My first autocross results

A

Allen

世界杯
Contributor
:
2019 Acura RDX A-Spec AWD
Okay, I didn't do justice to the Mazda MP3 reputation. I started out really bad, then got a little better, but still didn't push my car as hard as I should have in a race.

At first I thought I was 11th out of 23 in my group, but guess it changed some how so now I'm 13th out of the 23 from the Novice group.

It was tooo exciting though and I had a great time. My best time was 51.557, but the best time in my Novice group was 47.229... by a guy driving a BMW 330Ci.

Check out the entire results here:

To say the least, I'm heading back for a second try next time... hopefully better prepared and better rested. Didn't sleep until 2 or 3am Sunday and woke up 6ish Sunday morning.

Oh, took some pics, but they are 2048x1536... don't feel like changing resolutions right now....
 
Great another convert. I started autocrossing 30+ years ago but my daughter and son have started in the last few years. Just keep after it. It takes time to get good but it is fun. My daughter is starting to get better since she won our street tire class for last year in her MP3.

The best advice I can give to you is to find a local driver that can mentor you in your driving. I have run a Spokes event or two and found them to be very friendly and helpful. Most places have people that enjoy helping new comers. You should also consider an autocross driving school if they have one. You can also do some searching on this site as we have discussed it alot in the past.
 
dolphin said:
Great another convert. I started autocrossing 30+ years ago but my daughter and son have started in the last few years. Just keep after it. It takes time to get good but it is fun. My daughter is starting to get better since she won our street tire class for last year in her MP3.

The best advice I can give to you is to find a local driver that can mentor you in your driving. I have run a Spokes event or two and found them to be very friendly and helpful. Most places have people that enjoy helping new comers. You should also consider an autocross driving school if they have one. You can also do some searching on this site as we have discussed it alot in the past.
Click to expand...

Thanks dolphin, I am planning on checking out the Novice training they are offering later this month or maybe early next month. Sounds like something worth looking into to improve my driving skills.
 
Oh, as a nOOb, in the Novice catagory I beat a NSX! Hee hee.... I think he had a better raw time though... my PAX factor helped beat him. :D
 
Sorry, Allen I meant the event site? I have only run at a couple of their sites one was down in San Marcos and I have forgotten where the other was at.
 
Allen said:
Okay, I didn't do justice to the Mazda MP3 reputation. I started out really bad, then got a little better, but still didn't push my car as hard as I should have in a race.

Click to expand...

Don't worry about being fast just yet. Make sure you have fun first, and learn how to make the most of the car second. It can be discouraging to watch yourself get beat, but with time, the speed will come.

Like Dolphin said, you should try and find a mentor to help you out, and get rides. Ride with every fast driver you can: I've been autoxing for 7 years, but after one event last December, I've totally changed my driving style based on rides with two of the local hot-shoes....

Welcome to the addiction :D
 
dolphin said:
Sorry, Allen I meant the event site? I have only run at a couple of their sites one was down in San Marcos and I have forgotten where the other was at.
Click to expand...

Oops.

If you're heading N IH35, exit at Palmer. At the lights make a right turn on Palmer. You will hit McAllen Pass (which should be the first lights after making the turn onto Palmer lane), make a left on to McAllen. About a block down the road you will see a left turn on to another street, I didn't notice a street sign (but there may be one), so turn in there. You will see a few office buildings on your right... but to your left you will see the lot and a small runway strip next to a warehouse type building with Tech Ridge sign on it.
 
Re: Re: My first autocross results

scapamouche said:


Don't worry about being fast just yet. Make sure you have fun first, and learn how to make the most of the car second. It can be discouraging to watch yourself get beat, but with time, the speed will come.

Like Dolphin said, you should try and find a mentor to help you out, and get rides. Ride with every fast driver you can: I've been autoxing for 7 years, but after one event last December, I've totally changed my driving style based on rides with two of the local hot-shoes....

Welcome to the addiction :D
Click to expand...

