VIR North monday!

5/3/2011 6:38:09 PM

http://trackmaster.trackaroo.com/welcome

pretty sweet app if you have an android device. I got a spare phone to run it with. will be trying it monday.

5/4/2011 11:43:39 PM

Any local (VIR, CMP, Roanoke Rapids...maybe Rockingham?) DEs coming up soon? I haven't scoured the websites lately.

5/7/2011 5:09:06 PM

so...my tires sustained WAAAY less wear last time at CMP than they did the first couple of days I had it on the track, due to the tread being more worn down.

Think they'll survive one more day at CMP if they're worn more or less evenly, but pretty much down to the wear bars? I'll need to drive it home, too (or really, back to Raleigh). I don't mind driving it on bald tires...I just don't want the cords hanging out to the point that it cuts the day short and/or is legitimately dangerous on the way home.

(Turn 1 is running again on Friday.)

5/9/2011 9:47:10 PM

Wear bars+track day=waste of time and maybe the risk of a short day

5/10/2011 12:14:01 AM

Triad has a some spots left in a special format autocross at Sanford coming up in two weeks:

http://events.auto-x.com/event/detail/65/

It's like a normal autocross, but higher average speeds and two cars going at the same time on mirrored courses. You'll also get more runs than typical.

[Edited on May 12, 2011 at 2:49 PM. Reason : ]

5/12/2011 2:31:59 PM

Aaahh. X games rallycross style.

It's needs to be on dirt. Not asphalt

5/12/2011 9:31:52 PM

Hurricane Region PCA is having a 2 day DE at Charlotte Motor Speedway in August. The 14th - 15th (Sunday - Monday). It's $300. Any takers?

5/26/2011 1:42:03 PM

oooh.

good deal.
would be great if it was at another track.
ill keep that in mind.

5/26/2011 5:22:29 PM

VIR N monday again

5/26/2011 8:33:15 PM

Auto-c at Cherry Point next weekend. I plan to go at least 1 day.

7/14/2011 3:30:49 PM

I inflicted $1500 in damage to my car last time I autoxed, lol. Probably won't be hitting that up.

7/14/2011 4:22:37 PM

Jimmy V autoX this sat/sun with THSCC in sanford.

i may go, not sure if ill race.

7/14/2011 5:07:33 PM

^^ damn, the hell'd you do?

7/14/2011 5:26:36 PM

tore the fender lining, bumper was scratched up a bit and misaligned. Besides replacement parts the front bumper was repainted and a new clear bra section was installed (which by itself was $500).

Whoopsie

7/15/2011 9:25:37 AM

dang son, i rallyx'd my wrx a few times and never did anything like that to it

7/16/2011 1:23:51 AM

^^how?

7/16/2011 1:44:44 AM

i remember that autoX. lol

7/16/2011 10:43:54 AM

^


Anyone have a brake rotor micrometer they would let me borrow? Not sure if my original rotors (43k miles) are still thick enough for upcoming track duty.

7/20/2011 2:42:06 PM

harbor freight - $7.99

7/20/2011 8:06:45 PM

Going to my first auto-x tomorrow at Cherry Point...I went to the novice school/test & tune session today. It's not as fun as a track day, but it's definitely a good time. The C5-Z is definitely sort of a bull in a china shop on that sort of course. It's tough to use the power, and for that matter, it's tough to use the grip, as you're constantly in transition (which is not the car's strong suit, on top of the fact that it's about 10' wide). Tomorrow's course should be REALLY big for an auto-x course, though...they're saying that plenty of cars should hit 80-90 mph on it.

7/23/2011 4:37:52 PM

U don't go to an autos with a car like that to compete. You go do slide and drift around and do different car car control techniques. You're gonna get smoked by civics.

7/24/2011 7:31:05 PM

Yeah, an '89 Civic hatch in a street tire class set FTD (although apparently this guy is expected to finish on the podium and maybe win his class at the nationals).

