wgnths
03-02-2006, 02:15 PM
TIR's Beginner Guide to Autocross
Author: Brent Angevine (Tronix)
This guide was put together using information from various sources ranging from expert tips and testimonials, manufacturers suggestions and my personal experiences with three different clubs I have raced with. Some of this information may not pertain to the club you are racing with, But reading and knowing everything listed here will still be a great start and will make your first experience alot easier. I am putting together this guide in hopes of launching a few people in the right direction and to maximize your autocross experience. In no way should this guide be taken as a rule or regulation. Any information given here is shared information and should be taken as a tip or suggestion. You should use this at your own risk, as the author takes no responsibility to damage or injury caused by following these guidelines.
Definition:
Autocross events are often set up in parking lots or any place with a large enough area of pavement and are all about a driver's ability to accurately and precisely maneuver around an orange cone (pylon) marked course in the fastest time possible. When you are racing, you are racing against the clock. This way you can drive your daily driver car and not have to worry about other people crashing into you. It’s a timed lap event and you often get 4 or more chances of producing a best ET.
Tools required: 1 operational/safe vehicle, 1 licensed driver, 1 Snell (SA, K or M) approved helmet and a roll of masking tape preferably the opposite shade of your car so it will stand out.
Beginners:
I think the toughest part in Autocross or “SOLO 2” racing is getting up the nerve to sign up and just DO IT. THe easiest way is to hook up with an experienced driver so they can “show you the ropes” around the particular club or regional SCCA group. Or you can go to a race where you know someone who will let you ride along with them so you can get an idea of what it’s all about. But if this is not an option and you don’t know anyone than hopefully my tips will help you out.
Step 1) Find out where the local track is. In our town various groups hold their own autocross events ranging from the local Porsche club, Austin Healey club to local sports car club and most definitely, your regional SCCA sanctioned group. You can do internet searches for racing or clubs in your area. If SCCA is the way you want to go then visit:
http://www.scca.com/Inside/Index.as...egionalSites&~= this will help you locate the region and division you would be racing with.
Don’t worry about becoming a paid SCCA or club member before you race. Your first race will be a learning experience and you can decide after that if you wish to pursue a serious hobby in Solo Racing. Just sign up for the race. Cost usually ranges from $25-$50 per race. Many places allow you to register for races using myautoevents.com or several clubs also allow “walk ups” the day of the race. The key is to get there early so you can and get in before the cut off. Find out when the earliest you can register is and show up!
Step 2) Register your car and get it tech inspected. Showing up at the track you will find many people in one area getting their cars ready (swapping tires, etc..) This is designated as the pit area. Park here and find the registration table. You won’t have to figure out exactly which class you will need to run in right away, but you will need to be assigned to one for lap scheduling reasons. You can spend some time going through the very vaguely defined car classes here:
http://www.scca.com/_filelibrary/Fi...ocategories.pdf
This will give you a good idea what category your car falls into.
After determining which category your car falls into, now we will decide on your class.
For Stock Class:http://www.scca.com/_Filelibrary/Fi...tionsbymake.pdf
For Street Touring:
http://www.scca.org/_FileLibrary/Fi...ufacturer .pdf
For Street Prepared:
http://www.scca.com/_Filelibrary/Fi...tionsbymake.pdf
Now you have determined the class of your car and don’t worry about accuracy this is just going to be a general grouping because you will be designated as a novice anyway. Your times will not be affecting anyone else so making a mistake in classing your car isn’t that important. You will now put an identifier on the side of your car so the timing/scoring dept can accurately record your times. You will have to pick a number and club members will have first pick, so you may have to modify your car number. Many clubs make you put a 1 in front of your number and/or an “N” after your class designation. So let’s say your class was DSP and your number is 123. You will fashion letters and numbers out of masking tape on the side of your car that are large and clear and able to be read by the course workers and the timing/scoring team. In this case you would make 123 DSPN on the side of your car.
Remove the floor mat from the driver’s side floor and store it in your trunk or another safe place. They don’t want the fast motion of your feet accidentally kicking up a floor mat and causing it to lodge under your brake pedal and not be able to stop.
Now you will need to pass tech inspection. Some groups will come around and inspect your car while it’s waiting in the pits, others will make you drive your car up to a designated tech inspection area to get it inspected. Find out how your group does it when you are signing in at the registration table.
