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    Thread: Autocross

    1. #1
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      Autocross

      Ok so I just decided to start a thread that I will update with autocross pictures. Instead of making new threads everytime I'll just add to this one. Also if anyone else autocrosses there car post pictures here too!









      This event went great. We got 6 runs, which let me really work on me. I was only two seconds off my buddy in his S2000.

      My times were- 58.691 57.669 55.587 54.622+1 54.726 54.122

      As you can see from my times I defintly took it slow and gradualy drove the car faster and faster(but not much faster).

      I know that other people on this site have to autocross there car. So post up about your experience and pictures if you have some.

      Andrew Petty


    2. #2
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      Anyone???
      Andrew Petty

    3. #3
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      Here's my wife autocrossing her 73 camaro.
      She ran at a Lotus Club event and beat most of them!

      David
      Last edited by David Pozzi; 06-25-2007 at 06:11 PM.
      67 Camaro RS that will be faster than anything Mary owns.

    4. #4
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      From last month:





      jp
      John Parsons

      UnRivaled Rides -- Modern upgrades for your ride.

      UnRivaled Rides recent project -- LS9-powered 69 Camaro

    5. #5
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      If you guys have video this thread could be a very useful tool for introducing people to auto-x.
      True T.

      Whats new with Project 1/2-Trak?


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    6. #6
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      David- Mary's Camaro looks awsome. Defintly some cool pictures. How many people run CP in your area? I have run with three diffrent clubs and have had one other guy in my class.

      John next time you go you gotta let me know.
      Andrew Petty

    7. #7
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      The midwest and west coast have the best of the best for Solo II C Prepared. While my car does okay, it's mainly pro-touring and a street car, and isn't "prepared" to what the rules allow. On a 40+ second course, I'm usually 2 seconds behind the tube-frame, race rubbered, and lightened cars that can win at Nationals. I'm giving them about a 1,000 lbs and at least 200 RWHP, and there isn't much available for tires in a 17" diameter wheel so I run the Kumho V710's.

      Locally, I have a great time and enjoy running in the class. As for going to Nationals in Topeka with this particular car . . . no way!! A couple of years ago, the Nationals CP class had almost 65 entrants (a record). Last year, I think there were 48 or so. It's a very popular class. At the Nationals Tour this year in Atwater, I had six in my CPL class. Here's a link to the results and most of the entrants in CP could compete for the win at Nationals (several are already National Champions). http://www.scca.org/Event/Event.asp?...1F27A0&Id=6377

      I have other pics and I like True's thoughts on this thread being a place for providing input for new, fledgling autocrossers. It's a great sport and offers a place to "haul the mail" without getting a ticket or in an accident. I encourage anyone that enjoys spirited driving to bring your car to an event and compete.

      Don't worry about turning the fast time of day but work on being smooth and transitioning well in the corners and slaloms. Learn your car and then make modifications to improve what you already have.

      Cheers and good thread,
      Mary Pozzi
      Last edited by mpozzi; 06-26-2007 at 10:25 AM.
      mpozzi . . . '73 Camaro RS, '69 Camaro SCCA/Trans-Am vintage racer, and a 1989 R7U 1LE Players Challenge car.

      "STICK, you B*TCH!!!!!!"

      "It's not a horse. You can't train it!! "


    8. #8
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      ...and most of all Mary, unless there is a flash flood or tornado at the auto-x site you are not going to hurt the car. There won't be another car within hundreds of feet of yours and there is nothing to bump into other than a tiny rubber cone.

      There is more risk in driving your car to a Goodguys show than running the pi$$ out of it at an auto-x.
      True T.

      Whats new with Project 1/2-Trak?


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      When they kick out your front door, How you gonna come?
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    9. #9
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      On a 40+ second course, I'm usually 2 seconds behind the tube-frame, race rubbered, and lightened cars that can win at Nationals. I'm giving them about a 1,000 lbs and at least 200 RWHP, and there isn't much available for tires in a 17" diameter wheel so I run the Kumho V710's.
      Thats awsome Mary! Your not that far off for having a street car.

      Don't worry about turning the fast time of day but work on being smooth and transitioning well in the corners and slaloms.
      Thats exactly what I did and I consistantly turned quicker times. I didnt go any faster I just was way smoother than I have ever been. Also I started working on finding braking points which helped too.
      Andrew Petty

    10. #10
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      Quote Originally Posted by Damn True
      ...and most of all Mary, unless there is a flash flood or tornado at the auto-x site you are not going to hurt the car. There won't be another car within hundreds of feet of yours and there is nothing to bump into other than a tiny rubber cone.

