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I do love to go autocrossing but the time invested vs. seat time is such a drag sometimes that I don't make it out more than a few times a year. Best one I went to, though, was a PCA auto-x early last year where there was supposed to be a massive rainstorm that never came. We only had about 10 cars that we split in two groups, and I think everyone got 12 runs in only four or five hours. It was a good course, too, nice and tight but over 50 seconds long, with only 8' spacing on the cones (pretty exciting, as you've really got to be precise). Every time out I shaved a bit of time off so it felt really productive, everyone had a good time. Then another time with NORA the course was just so damned wide open that it had no flow to it. Most people posted their fastest time the first or second run then got progressively slower, it was super frustrating. Plus, there were a ton of drivers there and it was 95 degrees and blisteringly sunny so I ended up spending 10 hours out in the sun getting horrible burns on my legs. loving sucked. Though I will say that it was pretty great that some guy left his lovely old 80s Chevy out in the middle of the parking lot, so the course was laid out around it, he showed up halfway through the day, confused as gently caress. As for safety incidents, only one I've ever seen was where a Corvette flew off the track into a lightpost down in Atlanta maybe six years ago, totaled the car. Not sure what caused it, but it may have been Georgia Tech's formula SAE car leaking oil on the track, as that was a problem later in the day. Every other time I've been on a very open lot with tons of space between workers and the track, I can't imagine people getting hurt at those events so it makes me think injuries you guys have been talking about have been where corner stations were far too close to the track.
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Mar 14, 2011 13:20
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Ziploc posted:As far as I've learned, AutoX and Track setups are pretty different. That seems peculiar, why would autox drivers disconnect the rear sways? In every car I've autocrossed, understeer has always been the problem, never oversteer.
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Mar 14, 2011 20:48
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c355n4 posted:Yea, its really dumb. I can't find the link offhand; but, I've seen people with convertibles turned away at the events. Aren't closed face helmets a bad thing with airbags? It's just absolutely bizarre that they'd pursue convertibles at events, how could public legislators convince themselves they know race safety better than the SCCA?
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Mar 21, 2011 16:41
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kimbo305 posted:Good question.  I somehow managed to write my original question with political blinders on, now I just feel stupid. Anyway, isn't it the SCCA rule that any car that came stock as a convertible is okay?
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Mar 21, 2011 18:14
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IOwnCalculus posted:To be fair, there's one really easy way to take all of that insanity out of it - just drive to have fun. I was hilariously not competitive on Sunday but I had a loving riot doing it. I don't care what class I end up in, I don't care what position I end up in (as long as it's not "in the wall" or "on my roof"), as long as I had fun and my last run was faster than my first, I'm happy. The last event I went to last year everyone I knew there ended up slower at the end than the start. It was a really awkward course layout and the heat was brutal. Days like that are just frustrating and you end up wondering why you spent $50 to spend 10 hours standing in the boiling sun just to do badly. At least I was #1 in AS that day (I was the only one in AS that day, shh).
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Apr 21, 2011 20:35
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IOwnCalculus posted:Dave Inc - when you start out as slow as I do, unless conditions become undrivable, my last run will be faster than my first. The hardest thing with autocross for me is having so little time to learn the layout. I'd love to get some proper track time in but given the risk for cracking up my daily driver, that will wait until I have the money and space for a track toy. I usually do the same, I did a slow/learning run, did a fast run and basically peaked. I may have had one faster time than my second run but I don't think so. The main thing about that course layout was that it was just awkward, didn't feel like there was room for any improvement. Most of the time I can finish a lap and go "Okay, I did something wrong there and there, I can improve that next time." that track my friends and I scratched our heads and gave up. Thinking back on it, it felt like you had to sacrifice speed in every single turn to set up for the next one until the proper line for the last turn traced all the way back to the first. Very unintuitive and very frustrating.
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Apr 21, 2011 21:15
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Ziploc posted:There are so many cameras around each event that I've suggested the series motto be, "If you gently caress up, it's probably on camera." Oh those poor course workers, just a cone massacre. I really like this slow-mo video though, do you have any more? It's really neat to see the suspension working its rear end off in this, and to me it looks like the rear sways are waaaaaay too strong. Even when the wheel's off the ground there's barely any suspension travel and then it bounces up and down like crazy.
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Jun 17, 2011 22:35
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