Racergrrl's Autocross FAQ By Susan "Ocelot" Collicot What is it? What Can I Race? How do I start? But what if I'm really slow or I get lost? What's It Like? Ok, so now I want to do it... What Is It? So what the heck is this 'autocross' that I do, you may be asking ... It's racing! It's you and your car against the clock. Autocross, also called "SoloII" or "autoslalom", is one of the safest forms of autosports around. There is no car-to-car contact, there is no car-to-barrier contact. The basic idea of an autocross is: take a flat paved area; set out a course marked by traffic cones; and drive through it (while being timed) as quickly as you can, without knocking down any cones. Each cone you knock over is a 2 second penalty. Sounds silly, right? But oh babe, wait 'till you try it. What a rush! What grand fun! The adrenaline rush after your first run is incredible. It's a thrill - not an "omigod I almost died" thrill, but an "omigod look what I just did!!!" thrill. And you know what? I still get that feeling, after a particularly good run. It never stops. There are some racers who have been doing this for over 35 years - and they still have a goofy grin on their faces when they cross the finish line. What Can I Race? Now, before you start to say you don't have a car you could race, let me say this - you can race just about anything. I've seen Subaru Outbacks, Ford Escorts, Saturn 4-door sedans, and Tauruses out on course. Everything from pickup trucks and Rampages, to Plymouth Furies and Lincoln Continentals. There's always the folks who have real "race' cars, but there are lots of 'grocery-getters' (as they're called) out there, too. I currently race a Miata, which is a popular choice, but I have also raced my 1995 Ford Thunderbird (automatic transmission, big boat of a thing) and my team member Brianne Green used to race her automatic transmission Saturn sedan. No one will laugh at you for showing up in a "family car". Everyone watching remembers wanting to race and not having a racecar - they've all been there before. How do I start? "But how do I get started?" you wonder. Well, there are a few choices for you. You can simply show up at any event, announce to the world that you're a complete novice, and just about everyone there will do their darndest to make sure you have a wonderful day. Autocrossers are fine people, always helpful and friendly. Experienced drivers will help you prepare your car for the day, and will show you how to understand where to go and how to drive the car. You can have one of them ride along with you during the race, or even have them drive your car once to show you what it really can do! If you're not the 'show up and what the heck' type, there are usually locally-produced novice autocross schools in your area. You may have to wait a few months for one of these, but they are geared for people who have never even thought of doing this with their car before. You'll spend about $30.00 on a school, depending on what's offered (some will include the cost of the race the next day, some provide a lunch, etc). If you've got some spare cash, you can try one of the professional autocross schools that tour the country. Two basic tips that are good no matter where you go to race (actual event or a school): Clean out your car. It won't look good if your car is trailing a stream of Taco Bell bags out the window as you go 'round the course, and it's unsafe for things to be flying around inside the car. And you really don't want to race with that bowling ball in your trunk, as not only will it slow you down but it will get loose and put dents in your side panels! Make sure it's in running order. If you've been ignoring the oil level for years, check it. If there's a noise you're worried about, check it out. Make sure you have enough air in your tires (it's printed on the side of most tires, what the manufacturer recommends). Make sure your tires aren't bald. But what if I'm really slow or I get lost? Hey, everyone there has thought this at one time or another - be they male or female. People at autocrosses don't care if you creep around the course at 2mph. They're just so darn glad to see you out there at all! They'll cheer you on, they'll help you out, and ok a few people will laugh at the sight - but just because it's odd, not because you're a doofus or anything. C'mon - a female, out racing?! Please! You're marvelous, no matter what speed you go! And let me tell you, even National Champions still get lost out on course - and they've been doing this for over 30 years. It happens. Just laugh it off, ask for help, and off you go. Don't forget - you can usually take an experienced driver as a psuedo-instructor with you, or sometimes ride with someone else (depending on the insurance that the event has - some insurance companies don't allow passengers who aren't instructors - ask about this beforehand!). What's It Like? Autocross has been compared to slalom skiing - you have a pre-defined course you need to follow, and you want to do it as fast as you can. (Only you're not going downhill nor are you on snow - at least not in Seattle! There are people who autocross in the snow and on frozen lakes - those nuts live back east) I'll describe a typical PNW day at the races. 