      There is more risk in driving your car to a Goodguys show than running the pi$$ out of it at an auto-x.
      That pretty much sums things up but don't tell that to the guy who loaned his buddy his Porsche GT3 for his final run. The buddy inadvertently mistook the brake for the clutch, or vice-versa, at the finish lane, and didn't stop until he hit a couple of parked cars. The photos are gruesome (three cars probably totalled including the Porsche) and it will be an insurance nightmare. While this is rare (I've only heard of two major incidents such as this one in my 30+ years involvement in Solo II), it can happen. I do not recommend parking your cars near the track exit lane . . .

      What will occur is tire wear. Lots of it and rapidly. If anyone plans on autocrossing a lot, get another set of wheels and tires solely dedicated to this sport. If your car is still street driven, your everyday rubber will last it's normal life. And if you do compete on your street rubber, make sure you up tire pressures accordingly. I raise them at least 10 psi over that used for street pressures, and then adjust for suspension tuning (understeer/oversteer/track surface) from there.

      The rest of the drivetrain shouldn't suffer too much stress but do check "nuts and bolts" at least once a year. Especially if you have aftermarket suspension and chassis parts installed as they can loosen and change their adjustment/alignment settings. The creaking and snapping sound I heard at the last event was my solid body bushing bolts loosening. Two of the four (the front ones were fine) had about 15-20 lb/ft of torque when checked. We also found that both of the transmission mount bolts had left on vacation. One didn't go far as it was still wedged between the mount and the crossmember but the other was probably languishing somewhere on some road someplace else. The transmission ear threads were cleaned, dried, and new bolts installed with Loctite. And yes, they will be checked periodically.

      Cheers,
      Mary Pozzi
      mpozzi . . . '73 Camaro RS, '69 Camaro SCCA/Trans-Am vintage racer, and a 1989 R7U 1LE Players Challenge car.

      "STICK, you B*TCH!!!!!!"

      "It's not a horse. You can't train it!! "


    11. #11
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      Mods is it possible this could be made a sticky????
      Andrew Petty

    12. #12
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      Quote Originally Posted by 69Nova
      Thats awsome Mary! Your not that far off for having a street car.

      Thats exactly what I did and I consistantly turned quicker times. I didnt go any faster I just was way smoother than I have ever been. Also I started working on finding braking points which helped too.
      My strategy (based on three timed runs) is to make my first run for education. I want to learn the track surface, the driving line, if it drives like it walked (always walk the course and have it memorized in your mind BEFORE you drive it), and any irregularities I didn't notice when I walked it. Remember, the pylons and corners come up a lot faster when you're behind the wheel.

      My second run is much quicker and I take the information from my first run, process it, and go from there. If I need to apex a corner differently, I do it on this run. I join several parts of the course together as what I do on one corner can drastically affect the subsequent sections of the course. I hope to stay clean and not hit any cones.

      For my last run, I only work on the sections of the course that need it. For instance, I will take a slalom and clean it up. Or work on car placement or braking so I can exit a corner under better power. I take the good from my second run and leave that parts of the course alone. Luckily, I don't hit many cones (rarely are my times "dirty") and since I typed this, I'll probably hit every cone from here on out . . . JINX!!

      Again, smoothness is the key. I was at an event last weekend and there was a very cool '69 Camaro that could have turned some very good times. The guy driving left a lot on the table as he kept showboating with wheel spin and tire smoke, and just abused the hell out of the car. Those in the know just shook our heads and I wanted to take the car from him and give it a good home . . . yeah, I wish!! And his friend in a fourth-gen was even worse with the abuse. We won't even go there . . .

      Cheers,
      Mary Pozzi
      mpozzi . . . '73 Camaro RS, '69 Camaro SCCA/Trans-Am vintage racer, and a 1989 R7U 1LE Players Challenge car.

      "STICK, you B*TCH!!!!!!"

      "It's not a horse. You can't train it!! "


    13. #13
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      On walking the course I walk it untill I can recall everything in my head. This past event a few guys didnt take a dip(plus the pavemnet was very rough) into consideration and ended up spining up into some bushes/trees, one guy taped a tree.
      Andrew Petty

    14. #14
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      Quote Originally Posted by mpozzi
      That pretty much sums things up but don't tell that to the guy who loaned his buddy his Porsche GT3 for his final run. The buddy inadvertently mistook the brake for the clutch, or vice-versa, at the finish lane, and didn't stop until he hit a couple of parked cars.

      Mea Culpa Mea Culpa.

      I should have said, "Unless you loan your car to a moron........"

