PCA SDR

Hi all,

I need your input please. I'm putting fingers to keyboard, and assembling an article for the Witness on Autocross ABC's, or The Anatomy of an Autocross (I'm not sure which title I'll use yet.) I hope to encourage people to attend and answer questions that my be inhibiting them from doing so. That's where you come in.

PLEASE post one or two questions/fears/misnomers you had about Autocross before attending them.

These will be woven into the article.

Thanks!


Mark

Mark
The biggest fear I hear from AX virgins is that they will not be welcomed because they do not have a 2012 GT3 or other super cool new Porsche.
Hey we even welcome guys driving 924S's.

The day is pretty overwhelming the first time out going cold turkey so I tell people to just come out and watch.
I then tell them to talk to people who are driving cars similar to theirs.

These are usually my recommendations:
Come out and watch
Run an AX
Do a P.D.S.
Do another AX with your new P.D.S. skills.
This is the minimum to drive your Porsche competently.
Decide where to go from there.

Steve Grosekemper wrote:Mark
The biggest fear I hear from AX virgins is that they will not be welcomed because they do not have a 2012 GT3 or other super cool new Porsche.
Hey we even welcome guys driving 924S's.

The day is pretty overwhelming the first time out going cold turkey so I tell people to just come out and watch.
I then tell them to talk to people who are driving cars similar to theirs.

These are usually my recommendations:
Come out and watch
Run an AX
Do a P.D.S.
Do another AX with your new P.D.S. skills.
This is the minimum to drive your Porsche competently.
Decide where to go from there.

Excellent advice Steve. Coming out to watch and seeing that even a 1.7L 914 can have fun takes the edge off.

Another first-timer trap that I fell into was the "I want to win my first AX". Well, AX is a learned skill and I hadn't learnedit yet. I wasn't DFL that day but darn close and I think Kim Crosser had me by 10 seconds in the same car. This can be humbling and disappointing at first. Forget about winning and just focus on having fun, enjoying the car, and learning from more experienced drivers who really know how to play the game. Winning will take car of itself once you have put in the seat time.

Car Damage - I know that this is a big one, particularly with some of the newer cars. New drivers must be ensured that, while accidents do (rarely) happen, the expectation is that the worst damage that happens is some (easily removable) black marks from cones. (Do beware Jerry's new cones - they have been known to bite back.)

Steve Grosekemper wrote:These are usually my recommendations:
Come out and watch
Run an AX
Do a P.D.S.
Do another AX with your new P.D.S. skills.

I will second this advice, in that exact order. I came out and watched before I started doing AX, but somehow felt that I should take the PDS before jumping into the deep end, so I waited a few months. When I finally attended the PDS, I wished I had tried at least one AX beforehand, as it would have provided a context for learning more at the school! Don't be afraid to be a complete newbie--the instructor corps can lead you through a first AX experience no matter what level your driving (or car) is at, and it will fill your head with new things to investigate, try, and learn about at the PDS. Don't worry about "prepping" the car to be faster (you won't be fast the first time out), just get a basic "pre-tech" safety inspection at one of the local shops if your car is older or has been modified, so that you aren't disappointed by the very rare occurrence of failing tech inspection the day of the event, read the article on the club's website about what to expect at an autocross and come on out.

TT

GREAT thoughts all.

Lets hear from a few more people.

My biggest fear was: "I won't know what to do."

I don't mean that in terms of driving, but just where to go, or be. What was expected, even how to go through tech. And all of that was AFTER I had been to a PDS.

Mark

My $0.02...

I would suggest that they DRIVE at one or two AX'es before taking the PDS. I started with the PDS, and a lot of the material went right over my head. After about 4 AX'es, I went back and took the PDS and it all made sense. There were so many new terms in the PDS that I had never heard before. Understeer, oversteer, weight transfer, load/unload, turn in, apex, late apex, early apex, double apex, type 1/2/3 turns, decreasing radius, camber, slip angle, drift, counter-steer, threshold braking, heel-toe shifting, shuffle steer, ...

When I have a student that seems to be thinking they will drive FAST at one of their first events, I tell them that I was at the back of the class for the first year that I drove, and it took three years before I got a class win (true!). (I went back and checked, and also found out that somehow I am now the driver with the highest attendance overall? ). Of course, then you do get the student like Hassan Zaidi, who proceeded to start trouncing all of us by about his 5th-6th AX.

I agree with Mark - my biggest concern was knowing what to do the day of the AX. Even reading the very good article that was provided, there are all the things we do automatically in prepping, going through tech, parking, unpacking, etc., that are confusing and can be overwhelming for a first-timer.

