AUTOX: Autocross Information Thread for 2006
02-04-2005, 10:42 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
AUTOX: Autocross Information Thread for 2006
Helpful links
In-car video of current B Stock national champion Jason Saini at the 2003 National Championships - Don't worry if you can't drive this fast; very few people can
Western Washington Sports Car Council - The local sanctioning body; check here for event schedules, results, directions to event sites, and other information
WWSCC next event info
What is autocross?
Autocross is a form of motorsport competition where cars run one at a time through a temporary course defined with traffic cones. Autocross is also an opportunity to drive your car as fast as it will go in a safe, legal, and inexpensive setting. Speeds are usually under 60 mph, and there are no obstacles or track edges to worry about -- it's unlikely that your car will come into contact with anything other than a traffic cone even if you lose control. Event entry fees are typically $25 for 3-4 timed runs of roughly 45-60 seconds each.
Many of the Pacific Northwest forum's frequent posters are also regulars at autocrosses -- look for Banannie, lig, hi50, 124Spider, and myself at events throughout the season.
When and where
Autocrosses are almost always held on Sundays. Event days are usually split into morning and afternoon halves. Registration for the morning typically starts by 8 a.m., and runs usually wrap up by 1 p.m. Afternoon registration typically starts by noon, and runs usually complete by 5 p.m. Showing up early is strongly recommended -- it gives you more time to walk the course, talk to people, and do any pre-event preparation.
Autocrosses are normally held on large parking lots or airstrips. The most commonly used local sites are the Boeing 747/767 Assembly Building in Everett, and the Bremerton Motorsports Park in Bremerton. Directions to these and other sites can be found here. You may want to consider taking the ferry to Bremerton events; here are the ferry schedules for Fauntleroy (West Seattle) / Southworth and Seattle / Bremerton.
What to Bring
The essentials are just a car and a driver. Loaner helmets are available at nearly all events; in order to get a loaner helmet, just give your driver's license to the helmet master before you run. Don't forget to return the helmet afterwards, as loaner helmets are in short supply.
The following additional items are recommended for those planning on autocrossing regularly:
A typical event
The first test at an autocross is arriving on time. Registration is only open during a fixed window, and more importantly, you'll want to arrive early so that you have time to get prepared. When you arrive at the event site, you need to sign a waiver form, even if you're not planning on competing.
Once you're on the event site, find a place to park your car. Don't park in any spots which have tires, a trailer, or any other miscellaneous junk piled up in front of them -- those spots have already been claimed by other people.
Your next goal is to register and pay. Look for the registration desk under an awning; if you can't find it, ask another participant where it is. Once there, you will fill out a small card, called your "timing card", with your contact information and the details of your car. Filling this card out completely is very important as it will be used to record your times from the event. Make sure to pick up a course map while you're registering.
The last step of the registration process is signing up for a work assignment. Everyone who races must also spend time "working the course" -- watching to ensure participants navigate the course correctly, and replacing cones that are knocked down. Working the course is a good opportunity to watch the action up close, learn what lines that fast drivers are taking, and to meet your fellow competitors.
Once you've registered, you need to prepare for tech inspection. You must remove everything in the passenger cabin and trunk that isn't bolted down, including the floor mats, CDs, fuzzy dice, and anything else that might roll around. If you have a spare tire in the car, consider taking it out as well to save a few pounds. If you've got magnetic numbers, put them on now.
Once your car has been emptied, you need to go to Tech Inspection to "be Teched". There should be a line of cars parked at Tech, but if you're not sure where to go, ask another participant. Take your car, timing card, and helmet (if you have one) to Tech. A tech inspector will do a cursory safety check on your car to ensure that the wheel bearings are intact, the battery is properly bolted down, the throttle return spring works, etc.; any car in good running condition should pass Tech. If your car passes, the inspector will mark your timing card accordingly.
Once you've passed Tech, park your car and walk the course. No one is allowed to drive the course before competition begins, so competitors walk the course several times in order to learn the layout. Sometimes there will be a "novice course walk", which is a course walk led by an experienced autocrosser -- if you hear a novice course walk announced, make sure to join the group.
