Pat,
Finding out your significant other is pregnant may bring out a tad more
recklessness in some males......... :-)
Jim "still single and enjoying it?" Gambony
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pat Kelly [SMTP:lollipop@ricochet.net]
> Sent: Monday, February 01, 1999 10:09 AM
> To: Donn Vickrey
> Cc: 'Auto-x'; eric10mm@qni.com
> Subject: Re: Road Racers vs Autocrossers
>
> 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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