Well thanks for the advice. I'm going to need all I can get. :D Yeah, it's actually fun just to be making tight loops around the cones. I guess right now I am not holding myself with high expectation of beating others... so everything is good. Next round I just hope I can improve within 2 seconds or better of the average there. The BMW 330Ci did a 47, I believe, and my personal best was 51 ... so that's a tad bit off the scales there in comparison.

Like you said though, I'm really just having a great time right now. One of the local guy who drives a turbo Miata (SM2) suggested the idea of him running STS with my car to see how it would fare (I think he's won quite a few events in the past... placed first in SM2 and got one of the best raw times for last event). I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to see what my car can do under an experienced driver's control. (thumb)
 
Allen,
This what I posted on the Miata net forum when my daughter started autocrossing.

My daughter just ran her first autocross. We walk the course and talk about where to be looking and where to position the car.
My advice is:
1. If you aren't working on the car, registering or otherwise occupied, go walk the course. She walked the course about 7 times that I know of and 5 of those were by herself and at least once to show other people the course.
2. Just drive the course! Concentrate on smoothly putting the car where you want it to be on the course.
3. Don't worry about how fast anyone else is just try to go a little faster everywhere on each run, just beat yourself every run.
4. Eventually, you'll come to a place that you can't go faster. Keep that part the same and keep going faster everywhere else.
I know that sounds simple, and it is, but it hard to execute. After you get to the point that you can get through the course smoothly and consistantly, then you can worry about the refinement.

There are somethings that you can do in normal everday driving to try to develop good habits and improve your autocross driving.
1. Always pick your line through a turn and put the car on that line. Later, you can try to make sure you pick good lines.
2. Look waaaaay ahead. Look around the corner, look past the car in front of you and keep your eyes moving.
3. Try to make only one turn into the corner and one turn out.
4. Practice adjusting your line with the throttle.

Andy Holis made the following modification and I agree with it.
<Quote>
I'd suggest one modification on your first #4: Seems that novices fall into two categories. The first are those that need to be pushed to go faster in turns and find the limit from the bottom-up. Your advice works well for that type (Interestingly, I've found that the majority of women fall into this category.)

The second type drives too fast in many of the turns of the course and needs to work on actually slowing down more in turns and turn-entry (slow-in, fast-out, and al of that...). Most guys seems to fall into this category, taking a top-down approach to finding the limit. For them, my advice is always to try and enter the turns slower and then get on the gas sooner exiting. On successive runs, add more gas sooner on exit, not more speed into the turn.

<end quote>

If you want to read the entire thread it can be found at:
http://www.miataforum.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=4;t=000745
 
Michael (dolphin), thanks for the tips and help this past Sunday. After my last 3 runs, I was able to get out of the 51s and end up with a 50.01 best time. Too bad you didn't get to sit shotgun to get a better look at my driving. Oh also, I wished you had more time to show me the heel-and-toe maneuver, but that was not something I could have easily accomplished that day. It was really fun exciting though and once again, thanks for all the help! (thumb)
 
Now I understand your comment in the MSP forum, Allen :D I forgot I'd told YOU you should think about staying stock ;) Now I don't want to follow my own advice :lol:

I'm glad you had fun. But what is this about heel and toe? Was the course THAT tight?!?! You needed to get back into 1st gear?!?!? I have never found a good situation to go back into 1st on course unless I'd screwed up so badly that I came to a stop.... The time you lose downshifting and then upshifting is almost always NOT worth it.....
 
scapamouche said:
Now I understand your comment in the MSP forum, Allen :D I forgot I'd told YOU you should think about staying stock ;) Now I don't want to follow my own advice :lol:

I'm glad you had fun. But what is this about heel and toe? Was the course THAT tight?!?! You needed to get back into 1st gear?!?!? I have never found a good situation to go back into 1st on course unless I'd screwed up so badly that I came to a stop.... The time you lose downshifting and then upshifting is almost always NOT worth it.....
Click to expand...

Yeah, part of the course is on a short landing strip. You drive straight down to the end and make a tight U-turn back through a slalom. Right before you enter the U-turn, you have to brake and down shift to 1st before you exit it. (scratch)
 
I'm still finding it hard to believe that the 180 is SO tight that the downshift is worthwhile, but OK.... I can see the use of heel and toe in that case....
 
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