Has anyone taken their rookie auto x course? I will be doing it June 9-10. I have done auto x before but Im taking the class to become more familiar with it...does ayone know what I should expect from the course?

 

brr = whachatalkinaboutwillis?

 

my bad blue ridge region.... brr-scca.org

 

disclaimer: I have no knowledge of Blue Ridge Region!

Most of the autocross schools run by the various SCCA regions will have an experienced instructor with 2-3 "students" and will offer the opportunity to have the basics (course walk/finding the line, looking ahead, etc) explained. Usually, you'll have a few distinct elements arranged in different parts of the site (maybe a figure 8, a slalom, a "square" circle etc.), to allow students to go from station to station, working on specific items for the first part of the school. Finally, all the elements are drawn together into a full course and all that has been gone over has a chance to come together and done on one try...as you would experience in any organized autocross event.

Value of instructor input will vary, of course, dependent on how much the instructor knows and how well they communicate/teach. But, the value of all the seat time most schools provide never varies...they are a great opportunity to learn, work on new things, play with the car and have fun.

Just bring tires...

 

Go for it! Discovering the unknown is half the adventure

 

see...ive auto x'd before but i went im MD with a friend of mine who drove with me and kinda coached...i wasnt sure how different it would be in a rookie class. im def. going for it and im pretty excited about it too.

oh...also im buying a helment...what brand would everyone suggest and where is a good place to buy it. ive found several sites and brands does it really make a difference?

 

The only things I'd worry about in a helmet for autocross is a 2005 Snell rating and a comfortable fit. Fit is key, if it's not comfortable, it is a major distraction in autocross and a serious headache (literally) in track use. The rest is just a matter of preference and price point...I have a $600 list price Bell from road racing...and use a $40 HJC open face for autocross

Funny thing about helmets, if they are Snell approved, they all are held to the same standard, regardless as to cost! More money usually equals lighter weight and more bells and whistles, nothing more...although the removeable, washable liner in more expensive helmets can be well worth it, after a number of summer days of use...

 

k thanks!!!

 

MWood said a lot of this. I did the SCCA novice school in ATL about a month ago. They set up an oval skidpad and the course and really limited the size (50 ppl). We had a nice long course walk through in the morning, and then broken in to 3 groups. In the a.m., I got a skidpad session and a course session. 6-7 mins on the skidpad and about 8 runs on the course. The first 3-4 they made sure you had an instructor, and after that you could go solo or have an instructor.
They brought in pizza for everyone for lunch.
1st session after lunch was whatever you hadn't done before lunch. (**** cones for me). Then for the last 3 hours they opened the skidpad to anyone who wanted to go work on stuff, and combined groups so one was working, and two were making runs. Think I had 17 runs and 3 pad sessions for the day.

Buy the helmet! I did the loaner thing, and they didn't have enough. Missed out on a couple runs waiting for one. And had to wear everything from a m to a xxl. Big distraction. But it did help me figure out the size I needed. I bought an open face G-Force from discoveryparts.com. 149$, Next day shipping and they toss in a free (nice) helmet bag.
Have fun!