So, after 5 years of road racing, and track days, I've tried my first ever autoX event yesterday. I gotta say, I can definitely see a lot of benefits. For one, the runs are short, so my car does not overheat. I have a real problem with that when track speed average is about 50 or so. Another thing I really liked was that I was not racing with other people, but practicing against myself. After I got familiar with the course, I started trying new things, remembering and applying some of the older concepts, such as dialing back the aggressive driving to go faster. It's a lot easier to do that when you are not red misted and hell bent on overtaking someone.
By the end of the day, I have improved my times quite a bit. My fastest run felt like I was just cruising. I did kick up a few cones, but that was to be expected, especially this being my first event. Long story short, I loved it, and so did everyone else who came with me, first time or not. Great experience overall, and I would definitely do another event at some point in the future. Overall posted 3rd fastest time, which is not bad considering what other cars I was up against.
Having said that, I still maintain that there are a lot of things that autoX will not teach you about racing wheel to wheel, such as racecraft (ability to read other drivers, find ways past them), and driving the car consistently (saving tires and so on). A well rounded racer should know both. A fast lap for qualifying, and a consistent lap for the race itself.
Pictures
By the end of the day, I have improved my times quite a bit. My fastest run felt like I was just cruising. I did kick up a few cones, but that was to be expected, especially this being my first event. Long story short, I loved it, and so did everyone else who came with me, first time or not. Great experience overall, and I would definitely do another event at some point in the future. Overall posted 3rd fastest time, which is not bad considering what other cars I was up against.
Having said that, I still maintain that there are a lot of things that autoX will not teach you about racing wheel to wheel, such as racecraft (ability to read other drivers, find ways past them), and driving the car consistently (saving tires and so on). A well rounded racer should know both. A fast lap for qualifying, and a consistent lap for the race itself.
Pictures
