Since Oppo's slow on the weekends

"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
10/01/2017 at 11:20 • Filed to: None

Here’s the story about why I’ve never competed in autocross.

So the first time I went wasn’t anything very interesting. Showed up early and when going through tech failed me for not having a battery tie down. Have plenty of time people the event starts so I go to a few parts stores nearby, but none of them have a tie down small enough for the tiny battery in my Civic. It’s still early in the day so I decide to leave and enjoy my day as I normally would.

Second time, I come back with a tie down. Pass tech and since it’s my first time decide to work first so I can watch everyone else do the course first.

It had been raining earlier that day (it was the PNW) so the course was damp. The event was held at an old airstrip and there was kind of a side area that had much worse pavement than the rest of the course. Anyway the course started with a slalom and then opened up, before a big wide turn going to the rougher pavement where the course tightened up considerably.

Anyway. Someone in a SN95 Cobra was coming in off the big turn onto the rough section, spun out on the first or second sharp turn and went into a ditch and flipped over once or twice, the car landing on it’s roof.

He was alright, outta the car before the first corner worker got to it. But then they shut the event down since they deemed the corner and conditions too unsafe.

After that I was either to busy to make it out there or if I had the time I figured a meteor would hit or zombies would come outta the woods before I’d get to run lol.

Also a funny bit. There was another guy there in a yellow Genesis that spun out halfway through the course and then held everything up for 5 minutes looking for his phone, while stopped on the course. Then on his second run he spun out and went off and smacked against a tree caving in his passenger side door.

He got banned after that.

DISCUSSION (11)

bhtooefr > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time
10/01/2017 at 11:37

I feel like the course designs are incredibly bad if the runoff areas end up being ditches and trees. I wouldn’t want to run in that club if that’s what keeps happening.

(Worst course design I’ve seen personally, far as autocross safety goes, was a design with a long straight right after the start, and a curb not incredibly far from the end of that straight. And I actually missed the braking point on one run, and came a couple feet from the curb, and I had the slowest-accelerating car there. I was hitting 70 at the end of the straight on 3.5 cylinders in a 1.6 liter NA Miata, there were a bunch of NBs and NCs, there was even a Corvette ZR1, and the insurance for the event only covered 70 mph top speeds... yeah, that wasn’t right.)

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > bhtooefr
10/01/2017 at 13:55

Yeah, that sounds pretty sketchy. Our worse course hazard was the Port o John after the finish. One car actually came in too hot and wiped out the last row of cones before the timing lights and spun to within 10-15' of the port o potty. It was occupied at the time and the person inside was a little shaken up after hearing the screeching tires and all that.

But yeah, no ditches or curbs on the outsides of corners, definitely plenty of runoff room.

just-a-scratch > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time
10/01/2017 at 19:48

I’ll assume you are talking about Bremerton. I only drive there once. The course layout wasn’t bad. They put enough chicane in to keep speeds under 60 for me and under 80 for probably everyone. Some spots are close to the trees though.

BTW That Mustang could use some chassis stiffening.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time
10/01/2017 at 19:49

well that and autocross is pretty lame anyway.

“hey lets go to a parking lot and set up lots of cones and never get out of 2nd gear”

nope ill go drive some fun roads and have real fun

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > just-a-scratch
10/01/2017 at 21:09

Yep! It was Bremerton.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > just-a-scratch
10/02/2017 at 10:38

The life of Fox Body right there.

That’s why I have a strut tower/firewall brace and sub frame connectors. Might even do a rear brace too.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time
10/02/2017 at 10:38

That’s insane. I’ve never even seen those issues at RallyX. I’ve seen a few slide off into the bushes but that’s about it.

And someone get him a strut tower brace ASAP.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time
10/02/2017 at 14:48

All depends on course design. If designed well and you get enough runs and the weather is not too hot or too cold, then it really cant be beat (legally). Sure I can go find some mountains a few hours away and hope the pavement is okay and that I dont get pulled over and that no idiot runs me off the road (again). I would agree that real track days are better (and cheaper from a dollar per seat hour perspective) but just paying $50 for the day is cheaper in the short term. I would be singing a different tune though if I lived in Western NC lol.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time
10/02/2017 at 14:51

Sounds like some baaaaaaad experiences there, I would 100% agree and hate it to if I had those problems! The biggest issue I have ever faced is timing issues or just too many people showing up leading to only getting like 4 runs for the day. I have started to get sick of getting so few runs so I tend to avoid some regions for that reason. I am also trying to prep my car for track days so that I can get some more seat time in. That seems like the natural progression from autox.

Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 > DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time
10/03/2017 at 14:27

I’m the chair for the DC-region BMW CCA autox (wipdy do!) and safety is the #1 concern. We don’t run certain places where others run because of hazards. When we run lots with light poles, we make it pretty damn hard to come anywhere close to them. I think you found a bad organization. There are better run events out there.

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2
10/03/2017 at 14:50

From what I heard after that event they stopped using that area, but yeah. It was a pretty bad decision to use it from the get-go.