12:00 noon: show up on site (Kent, WA). Find a place to park in the sea of cars. Choose a parking spot that doesn't have backpacks or tools placed at the head of it (that's how you mark an otherwise occupied spot). You're now in what's called "The Pits". This is the preparation area. 12:10 Walk around, look at the other cars a bit. Watch the racing that's going on from the morning groups. (See, I could have made you get there at 7:30am, but I'm being nice and sending you to the afternoon session) 12:20 Find the Registration area (you might have to ask around). Register, which means paying some money (between $15.00 and $20.00) and signing an insurance form (this covers you under the event insurance, should you hurt yourself). You should receive a course map, and perhaps some other handouts or paraphernalia. Get a Work Assignment! Sometimes this is at Registration, sometimes at Tech. In autocrossing, if you race - you work. Working can be just about anything, from jobs that demand advance work (Event Chief, Chief of Registration, Course design) to jobs that are just for an hour or so on the day of the race (working out on the course, picking up trash, helping put everything away, working registration table, announcing, writing down times, etc). Look at the course map. Look at the people who are out driving on the course. See if you can figure out where they are on course, and where they're going. Don't worry if you can't, it's hard to do it from the sidelines. 12:30-1pm Go clean out your car, get it ready for racing, and take it to "Tech" (you may have to ask where the Tech area is). This is where your car is checked for safety issues, and either passed or failed. They'll check things like: are your wheels on tight does your throttle return spring work [what this means is "if you take your foot off the gas, does your car slow down", and the answer should be yes, and they test it by pulling on a spring that your gas pedal pulls on]; are all the fluids in the car at a reasonable level (transmission, brake) is your battery securely fastened to the car Heck, this is stuff that you want working right on the road, let alone the race course, so don't get freaked out by it. If something isn't right, they'll help you fix it. 1pm until whenever morning racing stops: watch the morning racers, gawk at the cars in the parking area, talk to people (we're all friendly). When morning racing stops: go walk the course. This means you take your course map, head over to the starting line, and pretend that you're a car. Everyone will be doing this, so feel free to simply follow someone else and watch what they do. What you are trying to do is get a feel for what the course will look like as you drive through it. Don't worry about getting technical or picky, the first time you race. Just look at the course, look at the map, and think about what you'll see as you drive. Some people name parts of the course ("ok, first a snake wiggle, than a curvy wurvy, then flat out vroom, then eeekturn, then woomwoomwiggle" - and that's verbatim from a national champ!) and some people pretend they have a steering wheel. Some people run the course, some people sit down on the pavement, some people mutter to themselves the entire time. Attend the Driver's Meeting. They'll tell you who is in charge, who helped out preparing the event, what special rules there are, who drives when, who goes where, all sorts of good stuff. Get a spot up front to make sure you hear everything. If your group is racing first, get your car in "Grid". This is where you all line your cars up in rows, over near the starting line. You'll head out one by one to race, and when you finish you come right back to where you were before in Grid. You'll do this however many times you're allowed to (some places give you 3, 4 or 6 runs - depends!). After you race, it's probably time to work! If your group works first, find your assigned work spot and do your job. Have fun. Be sane and safe, though! After you're done working, it might be time to get your car in grid. After everyone is all done racing and working, there will be trophies handed out. Stick around for this - you never know, you might have won something like "Novice of the Day" or "Most Improved" or the coveted "Sportsmanship" award. Socializing afterwards! Lots of people will head to a local food and drink place for socializing. They'll talk talk talk racing, but also joke and laugh and gossip and tease and learn about you, too, if you go! This is a good way to really meet the people in those cool cars you've been drooling over all day. Who knows, you might get a ride in one of them at the next event! Ok, so now I want to do it... Here in the Pacific Northwest, there are lots of autocross events to sample. There are championship series hosted by the Northwest Region of SCCA, the Western Washington Sports Car Council, Bremerton Sports Car Council, Chuckanut Sports Car Club, and clubs in Portland and Vancouver, BC along with Spokane, Boise, and other points east and south. If you're elsewhere in the country, check out the Sports Car Club of America for organizations near you, or call up your local race track or any local clubs (like a local Porsche Club or Miata Club), and see if they know of any autocross. Please, contact me at racergrrl@greasergrrls.com if you have any questions, or you need help finding an autocross near you ... or if you'd like to ride along with me if you're near Seattle! Or heck, if you want to ride along and you're somewhere else, I'll hook you up with a driver (female or male) in your area who would be glad to take you out for a race. Photos by Scott Chytil