auto x question

ok my wife has a brand new kia forte koupe.. after gettin her first ticket in it she said to me today, were can i drive this car and not get a ticket.. i naturally pointed her towards auto x. now i have been out of it for a while.. gimme some good suggestions to give her.. i told her she can try a few events and if she gets bitten by the bug we will step up to dedicated tires and wheels.. so,,, what say you all knowing grm folk

Getting started, just sign up, get out there and run! Have a blast. It's so much fun at first and so overwhelming that having a car set up right isn't an issue.

Go out and have fun for right now.

What they said. Find a local group and get out there...now.

like i mentioned today, i autocross at devens afb in Ayer, MA, and there's a bunch of clubs that run there. i've been running thus far only with bmwcca, but i'm looking to get involved with miata club and svtoa, both of which run there too. looks like a little over an hour there so not super far and it's a nice big course. you have to be a bmwcca member to register for their events, but i think it's only like 10 bucks extra for miata non-members. not sure about svt.

if you guys make it to one of the events, even just to spectate, i'd be happy to give her a ride in the jeep

ya im gonna take her to some events and have her watch first.. and there is a school may 14th at NHMS.

Don't hit the orange things

Okay, I have a few suggestions:

1. Pump the tires up to about 40 psi.
2. Check the oil and other fluids; top them up but don't overfill them.
3. Clean out the car at home and bring along a bin to put anything loose into, especially out of the glove box. I use a recycle bin.
4. In southern locations like mine, I stress plenty of fluids and sunscreen. In NH, I suppose that's not as much of an issue.
5. Walk the course before the event starts with an expert who can point out the lines and the tricky spots. If there is a novice instructed walkthrough, go on it.
6. When on the course, be sure to look ahead; don't fixate on the turn you are negotiating. Many times it takes looking out the side window to see far enough ahead on the course.
7. Take advantage of novice instructors (like me) if your region has them. Have them ride along with you first and then drive you through.

I could go on all day, but here's a better writeup: Novice guide

Here are the training videos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRhTUf9iaG4

Just have her go. If she likes fast driving she will be hooked about 5 seconds after starting. The Devens place rocks, too. I'm gonna have to get in on that BMWCCA thing and that NHMS school dealy... I first attented a school event with that Miata club previously mentioned and being able to run in an educational environment first before jumping into timed runs taught me alot and made me feel much more comfortable. Of course I still suck, but I'm less intimidated, and was hooked even harder. I mean, why go to a school if you're never going to use it? So yeah, instructors are awesome, she will be more successful and have more fun with help. You can help her out, too, but I've always heard giving a S/O driving advice is a very tricky experience... She can't make the instructor sleep on the couch that night.

barnca wrote: she can try a few events and if she gets bitten by the bug...

You have no idea what you're doing do you?

barnca wrote: ya im gonna take her to some events and have her watch first.. and there is a school may 14th at NHMS.

Have her go ride along, in Atlanta SCCA they put out 'TAXI' decals for anyone who wants a ride, it's a blast, and will get you hooked faster than crack...

For those interested in running an auto cross on a stock car track (paved, .4 mile), The Adirondack Motor Enthusiast Club Inc.(AMEC) will be holding some events at the Albany-Saratoga Raceway. Not SCCA affiliated. Just think, bleachers, concession stand and toilets. For info: www.icerace.com Click on Autocross.

I forgot to mention this is in NYS and the Capital region.

buy a helmet so you don't have to share. Spend the extra money for an SA rated, you'll be doing track days before you know it.

