Well, I got to my first event @GGF today. Very cool! Everyone was
super-friendly and helpful and I just can't wait to get out there again.
Thanks Bryan, Edison, Loui(e/s?), Jake, Jim and the rest of the guys(sorry,
bad with names) who helped me out today. The course was long (yippeee) and had
enuf challenges for me, while not being too difficult. At least, that's my
humble opinion. So thanks again.
With one event under my belt, I've already got some air to let out :-)
-For all newbies out there, forget spending $$ on your car until you perfect
your driving and concentration skills. My first run was smooth cause I was
fully concentrated on the course. I thought I was going pretty fast until I
got my time--64.363. Because I thought I had the course down, I decided to
focus on my speed. 2nd run: 62.947. Better, but I was so eager to go faster, I
lost all my "smoothness." I was braking too hard (too long?) and would lose
most of my initial speed while trying to regain control of the car. I have an
auto-tranny (with a manual mode) and thought I could try something new for my
3rd run. I put the car in manual mode and left it in 2nd gear. Big mistake
'cause after the first sharp turn, I knew I wasn't accelerating fast enuf and
had to switch back to auto mode. Time: 62.776. I managed to do slightly better
in the 3rd run, but I know I could've done much better if I was using my
brakes and throttle at the right times. On two occasions, I smelled rubber,
and both times, I was braking hard and trying to point the car back where I
wanted it. I can't blame my street tires...yet. I have Pilots. (sidenote: the
shreds on them are discomforting. Was it the track or my driving? I think it
was the track. Lots of gravel. :-( oh well...) On all of my runs, I could
easily point out the areas where I misjudged/miscalculated or just plain did
the wrong thing. I know that if I had remained focused on the course and
concentrated on my driving, I would've made better times. At the next event,
I'm letting someone else drive my car at least once. Any volunteers? It's an
underpowered beemer. ;-) I just hope that I don't forget everything I picked
up today by then.
Questions:
-Once I pick a number, do I have to stick with it for the rest of the season?
I just bought some magnetic thingies to use on my car.
-I classified my car as HS-N. It's a '97 BMW 318ic. Some people thought G
might've been the correct class. I used the specs at the SCCA site to figure
it out. Am I correct?
-I noticed non-SCCA autocross events on the calendar, am I allowed to attend
or do I need to be a member (A.A.S., NASA/X)?
-Any advice on choosing a helmet? I wear glasses and was told open-face
helmets offer better visibility...
-Where do I figure out how I'm doing versus other novices in my class? My PAX
index is .781. It means nothing to me at the moment.
-How long do you think I'm gonna be able to use my current tires before I have
to get a new set? My tires didn't look so good after today. Will the shreds
affect its street performance?
-Am I being annoying yet? Long post, eh? Sorry, I'm already hooked to this
thing and can't wait to run again.
Thanks guys for reading, if you've made it this far. :-)
-Arnold (a new autox addict)
ps. Thanks, Kevin, for encouraging me to run instead of spectating.
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