I've been itching to get into Autocross lately, but I have no idea where to start. I went ahead and joined the SCCA, and started looking at Solo stuff, and it's kind of overwhelming, so I figured I would ask you all a couple of questions.

I don't want to prep the car too much; it's not a daily driver, but it's not going to just be a track-day car either. So I'm thinking B Stock is the right class. Am I crazy to just show up at an event with a bone stock car and run it in B Stock? I'm not aiming to win regionals or anything, just to get out there and have some fun.

The other question I have is regarding events themselves. Looking at my region's calendar, the only Solo events I see are "Championship" events; I'm guessing I can't just show up and drive those? Will I need to wait until next season to get started?

 

There's nothing wrong with just showing up with a bone-stock car as a way to get started. Just put a bit more air in the tires, and of course make sure you have good fluids in the engine & drivetrain.

A good alignment will help a lot in terms of reducing terminal understeer, which will make the car more fun to drive (and more educational). There is plenty of info on this board relative to alignment, but the short story is get as much negative camber on the front as possible (but make it the same both sides). I reccomend a bit more negative camber on the rear - perhaps .2 degree more - but no more. Others may have other suggestions.

As for the "championship" events that term can be misleading. Many clubs have their own "championship" series which are really just normal events strung together over the season. If it is a "National Tour" then you are correct - pre-registration is required, although you could still run if you want to. NTs can a bit bit overwhelming for a newb, however.

So, just dig around a little on the website. Usually there is a contact email listed for solo. Zip off an email and find out if you can just show up - chances are you can.

Have fun!

 

Show up. Ask somebody who already has magnetic numbers and a similar car to show you the ropes. Be open to instruction. Make sure you actually work during your work heat. Walk the course as many times as possible. Show up an hour earlier than you think you need to for extra time to do this. Bring plenty to drink, sunblock, a rubbermaid tub to put all your junk in while you are racing, an umbrella, a tire pressure gauge, and a good attitude.

When I started to autocross I did it in a '99 Volkswagen Passat 1.8T with awful all-season tires. It was a ******* BLAST! I wasn't too far from DFL and it didn't matter one damn bit.

When I got my '8, I showed up at the first event of the season bone-stock. OEM EVERYTHING. It was a ******* BLAST! Since I was new to the car, I wasn't too far from DFL and it still didn't matter one damn bit.

It depends on what the club means by "championship" events. Even if there are rules against you competing (and I doubt there would be) show up anyway and spectate, help out, start talking to people in similar cars. Which region are you in?

Keep in mind that autocross is a VERY social sport. People are there to have fun and I've only run into one real jerk (not just some guy having a bad day or week) in 4 years of autocrossing.

BS is a good place to start because you should really be focusing on your skills rather than car setup. Learn how to walk the course, look ahead at the next few gates, and how to listen to what the car is telling you. Once you understand how to drive a car, listen to what it's telling you and adjust appropriately, you should start making changes.

There may be smaller sports car clubs around you outside of the local SCCA region. Check sites like MyAutoEvents.com to see if there are any other events.

Again, most autocrossers are friendly, helpful people and somebody asking them for help is a good opportunity for them to show off their skills and boost their ego. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

 

<cough> that hasn't changed much... <cough>

Seriously, I'll agree with everything George and Jason have already said, here. Just go to a local event. Seriously, just go. There is no reason to be intimidated - we're amateurs racing in parking lots, for crying out loud! :P

I cannot stress the importance of walking the course several times enough. Things are going to come up very quickly when you're in the car, so you need to know what's next. I read this somewhere online in an autocross primer: your number one goal at your first event should be to stay on course. Don't worry about beating anybody, because it's likely you won't.

Have somebody ride with you on your first couple runs. Really. They can make sure you stay on course. I wouldn't recommend riding with a seasoned vet before you run, because it might give you expectations you can't meet. But, after you're sure you know the course, absolutely start riding with other people to see how they do it.

 

+1 on all their advice

Im fairly new to autocross, but I can vouch for people there being very helpful. Let people know when you are signing up you are new and would like advice/help. See if you can walk the course with someone who knows what they are doing and get some pointers for what to look for on the course. Definitely see if you can ride along with someone or have them ride with you for pointers as well. Dont worry about the car being stock, the 8 is very capable w/o any mods and will be a blast to drive.

Also, if it looks like there are not many SCCA events, try searching local car groups like Audi club, VW club etc... Near where I am, they often run autocross events, and IMO can be just as good or better than the SCCA ones since they have lower turnout and you can get more runs

 

+2 on everything here.

I started autocross this year, and have done 3 events between 2 clubs, and my 8 is B Stock, which I refer to as Bone Stock

Every single event, there are new people, and every single event there are vets there to help show you the ropes. The advice they can give is incredibly valuable. Show up early, preregister if you can, and when you get there, don't be afraid to walk up to one of the organizers and say "I'm new, and I need help knowing what to do".

I say "I am working on driver mods first", which while it is another way of saying "I'm too poor to mod", it really is the best way. Get fast as a driver before you try to get fast with mods. One of the local guys here has been doing it for 20+ years, and was winning his class every year is in automatic Protege5, and upgraded to the 8 this year. He is still crushing his class with only R compound tires, beating the times of heavily modified (and correctly modified) 8s by 1-6 seconds still.

Another way to say it is: *puts on flame suit*
"Mods are for slow people"

Don't worry about your car beyond making sure everything is in working order, then get out there and have a blast

 

Akela, you'll find tons of good information here and on the Intarwebs.

This is kind of the canonical "How to go autocrossing" guide:
http://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/handbook.htm

It's a good read even for experienced autocrossers.

Good luck, have fun!

 

maybe i missed it above, but where are you? what region are you looking at?

 

Sorry I left this out; I'm in Northern VA, so Washington D.C. Region.
Thanks for all the help and encouragement! I'm going to shoot the WDCR novice coordinator an email in the next couple days.