#1 - Don't be intimidated by the "Sea of Cones"

Autocrossing is an automotive sport that is safe and educational. Courses are designed with safety in mind. Tech inspections help ensure your car is up to the challenge. As the average autocross course is less than a minute long, and at speeds under 45 mph, a bit of common sense is all that's needed to make each run safe and competitive. Wear and tear to your car is negligible, particularly if it's well maintained in the first place. The first time thru the "sea of cones" is usually the most difficult run. But once you've crossed that hurdle, you'll find yourself learning a lot about your car and yourself. And if you're not careful, you may find yourself getting addicted (like so many of us). If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask any of the Autocross Committee members (or send an email). We'll be more than happy to try and answer them for you!

#2 - Memorizing the Course

Autocrossing is clearly a sport of driving skill, but it has a mental aspect to it as well. Whereas on a racetrack you must learn the "line" around the course, the pavement is always the same regardless of which day you are there. However, an autocross course will vary from event to event. And a very important element of the sport is being able to quickly memorize the course. Two primary tools at your disposal are the course map, and the course walk-thru. The course map will always be on display to help you identify the sequence of gates needed to complete an "on course" run. Some people will redraw it onto a separate piece of paper, to help remember the layout. Before each Heat, the course will also be open for walk-thrus. These are key opportunities to learn the course. When you walk the course you should try to visualize it from your driving perspective. Some people will even "duck walk" parts of the course to get a clear visual imprint in their mind. Also, try to avoid walking at the back of a crowd. If you're surrounded by people, you can't see what the course will look like when you're behind the wheel. And if possible, try to walk it more than once. Each time around will help you develop that memory needed to get your runs up to speed quickly. Also, take advantage of any "narrated" walk-thru's that may be announced; an instructor will help you analyze the course in detail.

#3 - Tire Pressure

Many autocrossers will set their tire pressures to that which will maximize the performance of their car. But what if you're new to the sport? A useful bit of advice is to talk to someone that has a car similar to yours. Find out what tire pressures they prefer, and consider that a reasonable starting point. Most cars with modern tires will find that pressures slightly above OEM recommendations will give their car good handling. But keep in mind that many variables come into play, including vintage of the car, wheel size, tire size and tire brand. Advice from others can be a good starting point, but your own equipment and driving style will dictate which pressures are best for YOU. One trick I like to use is to observe how much the tire is "rolling over" following an autocross run. As your car approaches max cornering, the tires will be stressed, and will be leaning over a bit in response to cornering forces. Ideally, the tire should never roll over more than ½ inch below the shoulder between the sidewall and tread surface. If abrasion is greater down towards the sidewall, the tire is under inflated, and allows too much squirm and bend. If the abrasion appears to be upwards towards the tread, the tire may have too much air, which can cause the tread surface to bulge and reduce the contact patch with the pavement. The goal is to keep maximum contact between the tire and pavement. Some people like to use chalk or crayon to mark their tires to make the wear more evident.

#4 - Keep your expectations realistic

Many newcomers to autocrossing become frustrated when they can't immediately post fast times. Even seasoned track drivers will sometimes find that autocrossing doesn't immediately come naturally. Its very important to remember that you're competing on a "track" that you've never seen or driven before. And that you only get a limited time to walk it once or twice. And you have to commit to memory a layout that may only appear obvious on the printed or drawn map of the course. It takes a fair amount of experience to learn to memorize the course quickly, and to then be able to apply your driving skills to the pavement. Memorizing the course is crucial. If you make mistakes, it drastically reduces your ability to improve with each successive run. The best thing you can do is drive slowly enough on the first run to complete an on-course run. Don't worry about the time. As you complete more on-courses, the times will drop on their own. Mistakes take you off-course, or cause you to fumble enough that your memorization is adversely affected, will limit your ability to improve.

#5 - Don't be afraid to ask questions

You will find that most autocrossers are happy to talk about the sport. Novices should try to find some, preferably in a car like their own, to talk about tire pressures, car setup, and driving technique. Walking the course together can be very beneficial to both of you. Another benefit of working with someone is that they can help watch your runs, to give you pointers or even identify where you may have gone off-course or hit a cone. In addition to gaining insight about driving the course, you may even make a new friend or two along the way.

#6 - Be aware of the rules

As our program is growing, we have more people competing together in the same class. Its very important that your car be classed in the appropriate class, based upon any modifications you may have made to your vehicle. Stock classes are very limited in terms of allowed changes. Prepared, Improved, and Modified classes allow progressively more tweaks. If you have any questions about your own car, or even a competitors, please feel free to ask the Tech Inspectors, or anyone else on the autocross committee. Rules and class allowances are always available at Autocross Rules.

#7 - Learn to use weight transfer to your advantage

As you drive your car through an autocross course, the car is always in contact with pavement via 4 small patches under your tires. As you corner, accelerate or brake, the weight of the car will be shifting among those 4 patches constantly. Keep in mind that in order to achieve maximum cornering, you need sufficient weight transferring to your front tires, so that the contact patches are larger, and will thereby provide you with more grip and cornering ability. If you enter a corner and let off the brakes too early, you'll find that some of the weight will transfer back to the rear tire patches, and the front tires will start loosing grip and understeering into the turn. Trail braking is one method to keep weight on those front tires, so they'll have more cornering capability. However, at the same time, if the rear tires get too light, then the car will be prone to oversteer as you go through the turn. The key is understanding the dynamics at play, and learning to recognize why your car is exhibiting one behavior versus another. The same weight transfer principles affect how your car will accelerate. If you've transferred a lot of weight to the front under braking, and then quickly stab the accelerator, there won't be enough weight on the rear tires to generate traction and keep them from spinning. Modulating the transfer of weight between the front to the rear will enable you to more effectively apply power coming out of a turn.