I cut quicker times than a whole lot of people out there, but a lot of people cut quicker times than I did is WAY lesser machinery. Auto-x is definitely not a C5-Z's prime hunting ground, and I definitely could have been WAY faster as a driver. It's much tougher to read the course than it is on a road or road course.

I was consistent, though...I made 6 runs--the first one was a easy run to feel out the course, at 52.x seconds. Another one had a big spin. The other four runs were all 50.x seconds (ranging from 50.0-50.6). FTD was something like 42.8. Hardly anything was below 45 seconds, though...most stuff was upper 40s to mid 50s, I think.

There was nobody else in Super Stock with me, but I was only about 0.5 seconds behind the E9x M3 that won A-stock. I guess that's pretty good for my first time out, on street tires (although I think he was, too).

[Edited on July 24, 2011 at 8:33 PM. Reason : there was a supercharged 1st gen Miata there on 275-series Hoosiers, haha.]

7/24/2011 8:31:22 PM

i want to know why bikes can't compete in autoX like they do in japan

7/24/2011 9:20:40 PM

Cause most people w/bikes would suck at an auto-x.

PS: Hit up the kart track smooth.

7/24/2011 10:41:29 PM

Anyone do these events out at the Old Sanford Airport? Could I go have fun here without much risk of trashing my ride? (Compared to an HPDE event at VIR - which is 10x the cost and I am just worried about getting damaged)... how are these guys so cheap?

Quote :

"Old Sanford Airport Directions:Take US421 South for about 55 miles to US1 South. Take a left onto Hwy 78(Tramway Rd). Go 2.1 miles on Tramway Rd and then take a right onto Airport Rd. This is the third paved road on the right and can be difficult to spot. We will try and have a sign up to show the entrance. Schedule: Registration & Tech Opens: 8:00AM (Must Pay Event and get Registration Card by 9:30AM) Late registration: Is only allowed at the discretion of officials. *There is $10.00 late fee and you lose fastest timed run.* Registration Closes: 9:30AM *Tech Stops Promptly at 9:15 - Must be in Tech line by 9:10AM or you will not run!* Novice Meeting & Course Walk: 10:00AM Driver's Meeting: 10:15AM First Car Off: 10:30AM Fees: Members: $20.00 Non-Members: $25.00 (Save Money become a member today!!) Mufflers Required 95db Limit Enforced!! "

http://auto-x.com/schedule.php

[Edited on July 25, 2011 at 3:14 PM. Reason : linlk]

7/25/2011 3:14:01 PM

umm, its an autoX. the course is like 10x the size. and with a huge number of entrants, they can make thier money chargine $25-35 a head.

its all preference really. you may love autoX, or not so much.

its def. worth the try. you dont really lose much except for some tread. hah.

7/25/2011 3:57:49 PM

^^I'd recommend going to an HPDE instead, especially with a Viper. You might feel like you have to be very restrained given the relatively tight confines (though I've been to this location before and it's definitely one of the more "open" autox venues).

7/25/2011 4:00:03 PM

^^Gracias

^ I am thinking that being a bit restrained to start off might be a GOOD thing . I am just thinking this will be a lot less serious than VIR training and safer

7/25/2011 4:13:37 PM

^^, ^ nothing wrong with taking a viper out to an auto-x, it's cheap fun with little worry about doing anything to your car. only problem would be living with all the miatas and civics that're running faster times than you

^one thing to keep in mind though is even though you're paying $35, you only get maybe 4-5 minutes worth of seat time even though you're there all day long.

7/25/2011 4:29:41 PM

well it can get just as serious. you can actually compete nationally in autoX. you cant do much with track unless you spend a lot of money and go far with license and such. (but you can compete on a real small level).


there are tons of cars with power at autoX's, they're just setup properly. you probably will not have any fun at an autoX as a novice because everytime you try to hit the gas you have to brake and turn. haha. you'd probably have more fun at a skid pad.

i would def. spend the time at a track event. 'specially with a viper.

i mean, you can spend the time and money to make it fast in a parking lot. or you can go balls to the wall on a track and have much more fun.

7/25/2011 4:35:46 PM

Gotcha. I also ordered new tires that should be here mid-august, so I am thinking that this would be a good chance to send off the old ones with some smoke.

