Autocross anyone?

[Pinarello Rider]

My true lifelong passion after sailing is motorsports. I had the PRIVILEDGE of going to Virginia International Raceway with my dad a couple of years ago for some education with the Ferrari Club of North Carolina. Dad has since passed, and I haven't driven in any performance manner since (I learned to save it for the track).

Just signed up for an Autocross on Sunday. I'll be in the NOVICE group as this is my first Autocross event.

Anyone else gone Autocrossing before? I learned my trip around the track in dad's car that my ego is best left at the gate, so aside from leaving that home, any advice? I'll be driving my DD - a 2012 Ford Focus Hatch 5sp.

Thanks!

 

[Marthy]

Track day. Sweet!

Good tires and brakes are a must. I will suggest you to upgrade your brake fluid to higher boiling point. You can probably find some AP550 or 600 is any speed shop close by. Castrol SFR is the best thing money can buy but might be a bit over rated for your needs, and it's $95.00 a quart! Bleed your brake and make sure you flush the whole system with the new fluid, all 4 corners! Fresh motor oil is not a bad idea either since you will be beating the *&^ out of it all day long!

Torque your wheel in the morning and lunch and before you go back home to factory specs. If you have a little air tank to bump up your tire psi at the end of the day use it, if not get one.

As tire psi, all depend what you have. Good trick is to record the cold psi before you drive then drive a bit hard in one of your favorite back road, stop and record the tire psi font and rear. Start with those hot pressure. On a typical low profile street tire anywhere around 38 psi should be fine. Start with those pressure for your first session and bleed them right after you get out the car after your first session. As the day goes by you will go faster, drive harder and the ambient temps will raise too, so your tire pressure. Bleed them as you go. If you have the chance to bring a "pit crew" with you, it's always good to come in and bleed tires if needed if the car start sliding all over the place.

Other than that... flush the Pretone and get some water weather. Most race track will not let you go out with the green stuff. Leave your jack and spare out and make sure you empty all the crap you don't need in the car so if $hit goes wrong all those things don't end up as projectiles in the car...LOL

Window cleaner, paper towel, tape your lights and blinkers. Check to make sure you don't need a window net. Some track require it since you have to drive with the window down.

That's about all I can come up with. VIR is quite fast too... Have fun, be safe and keep a tow truck business card with you just in case.

Take it easy at first. Most important thing is to get the race lines and braking point right on the first session. If you have any question ask an instructor. If you can video (Go-Pro) yourself riding that would be the best way to learn from your mistake with the instructor too.

 

[leem00]

Track day. Sweet!

Good tires and brakes are a must. I will suggest you to upgrade your brake fluid to higher boiling point. You can probably find some AP550 or 600 is any speed shop close by. Castrol SFR is the best thing money can buy but might be a bit over rated for your needs, and it's $95.00 a quart! Bleed your brake and make sure you flush the whole system with the new fluid, all 4 corners! Fresh motor oil is not a bad idea either since you will be beating the *&^ out of it all day long!

Torque your wheel in the morning and lunch and before you go back home to factory specs. If you have a little air tank to bump up your tire psi at the end of the day use it, if not get one.

As tire psi, all depend what you have. Good trick is to record the cold psi before you drive then drive a bit hard in one of your favorite back road, stop and record the tire psi font and rear. Start with those hot pressure. On a typical low profile street tire anywhere around 38 psi should be fine. Start with those pressure for your first session and bleed them right after you get out the car after your first session. As the day goes by you will go faster, drive harder and the ambient temps will raise too, so your tire pressure. Bleed them as you go. If you have the chance to bring a "pit crew" with you, it's always good to come in and bleed tires if needed if the car start sliding all over the place.

Other than that... flush the Pretone and get some water weather. Most race track will not let you go out with the green stuff. Leave your jack and spare out and make sure you empty all the crap you don't need in the car so if $hit goes wrong all those things don't end up as projectiles in the car...LOL

Window cleaner, paper towel, tape your lights and blinkers. Check to make sure you don't need a window net. Some track require it since you have to drive with the window down.

That's about all I can come up with. VIR is quite fast too... Have fun, be safe and keep a tow truck business card with you just in case.

Take it easy at first. Most important thing is to get the race lines and braking point right on the first session. If you have any question ask an instructor. If you can video (Go-Pro) yourself riding that would be the best way to learn from your mistake with the instructor too.

Being a novice and having friends that autocrossed a bunch in both a track car and an 03 focus 5spd...seat time is #1......Tirepressure #2, then we get into other handling aspects such as tires and suspension....so basically make sure you get the seat time and don't over drive it.

 

[Pinarello Rider]

Thanks for the advice guys. As I'm only doing an AutoX this weekend (not a full track day), I decided to upgrade the brake pads to a high performance street pad - the HPS-Street pads. I put a set of track pads on my old Miata and decided they wouldn't be good for autocross - they took so long to heat up that leaving my neighborhood on a cool morning was an adventure. I was never quite sure when the car would actually stop. When they heated up though, holy stopping power Batman!!

I joined NASA and I'll see about a real track day in the fall. I love VIR so much, I am pissed it's going on 3 years since I've driven there. When I go, I'll definitely upgrade the brake fluid. I don't recall them requiring a change in coolant, though, when I went. I think that is probably for wheel to wheel racing.

 

[roundhouse]

I bought a set of used stock rims for my GTO. put on some bridgestone RE-01R tires for a autoX even with a friend. took it out to a local private airport to show off my skills.

I found I have none. it was a smokey, loud slow lap. GTOs are heavy. stock size tires have limited grip. HP is not the problem, throttle modulation is. I found I either want to be off or all the way on. never spun out but the fat butt swung out and hit many cones.

I got out and everybody was laughing. they were good hearted and gave me some good advice.went again and even though I never hit full throttle my time was 7 seconds faster. clutch was smoking badly

have not had a chance to go back. clutch is almost gone. 60 extra HP on a stock 9 year old clutch.................enough said.