----- Original Message -----
From: "The Brain7" <the_brain7@hotmail.com>
To: <ba-autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2001 9:29 PM
Subject: First event, can't wait for the next...
> 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.
Welcome to the asylum!
> 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.
I think you've figured it out. To paraphrase former President Clinton when
he orignally ran, "It's the driver, stupid." You're already on the right
track with the above statement.
<snip>
> (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...)
I think it was the driver ;) Novice drivers tend to be hard on rubber; by
the time I finished my first full season I was on my THIRD set of tires. As
you improve, you'll be easier on your car.
I found this in one of my other mailing lists, and since it pertains to
competitive drive I feel it is appropriate to mention it here. Someone
mentioned that Jim Clark (a former World Driving Champion who drove for
Lotus in the '60s) was consistently one of the fastest drivers in Formula 1,
yet he also got very good wear from his car's tires and brakes. He was so
easy on hsi car's brakes that his crew eventually just began replacing them
every four or five races, whether they needed it or not.
You might not get to be THAT good, but who knows?
> 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.
That's always a good idea. So is having an experienced driver ride with
you.
> 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.
No.
> -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?
Yes.
> -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)?
AAS and NASA don't requre membership. I think this is also true at SCCA
Sacramento Chapter events as well (any Sacto folks are free to jump in here
if I'm wrong). SFR requires membership primarily because we attract a lot
of entrants.
> -Any advice on choosing a helmet? I wear glasses and was told open-face
> helmets offer better visibility...
I run an open-face helmet myself. For a Stock or SP car, where you have a
windshield in front of your face, this is fine. Just buy the cheapest
helmet you can find. A lot of folks (including me) use the HJC CL5 helmet.
You can find it at almost any motorcycle shop for about $80.
> -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.
Your results will be indexed relative to others in your class (this is how
positions are determined in Novice classes, since they usually include more
than one regular class). Also, your results will include your overall
ranking against ALL entrants, along with your PAX ranking against all
entrants.
> -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?
Depends. How long had they been on the car before this event? How many
more events do you plan to do? And as I said earlier, as you get better at
this you'll actually put less wear on your tires per event.
BTW, I wouldn't worry about replacing your tires until there's cord showing
:)
> -Am I being annoying yet? Long post, eh? Sorry, I'm already hooked to this
> thing and can't wait to run again.
Not at all! We're always glad to get new blood.
> Thanks guys for reading, if you've made it this far. :-)
You're welcome!
Scot
'91 CS Miata
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