Coney boi

"Tristan" (casselts) 03/13/2019 at 13:40 • Filed to: None

2

52

I registered for autocross on the 24th at Portland International Raceway. First time ever. What do I need to know?

ttyymmnn > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 13:45

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You need to know that  Portland is in Oregon.

MarquetteLa > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 13:48

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What are you driving?

WRXforScience > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 13:48

5

Get there early to walk the course and find people to ride with and to ride with you. Clear everything out of your car that isn’t bolted down, figure out your numbers, and check your fluids (especially oil, cars that don’t normally burn oil often do at an autox/track). Street tires will need a little extra pressure to keep from rolling over (3-5psi over normal, but don’t go above 40psi).

Look ahead, the farth er ahead you look the faster you’ll go. You will be slow, don’t worry about it and focus on getting faster each lap. Don’t get discouraged and have fun.

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 03/13/2019 at 13:49

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And Maine, New South Wales, and New Zealand.  Might want to get some clarification, or you’ll be disappointed if you show up at the wrong Portland.

Cash Rewards > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 13:51

3

Autocross is safe, but accidents can and do happen. They almost always happen (in my experience) because someone tried to be a hero and save a run rather than just bringing the car to a stop. So, just don’t be stupid and enjoy!

Talk to the novice coordinator, they should be helpful.

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 03/13/2019 at 13:54

3

Well, he did say PIR.

I attended James Madison University for my undergrad, which is in Harrisonburg, VA. The USAF jazz band Airmen of Note, which is based in DC, was scheduled to come for a performance . One of the trumpet players thought they said “Harrisburg” and drove to PA. He got there, didn’t see anybody else, realized his mistake, then hightailed it back to VA. He did manage to make the gig. He must have driven like a bat out of hell.

shop-teacher > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 13:55

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Can’t wait to see pics of the Suburban hustling around the cones ;)

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 03/13/2019 at 13:57

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How do you know there isn’t a PIR in those other cities, huh???

I think there have been a number of people that have boarded flights to the wrong Portland, which must really suuuuuuck.  I know United serves both non-stop out of O’Hare, or at least they used to.  Pretty sure I’ve seen a story or two about that happening back in the old days before they scanned bar codes at boarding.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 13:59

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You can take the back straight chicane at about 140 mph in an Indy car constructed for road courses circa 1993 . Alex Zanardi was an absolute beast around PIR.

Tristan > ttyymmnn 03/13/2019 at 14:01

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It could’ve been named Boston, Oregon but Francis Pettygrove won the coin toss.

Tristan > WRXforScience 03/13/2019 at 14:01

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Good stuff, thank you!

Tristan > Cash Rewards 03/13/2019 at 14:03

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I fully expect to be slow and get lost amid the cones Steve Dulcich style. The novice coordinator sounds like someone I need to meet.

Tristan > MarquetteLa 03/13/2019 at 14:04

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GEE EL EYE!

Tristan > shop-teacher 03/13/2019 at 14:04

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That would really piss off the already leaky steering gearbox!

Tristan > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 03/13/2019 at 14:06

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Yes, but what about in a 10 year old Mexican-German warmed-over economy car?

shop-teacher > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 14:09

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Yeah it would!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 14:10

1

In a FWD car, the rear tire pressures can have a huge effect on under/oversteer. Increase air pressure to reduce grip in the rear for oversteer. Decrease air pressure to increase grip and help it be more predictable with some understeer. Front tire pressures should be high enough that you’re not folding over the tire in hard turns. Keep the wear to the tread, not the shoulders of the tire.

Focus your first run or two on learning the course. If your fastest run of the day is your first, you’re driving too hard and not learning the course. Aim for a small section at a time like “Next run, I really want to nail this slalom into a hard right!” you’ll chunk off time every run and drop a half second or more run over run and improve quickly.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 14:11

2

Wear a hat, bring s unscreen, ask to ride with someone who is fast .

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 14:12

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De-rate speeds by equivalent engine HP, so about 14 MPH .

Tristan > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 03/13/2019 at 14:13

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Good stuff. So far I’ve had the back step out ever-so- slightly on a decreasing radius offramp I take every day, but I’ve yet to make it understeer in my limited tomfoolery , so I may start out with a little lower pressure in the rear.