After the last PDS, I had a couple of students at AX'es who were trying to force themselves to shuffle steer, which was distracting them from driving. While I am a 100% proponent of shuffle steering (and do it everywhere, even in tight grocery store parking lots), I think at first novice students should focus on smoothness (steering and throttle) and "the line", and then bring in shuffle steering after they are reasonably comfortable with those aspects.

When you get this done, perhaps you could post it on the FAQ section of the Forum?

Mmagus wrote:Hi all,

I need your input please. I'm putting fingers to keyboard, and assembling an article for the Witness on Autocross ABC's, or The Anatomy of an Autocross (I'm not sure which title I'll use yet.) I hope to encourage people to attend and answer questions that my be inhibiting them from doing so. That's where you come in.

PLEASE post one or two questions/fears/misnomers you had about Autocross before attending them.

These will be woven into the article.

Thanks!


Mark

Many great books on the subject, maybe this will help your article.
Check Hank Watts table of contents for ideas.
http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Solo-Raci ... 0962057312

Mmagus wrote:Hi all,

I need your input please. I'm putting fingers to keyboard, and assembling an article for the Witness on Autocross ABC's, or The Anatomy of an Autocross (I'm not sure which title I'll use yet.) I hope to encourage people to attend and answer questions that my be inhibiting them from doing so. That's where you come in.

PLEASE post one or two questions/fears/misnomers you had about Autocross before attending them.


Mark

Being ignored / not being made welcome.


First SDR AX I attended I connected with Bob Schuster (sp?) (yellow 993 4S from Orange county).
He set the tone for a string of positive experiences.

One thing I sense/hear from drivers asking about attending AX (I always try to recruit the interested, that's our job, right?) is the fear that they won't fit in with the fearless racer gods that SURELY MUST be the normal attendees.
Try as I might to debunk that image and convince them that we are just regular Joes playing in a parking lot, success is rare.

Thanks once again everyone for the great input. I have woven your thoughts into an article and it is in the hands of our fearless Witness editor.
Next month, we will cover PDS. So please get your thoughts ready.

All the best,
Mark

I'm a bit late, but regarding my first AX in December...

Access to instructors makes a huge difference --- having at least one person you can ping for questions is very helpful. Having some instructors at the social events available to answer questions might be a good way to start the introduction.
Lapping in your instructors car is very informative for what these cars are capable of, and showing you don't need buckets of power to have an entertaining lap. I didn't expect this and I am guessing it doesn't always happen when competition season is on.
Instructors skill: Being able to push you improve you laps without going too far out of your limits.

Then, everyone else I talked to was welcoming as well, so the intimidation factor went away pretty quickly. The thrill after the first lap helped there too.

rcsd_447 wrote:Access to instructors makes a huge difference --- having at least one person you can ping for questions is very helpful. Having some instructors at the social events available to answer questions might be a good way to start the introduction..

Actually...there are always instructors at the social events...you just need to know who they are . You make a great point, perhaps we need a few to wear "Ask the Instructor" buttons.

My biggest fear was not knowing anyone, and not knowing what to do. I am fortunate (maybe others dont agree? lol) in that I have no problem starting conversation with strangers and just asking questions, no matter how dumb they may be. I know, I know I am still asking dumb questions. Like how in the crap can Hassan be SO fast in that boxster?

Anyway, I know many people dont ask questions of strangers so easily. My fears went away after about the first 30 minutes after I met a few people and Low and behold! They were not only nice, but helpful and fun!

Just an idea, maybe complete newbies can be identified and their instructors can be identified early, and your instructor ( or could just be anyone who knows the AutoX scene) can hook up right upon arrival to take them through the process of unpacking, tech, drivers meeting, track walk, etc. it may bring out some of the more timid people who want to but havent pulled the trigger yet. Maybe the mentor we could call them and student can be put in contact beforehand? So I can talk to that person, know there will be someone there I know and who knows I dont know anything.

Something like "hey my name is so and so and I will be driving a such and such color car and will park around here and I will be there to help you the first time here and dont worry. What color is your car I will look for you. " all in an effort to make the person feel included, and not stressed about what they need to do, where to go, etc.

After my first couple of events, the problem changed to "How are these guys so dang fast, Why am I so slow, and how do I GET fast!"

For the big track DE events, I always send out a list to all the students and instructors with each others names and contact information in hopes they contact each other before meeting at the track. In addition, I send out a detailed letter of what to expect and what needs to be done before the event and a schedule for the weekend.

It is more work for the volunteers, but it does seem to help the students and instructor prepare for the track which is even more intimidating than an AX at the Q