the sky fill with parachutes!


At the end of the day, we ended up placing 9th out of roughly 50-60 cars. A majority of them being Porsche's.

 

Saw the post on FB, ill definitely meet up to do some events with you now that my car is ready.

 

We plan to head up to Roebling Road next on March 24-25th. You should come up with us!

 

you could have kept it in 3rd alot, and gave it some gas but nice driving and bump for a sweet ride!

 

The best advice I ever recieved back in the day when I started auto-x. Instead of going down a gear for a lil extra power, better to save time leaving it in the gear and just driving the section and keep your momentum up.

So +1

 

Thanks for the tips guys! I am beginning to learn this as well, especially with the k-series. It was the first time I had ever driven a k-series car or a CRX at any sort of speed, so I have a lot of improvement to make.

I noticed I was doing the same thing coming into turn 1 at Sebring, shifting down to 3rd where I could have easily stayed in 4th and kept up my momentum instead of slowing down to match the gear speed.

I cant wait to get the car back out and apply what Ive learned. Having the videos is EXTREMLY helpful!

 

Can anyone race at the Roebling Rd track day?

 

Yes, as long as your car is in good working order and you have a helmet. The group we normall run with is PBOC. The next Roebling Road track day is March 24-25th.

You can sign up on their site:
http://pbocflorida.com/