i pritty much know nothing about auto-x and i want to give it a try cuz latley drag racing has just become a little bit boring. i just wanna know stuff like what to expect and what i should do to my car. an internet site all about auto-x would be cool too but real world advice from real people would be golden. thx for the help.

 

Find local events... http://www.scca.org/interactive/regions.html There are most likely other clubs in the area as well you'll find out about. Talk to people at event. Most people love to help!

For the car... Make sure its in good mechanical condition and clean it out. Tire pressures up a bit to prevent them from rolling over. you can find classes for them here. http://www.moutons.org/sccasolo/

Biggest thing you'll get out of autocrossing for your first few events will be learning to control the car. Some bits of advice...
-Have fun
-Concentrate on being smooth
-Looking ahead.
-Make sure you walk the course and know where it goes before you run.
-Have fun
-Try not to drive the course as fast as you can on your first run, instead try and find a good line (this will pay off ALOT more in the long run). If I squeel my tires on the first run at all I'm going to fast so try and use this as a good base line.
-Don't be intimidated. Everyone is slow in the begining.
-Ask for advice from experienced drivers.
-If you are confused on the course... take an instructor.
-Have fun

Hopefully that will be enough to help you form more questions!

 

http://www.scca.org
Follow the links to Solo II (SCCA lingo for autocross - Solo I is time trials and hill climbs). And find the local region. Contact local region for schedule, etc.

Basically, find an event and register and have fun. Not much is requried (driver lic, car, helmet). Car must be well maintained and have normal street safety gear (battery not loose, all lug nuts in place, no leaks, etc). Helmet must be M90 or SA90 or newer.

As for what to expect...
Most events have multiple heats. Sometimes the heats are setup according to car classification, other times you register for whatever heat you want - you'll have to find an event and see which it is.

Show up 1+ hour before event (unless they tell you earlier). You will need to sign-in and put car through tech (where somebody checks for basic stuff). Walk the course when nobody is running - you are not allowed to pre-drive or bike, you must walk it to learn it. Most events are volunteer staffed - and they almost all have a work-to-run rule - where you work the course for a heat or two (if you skip the work, they give you a DNS in the results). When you sign in, ask if there is a rookie liason that can show you around. Or ask for experienced drivers to ride shotgun and give you tips.

 

Also read my help page in my sig.

 

i read the Solo II Novice Handbook that I found linked to the SCCA.org website

http://www.mainstreet-data.com...k.htm


it was really insightful..helped me understnad the sport a lot more.


i read this somewhere:

"Your first run you just need to worry about not getting lost on the course."

lol...

 

http://www.vmsc.org/fun/May12_with_sound.html

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">getting tired of drag want to start auto-x</TD></TR></TABLE>

You can wear womens clothing while autocrossing. Just maybe not the heels... I'd at least get some performance street tires if you only have all season type tires. Nothing else though really. Might want to un-do some of those drag mods if they bump you up in class also. But thats up to you.

 

I like to drag my car 3-4 times a year, round these parts we get at LEAST 15 runs in.

But its overall boring compared to autox. What makes autox so great is the people involved. Everyone wants to help and make everyones experience fun.

Drag racing typically is cutt-throat.

 

Watkinssm3 has some great points above. I just started and thats what its like. I would say a big thing is looking ahead at your pointer cones, and attempting to relax. Things get really overwhelming at first when your doing a few things at once.... but you get used to handling them. I almost failed tech the last 2 weekends from a loose battery, so also make sure your car is in good shape too.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Sean EH2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i read this somewhere:

"Your first run you just need to worry about not getting lost on the course."

lol...</TD></TR></TABLE>
LOL!! How true!!!! I tried autocross for the first time last Sunday. Out of the four runs, I went off course on my first and fourth runs.... and I did walk the course four times in the morning.

Next time, I need to bring a cooler with me. There was no food or drink available, so although I had some bottled water with me, by afternoon I had a headache and was spaced from not eating all day.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CivicSiRacer &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also read my help page in my sig.</TD></TR></TABLE> http://home.dejazzd.com/mlouie/autocross.html

Also try this:
http://www.autox4u.com/novice.htm

Also here's a check list I've been using:
http://www.nerdsracing.com/Xlist.htm

And perhaps a few 1st person perspectives would help:
http://www.nerdsracing.com/nerdnotes1.htm

Most important, have fun. If you're not enjoying yourself, find someone who looks like they know what's going on and tell them. Ask them for help. Once you're there, the best way to learn is to ride along with an instructor.

 

Read CivicSiRacer's page for sure...funny I kind of want to start drag racing.

 

Some more info... http://www.soloracer.com/articles.html

 

I satrted out wanting to do autocross but now I feel that I have modified my car too much is there any limit to the extent of modifications that can be done to your car. I still want to autocross but now my car just feels like a drag car.