one thing i felt i got from driving on the big track (just in my street car
though) was a sharper sense of how the suspension loaded on turn-in, mid
corner, and exit. it all happens so fast in autox and you are thinking
about the next corner, or even the one after that, you dont have time to
enjoy how the car responses to your inputs.
the most delicious moment for me is starting the turn-in. as you finish
your braking and start to turn-in the suspension responds as the weight
transfers from the front of the car to the outer wheels. you can really
feel how you use the brakes to turn the car, and the steering to make minute
adjustments to your slip angle. then the outer springs reach maximum
compression and things settle down for a little while and the suspension
takes its mid-corner set. i remember working on how to use the wheel to
turn quickly, but smoothly, so the suspension can react and tires fatten
their contact patches.
all this smoothness tends to make me less aggressive and less decisive in
autox and slowed me down.
but i tell myself i can feel all these things in autox, even though they
happen 1000 times faster than on the big track.
-james c
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kelly, Katie" <kkelly@spss.com>
To: <ba-autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2002 3:42 PM
Subject: JIM RUSSELL CURED MY COLD!
> Well, my body is pretty bruised up, and I can't lift my arms, but yours
truly
> just completed the "Techniques of Racing Course" put on my the Jim Russell
> school at Sears Point last weekend. But, I was really sick on Friday, the
> first day, and today, I'm practically cured. So, it was worth the bruises.
>
> I have no idea if this will really help my autocrossing. I suspect I might
> slow down, maybe for a little bit, but what I did get from this, besides
some
> excellent driving instruction, is confidence. It's just one more
experience,
> something that allows me to feel a little more secure in my abilities,
which
> is something I've always questioned.
>
> I'll write a review later, but I just want to say that if you can swing
the
> price tag, you were ever thinking about it, just go for it. You won't
regret
> it. You drive pretty much all three days, though there is some classroom
> discussion on Friday. But even that was done very well, just to the point
and
> clear, and even entertaining, which I never thought could ever be possible
> talking about geometry. These people really know their stuff.
>
> I know some people might think, "Well, I'm already a good autocrosser,
what
> could I POSSIBLY learn from this?" And to that, I would say if that's what
you
> think, then probably not much. Personally, I didn't go in thinking that. I
> knew this would be overwhelming, I knew that I know nothing about
roadracing,
> about really driving at speed, that this would be completely new, even
> intimidating, and it certainly was. Whatever autocross experience I had I
knew
> just couldn't compare to what these roadracers know. But this acceptance
than
> I'm just an empty sponge made me more receptive, and I dropped TONS of
time
> from beginning to end, and my boosted my confidence. What felt fast in the
> beginning felt slow and controlled by the end, and I was STILL dropping
time.
>
> Autocrossing is still by far the most economical and safe way to learn the
> limits of your car, but if you're the least bit curious, and if you have
the
> means, and you want to learn in a safe and encouraging environment what
it's
> like to really race on a track, I would strongly recommend the Jim Russell
> school. Also, I must add that I was the only female there, and no one had
any
> idea that I had any autocross experience (until I kept blabbing about it),
and
> they STILL treated me as if I deserved to be there.
>
> So, if you've ever wondered, and if you have the means, I would go for it.
>
> More later...
> Katie K.
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