#8 - Looking Ahead

In the movie classic, "Gumball Rally", the Ferrari driver is fondly remembered for removing the rear view mirror from his windshield, while exclaiming "What is behind you, does not matter...". I guess in certain circumstances that may make sense. Instead, I want to talk a bit about the importance of what is in front of you during an autocross. As you have probably figured out by now, a significant element of autocrossing is the mental memorization that's necessary, in addition to basic driving skills. While navigating the course, its very important that you're aware of what is coming up next, in order for you to successfully setup your entry and exit of each corner. A popular driving concept is to be looking further ahead down course, rather than focusing on each gate as you drive through it. It's a skill that many of us are probably already subconsciously using to some degree, though it may not be apparent. Basically, it involves focusing your vision at the "next" course element up ahead, such as braking zone, apex, etc., while using your lower peripheral vision to manage what is happening immediately in front of you and your car. You'll find it amazing how much information you can actually process in the field of view immediately below your center of focus. What happens is that you are now navigating the cones closest to your car with your peripheral vision, while your primary focus is helping you set up the proper line towards the next course element. As you navigate towards the next element with better planning in mind, you'll find that the cones coming at the nose of your car are where they should be, and navigating them with your peripheral vision feels natural rather than a crisis. If instead your focus is only at each gate coming up, you'll find it more difficult to manage a smooth line through a series of gates, and will instead be making choppy turns and constantly trying to correct your line as you decide to look at each successive gate. By combining your memorization of the course with the skill of looking ahead, you can drive the "line" through various series of connected gates, rather than one gate at a time. You'll find your driving becomes more efficient, and your times will drop.

#9 - Preparing Yourself

Its important to make sure that you are comfortable in order to drive the best you can. A lot of things play into this that we often take for granted. First, you want to make sure that you're alert. This means a good nite's sleep the nite before. And a healthy breakfast that doesn't unsettle your stomach. But you don't want to starve yourself either. Choose a meal that you know you tolerate well, while providing nutrition to keep you at your peak. You also want to take the weather into account. Dress appropriately, especially considering your time on the course working, during the heat your not driving. Fluids are always important to keep yourself hydrated, especially when the weather turns warmer. And although too much salt/sodium isn't good for us, our body needs some to function well. On especially hot and sunny days, a bit of salt on some chips or crackers can avert headaches and other pains. When its your turn to get behind the wheel, make sure that you are comfortable in your seat, so that distractions aren't causing you lose your focus. The seat angle should be comfortable, and your reach to the steering wheel should have your elbows slightly bent. The pedals should be easy to modulate. Additionally, you want to wear a helmet that fits you snugly; it shouldn't be so tight as to be painful, or so loose that it moves around on your head. Even cleaning the windshield ensures that dirty spot won't catch the sun and interfere with your view at the worst possible moment. Finally, try to keep yourself on schedule so that you are always aware of what coming up next. Fumbling because you've forgotten to put your helmet in the car, or didn't check your tire pressures will interfere with your concentration.

#10 - Marker & Helper Cones

On many autocross courses you may find some cones that are in addition to the usual pair that mark particular gates on the course. New comers will sometimes find this confusing. But understanding their purpose helps remove the worry. One variant is the double gate, where you will find a pair of cones on either side of the gate. You'll find a double gate whenever the course has a loop built into it, that may require you to navigate through certain gates more than once. Typically with a double gate, you'll go in two different directions (and towards two different gates) each time you pass through. The first time you may turn towards the a part of the course you've already done, and must now do a second time. Then when you pass through the double gate the second time, you may instead go straight towards a new gate & section of the course. Another way to consider double gates; they tend to be decision points where you will do something different each time you go through. Another type of cone you may find are the Pointer cones. They will be laying on their side, and will "point" the direction you should be traveling. They may used at the beginning of a non-optional slalom to let you know which side you must start on. Or to point you in a certain direction after a gate, to help keep you on course, and avoid a safety problem. Sometimes cones are used as barriers, too. They may be grouped in a line to form a wall. Sometimes simply standing up, and sometimes laying down to also point you in a particular direction. Do note however, that most standing cones will incur you a time penalty if hit. An exception will be the "second" cone used in a double gate; the pair of cones together in a double gate count only as a single cone penalty, whether one or both go down. Pointer cones that are laying down normally do not incur you a penalty if hit.

BOOKS & OTHER HELPFUL REFERENCES

Below is a collection of books, etc. that I've found over the years. If you have something you think should be added to the list, send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Secrets of Solo Racing, by Henry A Watts: This is wonderful reading about the basics of autocrossing, and then some. The copy I have was published in 1989, but everything in it still applies today.

How to Make Your Car Handle, by Fred Puhn: This is another automotive classic that delves into the workings of your car. It covers, in simple and easily readable terms, everything from suspension, alignments, brakes, and tires. It also has a great collection of pictures and illustrations explaining many of the topics.