Autocross: It's Good to Know What You're Not Good At
Went out to our local autocross at the airport this last Saturday (3-25-2023).. We had about 50 cars and we got 8 runs total (4 in the a.m., 4 more after lunch). I try not to be too hard on myself when I try new things, and this is no exception. My ego tells me I'm a pretty good driver, but the autocross clock doesn't agree
I promised myself to not get too caught up in the competition aspect of the day; just go out, drive the car as hard as I dare, don't wreck, don't be a tool, and have fun. It only took a few runs before I started to fixate on my times, just like I promised myself not to do
I did have fun, but I have to find a way to couch my ego.. It was an interesting experience.. I had NO confidence on the first few runs.. I actually DNF'd 3 times during the day due to driver error (wrong way/ off course..). Others did the same thing, just not as often, so I wasn't alone in my mistakes. By the later sessions I had a much better handle on the course, and I was learning what the car could or could not do.. The fastest cars were getting 63.x seconds; it seemed like most people were in the high 60s/ low 70s; and the slowest struggled to break 80 (there were only a few in the last group). I started the day at 76.8, and my best run was my last, at 71.21 seconds. Not awful, and I learned a lot in a short amount of time.
After the 1st few runs I was actually shaking (fear? adrenaline?).. I didn't like the feeling.. However, by the end of the day, I had much, much more confidence in what I was doing, in the car, and in myself.
It was a lonnnnng day. It was cold and windy, but we were out taxing our cars and ourselves, and it was a good day overall..
Last thoughts.. It was fun! My 'sticky' tires were WONDERFUL!!! These semi-slicks made ALL of the difference in keeping the car under control. The car itself did great.. no clutch slipping, no hiccups, nothing.. The car did exactly what I asked of it. I was definitely the limiting factor in this equation. Surely I'll do autocross again, and in part because of these wonderfully sticky tires, I'm also excited to get this car to an HPDE day.. Fun!
--ccrunner
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Dean
1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"
1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=163091959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com
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