"sony1492" (sony1492)
08/12/2019 at 09:56 • Filed to: None
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"sony1492" (sony1492)
08/12/2019 at 09:56 • Filed to: None | 7
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It was over the course of Saturday and Sunday, the layout was 0 .7 miles long and naturally very technical.
Mostly thanks to the minis carbon fiber hood it got c lassed as a street modified, which is a class that it’s not competitive in being almost completely stock minus the downpipe and intake. SM is a class that allows engine swaps, forced induction, aero, and all the suspension can be modified.
Every car that wasnt on a slick was on Bridgestone Re71r’s
There were about 30 cars the first day with everyone getting 6 runs total.
The first run was finding the track so it was off pace, then throughout the day my runs bottomed out at 1.11, the fastest overall car that day was .58 and everything else in my class was closer to 1.05.
The people were fantastic, Spent alot of time listening to an experienced driver talk about the importance of weight transfer and where to position the cones as you pass.
By the end of the second day with a slightly slower course I was 0 .09 seconds off of the driver who’d been giving me advice in his e92 m3 on re71r’s. Still at the back of the pack time wise but I’d almost beaten someone, and was only 3 seconds away from the rx7s leading the SM class.
A couple people were encouraging me to go checkout autox in Medford so next sunday I’ll be headed up to Oregon for more. Hopefully this immense sunburn will have died down a bit by then.
MiniGTI - now with XJ6
> sony1492
08/12/2019 at 10:22 |
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Excellent- I’ve dreamed of running autoX for years. My wife wants to do it too. Seems like your Clubman did pretty well for being only lightly modified. As you may recall we have a nice completely stock manual MCS so I have to think it would do OK in the stock classes, though of course I wouldn’t care about ranking at all
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sony1492
> MiniGTI - now with XJ6
08/12/2019 at 11:03 |
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It’s fun regardless of how fast you end up being because you can see your times move depending on what you decide to do different(chicane in 2nd instead of 1st, dont brake for that cone, tire pressures, etc).
The chassis was good for learning too, the longer wheelbase gives you more time as it rotates, with good enough handling to build confidence
Get out there and give it a try if you’ve got the time.
Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
> sony1492
08/12/2019 at 11:30 |
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Ahh I see you have made the mistake of forgetting sunblock then lol.
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> sony1492
08/12/2019 at 11:37 |
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SM is a tough class. I used to run my Dakota in SM due to suspension changes and headers. But it was always fun. If you can get to a Solo school, those are awesome. Lots of seat time, and some of the classes have instructors drive you around in your own car. I was amazed how much more I could push my S4 back when I did my last Auto X. Highly recommend. I think the one I did was track time driving. But that was 3 or so years ago.
Nice thing about being non competitive in your class is you don’t have to care what the other drivers do, just aim to improve every run.
Did you find yourself being let out on the course? Meaning just seeing the corner you were on, not the upcoming one? I know I struggled with that for a while. Once I finally got to see out two and three turns ahead, it was amazing how it all clicked. The course seemed to slow down at that point. Not as hectic. Congrats, it’s a blast.
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sony1492
> Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
08/12/2019 at 12:43 |
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I put some on but were a situated at the ocean with no shade, the importance of a ridiculously large farming hat now makes se ns e.
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sony1492
> merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc
08/12/2019 at 13:12 |
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The first day was a problem of not seeing ahead so at some points I’d try to cut left when the next cone said go right. Went through 3 course walks so never missed any cones but there were plenty of times where I almost did. Also I’d been overdriving a bit, getting on the power too early into a corner and plowing a little wider then necessary leading to a bad setup for the next cone.
The second day after watching the second run group it started to all click by planning the route in my head for braking zones, where to slow down, where to push, what gear it use. Ended up dropping 3 seconds from runs 3-6.
T he upcoming autoX is on a go cart track rather an abandoned air strip and it appears to have room for more seat time(practice and fun runs are mentioned) I’ve thought about hpde’s for seat time in the past but its seemed financially daunting.
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> sony1492
08/12/2019 at 13:22 |
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Yeah, I’ve really wanted to do some HDPEs but they aren’t without risk to the point AutoX is, and require a bit more setup and mechanical prep of my daily driver. AutoX is a nice trade off and I wouldn’t feel too bad running my daily driver. My issue now is not having the time to get out and do it. Tough to give up a day or two to go play, when the little ones are at home with momma. Soon enough, my boys will be old enough to come play too, so it won’t be so bad. Just biding my time for now.
Once you get ability to always be a couple turns ahead, it’s amazing how much more you can concentrate on what you’re doing and knowing what is coming up. Seat time is the best. I’ve also seen many an avid AutoXer get the racetrack bug and pretty much never come back to AutoX. They compare the two types of driving as being very different. HDPEs are more of a laid back approach vs the constant change of direction and constant inputs needed for AutoX. But the key is you’re having a good time, that’s the best part. Just be careful in construction zones... not all cones are setup as a slalom... ;)