Basically tech inspection is just a safety inspection, they are making sure you have everything you need and your car is safe to race. They are looking for loose lug nuts, loose battery cables or battery tie downs, proper safety restraints (belts or harnesses) an approved helmet, NO floor mat on the drivers side. No radar detectors suction cupped to the windshield that can fall off causing distraction, etc. So go over your car, make sure everything inside is secure and there are no items in your backseat floors that are going to be tossed around in the car. Ensure that overall everything is in tight and working order before getting inspected.
Step 3) Familiarize yourself with the track. Your group should have a designated time before racing that drivers can walk the track. Use this time wisely. Figure out where the starting point is (ask if you can’t tell) and begin here. You will use this exercise to make mental notes on the layout of the course. For a beginner the course looks very confusing. I assure you once you know the basic principles of a course it will become much easier to read. Again, if you have any questions it’s always best to ask those around you. Many people will be happy to show you around. Here is some basic information that will help you determine the direction of the course.
The course is often laid out with straight aways, long drawn out turns, loop backs, boxes, dips and slaloms. It is more like an obstacle course than a road track. We will take a look at some basic course layouts so you can better understand what you will be looking at.
Cones: You will notice a sea of cones in your course and to make heads or tails out of them you will need to know a couple of things.
A cone lying on its side is a directional cone. These cones will let you know which side of the standing cone you will need to be on. For instance:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/leftcone.jpg
The above cone formation means you will need to be on the left side of the standing cone, and these cones indicate you will need to pass on the right
http://www.angevine.org/autox/rightcone.jpg
Here is a basic overhead view of a small section of a course:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/grid1.jpg
Can you tell where you need to go by looking at the diagram? If not, here is an illustration:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/grid2.jpg
If you come to a slalom and there is no directional cone, it means you can enter the slalom whichever way you wish. However the way you enter depends on the direction your car needs to be traveling in when you leave the slalom. For instance:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/slal1.jpg
Your best choice will be to enter the slalom from the left side so that when you end your car is in proper position to set up for the next turn. You can see what happens if you enter the slalom wrong:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/slal2.jpg
You can still make it through but its going to take more time and skill to make the maneuver. So you always figure out ahead of time which direction you need to enter a slalom.
These are just a few instructions that will help you navigate your way through a track. Often before a race begins the club will hold a “novice lap” in which an experienced driver will drive the course at a very slow speed (10mph) and any new drivers will follow along so they know how the course is laid out. This doesn’t happen every time so the better prepared you are, the more enjoyable your race is going to be.
Step 4) Worker Assignments. They will hold working assignment sign-ups at some point during the morning before the race begins. For the beginner its best to be assigned a corner out in the middle of the course so you have the advantage of watching other racers to see where the problem areas are, and to hopefully gain some insight into the best way to run the course. Everyone has to work, sometimes it’s not a fun task to stand out in the baking sun (don’t forget to bring sun block and sunglasses) for an entire heat. But workers are essential and without them we couldn’t hold these events. They should give you basic instructions on the tools assigned to you. You may receive a radio and/or a flag. If they do not instruct you on how to perform your corner duties here are some basic tips to get you ready.
A) Make sure you position yourself back and out of the way of any harm. Stay clear of an angle where an out of control driver may come out of a turn too hot and slide out of control into your path.
B) If a driver knocks a cone over call in that cone using a radio or hold the cone in the air to the nearest person with a radio so they can call the deduction into the scoring booth. To qualify as a deduction there is a usually a chalk outline of where that cone was originally placed, if the cone is laying on its side it counts as a deduction. If the cone is upright and any piece of the cone is still touching the original position (say someone just nudges the cone 6” left) then you should just reposition the cone where it was and wave it off so that nobody calls the cone in as a deduction. Here is a diagram of what to call in, and what not to call in:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/cones.jpg
C) If a person misses a gate, obstacle, cone or goes the wrong direction through an obstacle then his/her run is disqualified or “DNF’d”. A racer is allowed to veer off course and then back on course as long as they do not miss any cones and they enter the course back on the same path that they left it.
D) If a person skids out of control, comes to a stop or breaks down, the person running behind them will need to be flagged. This will tell the driver that someone ahead of him has had a problem and they need to abort their run and slow down to a stop to wait for the person in front of them to get their vehicle out of the way. The person who is flagged will never be penalized, and will be allowed to make up that run again.
There are terms you may hear over the radio such as “the track is hot” this means stay out of the way, cars are entering the course. Do not sacrifice yourself for a cone. Be safe out there and make the best of your time working.