Rufledt wrote: Just have her go. If she likes fast driving she will be hooked about 5 seconds after starting. The Devens place rocks, too. I'm gonna have to get in on that BMWCCA thing and that NHMS school dealy... I first attented a school event with that Miata club previously mentioned and being able to run in an educational environment first before jumping into timed runs taught me alot and made me feel much more comfortable. Of course I still suck, but I'm less intimidated, and was hooked even harder. I mean, why go to a school if you're never going to use it? So yeah, instructors are awesome, she will be more successful and have more fun with help. You can help her out, too, but I've always heard giving a S/O driving advice is a very tricky experience... She can't make the instructor sleep on the couch that night.

bmwcca asks that novice drivers turn on their blinkers in staging so instructors go with them for the first season. you obviously dont have to but it does help total novices from mucking up the flow. that's probably good advice about the S/O too...

ya she wont use someone elses helmet.. we are gonna go helmet shopping this weekend... gonna goto the local bike shop and see what they got.. are m's legal in auto x? only thing is around here no one sells "auto racing " helmets that are in stock for you to try on...

Most bike shops will have Snell 2010 helmets, and those satisfy SCCA's rules.

My girl and i went shopping this past week, we'll be getting HJC helmets, they're cheap, comfy, and legal.

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Most bike shops will have Snell 2010 helmets, and those satisfy SCCA's rules. My girl and i went shopping this past week, we'll be getting HJC helmets, they're cheap, comfy, and legal.

thank you

barnca wrote: ya she wont use someone elses helmet.. we are gonna go helmet shopping this weekend... gonna goto the local bike shop and see what they got.. are m's legal in auto x? only thing is around here no one sells "auto racing " helmets that are in stock for you to try on...

yes M helmets are a-x legal.... biker type DOT helmets are not legal for a-x... M helmets are still legal for many / most track days .... but I would recommend full face if you're going to do track days , or even for a-x if it's a convertible

ya i want her to have a full face.. have it not need it, need it cant come get it.

barnca wrote: ya i want her to have a full face.. have it not need it, need it cant come get it.

I have never understood the point of a full face in a car, personally. Assuming your belted in and don't have a HANS device, what does the extra bit do?

tuna55 wrote: I have never understood the point of a full face in a car, personally. Assuming your belted in and don't have a HANS device, what does the extra bit do?

Well, with the visor down, it helps keep glass shards out of your face. And in a convertible the chances of shrapnel are that much greater.

That being said, while I bought a full face for myself to use in the Miata, I will probably buy my daughter an open face for use in the Impreza.

tuna55 wrote:

barnca wrote: ya i want her to have a full face.. have it not need it, need it cant come get it.

I have never understood the point of a full face in a car, personally. Assuming your belted in and don't have a HANS device, what does the extra bit do?

Keeps your instructor (or student) from hearing you said about them.

Seriously tho, street car belts have a lot more "play" in them than racing belts, especially if it's an older car with a lil' more dirt on the locking mechanism (slower to activate). Without a G-Lock, full face FTW. I got into autoX kinda backwards (bored ex-road racer, discovered buddy was SCCA Solo, went to autoX and loved it), I'm actually using my buddy's hand-me-down open face (last year it's legal-Snell date). But when I buy the new one, back to full face for me. And if it was my girl's face instead? Take no chances.

OK, assuming you belted with a racing harness into a racing coupe then.

I guess shrapnel is really the only thing.

tuna55 wrote: OK, assuming you belted with a racing harness into a racing coupe then.

At autoX speeds, I can't see a problem. Wouldn't do it at a Track Day, tho. I've also been a road racing Corner Worker on-and-off since 1987..I've seen some seriously weird stuff.

tuna55 wrote: I guess shrapnel is really the only thing.

Well, I think I read elsewhere that you don't like full face, tuna..but two things? First, I think the site has a lot to do with it. All three sites I've run with Atl.Reg. are parking lots (Turner Field, Atlanta Motor Speedway spectator lot, Six Flags over Georgia). We got light poles mounted on big concrete foundations. And at Turner, there's actually a wall (part of the old Stadium that they left undemolished as a tribute). I think you can see that wall in my profile pic. There's a lot more stuff to hit at our places than there is for some other folks (although we've got some fantastic course designers here that are very good at keeping us away from those things). If your site's an airport or racetrack, it might not be a problem.

Second, depends on the face. Shrapnel wouldn't do my ugly mug a lot of damage, but if it were my SO going out there, I'd hate to see anything happen to this.

Remember, barnca's talking about putting his wife out there as a novice.