A lesson in AutoX hotdogging or...

You should probably slow down.

With 2 autox and an hpde under my belt I was ready for my next event.

AutoX at the local track. Much longer and more technical than I was used to, but no problem, I walked it twice and did a ride along. I'm set.

1st run: I'm probably going too fast. That felt sloppy and I hit some cones, but hey that's not a bad time!

2nd run: Still too sloppy, maybe I'm still going too fast? More cones, but I was a little faster, so no problem. Speed = better times.

3rd run: OK, that was terrible. DNF.

4th run: Oh man, I'm flying through the first half, this is feeling great. Here comes that last turn, I think I can take it faster...

360, grass and there's our friend the tire wall!

My silver mustang now has a nice green racing stripe and a popped rear body panel...I give up at this, I'll never do another event. Friendly folks check up on me, make sure I'm OK and share their stories. Ok, I'll give it another shot.

5th run: I feel like a fool. I'm going slow this time. Oh, I can actually make out the lines I should've been taking now. What my HPDE instructor said is starting to come back! I felt in control!

6th run: Go slow again, Improve my previous run time by 8 seconds.

The lesson? It really is true what they say. Drive slow. Speed comes naturally. Don't drive past your or your cars abilities. This isn't a race. Have fun. Be safe. Had I remembered that it wouldn't have happened and I have no one to blame but myself.

Thankfully it wasn't worse and I'm very thankful for the great facility I have to drive at, the staff and all the other supportive drivers.

I'll be back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nggj7yJ-gpo

wow, tire wall that close at an autocross?

Knurled wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nggj7yJ-gpo

every time I watch your vids, I think to myself....

"damn, I wish my rearview mirror would turn completely to the side like that..."

In reply to Knurled:

Boy, you need to clean that interior.

Bummer about the car, hopefully it won't be too much of a financial hit for you. Learned the same lesson myself my first year out, fortunately sans tire barrier. I ended up going around twice and off into the grass backwards. Took a few hours to clean what seemed like half the infield lawn out of the bottom of my car, but no other damage. Now, looking back, I realize I was trying to make up time that wasn't there, and in the wrong place in the course. I also didn't fully appreciate the difference between being fast and being out of control. Hard lessons, but useful ones. Stick with it.

irish44j wrote: wow, tire wall that close at an autocross?

It shouldn't have been an issue.

It was a number of things. I was driving too fast for my skill level. I was being stupid. Damp track. Damp grass. I had a passenger and got distracted by something for a split second that I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have even tried to make the turn, I should have just hit the cones.

Instead of straightening out and running over the cones I tried to hold the turn. I put both feet in, but at that point I hit the grass and slid. Luckily I just slid up against the tire wall and just have some green paint and the driver side rear quarter panel popped loose at the seam.

EDIT: It's actually the bumper cover that came loose at the seam. No sheet metal damage. Car feels fine, but it's going to the body shop today.

erm

Although not the same, my list of "no-no's" was equally long. Wet track (first time I had been out in the rain), didn't recognize the corner was off camber, didn't realize it traveled over the crown of a hill sharp enough to totally unload the suspension, didn't realize it was raining harder than during my previous run, was trying to "keep up" with drivers that had way more experience and better prepared cars than me, etc., etc.

I see things like you described all the time, newbies in powerful cars screwing the pooch royally. They normally don't come back, even with supportive people. The guys who seem to stick around learned on slow beaters, and end up very very quick in more powerful car.

My rule of thumb, make sure you know how to handle the car beforehand, and if you aren't hitting cones you aren't going fast enough.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to Knurled: Boy, you need to clean that interior.

What makes you think I didn't?

Slow down. Clean up the technique. Fast will come by automatically.

yamaha wrote: I see things like you described all the time, newbies in powerful cars screwing the pooch royally. They normally don't come back, even with supportive people. The guys who seem to stick around learned on slow beaters, and end up very very quick in more powerful car. My rule of thumb, make sure you know how to handle the car beforehand, and if you aren't hitting cones you aren't going fast enough.

it's even more of a problem with track events ... anyone can walk into a dealership and come out with a 500+ hp car, and not have ANY idea how to drive it .... I see instructors getting out of the "business" all the time for just that reason (others welcome the challenge)

Well, I'm not going to let it stop me. I'm going to get my car fixed and get back out there and just have fun again until I improve naturally.

I'm also looking into saving up some cash and getting a dedicated vehicle. Most likely a miata, but we'll see.

There's a lot to be said for going slow to go fast. The one event where I won my class, the winning run felt like it was my slowest, but it was the run where I paid particular attention to braking at the right points (early) and late-apexing the first cone into an important slalom section, so my speed exiting that was better and I set up correctly for the next section.

I just wish I'd been able to keep going with that car... soon I'll be starting from scratch all over again...

wbjones wrote: it's even more of a problem with track events ... anyone can walk into a dealership and come out with a 500+ hp car, and not have ANY idea how to drive it .... I see instructors getting out of the "business" all the time for just that reason (others welcome the challenge)

This makes me sad......but reminds me of scaring people when autoxing my redline. I thought of it as a sledgehammer vs the gti/mcs, so I drove it like a sledgehammer. Catching air, brake lockups, sliding the rear in tight corners, etc. Still usually either won G-stock or was in the running for it.

I've instructed at a-x off and on for several yrs.... the speeds and obstacles at a-x sites don't scare me ... concrete walls/tire walls at 80+mph do ...

In reply to wbjones:

I can convey that sentiment as well, RA was an eye opener for me back in '07. I realized I needed to go back to a-x and get better. I think I am better prepared now, but I won't know for sure again until I go back.