Hey guys, a quick search in here and a quick google didn't help, so I was just curious as to how a test & tune autocross event works. (I've never been to one)

Do you still have run groups and a limited number of runs? Is it just a day of "fun runs"-- as many as you want? or pay a certain amount for each one over a certain amount?

I want to try to get my wife out to an autocross sometime soon, and Philly has a test&tune this weekend, so I was wondering if it would be a good time.

Any comments on how crowded they typically are?

Or is this a useless question because test & tunes vary wildly from place to place? (if so, any Philly-specific responses?)

Thanks much!

 

email or call the person in charge of the event. they are all different.

 

In Atlanta, test & tune events are limited to 50 entrants (or there abouts) and cost about $50 (or twice what a normal solo II event is). I did one event last summer and it was well worth the cost and time. They basically divided the group in half; one would work the course and the other would drive. Each group got 4 run heats of about 30 to 45 minutes each, so there was time to do several runs, go park and play with tire pressures, shock settings, etc., and go back out for a few more. Definitely felt like I was "spent" by the end of the day. Good format in my book. Hope they don't plan on making any changes soon.

 

Test-n-Tune Auto-X days??? Hum we just call them pratice days normally held on Saturday and the regular Auto-X is on Sunday. CFR only charges the same amount of money to run the pratice day as the points day, some times less. Why anyone would charge members double for a pratice day is just wrong IMHO.

 

The Philly region test and tune event this weekend is just fun-runs - $1.00 per run. You can take basically as many runs as you like.

I went to the one test and tune day we had at Northampton Community College last year. Last year the event was set up differently. We had a test and tune session in the morning with a skidpad and sloalom. Last year you had to sign up for the morning session. Then in the afternoon, they set up a course and it was open to everyone. But this year it is all fun runs all day as far as I can tell.

Last year maybe 50 drivers showed up for the fun run session. About 1/3 were newbies.

The lot at NACC is OK. It's a bit smaller than Boeing, and there are some lampposts on it.

Andrew

 

hrm .. so there is no entry fee? how do the work assignments get handled?

i think i may go to this. about 1hr.45min drive for me. shuffle me in with that special 1/3 of the crowd.

 

There was no entry fee last time for the fun runs, just $1 a run. Last time, there were no work assignments, people just volunteered to work the stations for a while and then would rotate off every 20 min or so.

I'll be there on Sunday. I will probably be driving my black 1992 SE-R.

Andrew

 

The pricing is different than I expected. John Rush just posted this note about this weekend's Test and Tune event on the PHAX board:

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by John Rush &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The Test and Tune format will be similar to what we ran in 2001. No heats
just show up and run. 4 runs for $10 or $3 a single run. First car off is
expected at 10 AM until and we will go until everyone is done. Everyone
will be required to work.

There will be no one running the computer or creating results, so you
will have to write your own times down from the display.

If I can get I safety steward, I am planning on having a class on tuning
a car for autocrossing around 11. Sign up when you arrive.

Jon Rush
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Andrew - who will still be there, even though they are calling for rain

 

so if i wanted 8 runs it would be $20? i can do multiples of 4?

but eeeek rain! ill have to see.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by illusion &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">but eeeek rain! ill have to see.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Best time to practice

 

[QUOTE=illusion]hrm .. so there is no entry fee? how do the work assignments get handled?
QUOTE]

CFR pratice days run just like points days. Everyone who runs MUST work or you could be banned from Auto-Xing the next event or whole season. For the most part the pratice days allow for at least 5-6 runs since there are fewer cars and nothing has to be picked up except the cones since the main event runs the next day.

 

if this noreaster can pass we might only get some rain in the morning.. but i bet the course will be wet all day.

 

Here in Austin, we had a practice day before our last event. It was $10 and basically you work the course for tickets (3 for every half-hour shift) and use the tickets to run. You can work 2-3 shifts and run 6-9 runs in a row if you like.

I ran 22 times that day, and learned more that day than I had all season. Now that I think about it, that was more than I'd ran all season

My tires showed some wear that day.