      Why anyone would hand over a GT3 (or a Miata for that matter) to someone who is unfamiliar with the car and let them race it (even in an environment as benign as an auto-x) is beyond me.
      True T.

      Whats new with Project 1/2-Trak?


      Follow my wisecracks on Sports, Food, Politics and other BS on Twitter.

      My blog

      When they kick out your front door, How you gonna come?
      With your hands on your head, Or on the trigger of your gun?

    15. #15
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      Quote Originally Posted by 69Nova
      On walking the course I walk it untill I can recall everything in my head. This past event a few guys didnt take a dip(plus the pavemnet was very rough) into consideration and ended up spining up into some bushes/trees, one guy taped a tree.
      Sounds like the course designer left the safety requirements back at home that day. Very poor course design for that to even be a possibility for an OC, or off-course, excursion. A tree . . . ???

      Autocross sites are becoming fewer and fewer due to the insurance requirements and potential for liability. We love our sport and don't need ANY cars damaged because of negligence on the part of a course designer. Autocrossing needs to be kept out of the news and not percieved as anything harmful to person(s) or property (either a car or to the site we're playing on).

      Glad to hear you paid attention when you walked the course and didn't fall prey to the dip. Out here, we run at the same site where the 49er's play and there's lots of undulations in the parking lot. The course designers plan accordingly as getting a car airborne means it's unbalanced. When that car comes down to earth, it will usually go in the direction it was going when it left the ground and then turn where the front wheels are pointed. It's a tricky site and because my exhaust is very low, I don't run there.

      You'll do fine with the sport and work gradually on improving your times with good driving.

      Cheers,
      Mary Pozzi
      mpozzi . . . '73 Camaro RS, '69 Camaro SCCA/Trans-Am vintage racer, and a 1989 R7U 1LE Players Challenge car.

      "STICK, you B*TCH!!!!!!"

      "It's not a horse. You can't train it!! "


    16. #16
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      I dont have any pictures of the area I described but here is a picture of a vette off course...

      Andrew Petty

    17. #17
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      Some video, sorry it's so jerky, but that's what happens when they convert the file to .flv

      Last edited by David Pozzi; 06-26-2007 at 10:38 PM.
      67 Camaro RS that will be faster than anything Mary owns.

    18. #18
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      David or Mary what are popular cars in CP? I'm trying to decide what I want to build for a autox only car and I really like the class.

      Also if you know of any good autocross websites to checkout please post them up.
      Andrew Petty

    19. #19
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      The Fox-bodies Mustangs are very popular and do well in CP. Check out Maier Racing (they're located in Hayward, CA) and there's some good autocross footage on their site. I think it's www.maierracing.com but google it if this doesn't work. Mike Maier (Bill's son) is incredible and an excellent driver.

      For starters, get the current Solo II rulebook as it will become your Bible for this sport. It's online and you can download the sections you need, or you can buy one for about $20 directly from SCCA. There are weight penalties for tube-frame cars and weight allowances for V6 engines. Some of those V6 engined F-bodies are fast . . . there are two that can easily dominate CP and both are here on the west coast.

      Unfortunately, you'll also be looking at a tow vehicle and trailer if you get really serious with CP or even a Street Prepared car. The modifications it takes to be even remotely competitive will take the car off the street very fast.

      E Street Prepared, or ESP, is one category down from Prepared and you should be able to change most of the suspension, wheels and tires, a little of the engine, add a good exhaust, and be competitive out of the box. While it's not Prepared, the level of competition is just as fierce as CP is. Out here in CA, some of the ESP cars turn the same times as CP cars do. Most are still street driven as well. Again, get the SCCA Solo II rule book to make sure what you do is legal for the class you run in.

      Cheers and keep on this thread,
      Mary Pozzi
      Last edited by mpozzi; 06-27-2007 at 11:04 AM.
      mpozzi . . . '73 Camaro RS, '69 Camaro SCCA/Trans-Am vintage racer, and a 1989 R7U 1LE Players Challenge car.

      "STICK, you B*TCH!!!!!!"

      "It's not a horse. You can't train it!! "


    20. #20
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      Great thread, I'm hooked! Just joined the SCCA and can't wait to get out to some events by this fall. For you SF Bay folks I just found this site... http://www.baautox.com/forum/index.php
      Steve
      '68 Camaro - SBC, TKO600, 3.73 Moser 12-bolt, Speedtech, ATS-AFX, Hotchkis, Forgeline, Ron Davis and C5 brakes (Kore3), Holley Terminator TBI.
      Check it Out Here

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