Learn me: AutoX in MA

So, I have always wanted to do it, I dont know if my car will handle it but I want to try. Where do I go? how do I start? How do I class my car? How much does it cost? anyone want to meet up and give me a run down? I dont mind travelling. I just want to do it before the summer is up! Help a noob out please

Start here. Look for events under Solo II.

http://www.ner.org/

Looks like Ft. Devens and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Join the forum. Let them know you're new and someone will guide you through the process.

Have fun!

There aren't many choices of where to go but there are a bunch of groups that use both venues. Depending on what type of car you drive, your brand may have a club that runs auto-x events. BMW, Porsche, Audi, SVT and the SCCA along other clubs all offer events. Renegade Miata might be club to try, they are open to all brands but prefer Mazdas. Here is a link to the SCCA/ PCA/ Renegade page with info. http://www.ncr-pca.org/index.php/club-activities/autocross.

What kind of car do you have and what if any upgrades have you made to the car? Depending on mods your class will change. Cost is usually $35-$50 per event with an annual membership fee Avg $50 per year. Some clubs have helmets you can borrow/rent. Typically if your car is safe, you have good tires and brakes you are good to go. If you own a helmet that is a plus. It is a great way to see what you and your car can do without risking too much damage.

I own a 2004 Saab 9-5 2.3T, it has muffler delete and an open air filter, that is all. I really hope to get some seat time this year

Milford eh? Devens is probably closest, but cart does some in hartford which isn't a bad ride, and limerick park does open autos day throughout the year. And palmer motorsports park is slated to open in spring 2015.

I used to auto-x with SCCA and it was a lot of fun. I've been meaning to get back into autocross but I've been busy as of late.

The only issue with NER SCCA can be size because it is the most popular autocross club in New England, so you may end up with fewer runs. Besides the clubs imgon mentioned you may also want to look up Sports Car Cub of New Hampshire. Dave Estey of SCCNH is a member of the GRM forums and can answer any questions you may have.

Used to be a nice handful here in Massachusetts. (Now down to Ft. Devons, long drive for very little drive time.)

Too bad, they were a lot of fun. Loose and friendly with a decent number of runs for everyone.

Yeah, it sucks that there are only two autocross sites in the area, and one of them (Devens) is constantly threatened by land developers. Palmer Motorsports Park is SUPPOSED to have a dedicated autocross area, but that's if it ever opens. Plus it will (at least initially) be open to SCCA members only, so that does not solve the overcrowded grids.

It's sad to hear about the limited sites/events in New England. When I first got into auto cross back in the 80's we had Several active clubs. We ran at Orange Airport and at a business called Package Machinery in Springfield,MA. Use to run over 20 events a year at different places.

I (along with a few other members here) autocross with the Boston BMWCCA at Fort Devens in Ayer, MA. Membership costs $48 for the year and $50 per event. There is normally an autocross about every month and everyone is welcome. This is where we test most of our GRM challenge vehicles too.

Next autocross dates are:

Aug 16 (registration still open but almost full)
Sept 13
Sept 28
Oct 19

http://www.boston-bmwcca.org/Autocross/Default.aspx

CART is a very friendly group and they have an event this weekend at Thompson Speedway, which is almost Massachusetts. This is a great club to start with.

http://www.cartct.com/cart-schedule/

Milford is a good drive from NHMS. That said, we have an autocross this Sunday. Cost is $50 non members, $40 members and membership is $25. That get's you $10 off all our races, including our hillclimbs.

We average 7-8 runs and would be classified as a laid-back club. We have very competitive people, but in general we try to make life as easy for novice racers and build them up while having a good time. I'm the program director, so if you have questions feel free to ask.

Jul 27 Autocross 5

Aug 17 Autocross 6

Aug 23 Autocross School

Aug 24 Autocross 7

Sep 7 Autocross 8

Sep 12-14 Hillclimb @ Mt Ascutney

Sep 28 Autocross 9

Oct 5 Autocross 10

Woody wrote: CART is a very friendly group and they have an event this weekend at Thompson Speedway, which is almost Massachusetts. This is a great club to start with. http://www.cartct.com/cart-schedule/

http://www.cartct.com/autocross/

New to Autocross? Never run with CART before? Haven’t run with us this year?

Registration is easy.

1) Get a car number and car classification. Once you have a number, this will be your number for this year, and you can skip this stop at subsequent events.

2) Go to the right side of the trailer, and have your car number and information entered into the timing computer. You must do this at each event.

3) Go to the left side of the trailer to pay your entry fee, get your wristband, and your work assignment. You will not be allowed to run without a wristband. The wristband you received at the gate allows you to be on the premises, you need a different wristband to compete.

Already have a number for the season, and want to print it out on plain paper to tape to your car? We have a downloadable word document on this site. Replace the ###’s with your number, change the font size to as large as your printer will handle by typing the font size in the font size box on the tool bar and print it. ——————————————————————————–

Event Agenda

•8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Registration – CART MEMBERS receive a discount on the entry fee. You must have a current year CART issued car number to register. Car numbers are issued at the registration trailer in separate line from regular registration. Your vehicle will be classed at that time, please be prepared to inform us of modifications or changes to your car. If you already know your car’s class, it will speed up the process.

