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wearymicrobe
wearymicrobe UberDork
4/22/20 1:20 p.m.

There is pictures of my ACR somewhere online sliding around and taking out about 10 cones. I have huge admiration for people who can push wide super cars around at autocross. 

 

Also I got beat by a 17 year old kid in a E36 on slicks by a full second. 

dps214
dps214 Reader
4/22/20 1:25 p.m.
mw said:

Scca nationals 2017,2018 years have had mclarens, and r8 v10's in SSM I was gridded  next to one of the mclarens. There's always a HART nsx in SS. They seem to do ok on big nationals type courses. Would be difficult on a smaller local lot. 

Streilniks won SS this year in an NSX. They're fast once you get them on the right tires and figure out how to drive it smoothly enough to not make the traction control systems turn themselves back on mid-run. The HART guys actually ran with TC on for a while; they were super inconsistent but when they had a good day they were fast, including a champ tour win against most of the typical national contenders.

Stefan (Forum Supporter)
Stefan (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/22/20 1:43 p.m.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:
DirtyBird222 said:

In all the years I autoXed with MSCC out of central Florida I can only recall a handful of true supercars ever attending.

Look if I come about the kind of money that affords me the opportunity to purchae and maintain a supercar, I'm probably going to take that Saturday or Sunday I have to play with it to a full on track day where I can fully utilize all the capabilities of that car vs. standing in a parking lot all day for 5 maybe 6 minutes of seat time. 

That is you... what turned me off of track days was getting stuck behind people in supercars walking through corners, and then not giving a point by on the straight, which was at once the only place I could pass, and the only place where I wasn't stuck behind them because I was in a 100hp crapbox on gummy rubber.  Then the straight ended and it was back to being annoyed.

 

Pull off into the pits and let them get out ahead of your further and if you have the chance, mention to the steward/flagger that they are holding people up.  A good steward/track marshal group should flag them down and have them let people by or bring them in and explain things a little bit.

Its a track day, not competition, every one is going at their own pace.  Don't like their pace?  Step out and find another group that better matches your pace.  Make sure to grid with them for the next session.

Tom1200
Tom1200 Dork
4/22/20 1:49 p.m.

This type of thing happens with all motorsports; when I used to go to open practice on my vintage MX bike there was a 12 year old kid on an YZ85 that was faster than most of the riders on the track.

By virtue of instructing I've been able to drive some of these cars, make no mistake they drive fantastically but at the end of the day for 1/20th the price I can buy a single seat sports racer (SCCA P1/P2) that is faster. 

Supercars aren't necessarily meant to be the fastest things at a track; my local track is one of those motorsport country clubs and loads of people have supercars but a lot of them have gone to dedicated track cars like Radicals for tracking and Spec Miatas for racing.

If I had the wherewithal to own one of these cars I probably wouldn't bring it to autocross and I'd likely only bring it to track days occasionally.

 

 

 

spacecadet (Forum Supporter)
spacecadet (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/22/20 3:13 p.m.

The Hollis McLarens.. 

I don't have any photos of the MP4-12C but that was at nats in 2018.

But I have a wonderful photo of the 720s.. 

Before stickers for One Lap. 

Strelniks NSX 

With him posing with the car after winning SS this syear at nats. 

And Hymans Huracan in paddock. 

All photos not from a local autox. But the NSX and Huracan are constantly at Local events in Austin, TX. 

 

 

The following aren't suuuuper exotic. But are odballs and rare to see at an autox. 

My buddy in Austin normally run SMF in his CRX but one time he brought out his Alfa 4C and I got to co drive it. Lots of fun. 

And my other buddy from the northeast campaigns a Evora in BS. 

 

And there was the SSM MP4-12C at nats in 2016. 

 

Pete. (l33t FS)
Pete. (l33t FS) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/22/20 3:32 p.m.

In reply to Stefan (Forum Supporter) :

Yeah... there were no "groups" per se, and it was 90% supercar weenies.

maj75 (Forum Supporter)
maj75 (Forum Supporter) HalfDork
4/22/20 3:33 p.m.
Stefan (Forum Supporter) said:
Pete. (l33t FS) said:
DirtyBird222 said:

In all the years I autoXed with MSCC out of central Florida I can only recall a handful of true supercars ever attending.

Look if I come about the kind of money that affords me the opportunity to purchae and maintain a supercar, I'm probably going to take that Saturday or Sunday I have to play with it to a full on track day where I can fully utilize all the capabilities of that car vs. standing in a parking lot all day for 5 maybe 6 minutes of seat time. 

That is you... what turned me off of track days was getting stuck behind people in supercars walking through corners, and then not giving a point by on the straight, which was at once the only place I could pass, and the only place where I wasn't stuck behind them because I was in a 100hp crapbox on gummy rubber.  Then the straight ended and it was back to being annoyed.

