i <3 "the bitch" (isn't that turn 6 @ VIR?) osashiburi dakara ne...

 

One lets you go WOT through all 5 or 6 of your gears.


The other is in a parking lot.

I hate autocrossing because I suck at it. Yet, it does let you learn your car with less risk and less expense then a HPDE. Having said that, my car acts completely different in an autox'ing situation then it does on track. So maybe I've been completely misled by those that think racing in parking lots are cool.

 

There is some difference once you get into a car and do it. Atleast what I've always felt is road racing is higher speed and logner tracks, but along with this is a much smaller margin of error. At an autocross, the key is full on all the way, there are no points for consistency or accuracy, and the penalty for pushing the car beyond its limits is very small. In road racing, you have to remain consistent and stay on line. You should push your car to the limit, but never exceed it, because in the event of an error, the damage can be catastrophic (Not that it can't be in unusual circumstances in autocross, buuuuuuut lets not go there right now). Although lots of techniques do carry over, some of the techniques present distinct differences. Autocross is a good way to start off because it is typically lower risk, cheaper, and an easy way to edge into the scene, and you can drive almost any car to do it. Decide you're up for it? Then its HPDE time.

 

Actually the most successful roadracers are the ones who are still fast and consistent even though they're constantly off line (due to traffic, etc.)

Go watch somebody truly fast at an indoor kart track for an illustration of this. At G-Force, a guy like Tim Aro is within 2/10ths of a second every lap whether he's out by himself or out with 10 noobs who he's lapping every 2 minutes.

Learning the line takes practice... Learning where and when to get away with going off line takes skill. Some people will need 50 years to figure it out (myself included.)

They call roadracing "a chess game at speed" for a reason

Jon

 

When most of you are saying "road racing" you're really meaning HPDEs (high performance driving events or high performacne driver's education). Auto-x is a good place to start out and learn some car control skills, but it's nothing like an HPDE.

My best advice si be humble you completely suck at driving your car no matter how good you think you are... you flat out suck compared to a pro. Most driving schools have classroom time for beginers... cherish this time and pay attention and learn.

 

smartest thing I've read on here all week

Jon

 

Agreed. So I never compare myself to Professional Drivers. I compare myself to other street drivers.