Yup, good tips Rocky and Jeff...
I'd also add the tip of "don't-brake-as-late-as-Michael-Schumacher." There
are precious few spots on a good autocross course that require banzai late
braking like on a road course. So...
Brake less/brake earlier:
Brake a tad *earlier* than you think you should, and use *less* brake as
well. Note the word *tad.* We're not talking a huge amount, but it will pay
off. Braking in this manner upsets the less and allows you to keep the "big
mo" (momentum) up.
Many drivers I've ridden with who are just learning (or who have a few years
experience in some cases) will go banzai into the corner and the car will
get out of shape going in... or they simply over-brake for the corner.
Either result is a time-killer.
For example, my car has ABS... I can count the number of times I've used it
on 3 fingers during the course of dozens of runs this season. Just because
you have it doesn't mean you need to use it on the autocross course.
Second tip:
Go like mad in the slaloms. If you keep on top of them (ie: don't get
behind), you can really haul the mail in the slaloms. And with a
well-balanced car, you can use the pedals to do a lot of the work for you in
the slaloms. Once you've gotten the car to move in the slaloms without using
the steering wheel much, you are really maximizing slalom speed. Note: this
is very car dependent... my Fiero was a *dream* while my current
front-driver won't change direction like that.
But either way, slaloms are a place where newbies can usually go faster than
they think.
--Dave
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