"BJ" (benjamin-bignell)
11/24/2014 at 09:43 • Filed to: Autox, ttac, i spend my afternoons picking up cones
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"BJ" (benjamin-bignell)
11/24/2014 at 09:43 • Filed to: Autox, ttac, i spend my afternoons picking up cones | 1
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Over a TTAC, a piece about how !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I have no opinion on the matter , I simply wanted to share it here with you.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
thedevilinside
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 09:50 |
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No one I know that autocrosses calls it racing, so I never thought about this before. Also the author should have stuck to local autocrosses if he didn't have fun. Why drive so far to do the same thing you can locally?
SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 09:52 |
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I'm inclined to agree just because it's not wheel to wheel, but then that would mean that rally isn't racing either. I don't know. I autocross plenty, but never call it racing.
William Byrd
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 09:54 |
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race
1
/rs/
verb
gerund or present participle:
racing
compete with another or others to see who is fastest at covering a set course or achieving an objective.
It's funny, all I had to do was skim quickly to find the point where the author "transitioned" to some sore of wheel-to-wheel racing. I've read this same article quite a few times over the years, always written by someone who started autocrossing and then moved on to some other form of racing.
You are in a car driving against the clock, you are racing other drivers. Is it as hard as wheel-to-wheel racing, of course not. I autocrossed for years, and I've spent some time on an open track as well. He's right, autocrossing is absent the "fear" that you may be injured or wreck your car (and insurance won't cover it). So it's a level or two below wheel-to-wheel in that sense, so I agree with that point.
But it's pretty elitist click bait to say it's not racing.
Jayhawk Jake
> thedevilinside
11/24/2014 at 09:54 |
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I call it racing to people that don't know what it is because I don't know what else to call it.
That being said, it's totally racing. I haven't read the article yet but it's a competition to see who can drive their car the fastest: that's like the definition of racing
Milky
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 09:58 |
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If its not on the streets, it isn't racing. /ShotsFired
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SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> thedevilinside
11/24/2014 at 09:58 |
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Yeah, nationals sucks unless you're super competitive. There are just too many people there to get enough seat time.
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Jayhawk Jake
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 10:00 |
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Eh, weak argument at best. It sort of sounds like s bitter rant from someone who got beat at autox and had to pretend that the only real competition is on a track so they'd feel better about losing.
It's the same sort of argument I hear all the time about bowling when I double someone's score: 'Bowling isn't a real sport anyways' they'll exclaim, as if it negates the fact that I'm better at it than they are.
Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
> Milky
11/24/2014 at 10:00 |
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Tripped on an Orange
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 10:04 |
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Read article. I never called autocross racing either. When people asked what it was, I basically said it was a slalom course setup in large parking lot that was timed, or similar analogies likes downhill skiing.
I enjoyed it when I did it, but than I lived in Tucson, AZ at the time. Could autocross all year round, and there where three regions to autocross in: Tucson, Phoenix, and Sierra Vista. Their events where all on separate weekends also.
I was pretty casual about it though, as it was more a weekend activity to do, among other activities.
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Milky
> Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
11/24/2014 at 10:05 |
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thedevilinside
> Jayhawk Jake
11/24/2014 at 10:06 |
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Good point on people who don't know what it is. I'd call it racing if I had to choose racing or not racing, but usually I'm more specific on my racing plans than just "racing"
BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 10:12 |
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Not sure why but that article put my hackles up.
jariten1781
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 10:19 |
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I don't really get the point of the article.
If you're talking to people that are into automotive competitions you'll just call it autocross.
If you're talking to people who might be interested in doing it but aren't familiar with it you'll call it autocross and explain exactly what it is.
If you're talking to someone who couldn't care less about it and is just curious why you're going out at 6 am on a Sunday morning you'll call it 'racing.' You know if you start to explain it their eyes will glaze over as you go into details and they'll just end up interrupting you saying 'so it's racing?' after becoming sufficiently bored.
The Transporter
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 10:24 |
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He should sue Red Bull for false advertisement then because this is clearly not racing by his definition:
NervesOfThrill
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 10:30 |
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I mostly agree. It is technically racing, but only in the thinnest guise. It feels more like timed training really. I do it because there are no good roads to drive and track days are expensive and spaced apart. It is enjoyable, but the courses are too short and compressed to ever really fell like you are racing. My perspective may be skewed because I did a DE and AutoX 7 days apart, but that is my thoughts having down one of each.
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BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
> William Byrd
11/24/2014 at 10:31 |
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There you go, I wondered why reading that put my hackles up. He just comes across as an elitist dickbag. Before when he was talking about going autocrossing to people who didn't (it sounds like one of the main reasons he did was so he could say he was going racing, rather than enjoyment of the competition), and then after when he was looking down on autocross from the highest of heights of American Endurance Racing (which is pretty damn cool actually, and fairly close to what I think the ideal amateur racing series is).
Still not licence to be elitist.
Alfalfa
> William Byrd
11/24/2014 at 10:34 |
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Came here to say this. Racing is racing. A jaded, elitest view of autocross does not change that it is, in fact, a race. With the same argument, running events are not races, either.
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Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 10:38 |
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It's definitely racing. He should have called his article "Autocrossing isn't fun."
Which is not to say I've tried it. I've always liked the idea of autocross, but I've been turned off by the lack of seat time. I'd much rather get into one of these low cost endurance series.
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William Byrd
> BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
11/24/2014 at 10:39 |
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Definitely, I think it's great that he's driving in a series like that. It should be what people who race long to do one day. However, it's unrealistic to day that just because you don't race wheel-to-wheel you're not really racing. Elitist was the best adjective I could come up with, I think it's pretty accurate.
I tell people I'm going racing when I go autocross, mostly because the average person doesn't know what autocross is.
Trunk Impaired 318
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 10:39 |
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Something about walls and crashing
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Kanaric
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 12:05 |
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the truth about cars is one of the most idiotic car sites out there so this comes to no surprise
Bullitt417
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 12:07 |
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Thanks for posting this. As someone who has recently gotten into autoX, I thought it was an interesting read. I understand what the author is staying; in fact i'm not even sure I disagree. But at the end of the day, I think it just comes down to the NASCAR vs F1 debate; while they require similar skill sets, it takes a different set of skills to really excel at each one.
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BJ
> Kanaric
11/24/2014 at 12:51 |
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King Ginger, not writing for Business Insider
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 14:03 |
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Trolling auto-crossers to drive page views...at least Schmitt used to just flat out be an asshole to commentators. Apparently they are trying to elevate their general shit talking from "mean words" to "not understanding words".
davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 14:37 |
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If autox isn't racing, then neither is rally.
Also, not all racing involves danger and high speeds.
DocWalt
> BJ
11/24/2014 at 16:49 |
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What an assclown. I love the idea of AER, and it's awfully tempting to compete in a couple of races just to beat this clown then go back to autocross and HPDEs where there's a lot lower risk.