 

Pull off into the pits and let them get out ahead of your further and if you have the chance, mention to the steward/flagger that they are holding people up.  A good steward/track marshal group should flag them down and have them let people by or bring them in and explain things a little bit.

Its a track day, not competition, every one is going at their own pace.  Don't like their pace?  Step out and find another group that better matches your pace.  Make sure to grid with them for the next session.

Or buy a faster car, that's what I did.  Sold E36 M3 and got a C5 corvette with 450rwhp.  I don't have to hope the dolt lifts the pedal in his Z1R, I just blow past him.

Tom1200
Tom1200 Dork
4/22/20 3:40 p.m.

As long as we are falling on and off topic; I always love the look of peoples faces when they see the times shifter karts put up.

spacecadet (Forum Supporter)
spacecadet (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/22/20 3:43 p.m.
Tom1200 said:

As long as we are falling on and off topic; I always love the look of peoples faces when they see the times shifter karts put up.

Shifter karts in autox are like cheat codes in the old Need for speed games.. first time you watch one run it's wild. 

 

Now A Mod cars.. those are my favorite... Watching them do 60ft slaloms at nearly 90mph... It's stupid

 

BoxheadTim
BoxheadTim GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/22/20 3:46 p.m.
Tom1200 said:

When I first started autocrossing there was a guy running a Mercedes 300 Gullwing............that was super cool.

I didn't autocross much in Reno, and I never got to see it run in person as a result, but someone would occasionally bring out a Shelby Cobra.

The real thing back from the 60s, not a replica. His comment was something along the lines of "hey, it owes me ten grand".

nderwater
nderwater UltimaDork
4/22/20 3:50 p.m.
spacecadet (Forum Supporter) said:

My buddy in Austin normally run SMF in his CRX but one time he brought out his Alfa 4C and I got to co drive it. Lots of fun. 

A neighbor has one of these and it stops me in my tracks each time I see it go by.  Please tell us more about your experience!

Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter)
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand UltimaDork
4/22/20 3:50 p.m.

There was a Noble that ran in the Detroit region regularly for a couple years.

 

spacecadet (Forum Supporter)
spacecadet (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
4/22/20 3:56 p.m.

In reply to nderwater :

Rent one.... get it out of your system... 

they're unique, but overpriced and at the heart is a FCA motor I don't have any faith in. 

driving experience was interesting with the manual steering. but the automatic gearbox wasn't great from what i remember. 

around town it was neat cause it makes spinny whoosh noises.. but they're WAYYY too expensive for what they are. 

get a Lotus Elise. cheaper to buy, cheaper to maintain and wont drop in value if you take care of it. 

 

ShawnG
ShawnG UltimaDork
4/22/20 4:00 p.m.

In reply to Tom1200 :

This happened a lot when I started riding motorcycles.

Best thing I ever did was spent the better part of a day, trying to follow an older gentleman in our club through some wonderful backroads. He had a '46 Indian Chief and I had a 650cc Japanese sport touring machine. I was new and he had spent a lifetime racing dirtbikes. I had a very hard time keeping up with him but I learned a lot.

Pete. (l33t FS)
Pete. (l33t FS) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/22/20 4:22 p.m.
maj75 (Forum Supporter) said:
Stefan (Forum Supporter) said:
Pete. (l33t FS) said:
DirtyBird222 said:

In all the years I autoXed with MSCC out of central Florida I can only recall a handful of true supercars ever attending.

Look if I come about the kind of money that affords me the opportunity to purchae and maintain a supercar, I'm probably going to take that Saturday or Sunday I have to play with it to a full on track day where I can fully utilize all the capabilities of that car vs. standing in a parking lot all day for 5 maybe 6 minutes of seat time. 

That is you... what turned me off of track days was getting stuck behind people in supercars walking through corners, and then not giving a point by on the straight, which was at once the only place I could pass, and the only place where I wasn't stuck behind them because I was in a 100hp crapbox on gummy rubber.  Then the straight ended and it was back to being annoyed.

 

Pull off into the pits and let them get out ahead of your further and if you have the chance, mention to the steward/flagger that they are holding people up.  A good steward/track marshal group should flag them down and have them let people by or bring them in and explain things a little bit.

Its a track day, not competition, every one is going at their own pace.  Don't like their pace?  Step out and find another group that better matches your pace.  Make sure to grid with them for the next session.

Or buy a faster car, that's what I did.  Sold E36 M3 and got a C5 corvette with 450rwhp.  I don't have to hope the dolt lifts the pedal in his Z1R, I just blow past him.

Two issues with that...

When you are 21 and making $8 an hour, faster car is not a possibility.

And even then, we're talking about track days, where passing without a point by is verboten.  The Flat Out guy video, like Dilbert, is funny because it is true.

 

I merely figured, well, if I am not having fun, why bother.  Took up drag racing instead.  A lot less seat time but also a lot less frustration, and a hell of a lot cheaper too.

Patientzero
Patientzero Reader
4/22/20 5:09 p.m.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:
Took up drag racing instead... hell of a lot cheaper too.

