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First AutoX this weekend

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Pinarello Rider 
#1 ·
Heading to VMP on Sunday for my first autox session. I've had a few track days at VIR a few years ago in very different cars.

Entering in NOVICE class, ego left at home. Actually, I think it's still smeared around the paddock somewhere in Alton VA. lol

I'll come back with pics and details.

I added a CAI, rear sway bar, and some go fast stickers (Save the Manuals!!)
 
#5 ·
Boy was that fun!! I ran pretty well - first run was 69.5, best was 60.8, but the last 5 runs hovered around 61.5. Fastest lap for the course today was a corvette at 51.5. The car did really well - I could have used stickier tires, otherwise I was pleased with the brakes. The front end had a tendancy to dive under hard braking, but for mostly stock, I had a really good time. The car was fairly predictable, and I guess that's that's the best we can hope for. I didn't get any pictures of my car as my friends were running in the same heat and they really did a good job cycling us through. I learned a lot about the car, and a lot about my driving.

Good times, highly recommended!!!
 
#6 ·
Just returned from my second Auto-x. Had a blast, despite being a little hungover from the previous nights' Red Sox game watched in my driveway next to a bottle of JB Black and a fire pit.

The stock '12 Focus SE still isn't classed yet. I worked with the local group and they put me in NSAF group - with modified civics of previous generations. Times should be posted in teh next couple of days so I'll see where I fit in. The event reinforced previous opinions - I need stickier tires, and the car loves to dive on hard braking and cornering. I was able to use it a little, and I found that driving smooth was much slower than hammering the throttle. :) Never got out of 2nd gear.

There weren't any other Foci out there which surprises me considering how well the focus has done in performance reviews. For it's class, it is "supposed" to be the best drivers' car with good balance and handling. The Mazda 3 is the closest competitor but I didn't any of those either. I wonder why? Hopefully we'll see more as this new generation of Foci finds itself in the hands of younger peeps.

The bad news is that in my region the group that runs these might be folding up next year due to lack of participation. They said that 50 entrants is break even and we may have barely gotten there yesterday. It's run out of these folks back pockets and is a labor of love, but they can't lose money on this either with mortgages and suck. Hopefully we can work something out in the off season to keep it going.
 
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