Author: Brent Angevine (Tronix)
This guide was put together using information from various sources ranging from expert tips and testimonials, manufacturers suggestions and my personal experiences with three different clubs I have raced with. Some of this information may not pertain to the club you are racing with, But reading and knowing everything listed here will still be a great start and will make your first experience alot easier. I am putting together this guide in hopes of launching a few people in the right direction and to maximize your autocross experience. In no way should this guide be taken as a rule or regulation. Any information given here is shared information and should be taken as a tip or suggestion. You should use this at your own risk, as the author takes no responsibility to damage or injury caused by following these guidelines.
Definition:
Autocross events are often set up in parking lots or any place with a large enough area of pavement and are all about a driver's ability to accurately and precisely maneuver around an orange cone (pylon) marked course in the fastest time possible. When you are racing, you are racing against the clock. This way you can drive your daily driver car and not have to worry about other people crashing into you. It’s a timed lap event and you often get 4 or more chances of producing a best ET.
Tools required: 1 operational/safe vehicle, 1 licensed driver, 1 Snell (SA, K or M) approved helmet and a roll of masking tape preferably the opposite shade of your car so it will stand out.
Beginners:
I think the toughest part in Autocross or “SOLO 2” racing is getting up the nerve to sign up and just DO IT. THe easiest way is to hook up with an experienced driver so they can “show you the ropes” around the particular club or regional SCCA group. Or you can go to a race where you know someone who will let you ride along with them so you can get an idea of what it’s all about. But if this is not an option and you don’t know anyone than hopefully my tips will help you out.
Step 1) Find out where the local track is. In our town various groups hold their own autocross events ranging from the local Porsche club, Austin Healey club to local sports car club and most definitely, your regional SCCA sanctioned group. You can do internet searches for racing or clubs in your area. If SCCA is the way you want to go then visit:
http://www.scca.com/Inside/Index.as...egionalSites&~= this will help you locate the region and division you would be racing with.
Don’t worry about becoming a paid SCCA or club member before you race. Your first race will be a learning experience and you can decide after that if you wish to pursue a serious hobby in Solo Racing. Just sign up for the race. Cost usually ranges from $25-$50 per race. Many places allow you to register for races using myautoevents.com or several clubs also allow “walk ups” the day of the race. The key is to get there early so you can and get in before the cut off. Find out when the earliest you can register is and show up!
Step 2) Register your car and get it tech inspected. Showing up at the track you will find many people in one area getting their cars ready (swapping tires, etc..) This is designated as the pit area. Park here and find the registration table. You won’t have to figure out exactly which class you will need to run in right away, but you will need to be assigned to one for lap scheduling reasons. You can spend some time going through the very vaguely defined car classes here:
http://www.scca.com/_filelibrary/Fi...ocategories.pdf
This will give you a good idea what category your car falls into.
After determining which category your car falls into, now we will decide on your class.
For Stock Class:http://www.scca.com/_Filelibrary/Fi...tionsbymake.pdf
For Street Touring:
http://www.scca.org/_FileLibrary/Fi...ufacturer .pdf
For Street Prepared:
http://www.scca.com/_Filelibrary/Fi...tionsbymake.pdf
Now you have determined the class of your car and don’t worry about accuracy this is just going to be a general grouping because you will be designated as a novice anyway. Your times will not be affecting anyone else so making a mistake in classing your car isn’t that important. You will now put an identifier on the side of your car so the timing/scoring dept can accurately record your times. You will have to pick a number and club members will have first pick, so you may have to modify your car number. Many clubs make you put a 1 in front of your number and/or an “N” after your class designation. So let’s say your class was DSP and your number is 123. You will fashion letters and numbers out of masking tape on the side of your car that are large and clear and able to be read by the course workers and the timing/scoring team. In this case you would make 123 DSPN on the side of your car.
Remove the floor mat from the driver’s side floor and store it in your trunk or another safe place. They don’t want the fast motion of your feet accidentally kicking up a floor mat and causing it to lodge under your brake pedal and not be able to stop.
Now you will need to pass tech inspection. Some groups will come around and inspect your car while it’s waiting in the pits, others will make you drive your car up to a designated tech inspection area to get it inspected. Find out how your group does it when you are signing in at the registration table.
