First time at the auto-x...

[VBNSX]

Omg.. what a blast! I have so much to learn about the aspects of this car.

Just got a few questions....
Saturday I was at a novice auto-x school which showed me a lot of neat things about the car I never knew about.
Today as far as my times went I placed a little below average. Now obviously I'm not going to destroy the miata's n stuff but I'm just curious to see how you guys do versus everyone else? Do you generally place above or below the general raw average?

I figure I could use this to get to a point where I know I'm doing rather well.

Note to all first time people.. me personnaly.. I'd suggest seriously turning the TCS off.... it makes the car MUCH more predictable.

thanks a bunch guys.
-x-

Oh yeah..

What's the best way to get the cone marks off the side skirts?

 

[nsxtasy]

What's the best way to get the cone marks off the side skirts?

I take them off with Zymol HD-Cleanse.

 

[VBNSX]

My ACTUAL video..

heh.. feel free to comment.

-x-

My run

 

[Tank]

. I'd suggest seriously turning the TCS off....

I've had mine perminately disabled. Any autox run with it on is a waisted run and when you get used to your car without it, you can't go back to having it.

I've been autox'ing in S Cal for about 2 years now. As far judging how you're doing, it's really more about finding good drivers to look at than finding similar cars. We have a lot of national champions out here in almost every class of car. A really good driver can jump into a stock engine Ford Escort with a little suspension work and beat the socks off you. (And driver Will Kalman in his Escort did just that by beating the entire Saleen Mustang Cub - including Mr. Saleen himself - awhile back at one of their autoxs)

What I tried to do was find drivers with a similar amount of experience as me and try to beat them regardless of the car they drove. You should always run novice class until you trophy. Once you settle into your class (I run ASP because of my suspension work) then you just concentrate on closing the gap in your class.

This is what it comes down to in order of importance: Seat time, Tires, Suspension components, and Alignment. Engine mods aren't worth anything. If you want more horsepower, get rid of weight in the car first. The best thing about autox is all the help that's available out there. Everyone wants you to go faster. They want the competition. Unlike track events which are a hobby, autox is a sport where it's all for the title, all for the win. It's not about the speed, it's about making your car do things that seem impossible. It's about wiggling it through a series of offset gates, into a decreasing radius sweeper, dodging in and out of a Chicago box, and power sliding it through the lights. Without hitting a cone!

You know you've had a good run when you get out of the car and your hands can't stop shaking..... because you can't believe you just made it through without a spin or a cone. It's about riding the razor edge of out-of-control for as long as you can without screwing up.

This is like the Olympics for cars. Everyone's going for the gold.

Have fun!

T

 

[Tank]

Oh, yeah. Just in case you are interested in reading about this sport, check out "Secrets of Solo Racing" by Henry Watts. It helped me focus on what I should be doing out there.

It you're REALLY interested.... try an EVO School.

T