Fear factor? I called it common sense when I stopped; pregnancy was another
factor. Guess guys don't contend with that little problem, but pregnancy bring
common sense very much into the picture as far as road racing goes.
--Pat Kelly
Donn Vickrey wrote:
> Eric Linnhoff wrote:
>
> > Do autocross drivers make better road racers or do road racers make better
> > autocross drivers?
>
> That's a difficult question to answer... Some of the skills required for
> the two forms of motorsports are similar, but some are very different. I
> autocrossed for about a year and a half before going road racing (about 2
> years ago). Here is my take on it.
>
> Autocross is the *very best* way to learn car control and technical driving
> skills. Accomplished autocrossers are better at finding the right line and
> maneuvering their vehicles through complex (especially tight or slow)
> corners than any other type of competitor. IMHO, anyone - club racers and
> even professional drivers - can benefit tremendously by competing in
> autocross. In fact, the very best racers that I have competed against (in
> wheel-to-wheel racing) are also very accomplished autocrossers.
>
> To be successful at road racing, you need to have the technical skills of a
> "decent" autocrosser (but not a national champ) and the courage to go flat
> out in 100+ mph corners with someone else only inches from (or even
> touching) your car. You also need the ability to think
> analytically/strategically in order to "outwit" your competitors. It's not
> enough to just driver a slighly better line. You have to actually get past
> them on the track in order to win. So, you have to be able to mentally
> calculate the effects of different lines (lines will not be optimal but may
> allow you to pass) in order to plan a maneuver that will allow you to pass
> your fellow competitors.
>
> Suffice it to say that it takes a little different set of skills to win in
> wheel-to-wheel racing vs. autocross. But, I don't think that it is fair to
> say that one type of competition is harder or more challenging than another.
> They are both very challenging in their own way.
>
> So, back to your main question. Do autocrossers make better road racers, or
> vice versa? I'll answer the easy part first. Some drivers have both sets
> of skills (like Jeff Altenberg). These competitors tend to be very, very
> good at road racing (and auto-x) and very tough to beat.
>
> Now, for the tougher cases. Road racers who have really bad technical
> skills can be reasonably successful with a lot of seat time to help them
> overcome their lack of technical skills. By running the same track
> repeatedly, they can eventually figure out the line by mimicking others.
> But, they will never be good autocrossers unless they pick up the technical
> skills through coaching, autocross, or some other means.
>
> Good autocrossers who are either intimidated by high speeds and
> wheel-to-wheel racing or can't figure out the strategy part tend to have a
> very difficult time with road racing. Mentally, they have to overcome the
> fear factor (or learn strategy) to be able to compete. The stategy can be
> learned with practice (just like you can learn technical skills with
> practice). But, those who are unable to overcome the fear factor usually
> give up on road racing.
>
> Yours in speed,
>
> Donn Vickrey
> San Diego, CA
> '97 M3 Coupe
> '83 Spec RX-7 (1998 SP Div. Champion)
> e-mail: dvickrey@camelbackra.com
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