7/25/2011 4:35:48 PM

my C5-Z is pretty comparable to a Viper in performance and as the overall type of car that it is. I definitely had fun with it at the auto-x, and it's definitely cheap and safe compared to HPDE. That said, you're looking at maybe 5 minutes of actual seat time, and the opportunity for instruction/learning is minimal compared to HPDE. Also, your Viper can be quick at auto-x, but it will be MUCH tougher to drive it well in the frantic confines of an auto-x than, say, a Miata. Also, auto-x doesn't really reward the things that your car is good at (big power and big grip) in the way that a road course does. Another thing I found (and this probably gets a little better with more practice) is that an auto-x course is WAY tougher to "read" than a road course, and at the rate cars like ours can reel in those cones, you really have to know the course, because you don't have time not to be a couple of steps ahead.

HPDE is far and away more fun, more educational, and more expensive. Figure $300-350 for a weekend entry...prob at least $150 worth of gas to get there, run all weekend, and get home...$100 for 2 nights in a hotel...then however much tire and brake you consume (I'm guessing a few hundred dollars over the course of a weekend). Your consumables will be even more than mine...I would say that you'd be looking at $800-1000 for a full weekend at a track with your Viper, depending on the track, how hard you drive, what tires/brakes you're using, etc.

That said, having an instructor beside you on intercom pointing at stuff and talking you around the track "brake brake brake brake...TURN for it...unwind and eease into the throttle...hammer down" is WAY WAY WAY more valuable than anything you'll get at an auto-x. Plus, hot lapping on a road course, seeing the same corners time after time after time is a better learning opportunity than frantically banging that Viper through the cones for 40 seconds and then stopping.

[Edited on July 25, 2011 at 5:25 PM. Reason : you could get 1.5-2 hours of seat time at an HPDE.]

7/25/2011 5:23:50 PM

dude, you bought a motherfucking viper. if you got the scratch to buy a car with those retarded rear tires, then you can put it on the track. if you fuck it up, well, that's what you bought it for. get a policy for track events if you're that worried. i guess you /did/ buy a car with an ape of a motor and 0 driver aids... like abs

7/25/2011 6:17:15 PM

^Some regular auto insurance policies cover track events b/c they're not timed competitive events. My insurer told me I'm covered for any HPDE mishaps. On the flip side technically an AutoX is a timed competitive event and insurance might not cover you if anything were to happen.

I autoxed competitively for years (mostly through college) and it was a lot of fun but once I had the money for track events I left the autoxes behind. $25-40 for 5-6 minutes of seat time out of an entire day got old. 160 minutes of seat time over 2 days for $200-400 is much better!

But I will say that for anyone just starting out in performance driving autoxes are a good first step.

7/26/2011 8:32:39 AM

Quote :

"if you fuck it up, well, that's what you bought it for"

I did not buy it to track it and fuck it up... Keeping it completely clean and wreck free is my goal

My intention is to get a cheaper track car at some point that I don't care if completely demolish to have fun in. That will probably be what I take up to VIR for HPDE.

Quote :

"But I will say that for anyone just starting out in performance driving autoxes are a good first step."

That is what I am thinking... I have never done any track or autox events and even though there is no education element in autox, it will just be a nice, cheap way to have some fun with minimal risk


Duke, I will probably be heading up to VIR at some point in the near future to ride with a friend that has an ACR and goes up a couple times a month. He recommended that I not track the blue&white just because they are one of the more collectible ones, but I have priced it out and I think I can get by at about $850 for 2 days of HPDE if I decided to do it. Maybe I will just wait until they have the charity events where anyone can do a few laps for like 50 bucks - no passing or racing - just check out the course and blast on the straightaways. I think they do it ~2 times a year (Ronald McDonald House was the last one). A few guys have recommended that to me and said that it is good for anyone not wanting to seriously track their car.

Cars registered for the August AutoX so far
http://events.auto-x.com/event/entrylist/60/

Can't wait to get beat by a Focus!