You're doing it wrong.

Pete. (l33t FS)
Pete. (l33t FS) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/22/20 5:49 p.m.

In reply to Patientzero :

The drag racing equivalent of a track day is test and tune night...  $15 to get in versus $120... can do it on a weeknight versus having to take a day off work for a track day, etc.  Way way cheaper.

 

LanEvo
LanEvo GRM+ Memberand Dork
4/22/20 6:09 p.m.

In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :

There's definitely a kind of arms race that tends to happen in HPDE circles. You'll get the trust fund kid in an R35 GTR with coilovers and Hoosier A7s blow past you ... as you're leaning forward trying to squeeze an extra 0.5 mph down the (endless!) back straight.

You can tell yourself this is all just fun. But on some level it's annoying, especially if those people are also screwing up your corner entry. 

kazoospec
kazoospec UberDork
4/22/20 6:11 p.m.
shagles said:

We've got a 911 Turbo S that comes out sometimes. I think he runs with other clubs more than ours, but he can drive and generally is close to the pointy end of the field.

We had one come out once.  I raw timed him (fairly significantly) in my ES Miata.  The biggest issue was he had no concept of a smooth line.  His runs were basically: Wide open waaaaay too deep into the corners, max braking, almost stopping (significantly past the apex), wide open waaaaay too deep, max braking.   (Repeat, repeat, repeat)  Several people way faster than me offered to help/coach, but he knew everything.  

He didn't come back. 

Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter)
Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
4/22/20 6:53 p.m.
PMRacing said:

Having instructed with one of those exotic car driving experience groups, the Lambo is a heavy car and has a lot of rotational inertia, making it hard to make fast transitions. The 360 is a much more nimble car but not Miata nimble.  The Lambo would make a good car for most tracks with better brake cooling though. I have no experience with the Audi however, but have seen them at track days. 

During my brief instructing stint we had a Lambo(though I don't remember which one), Ferrari F430i(?), GTR & Porsche GT2. I agree with your assessment of the Lambo & Ferrari, the GTR felt bulky & heavy doing autox, but that GT2 was just berkeleying glorious. Like, I came home & tried to figure out if I could sell off my extra body parts to afford it. 

Tom1200
Tom1200 Dork
4/22/20 8:07 p.m.

One of our long time members has a Noble and brings it out fairly regular. We also have an Alfa as well. 

As for HPDE wars I've run both ends of the spectrum; my D-Sports Racer was the fastest car on track and my Datsun is mid-pack in the intermediate group. The faster car isn't more fun, it's way cooler but not anymore fun. 

My F500 F-mod car is not slow so an A-mod would be mind blowing to drive.

 

 

KyAllroad (Jeremy) (Forum Supporter)
KyAllroad (Jeremy) (Forum Supporter) UltimaDork
4/22/20 11:27 p.m.
spacecadet (Forum Supporter) said:
Tom1200 said:

As long as we are falling on and off topic; I always love the look of peoples faces when they see the times shifter karts put up.

Shifter karts in autox are like cheat codes in the old Need for speed games.. first time you watch one run it's wild. 

 

Now A Mod cars.. those are my favorite... Watching them do 60ft slaloms at nearly 90mph... It's stupid

 

I ran against the Acme Express last year at an event in Louisville.  I was feeling fairly good about myself finishing 4th of 70 drivers in raw.  Except he put 4 seconds on me.   That's just dumb.

Jay_W
Jay_W SuperDork
4/23/20 12:20 a.m.
CAinCA said:
Jay_W said:

Years ago a Diablo showed up at a socal event. Daddy bought it for the guy. I seem to recall reading  that there was some excitement as he lined up to do his runs. But he set, repeatedly, STD. 

STDs from autoX? surprise  Apparently, autoX is different down South. wink

Slowest Time of Day. He got beat by a Chevette, if memory serves.

 

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
4/23/20 2:43 a.m.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:

In reply to Patientzero :

The drag racing equivalent of a track day is test and tune night...  $15 to get in versus $120... can do it on a weeknight versus having to take a day off work for a track day, etc.  Way way cheaper.

 

Bu-bu-but drag racing doesn't take any driving skills...indecision

Cactus
Cactus Reader
4/23/20 1:33 p.m.
Tom1200 said:

The faster car isn't more fun, it's way cooler but not anymore fun. 

I feel this. My slow cars tend to be better prepared than my fast ones, so I'd actually argue they're more fun.

 

I got to drive a buddy's Suzuki Cappuccino at Pittrace in a novice group (thought I'd be the least hazardous there, and instructors get that luxury) was both frustrating and fun. You really have to re-calibrate your brake points (throw them out the window) and get used to pointing by everybody on the straights. 60 hp is plenty of fun on back roads where you can go 8/10ths before you even hit the speed limit. It's less fun on a quarter mile straight where you top out at maybe 80.

 

I really want a Fiat 850.

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