After all that's done, wait until the driver's meeting is announced. At the driver's meeting, the event organizers will explain any special details about the day's event and describe how to work the course. After the driver's meeting, you're ready to go. Depending on the work assignment you received when you registered, you may need to get your car into Grid (where cars line up before running), walk to your work station on course, or just wait until it's your turn to run or work.
When in doubt, ask questions! Most autocrossers are happy to help first-timers and share tips, but they can't help you if they don't know where to find you.
Even more helpful links
Evolution Performance Driving School - The best known school for intermediate to expert autocrossers
S2000 Autocross Setup FAQ - How to best prep your car for autocrossing
Revision History
030101 - First draft - jerrypeterson
030103 - Added in-car video and Event Day section - jerrypeterson
040215 - Major revision for 2004 season - PedalFaster
040216 - Added link to Evolution school - PedalFaster
040217 - Ferry schedules added - jerrypeterson
040220 - Link to Autocross Setup FAQ added - jerrypeterson
040224 - And don't forget food and water - PedalFaster
040303 - Fixed typos in ferry schedules - PedalFaster
050204 - Updated for 2005 - PedalFaster
In-car video of current B Stock national champion Jason Saini at the 2003 National Championships - Don't worry if you can't drive this fast; very few people can
Western Washington Sports Car Council - The local sanctioning body; check here for event schedules, results, directions to event sites, and other information
WWSCC next event info
What is autocross?
Autocross is a form of motorsport competition where cars run one at a time through a temporary course defined with traffic cones. Autocross is also an opportunity to drive your car as fast as it will go in a safe, legal, and inexpensive setting. Speeds are usually under 60 mph, and there are no obstacles or track edges to worry about -- it's unlikely that your car will come into contact with anything other than a traffic cone even if you lose control. Event entry fees are typically $25 for 3-4 timed runs of roughly 45-60 seconds each.
Many of the Pacific Northwest forum's frequent posters are also regulars at autocrosses -- look for Banannie, lig, hi50, 124Spider, and myself at events throughout the season.
When and where
Autocrosses are almost always held on Sundays. Event days are usually split into morning and afternoon halves. Registration for the morning typically starts by 8 a.m., and runs usually wrap up by 1 p.m. Afternoon registration typically starts by noon, and runs usually complete by 5 p.m. Showing up early is strongly recommended -- it gives you more time to walk the course, talk to people, and do any pre-event preparation.
Autocrosses are normally held on large parking lots or airstrips. The most commonly used local sites are the Boeing 747/767 Assembly Building in Everett, and the Bremerton Motorsports Park in Bremerton. Directions to these and other sites can be found here. You may want to consider taking the ferry to Bremerton events; here are the ferry schedules for Fauntleroy (West Seattle) / Southworth and Seattle / Bremerton.
What to Bring
The essentials are just a car and a driver. Loaner helmets are available at nearly all events; in order to get a loaner helmet, just give your driver's license to the helmet master before you run. Don't forget to return the helmet afterwards, as loaner helmets are in short supply.
The following additional items are recommended for those planning on autocrossing regularly:
- A positive attitude
- Helmet (you can buy your own for under $100 at motorcycle shops)
- Warm, waterproof clothes when it's cold or rainy: jackets, sweaters, umbrellas
- Sunscreen when it's hot and sunny
- Lots of water and some snacks (since you're usually on site for half a day)
- Tire air pressure gauge
- Air pump (available for $30-$50 at Sears or any auto parts store)
- White shoe polish (for writing your car number on your windows and marking your tires to check for correct air pressure)
- Rulebook
- Magnetic numbers and class letters (available from series sponsor Fordahl Motorsports or most sign shops)
A typical event
The first test at an autocross is arriving on time. Registration is only open during a fixed window, and more importantly, you'll want to arrive early so that you have time to get prepared. When you arrive at the event site, you need to sign a waiver form, even if you're not planning on competing.
