This weekend is my first auto X

[homeboyjames]

This weekend will be my first auto x ever anyone have any tips for me or anything?

[Sponsor]

[LazarusZX3]

Have fun! You may not win, but you'll have fun!

But really, here's some tips:

Never coast. Always gas as hard as you can, brake as hard as you can or corner as hard as you can. It's ok to gas and corner and brake and corner, but no coasting!


Also, we are FWD, go into a turn braking, then at the apex, hit the gas as hard as possible. The rear will come around the corner and the front wheels with pull you into the straight.


And here is me last weekend:


Kick some Honda ass! wait. Just have fun!

[ZenRanger94]

do what I did and find some other foci people and ask questions, get advice, oh and have fun. this weekend will only be my second race, so thats what i'll be doing

[focusonthefocus]

I'd say for your first... don't worry about anything. Just go at it. Try to get ride alongs, have someone ride with you, make sure you do something to help, and be sure to bring food. Lots of it... oh... and maybe some energy drinks cause it gets pretty tiring out there.

[LazarusZX3]

Bring sunscreen and an umbrella. Take out all your sound equipment- it adds weight and may bounce around in your trunk. Bring lots and lots of bottled water!


And yes, have fun, but keep in mind the things I said in my first post, give you an edge. If there are no foci there, ride along with anyone in a FWD car who's not in your class. Some people in your same class may not give the best advice (some people are petty about competition). Also make sure to put a large "N" on your car after your allotted number, so you can get first in the Novice class! You only get to be a "N" once! (E.g: 75 STS-N)

[SVT Robzor]

There are 3 things you need to gain to get fast in autocross.

1) Seat time.
2) Seat time.
3) Seat time.

Everything is secondary to that. Everything. There are local drivers who could put a fridge on wheels around a track faster than a new guy in an F430 (slight exaggeration, but only slight). Once you get close to the machine's capabilities, then you need to start worrying about tires and chassis dynamics and left foot braking and everything else that separates a driver from a racer. But a fast car with a slow driver is still going to be a slow car.

I've read before that a particularly adept driver can come close to fully utilizing a stock-prepared car after 2 seasons. This sounds about right to me. The depth of my advice here is to add about 10psi to your tires, and try not to hit any cones. The rest will come to you. And yes, get ride alongs whenever you can, beyond being a good learning tool they are wicked cool.

EDIT: The Focus is certainly capable of being fast. A local racer in my club this year put a stock SVT on Kumho 711s (read: crap. He got them for $40 a piece) around the course faster than most of the STi's present, on Azenis or stickier. I asked him what pressures he was running and he shrugged and said "probably something like 30psi, I don't bother checking, its easier to just adjust to the car".

[WeeAsp]

Originally Posted by focusonthefocus

I'd say for your first... don't worry about anything. Just go at it. Try to get ride alongs, have someone ride with you, make sure you do something to help, and be sure to bring food. Lots of it... oh... and maybe some energy drinks cause it gets pretty tiring out there.

Yep. First thing you need to focus on (pardon the pun) is doing your absolute best to have fun.

There are plenty of people that will encourage you, help you, and ride with you if you need further guidance. Don't be afraid to ask either. Your next step should be learning the course. The rest comes a bit easier each time after that.

Like others have posted, make sure EVERYTHING is out of the car. Inflate your tires 10 PSI above stock for the event, but be sure to reset them for the ride home.

Finally, HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE. You'll be shocked at how quickly the heat sneaks up on you. May not feel like a lot of exertion, but you will dehydrate twice as fast behind the wheel.

Let us know how you do and take plenty of pictures!