Peter 642

Yes, I'm simply, a wimp.
Never been before; never done DE either.
Have a chance to go tomorrow; a bit low on oil so I need to top off tonight if I'm going to go, but I'm sure if I go, people will laugh at me and say, "Why on earth are you driving that car? Go back to your Toyota, man!"
Am I the only one scared to go?
It's bad enough to post something dumb (like this) and get flamed in cyberspace, but in real life, it's even worse.

sjfehr

Don't be afraid, DO IT! Autocross is incredibly fun; as a first-time novice, your times will be slow as virtually ALL first-time novices are slow, but we've all been there and all understand. We know it's a sea of cones at times, and easy to go off-course. You'll probably feel self conscious just because of the attention Porsches get, but there's no need to, because autocrossers understand. There may be some good natured ribbing, but I've yet to see a club that didn't praise and encourage novices' efforts.

What's most important is that you have fun, and pushing your car to the limits is always way fun. Sure, the limits you're pushing tomorrow are more likely to be your limits than the car's limits, but you'll have a blast, no doubt

When you go, go early. The more times you walk the course, the better you're remember it when you're driving. Say the magic words "This is my first autocross", to anyone you see, and you'll have more help than you probable need

And don't worry about your car; autocross stresses your tires a bit more than normal, but runs are usually too short to overheat the engine. It's not nearly as hard on the car as DEs. Top off the oil, as you should for daily driving anyhow, and don't worry about hitting cones- damage is theoretically possible if you hit a cone in just the wrong way, but it's rare- I can't tell you how many hundreds of cones I've hit in the last 4 years, with 0 damage, and every cone mark has buffed right out. (Helps to start with a good coat of wax, but magic eraser takes them right out for me.) Pro tip: if you're not hitting cones occasionally, you're either too far from them (rule of thumb is every foot off a key cone is worth about 2 tenths of a second), or not going fast enough. The fastest times will be right on the hairy edge of traction, within a hair's breadth of losing control. For DE, you always want a nice safe margin, but for autocross, you really want to be pushing it. Your tires should be squeaking in every corner (a nice happy squeak = good, they're pushed to the limit. Squealing/screaming, however, is a bad thing.) Check out the Rennlist autocross forum, too.

wyovino

Do it! As sjfehr says, people will bend over backwards to help you. And take his advice about walking the course as many time as you can. You can read my blog about my first autocross here:

http://bill-yovino.hubpages.com/hub/...es-a-new-trick

There's no better way to learn about your car.

Sue Esponte

I get it. The thought of it is kind of intimidating, especially since you kind of assume that everyone else at the autocross is a seasoned pro. Only they're not! Sign up! Go. You won't regret it. It's an absolute blast.

The first time I went, I took my Volvo but there was also a driver with an e34 5-series wagon, another guy with a Huyndai Excel Wagon that was still wearing snow tires, a Ford Focus (or two) and then, of course, there were drivers with Cobras, Miatas, Porsches and other sports cars. The one thing common among everyone is that we ALL had a great time and nobody was ridiculed for their skills (or lack thereof) or their cars, even behind the scenes. It was just a lot of fun and the skilled veterans had a blast showing us newbies how to improve our skills. They walked the course with us, talked us through skill drills (it was a novice day) and some sat co-pilot on our runs to continue teaching us.

Go, take a deep breath, be okay with laughing at your mistakes (you'll make some) and HAVE FUN! Oh yeah, take pictures, too!

-Eric

Scarab440

Do it. Drive the car. Learn from the veterans. It's a great time.

450knotOffice

+1,000!!

ivangene

Not a single person will laugh

And don't top off the oil

If you come home without the bijggest smile you have had jin years I. Will take up a collection and buy you a ..........something

DreamCarrera

^^ +1

Go, you'll have a great time. In the end, AX may not be for you and that is OK but I still would bet that you'll have a great time and most importantly you'll learn a thing or two about your car. Actually, the worst case scenario is that you will get hooked and start spending big $ on AX and DE.

No one will judge and no one will laugh. Hell, my first time out there I looked like I was in the parking lot of the local grocery store looking for a good spot to park.

I'm much faster now...

porschedog

Do it. Also look for any local driver's ed courses held on road courses for some fun going left, right and fast (Again, the magic words "this is my first time here" do work wonders and got me a good in-car instructor). I did my first Hooked on Driving at Homestead last weekend and it was a blast. (it's not timed. so my insurance agent confirmed I was covered in case I bent the car, too - imagine that)

Peter 642

I wimped out. Regretting it.

mglobe

I almost backed out of my first DE. I held my own feet to the fire and went through with it. I'm now a PCA advanced instructor, race with PCA and NASA, hold a track record, helped bring Spec 996 into the PCA,... You never know till you try it. Like Wayne Gretzky said, 100% of the shots you don't take, never go in.

nick49

No problem with you not going.

I am curious however, do you like to drive your car very aggressively at times?

Are you interested in fixing some of the handling quirks to be able to push the car harder and faster.

Do you feel you too often hit the rev limiter?

Do you ever decrease the tire pressures when doing on a fun ride thru the twisties?

I've never AXed but I do all the above too often.

Peter 642

Yes.

Uh, there are quirks? Well, no not yet, then.

No, not yet.

Admit no to this.

Is 1/4 bad?

It was the whole-day that threw me; I thought a few hours racing around cones was AXing. Didn't realize it was an 8-hour affair. That, plus oil "issue," plus wimp = day washing car instead. Almost but not (even as close to) as satisfying.

ivangene

no regrets....

it took me a few times to muster up the courage...then I read ALL the details and had a heck of a time figuring out how to sign up, was scared, nervous trying to prep the car (which was not needed) really over thought the whole thing....

its very low key, just guys and gals hanging out and every single person is willing to help or just share info or just say hi and keep it very simple...you can be a casual user or a real track junkie...all get along and all just there to have fun, learn and share the smiles...

the friendships will develop rather you want them to or not, its a natural thing because SOMEONE there is very much like you or knows where you are at

ivangene

what's "the oil issue"

just level?