•9:00 AM – 10:15 AM Vehicle Safety Inspection

•10:15 AM – Novice Walk

•10:30 AM – Mandatory Driver & Crew Meeting EVERYONE PRESENT ON THE LOT MUST ATTEND

•11:00 AM – First car off. CART does not run in heats, we use a numerical running order.

•Trophy presentation on site after the event

How long has it been since Otis Air base had any autocrosses? I did my first AutoXs there back in the summer of '89.

If you are in western Mass. the Sports Car Club of Vermont

(SCCV) holds a monthly event at the Devils Bowl race track near Fair Haven VT.

They run a quasi SCCA event. Kind of like an SCCA event but more laid back.

Your car is in H Street. Make sure to talk to the veterans at the event so you can get an idea of knowing what to do. Don't be afraid of looking like an idiot. Ask questions when you want to learn something. Make sure the tie rod ends, throttle and brake pedals, and your battery tie down is on ok working order, so you can have those fixed (if needed) before you go to your first event. Have fun, because that's what it's all about. Your car won't break just because you're racing, to the contrary of the public.

KyAllroad wrote: How long has it been since Otis Air base had any autocrosses? I did my first AutoXs there back in the summer of '89.

I believe the last AutoX event at Otis AFB was somewhere around 2001. I remember them shutting down access to the base by civilians after Sept 11th. I really miss running there as it is only about 25 minutes from home. It was a small tight course, but I really enjoyed it.

I try to run at Devens as much as possible. I use my mazda2 for the SCCA events and my Miata for the NE-SVT/BSCC events. The classes and competition in the SCCA events are great, but it's a LONG day and you only get 6 runs at best. The other clubs limit their events to around 50 cars, so you can get 12 runs in and be done by 4pm. The classing is loose and you end up with Miatas and 911 GT3s in the same class.

One thing to note - you mentioned that your car has no muffler. Every club at Devens is fairly strict when it comes to sound levels. The locals complain, so the sound levels have to be kept fairly quiet. We're only allowed to raise the ambient sound by 10 decibels at the perimeter of the site. You aren't allowed to be over 90db from a distance of 75 feet. The turbo probably quiets it down enough that you would be okay, but just wanted to give you a heads up.

Quequechan Sports Car Club used to hold that terrific auto-x down at Otis Air National Guard base on Cape Cod. Access did become non-existent after 9/11 and the auto-x just seemed to disappear. The club never started it up and running again at a different location.

Loved having it so very close by and such fun. They always had an interesting array of cars competing.

Thanks for all the replys everyone, looks like I have some reading to do on those websites. Dave, what club are you a program director for? and Pseudo, that jeep is amazing!

In reply to Woody:

Are you going this sunday? I might attend, I planned on going to the range but this sounds better!

Next SCCA event is the 9th and 10th at NHMS. I honestly wouldnt even bother going if I wasnt part of core operations for the region. The site is just so crappy and terrible I'm not even sure I would race there more than I had to if it was free and I lived next to the track. Stick to Devens events. You can find most of them at motorsportsreg.com, the only ones not listed there are renegade miata club and thats because Rob doesnt like technology and still requires pre registration be done by mail with a check. Also in the area is CARTCT, at Thompson and some other places. I dont think I'll ever race with them again, ever time I've gone there its was just so unsafe. I saw a legends car take a trip through the trees and a mustang spin and crash into a snack truck.

How loud is your car with the muffler delete? The only trouble we have with Devens is sound. I would bring a scrap beach towel with you and a, some duct tape and spare water, and if you are too loud, soak the towel in water and duct tape it to the exhaust tip so it covers the tip. Or buy some aluminum window screen, coarse steel wool, and a pipe clamp that fits over your exhaust tip and jam a bunch of steel wool in the tip, put the screen over the tip to hold it in, and use the hose clamp to hold the screen on.

tjbell wrote: Thanks for all the replys everyone, looks like I have some reading to do on those websites. Dave, what club are you a program director for? and Pseudo, that jeep is amazing!

Sports Car Club of New Hampshire

And yes, most NER people turn their nose up at NHMS. The neighbors are friendly though, unlike Devens.

KyAllroad wrote: How long has it been since Otis Air base had any autocrosses? I did my first AutoXs there back in the summer of '89.

Literally shut down after 9/11, as it became an active base again.

I'm amazed Devens is still being used. It's been seriously threatened for well over 10 years.

The 270+ car fields with 100 novices at the NER events in the mid-2000's drove me away. Great people, well-run, but 4 runs in 8 hours was a bit wacky.

gamby wrote:

KyAllroad wrote: How long has it been since Otis Air base had any autocrosses? I did my first AutoXs there back in the summer of '89.

Literally shut down after 9/11, as it became an active base again. I'm amazed Devens is still being used. It's been seriously threatened for well over 10 years. The 270+ car fields with 100 novices at the NER events in the mid-2000's drove me away. Great people, well-run, but 4 runs in 8 hours was a bit wacky.

I'm so glad its not like that anymore. 160 cars and 6 runs and we're normally off site by 6:30, 5:30 if you're a lame loser who skip trophies. Its where the best drivers and best instructors are which is why we have like 30 novices at an event. We've even started using a special novice grid to give the novices even better attention and instruction.