Once you're on the event site, find a place to park your car. Don't park in any spots which have tires, a trailer, or any other miscellaneous junk piled up in front of them -- those spots have already been claimed by other people.
Your next goal is to register and pay. Look for the registration desk under an awning; if you can't find it, ask another participant where it is. Once there, you will fill out a small card, called your "timing card", with your contact information and the details of your car. Filling this card out completely is very important as it will be used to record your times from the event. Make sure to pick up a course map while you're registering.
The last step of the registration process is signing up for a work assignment. Everyone who races must also spend time "working the course" -- watching to ensure participants navigate the course correctly, and replacing cones that are knocked down. Working the course is a good opportunity to watch the action up close, learn what lines that fast drivers are taking, and to meet your fellow competitors.
Once you've registered, you need to prepare for tech inspection. You must remove everything in the passenger cabin and trunk that isn't bolted down, including the floor mats, CDs, fuzzy dice, and anything else that might roll around. If you have a spare tire in the car, consider taking it out as well to save a few pounds. If you've got magnetic numbers, put them on now.
Once your car has been emptied, you need to go to Tech Inspection to "be Teched". There should be a line of cars parked at Tech, but if you're not sure where to go, ask another participant. Take your car, timing card, and helmet (if you have one) to Tech. A tech inspector will do a cursory safety check on your car to ensure that the wheel bearings are intact, the battery is properly bolted down, the throttle return spring works, etc.; any car in good running condition should pass Tech. If your car passes, the inspector will mark your timing card accordingly.
Once you've passed Tech, park your car and walk the course. No one is allowed to drive the course before competition begins, so competitors walk the course several times in order to learn the layout. Sometimes there will be a "novice course walk", which is a course walk led by an experienced autocrosser -- if you hear a novice course walk announced, make sure to join the group.
After all that's done, wait until the driver's meeting is announced. At the driver's meeting, the event organizers will explain any special details about the day's event and describe how to work the course. After the driver's meeting, you're ready to go. Depending on the work assignment you received when you registered, you may need to get your car into Grid (where cars line up before running), walk to your work station on course, or just wait until it's your turn to run or work.
When in doubt, ask questions! Most autocrossers are happy to help first-timers and share tips, but they can't help you if they don't know where to find you.
Even more helpful links
Evolution Performance Driving School - The best known school for intermediate to expert autocrossers
S2000 Autocross Setup FAQ - How to best prep your car for autocrossing
Revision History
030101 - First draft - jerrypeterson
030103 - Added in-car video and Event Day section - jerrypeterson
040215 - Major revision for 2004 season - PedalFaster
040216 - Added link to Evolution school - PedalFaster
040217 - Ferry schedules added - jerrypeterson
040220 - Link to Autocross Setup FAQ added - jerrypeterson
040224 - And don't forget food and water - PedalFaster
040303 - Fixed typos in ferry schedules - PedalFaster
050204 - Updated for 2005 - PedalFaster
01-15-2006, 03:11 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Washington.
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i have never autox before.. and i want to try it out. but i im a college student and low on $$ most of the time.... so i kinda wanna come and check it out before i try it on feb 12 ... cuz its pretty close to where i live.. i dont kno what to expect or anything, so i just wanna get a feel for it i guess..is that a waste of time?? how did u guys get started??(in autox..)
01-15-2006, 05:13 PM
#6
Community Organizer
It's 25 bucks if you pre-register and five bucks for a rulebook. I don't think you an run on the 12th without belonging to a WWSCC member club.
The one this coming Sunday is open to the first 150 entrants (with no membership required)
The one this coming Sunday is open to the first 150 entrants (with no membership required)
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01-15-2006, 07:31 PM
#9
Registered User
Originally Posted by riceburners2001,Jan 15 2006, 06:19 PM
i meant like i could go watch how others run and stuff(not run my self)... just to check it out...i am allow to watch right?? w/out payin anything???
01-15-2006, 09:30 PM
#10
Registered User
Thread Starter
Just so that you know: watching autocross has been compared to watching paint dry, and that goes double for watching a wet autocross (which this one will likely be). It's a million times more fun to do than it is to watch.