Tristan > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 03/13/2019 at 14:15

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WOOOOOOOO!!!

66P1800inpieces > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 14:29

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Bring a decent tire pressure gauge,  the old fashioned stick pen/stick like ones are not accurate enough.    Temps can change a couple of pounds after your first run so check often.   Really follow the instructions for safety inspection and remove any loose items. Make sure your battery strap is tight. 

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 14:33

1

I’d argue a slight bit of oversteer is probably going to help more, but that’s for my cars and style. Don’t be afraid to switch things up as the day goes on. The surface might also come into play. Smooth asphalt is smooth, but sometimes they can be slick rather than grippy.

TysMagic > WRXforScience 03/13/2019 at 14:36

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this one! Everything he (she/it/or whatever) said. Getting to my first few autox’s quite early let me connect with the people who were putting the event on and figure out some good ride alongs. I even had one guy take me through the course super slow and point out what to look for and how to look while wearing the helmet. It was extremely helpful.

Only additional piece, don’t skip the novice walk through! 

Future Heap Owner > ttyymmnn 03/13/2019 at 14:43

1

Neat , my little brother went to JMU for undergrad as well.

Very impressive driving by the trumpeter. Even if he arrived  in Harrisburg an  hour early, that is not a short drive by any measure.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 03/13/2019 at 14:53

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At the same time some people who are fast could be highly competitive, so they might decline a passenger. 

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 14:58

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Walk the course lots, then sit in your car with your eyes closed "driving" the course. Some places might have instructors already there for free use, use them. DO YOUR MARSHALLING, DON'T SKIP IT. Ask to ride along with more experienced/faster drivers. Some might decline it since they might be highly competitive, so don't take offence to then saying no. 

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 03/13/2019 at 15:03

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I’ve rarely seen this happen in my time auto crossing.  Maybe on their last run of the day, but not in most situations. Most just want to get other people excited/involved.

WRXforScience > TysMagic 03/13/2019 at 15:05

1

I’m the novice co-chief for the Texas Region SCCA, most organizations have someone in charge of novices (either officially or informally) and they’ll help you out a ton. You might also want to find out what the situation is for lunch (sometimes there’s a break, sometimes there isn’t and you usually have to bring your own water).

A good attitude goes a long ways, make sure you’re having fun.

I’m a guy and my pronouns are he/his. 

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 03/13/2019 at 15:11

0

I’ve seen it happen a few times. I think it was a Lot us Exige on its final run. In a car that light a 2nd person could make little difference. 

t0ast > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 15:11

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Bring a hat, sunscreen, rain gear (if needed), tire pressure gauge, and some chalk or white shoe polish. Unless you already have some high-performance summer tires, air them up to 35-40 PSI before you arrive. Before you drive, generously mark the outside shoulders+sidewalls of each tire with the chalk/polish in 3-4 spots to track how much the tire is rolling over while cornering. Add pressure if the markings on the sidewall start to disappear, remove pressure if the markings on the tread don’t, and note your pressures at the end of the day for later reference. Don’t worry about fine-tuning your pressures beyond that until a later event.

Show up early and talk with people. There is an amusing amount truth in the saying that experience and hat size are directly related. Most people are eager to help novices, and if you find one that isn’t, just keep trying because there will be plenty out there, or even a dedicated novice chairperson. Do as many course walks as you can reasonably fit in and join others to talk through the course if possible. One helpful trick for memorization is to break the course down into 7-10 pieces and give them short names (“slalom”, “box”, “tight right”, “gates”, “cheetos” ... anything, really) that you can recite mentally or verbally before or during your runs to quickly recall the order of things. Pay attention at the driver’s meeting, stick to the rules they lay out, and don’t be afraid to ask questions if you don’t know something by the end.

When it’s your turn to drive, remember that time doesn’t start until you cross the timing lights (usually a little past where you’re staged to start). When you get the green flag, take a quick breath *then* go. After that, it’s just look ahead, look ahead, look ahead, and look ahead. Everything will follow your eyes. If possible, ask to ride with more experienced drivers or to have them ride with you.

