New To Autocross

[jdmtunedmx3]

My name is Justin, I am from the Muskegon area of MI. I drive a 92 Mazda MX-3 GS. I am going to be going into the STS class. I am quite new to this but I am looking to really get into the sport. I have been reading up on everything. I now have a urge for knowledge on the sport. I cant seem to find what I am looking for. I am looking to not only go all out of the appearance of my car so it looks the part, but also want to know what the pro's and better drivers do to their cars that in this class. I want the door numbers with my class on it and my # but cant figure out who makes them. What popular brands do people run ? I want to fully build my suspension , the bushings and the works. I just don't know a lot about what is upgradeable. I want to find pictures of other cars in my class. I am also trying to get some sponsors to help me along my modifying journey. I so far have Denso and Engine ICE. I am trying to find who else sponsors and gets into this type of sport, any suggestions? I would also like to try to get some local groups also. DO you know of any good forums for me learn more and talk to others with the same passion as me ? There seems to be no good MI auto cross forums out there or clubs/groups close to me.

 

Thanks in advance,

Justin

[beerkat]

Check with your local SCCA for more events in your area. I am sure you can find a Mazda forum that might have the setup information you are looking for.

 

As for car numbers and graghics try this link.

 

http://www.izoomgraphics.com/

[Renntag]

Is NASA not active in your area ( area being defined as a 100 mile radius) ?

Dont short change the HPDE program, there is alot to be learned from that as well.

 

As far as the numbers.....any Vinyl shop can make you some numbers and put them onto magnets so you arent driving around with numbers on your car. Be sure to tape the leading edge for HPDE or they will blow off over 70-80mph.

 

As for what do the pros do?

A: they started driving with what ever they could get there hands on, often go karts.

B: dont waste money on mods for your car until you can drive it to the limit of its current configuration.

C: If you arent sure, go back and read A and B again.

 

There is lots to read out there. Books, forums and so on. Buy a book and search the forums and read read read read, then drive drive drive drive.

 

Best of luck.

[jimgood]

As was stated above, find an organization that has autocrosses in your area. They will have a rulebook. The rule book will have class designations and from that you can figure out in which class your car fits. If you can't figure it out from the rule book, contact the organizers and they'll help you.

 

The rules will determine what mods are allowed. If you want to be competitive, don't modify anything until you understand how it will affect your classification. A seemingly innocuous change can put you in a higher class, even though your car isn't competitive in it.

 

Think of autocross as a process. The first step in the process is to get to the point where you can drive your car at its limits. Once those limits are achieved, you need to be able to understand what they are and what to do to fix them. Don't consider mods until you understand what they will do for you.

 

The appearance of your car is important, but remember that anything you add to the car that doesn't improve its performance is adding weight. Weight is the enemy. By the same token, removing things from the car to lose weight is also controlled by the rules. Don't add or remove anything unless you know how it will affect your classification.

 

As for learning resources, start with books on autocross, driving and chassis setup. Doing an amazon search on "autocross" pulls up a bunch of books on the subject.

 

Try some of these links for more info:

 

http://www.autocross.us/index.php

http://www.autocross.com/

http://autocross.com/evolution/modules/news/

http://www.wmr-scca.org/ (This is the Western Michigan Region of SCCA. Their solo schedule is empty so you might want to contact them to find out what gives)

http://www.na-motorsports.com/Autocross/

http://solo2.org/

 

 

Lastly, just find an event and go. As long as your car is roadworthy, don't mess with it for now. Talk to other competitors and let them know it's your first time. Most are glad to lend advice.

[jon dawes]

hey all, i've run a few autoX events [sorry to say non-NASA]. i have been reading over the various rulebooks, including the TT rulebook through jon felton's link. thanks jon.

 

i'm confused. i found my car, 2007 mustang gt, and it's class, TTC. but then i go and "add up the numbers" for my mods and get +30 and don't know where that puts me. i couldn't find a list anywhere that had which is the "lower" class and which is the "higher" class. I know that I get bumped up a class for the 30 points. but up to WHICH class?

 

thanks all! i lost a lot of sleep today at work worrying about this

[jimgood]

Classes are in alphabetical order from "fastest" to "slowest" so going up a class puts you in TTB.

[jon dawes]

thanks jim. that makes too much sense. probably why i didn't figure it out on my own.