Basically tech inspection is just a safety inspection, they are making sure you have everything you need and your car is safe to race. They are looking for loose lug nuts, loose battery cables or battery tie downs, proper safety restraints (belts or harnesses) an approved helmet, NO floor mat on the drivers side. No radar detectors suction cupped to the windshield that can fall off causing distraction, etc. So go over your car, make sure everything inside is secure and there are no items in your backseat floors that are going to be tossed around in the car. Ensure that overall everything is in tight and working order before getting inspected.
Step 3) Familiarize yourself with the track. Your group should have a designated time before racing that drivers can walk the track. Use this time wisely. Figure out where the starting point is (ask if you can’t tell) and begin here. You will use this exercise to make mental notes on the layout of the course. For a beginner the course looks very confusing. I assure you once you know the basic principles of a course it will become much easier to read. Again, if you have any questions it’s always best to ask those around you. Many people will be happy to show you around. Here is some basic information that will help you determine the direction of the course.
The course is often laid out with straight aways, long drawn out turns, loop backs, boxes, dips and slaloms. It is more like an obstacle course than a road track. We will take a look at some basic course layouts so you can better understand what you will be looking at.
Cones: You will notice a sea of cones in your course and to make heads or tails out of them you will need to know a couple of things.
A cone lying on its side is a directional cone. These cones will let you know which side of the standing cone you will need to be on. For instance:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/leftcone.jpg
The above cone formation means you will need to be on the left side of the standing cone, and these cones indicate you will need to pass on the right
http://www.angevine.org/autox/rightcone.jpg
Here is a basic overhead view of a small section of a course:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/grid1.jpg
Can you tell where you need to go by looking at the diagram? If not, here is an illustration:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/grid2.jpg
If you come to a slalom and there is no directional cone, it means you can enter the slalom whichever way you wish. However the way you enter depends on the direction your car needs to be traveling in when you leave the slalom. For instance:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/slal1.jpg
Your best choice will be to enter the slalom from the left side so that when you end your car is in proper position to set up for the next turn. You can see what happens if you enter the slalom wrong:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/slal2.jpg
You can still make it through but its going to take more time and skill to make the maneuver. So you always figure out ahead of time which direction you need to enter a slalom.
These are just a few instructions that will help you navigate your way through a track. Often before a race begins the club will hold a “novice lap” in which an experienced driver will drive the course at a very slow speed (10mph) and any new drivers will follow along so they know how the course is laid out. This doesn’t happen every time so the better prepared you are, the more enjoyable your race is going to be.
Step 4) Worker Assignments. They will hold working assignment sign-ups at some point during the morning before the race begins. For the beginner its best to be assigned a corner out in the middle of the course so you have the advantage of watching other racers to see where the problem areas are, and to hopefully gain some insight into the best way to run the course. Everyone has to work, sometimes it’s not a fun task to stand out in the baking sun (don’t forget to bring sun block and sunglasses) for an entire heat. But workers are essential and without them we couldn’t hold these events. They should give you basic instructions on the tools assigned to you. You may receive a radio and/or a flag. If they do not instruct you on how to perform your corner duties here are some basic tips to get you ready.
A) Make sure you position yourself back and out of the way of any harm. Stay clear of an angle where an out of control driver may come out of a turn too hot and slide out of control into your path.
B) If a driver knocks a cone over call in that cone using a radio or hold the cone in the air to the nearest person with a radio so they can call the deduction into the scoring booth. To qualify as a deduction there is a usually a chalk outline of where that cone was originally placed, if the cone is laying on its side it counts as a deduction. If the cone is upright and any piece of the cone is still touching the original position (say someone just nudges the cone 6” left) then you should just reposition the cone where it was and wave it off so that nobody calls the cone in as a deduction. Here is a diagram of what to call in, and what not to call in:
http://www.angevine.org/autox/cones.jpg
C) If a person misses a gate, obstacle, cone or goes the wrong direction through an obstacle then his/her run is disqualified or “DNF’d”. A racer is allowed to veer off course and then back on course as long as they do not miss any cones and they enter the course back on the same path that they left it.
D) If a person skids out of control, comes to a stop or breaks down, the person running behind them will need to be flagged. This will tell the driver that someone ahead of him has had a problem and they need to abort their run and slow down to a stop to wait for the person in front of them to get their vehicle out of the way. The person who is flagged will never be penalized, and will be allowed to make up that run again.
There are terms you may hear over the radio such as “the track is hot” this means stay out of the way, cars are entering the course. Do not sacrifice yourself for a cone. Be safe out there and make the best of your time working.