7/26/2011 10:56:23 AM

hmm... i'd like to see the nagtroc 2012 gtr.

7/26/2011 11:12:28 AM

^^it's not to say you can't jump right into HPDE. My dad's never autoxed in his life and I convinced him to do an HPDE Additionally you only have to push a car as hard as you want to. Finally, you have mentioned VIR serveral times and while it's the closest track to Raleigh it's also one of the most expensive tracks around, as well as difficult (from what I can tell).

7/26/2011 12:19:59 PM

Quote :

"$25-40 for 5-6 minutes of seat time out of an entire day got old. 160 minutes of seat time over 2 days for $200-400 is much better!"

amen to that!

7/26/2011 12:46:48 PM

autoX is not a starting spot.

they're the same but different.

you dont need to autoX for any reason at all. you wont learn anything
j/k

but for real. money is better spend at a driving school. its a lump sum compared to autoX, but man its sooo much "funner".

but for the hell of it, why not. autoX is inexpensive. but you'll probably learn that your bill will rack up quick. its more of a shit talking sport than anything. hehe

7/26/2011 2:16:32 PM

yeah, the fun aspect that auto-x does bring that HPDE doesn't is the competition factor.

I mean, you can smoke people in other cars at an HPDE, but (a) you never know what all they have done, and (b) they aren't racing you--you have no idea how hard they're pushing or how much harder they could go if they wanted to.

7/26/2011 6:01:17 PM

if car hpde's are anything like bike hpde's, very few people are leaving more than 15-20% in the tank

7/26/2011 6:21:41 PM

yeah, i think that's the case, but there's a big difference between 8/10 and 10/10, and I know sometimes I've backed off significantly just to work on the line for a lap or two.

7/26/2011 6:39:32 PM

Quote :

"if car hpde's are anything like bike hpde's, very few people are leaving more than 15-20% in the tank"

Are you being figurative or literal? Because I always start with a full tank and barely have anything left at the end of each day As far as driving I'd say after I get comfortable with the course I stay around 9/10ths while refining my lines and seeing how much I can shorten my braking zone (incrementally of course ).

7/26/2011 9:17:39 PM

well, i literally go through 2 or 3 tanks of gas every track day... but i meant in general, people are "trying" during de events, especially in novice classes. that's why you have so many off's

7/26/2011 9:42:58 PM

You cannot assume anything about how hard somebody's pushing at an HPDE. I know I've gone several laps at 5/10ths or lower for one reason or another many times. I could be following my student in his run group, letting the brakes/tires cool, letting somebody I want to watch catch up, taking multiple cool down laps/running low on fuel, you name it.

Also, I've yet to see a student in a class below "advanced" get anywhere near what I'd call 9/10ths of the car's potential, despite what their instructors may have told them. They ask instructors to be nice as to not hurt anybody's pride. Nobody wants to be told they're not doing well...

Anyway, I like auto-xes. I think they have their place and are a good venue to learn car control though I've noticed that people who do more than a few auto-xes before starting DEs tend to be more abrupt and harsh w/the car. Hard habits to unlearn.

7/26/2011 10:27:36 PM

heh, i meant driver's capacity, not car's

7/26/2011 10:29:00 PM

Picking up a 2nd set of OEM wheels for the Z06 tomorrow. $400 with a set of tires mounted (bald fronts, but a supposedly good pair of BFG KDWs on the rear.

My rears right now are pretty much toast..the fronts can probably go another month or two if it's just street driving. I'll probably put the new rears with the KDWs on and leave my NT05s on the front, then when I wear them out, transition to Potenza RE-760s all around.

...then mount some sort of R-comps on the other set of wheels.



break, break:

Pat, after thinking about it a little more, I don't think I'm down with that DE at Charlotte. I don't really dig tracks with concrete walls and no runoff.

7/28/2011 12:05:48 AM

all tww track gatherings should be with turnone mixed days, as much as I hate that track

7/28/2011 2:55:47 AM

Sorry to hear that, but since I hadn't heard you say anything about it I figured as much

7/28/2011 8:29:46 AM