Jim Z writes:
> Went out on a big track for some spirtited driving over the weekend. I
> was humbled as the competition crushed me for lap times. What I'm
> curious about is how does one take autoX experience to a fast pace
> track?
I think you did take your autoX experience to the track, since you didn't
mention going off-course. That is the biggest danger which a novice has,
with little knowledge of the course and the car's limits, they can quickly
find themselves in too deep. If they stay within their limits, then they're
just plain slow. I think if you compared your times with drivers of equal
experience and equipment on that track, you probably did quite well.
> I noticed that my autocrossing skills did not like speeds that
> required huge amounts of drift. Large amounts of drift on the autoX
> course always means added cones. I noticed that most of the time I was
> able to point myself at the next apex instead of pushing towards it.
> For those of you that do roadrace can you pass on words of wisdom that
> will allow me to perform better for the next future track day?
You will have to approach that different driving style/skill gradually. You
know what you want to do, but it doesn't come without practice.
> The idea of going off track at 90+ mph is not something I look forward to.
Practice long enough, and this is exactly what you will do. As someone who
has only done two high-speed track events (Blackhawk Farms, IL and Cabannis
Field, TX), I can tell you that a plateau takes some days to reach. But if
you get even a bit too aggressive, you will see the edge of the course
coming at you instead of going by you. This is not necessarily disastrous,
but it will reinforce the virtue of patience. It did for me. Or you will
roll or hit a tree.
My take is, if you don't have a dedicated race car with safety equipment,
that you can afford to lose, don't chase the lap record. Have fun and be
careful _and_ lucky enough to drive home with no damage. Just like autoX,
its hard not to make improvement in the early stages, and eventually you
can benefit from a good instructor.
You can always go over the top any time you feel like it on the autoX
course in relative safety. This is one of the top selling points of the
sport. The road course is a definite thrill, but like riding a motorcycle
without a helmet, I don't mind limiting my exposure to an annual event.
One last word of advice - beware of the tough (slow) parts of the course.
As an autocrosser, you may be already at the limit there, and entering that
section with some new-found speed is a bitch. Keep this in mind as you
begin to master the drifting sweepers.
Damn, thinking about this makes me want to DRIVE!
--
Jeffrey D. Blankenship Senior Technical Consultant
jblanken@itds.com ITDS - TRIS
Champaign, IL, USA
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