"burglar can't heart click anything" (burglar)
06/16/2015 at 15:17 • Filed to: None
6
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"burglar can't heart click anything" (burglar)
06/16/2015 at 15:17 • Filed to: None | 6
| 13 |
If you’ve read enough Jalopnik or are a gearhead in general, you probably already know about autocross. If for some reason you’ve been living under a rock, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of my 3 part primer.
Once you’ve smashed a few cones and maybe even beat a few people at your local events, then what? Well, why not try some SCCA National events?
Disclosure: I did SCCA autocross for 15 years before doing my first national event a few years ago, and have no idea why I waited so long. It’s amazing, even for an average driver like myself. This article is intended to keep you from making the same mistake.
SCCA National currently offers three types of events:
Match Tour. This is supposed to be the easiest to access. Saturday morning is a three run session just like any normal event. Then you do it all over again Saturday afternoon. Best run from each session is added for class winners. Sunday morning is another three run session, and the top 16 from each heat go to bracketed single elimination shootouts for the champions. All on the same course. These are new, and tons of fun.
Champ Tour. This is similar format to the grand gaddy event of them all, SCCA National Championships. Three runs on one course one day, three runs on another course the next. Best run of each are added together for your total time.
Pro Solo. This is the focus of this article.
Pro Solo, in few words, is a combo of drag racing and autocross.
Instead of one course, there’s two. And they are side by side mirrors of each other. And instead of a starter who says “go when you’re ready,” there’s a full drag racing tree. That’s right, you line up next to an opponent, watch the tree drop, and drag race the first hundred feet or so until the courses diverge. Reaction time counts.
And if that’s not enough, when you come off one course you immediately switch to the other side and run again. Then do THAT two more times for two runs on each course. But wait, there’s more. That’s just Saturday morning. You repeat the whole 4 run process two more times over the weekend. And if you’re fast enough, the top people get to head to bracketed shootouts on Sunday afternoon on top of all that. So if regular autocross is a shot of espresso, a Pro is a double shot of bourbon with a line of coke on the side. And about as addictive.
Despite the name, Pro Solo does not imply “professional.” Any SCCA member can enter. A friend entered one as his third autocross ever and had a blast.
Yours truly at a Pro Solo last year:
Whether you have been beating up on n00bs locally for years, or just curious to see what the top drivers in the country drive like, I can’t recommend enough trying out a national event.
My full writeup after my first Pro Solo is !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
Information on SCCA National Events can be found !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
BeaterGT
> burglar can't heart click anything
06/16/2015 at 15:28 |
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Would a Legacy GT make a suitable autocross car? I really need to start racing.
daender
> BeaterGT
06/16/2015 at 15:37 |
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Yes, as an autocrosser, we LOVE seeing vehicles not commonly associated with performance show up at events. It means you want to learn vehicle control of a daily driver, which makes you a safer drive on the roads we all share!
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daender
> burglar can't heart click anything
06/16/2015 at 15:40 |
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I’ve been doing Solo semi-monthly for the past 2 years now but never anything beyond local SCCA events. I’ve never heard or seen Solo done with a light tree before! It’s very neat to learn about new stuff like this!
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burglar can't heart click anything
> daender
06/16/2015 at 15:48 |
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Honestly, ANY national event will really raise the bar if you’ve only done local events - but a pro is just insanity. I highly recommend you try one if at all possible.
Also some local regions will put twists on events. Some do team events, some do night events, some do “drag cross” (single course with a tree), if there’s two neighboring regions sometimes they will host region battles, I’ve even heard of an “Axis vs. Allies” event where they do American & English cars vs. Japanese & German ones.
SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
> burglar can't heart click anything
06/16/2015 at 16:24 |
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Are you still slow?
Do you still spin at every corner where I’m standing?
What about Dickbutt?
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SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
> daender
06/16/2015 at 16:25 |
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Try your hand at a National Event, it’ll give you a big sobering dose of reality against great competition and encourage you to try harder and smarter.
It’s great fun. I’ve done a few with OP and it’s especially fun to compete against good friends to bust their balls
RightFootDown
> burglar can't heart click anything
06/16/2015 at 16:57 |
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I don’t always watch autocross videos, but when I do I make sure they’re Pro Solo. That looks like a mammoth blast!
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burglar can't heart click anything
> SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
06/16/2015 at 19:01 |
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#ohsnap
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SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
> burglar can't heart click anything
06/16/2015 at 19:49 |
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Goddamn right!
Any special beerquests for next weekend?
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burglar can't heart click anything
> SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
06/16/2015 at 20:59 |
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Wow, that came up quick. No requests since I’m commuting.
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burglar can't heart click anything
> BeaterGT
06/16/2015 at 21:01 |
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Of course! Bring it on out. You’ll have a blast.
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SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
> burglar can't heart click anything
06/16/2015 at 22:32 |
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of course!
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burglar can't heart click anything
> RightFootDown
06/19/2015 at 20:46 |
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That’s what I’m trying to tell ya!
;)