My qualifications: I have about six years of experience in Autocross racing. I started late, at the age of 35, after spending my entire life wanting to race cars. I had been fairly familiar with the concept of autocrossing, but never knew how to get my foot in the door. Then one day while driving down the freeway South of town, I saw some guys actually running an event in a large parking lot alongside the road. I pulled in, spectated, and ended up talking with some of the competetitors (who were all very friendly). For my first event, my first run, I got to the line, the guy said "GO", and then the next thing I remember is pulling back into the grid area. My first run was over, and it happened so fast I couldn't even commit it to memory! My time was awful, I knocked over more cones than I had left standing, but I knew I was hooked for life! Since that time, my car and I have both progressed to the point that we are consistently stomping on the Miatas, even those on race rubber, while utilizing some of the cheapest tires on the market.
What is Autocross?: Autocross is a great way for anyone interested in auto racing to get into the game. The concept is very simple: find a big empty parking lot, lay out a small scale road course by using traffic cones (pylons), and run cars one at a time against the clock. Setting things up this way ensures that the events will be very safe both for the drivers and their cars. To get started, you just need a car that will pass the tech inspection (no leaks, battery strapped down, no bad tie rods or ball joints, etc.), the entry fee (usually about 20 bucks), and a helmet (which can usually be borrowed at the event if you don't have one). A lot of more detailed information can be found at
www.scca.com
Getting Started: One of the most common things I hear from drivers who want to autocross, but haven't yet, is "my car just isn't ready". By that, what they are saying is that they don't have a race suspension yet, or racing tires, or, basically, that their car is not yet a fully qualified race car. That mind set is the wrong one to have, in my opinion. The absolute best thing that any potential racer can do is to get started! If your car can pass tech, meaning that it is fit to drive on the streets, then just go for it. Don't wait for those performance parts, or trying to get your car perfect, but rather get started on the driver now and worry about the car later. It has often been said that in racing, it is 90% driver and 10% car, and that is very true. I didn't know how true this really is until one year my car lost her motor, and had to sit out for the last (my favorite) race of the year. I ended up getting to use a friend's RX7 for the race, but it had no modifications at all, original suspension and bushings (180,000 miles), and very old snow tires. Not the ideal setup by any means. But, to my surprise, once I accepted the car's limitations and concentrated on working with what I had, I ended up turning times that were barely any slower than if I had been driving my own car (with it's vast modifications). So, if you are sitting on the fence thinking that some day you might want to try this, just dive in and get started. You will have so much fun, that working on the car will be that much easier due to the added motivation of getting something done before the next event.
"Why does my car Understeer"?: This is, without question, the number one complaint of new drivers. They are trying to go fast, but the car just can't keep up with their "mad skilz" and doesn't want to go through the turn without plowing to the outside. I spent my first two years combatting this issue, and basically banging my head against a brick wall. While some of the problem can be addressed through car setup, 95% of the problem is based in the driver behind the wheel. One of the best sayings to come out of this sport is "sometimes you have to go slow to go fast". And the problem, in a nut shell, is that you are entering the corner too fast. If you concentrate on "slow in, fast out", you will be well on your way to overcoming this problem. With any type of consistent handling problem, it is always the safest bet to blame it on the driver, rather than the car.
Control your body/Control your car: One thing that you will quickly find is that, once you are making your run and throwing your car back and forth, it is very difficult to keep your body from being thrown around as well. So you grip the wheel tighter, force your knees out against the footwells, and push yourself back against the seat as hard as you can. All in an attempt to keep your body from being thrown around inside the car. Doing all of that takes some of your attention away from what you are trying to do (control your car). The best trick I have found is this: as you are moving your car to the starting line, take all of the slack out of your seatbelt and push yourself back against the seat, then quickly "stab" the brakes causing the seatbelt to lock in that position. Now you are firmly clamped into your seat, and you can concentrate on driving instead of holding yourself in a good position. The best racers don't driver their cars, they wear them.
Walk the Course!: Before the racing begins at an Autocross event, they allow all drivers to walk through the course. This is something you will want to take advantage of. In fact, it is impossible to walk the course too many times. So many people will walk through the course once, and think they've got it, only to see nothing but a "sea of cones" when they pull their car up to the line. After walking the course, go back to your car and sit behind the wheel with your eyes closed. Then try to visuallize every single turn that the course makes, thinking about how fast you will be going, whether you will be accelerating or braking, and every other bit of detail you can add to the picture. If you find there are any parts of the course that you are unsure of, then walk it again. The course needs to be firmly implanted in your mind before you begin driving it. The last thing you need it to have to spend any thought trying to figure out where the course goes while you are making your runs.
Tire Pressures: Due to the extreme cornering forces that you will be seeing at an event, you are going to want to add some air to your tires. When I was running the 215/50/13 Sumitomo HTR200s on the stock ("plus" style, 5.5" wide) wheels, I would run them at around 45 psi. That wheel wasn't quite wide enough to run the 215s, but they still worked pretty well. When I moved up to a 8" wide wheel, I began running the Sumis at 50 - 55 psi, mainly because with the wider wheel the tire had a much better profile and less need to "deform" in order to get the contact patch onto the road. Changing to the wider wheel made a phenomenal difference in overall traction. With different tire/wheel combinations, your desired tire pressures will be different. One trick is to mark the sidewall with a bit of chalk or white shoe polish. After your first run, check the markings to see if you are rolling the tire over onto the sidewall. If you are, then add more air. If not, then drive faster.
Addatives: I have found that adding a can of Seafoam to the tank (about 1/4 full or less for a race), always results in a good kick in the pants where horse power is concerned. The car is much "peppier" and more responsive. Last year I made it a habit to always add a can before a race. I also add a bit of 2-cycle oil to the gas tank, just to aid in lubrication while running at high rpms in race conditions.
Carburetion: You will find many different opinions on "what is the best carb" anywhere you go these days. A lot of the old timers swear by Delorto, Webber, and Holley carbs. Some of the serious old time racers will talk all day about their Yaw carb. This tends to be a subject that people take very personally, and sometimes (quite often, actually) discussions quickly get out of hand. The only carbs that I have used on my 7 are the stock Nikki, and a Nikki which was modified by Sterling. I purchased my Sterling carb shortly after I started racing, and it has performed so well that I have never had even the slightest curiosity about what the other types might have to offer. It has performed that well, and I have no problem recommending them to anybody looking for more power without a loss in driveability.
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