The rest is just staying safe (mostly just paying attention while driving and working + keeping your ego in check out on course ), having fun, and the never-ending fight to improve your driving skills.

Tristan > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 03/13/2019 at 15:12

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What’s marshalling?

Tristan > t0ast 03/13/2019 at 15:18

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Mmmmm... Cheetos.

The chalk/shoe polish bit is great- I’ll have to borrow some of my daughter’s sidewalk chalk. I’ll be on performance all seasons without much sidewall, so I don’t expect much flex, but it would be good to have a reference.

I’m hoping to find some friendly folks willing to give pointers.

I feel silly asking, but will I need a helmet? I have one, but it’s about 10 years old and should probably be retired.

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 15:19

1

It’s flagging/watching cars. You normally given walkie talkie to radio in to the person in the timing tent if a car: hit a cone, and/or went off course. Also picking out knocked over cones. Then you have a few flags. Normally red & yellow. Red is from the car to stop, could be for a mechanical issue in regards to its safety. Yellow as a caution. You usually do your marshalling after your run, lasts about 20 minutes. There are 2-3 people per station so they can show you how to do it. 

t0ast > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 15:25

1

You’ll almost certainly need a helmet that meets a certain level of certification, like these for SCCA events:

https://dk1xgl0d43mu1.cloudfront.net/user_files/tracknight/site_assets/000/027/620/original.pdf?1518455112

If yours doesn’t match one of those (note: only the official sticker/patch counts and it’s usually hiding behind padding on the inside), most regions have loaner helmets available, but I’d double check with the organizers or their website before assuming.

Eberle-Hills-Cop > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 03/13/2019 at 15:26

0

20 minutes? Where is this magical place you compete?

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Eberle-Hills-Cop 03/13/2019 at 15:31

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A place where people show up for marshalling. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 15:40

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Sooooo.... The stude? 

ttyymmnn > Future Heap Owner 03/13/2019 at 15:51

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I’m guessing he was a little later than Class of 89.....

Future Heap Owner > ttyymmnn 03/13/2019 at 15:53

1

A few years later, yeah 

ateamfan42 > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 03/13/2019 at 15:58

1

I’ve seen it happen a few times. I think it was a Lotus Exige on its final run.

Generally only for the last few runs of the day.  In the morning when everyone is still figuring out the course, almost everyone is willing to give rides.

Eberle-Hills-Cop > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 03/13/2019 at 16:07

0

I’m genuinely curious how your club runs actually. Do you take a run then to pop out to a worker location for 20 minutes then back for a run? (for context we operate with 2 run groups of even-ish numbers of drivers. group 1 runs for 1-2 hours then we switch.)

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > Eberle-Hills-Cop 03/13/2019 at 16:16

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At the start of the day cars numbers 140 & above marshall right away. 140 & below get in line/wait. As soon as you finish your run (if your are below 140) you report to the timing tent for marshaling & they give you a station. You go the station where 2-3 people are, & you take over for someone already there. The people who are there the longest leave 1st as soon as a replacement shows up. Depending how many show up it’s sometimes 30 minutes. It’s a good system.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > ateamfan42 03/13/2019 at 16:48

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I’ve turned people away on a last run before in the Miata,  but asking early on can avoid that.

Tristan > t0ast 03/13/2019 at 17:30

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Thank you!

Tristan > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 03/13/2019 at 17:33

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As much fun as it would be to drag the door handles on the pavement, it's currently out of commission. But it's only been broken since last July... 

Tristan > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock 03/13/2019 at 17:33

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That sounds not-horrible.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Tristan 03/13/2019 at 17:43

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Fine. On the trailer behind the suburban then!

Jayvincent > WilliamsSW 03/13/2019 at 20:13

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And in Indiana. Ask my why i know. Go ahead, i’ll wait...

Tristan > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 03/13/2019 at 20:37

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Freiberger would be proud!

WilliamsSW > Jayvincent 03/13/2019 at 21:11

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Haha - you live there?

Jayvincent > WilliamsSW 03/13/2019 at 21:19

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no such luck... but I ’ve been trapped there for work for more than a few times. Onl y consolation? driving an hour to the Auburn Deusenbe rg car museum on my day off!

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