PACNW: Autocross Information Thread for 2003
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Registered User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 7,768
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From: Bellevue, WA
PACNW: Autocross Information Thread for 2004
Autocross, A Quick Summary
Intro video to Autox
In car video: S2000 at Nationals, Ian piloting
Autocross is an excellent venue to experience entry level competition and car control. Speeds are usually under 80mph without obsticles or track edges to worry about. In fact, its unlikely your car will ever come into contact with anything other than a traffic cone on even the worst spinnouts. Event entry fees are typically $20 for 3-4 timed runs. Most courses are designed for a 60 second run in most sports cars like the Honda S2000.
Many of your fellow owners have used their cars at autocross events. In fact, at nearly every event you will meet fellow owners. SoloIISeattle, RonBauer, and Bannanie have been competing nationally for many years, including winning National Titles. I very much recommend opening a dialogue with them if you have the opportunity. In addition, Lig, LedaAtomica, S2KYSK, and myself are regulars at events throughout the season.
When and Where
An Event day is usually split into two parts: an AM event and a PM event. The AM event typically starts just before 8am and wraps up at 1pm. PM event time usually starts between Noon and 1pm. Expect that most of the regular season events will occur on a Sunday. I highly recommend showing up early no matter which half of the day you will be participating in. Often the events around here fill up well before registration closes. Some of the WWSCC events will even offer online registration this year!
Autocross events are normally held in large parking lots or paddock areas of formal Racetracks. During last year's season events were held at: Bremerton Raceway, Everett Boeing parking lot, the PIR paddock, Blaine, Cheney Stadium, Emerald Downs parking lot, and the fairgrounds in Yakima. The two most common event locations for Seattle residents are the Everett Boeing and Bremerton Raceway. In a future revision, I'll cover these tracks individually: including Ferry information for Bremerton events.
What to Bring
The essentials are just a car and a driver. At nearly all events, the organizers will have loaner helmets available. I do however recommend that you bring your own, but its not neccesary. During your run group simply trade your driver's license to the Helmet Master and you are good to go. Beginers can simply show up, and run which is part of the attraction to most where autocross is concerned.
For those of you that are attending events regularly, I recommend that you bring the following:
A positive attitude
Helmet
Warm Clothes: Jackets, Sweaters, and Umbrellas
Tire Pressure gauge
Air Pump (I recommend the sort that plug into your cigarette lighter: $20 at Sears)
White Chalk
2003 WWSCC Rulebook
Magnetic Numbers and Letters (Car Number and Run Group)
A Quick Tutorial on an Event
I've split this section into two parts: Arrival and Participation.
ARRIVAL: Register, Unload, Tech
Ok so you've decided to go to an event and show up before registration closes. Upon arrival at the event site you will need to sign a waiver form if you are a participant OR a bystander. After signing the waiver forms you need to register/check-in. There will always be a registration desk. When you arrive ask a participant where you can find it. Once there you will complete a small card with information on your car and contact information. This card is very important because it will be used to record your times from the event. From here out I'll call this a "Timing Card". You will then be provided a work assignment.
Work assignments are provided to every participant. Everyone who races, also spends a session working the event site to ensure everything runs safely and smoothly. In addition, it can be a real blast for some because you are literally on the course while the cars are running. In fact you typically are within 50ft of a section of turns while the cars are running!!!
Now that you've completed registration, find a place to park your car. Open stalls are the ones without any tires, trailers, and junk from inside peoples cars piled around them. It might take a few minutes to find a spot if you are running late. Once you find a space for your car you need to unload it. This means taking anything not bolted down out of the car. Floor Mats, empty bottles, loose papers, CD's, fuzzy dice, et al must be removed from the car. This includes everything in your trunk. If you have a spare tire in the car, you can chuck that too to save some weight. Less weight means you go Faster!
So your car is cleaner and more spacious than the day you bought it. Next you need to have your car "Tech'd". Again, ask one of the other participants where they are running Tech and take your car over there. Remember to bring your Timing Card to the Tech Inspection. If you've brought along a Helmet, they will need to Tech this also. During Tech, a person will inspect your bushings for excessive play, throttle cable for tension, passenger and trunk for loose objects. After inspection, your timing card will be signed off.
Excellent Links to visit for more information
http://www.wwscc.org/
http://www.scca.org/soloii
http://www.nwr-scca.org/solo/index.html
Revision History
jp - 2003.01.01 - First Draft
jp - 2003.01.03 - Added in-car video and Event day Section
Intro video to Autox
In car video: S2000 at Nationals, Ian piloting
Autocross is an excellent venue to experience entry level competition and car control. Speeds are usually under 80mph without obsticles or track edges to worry about. In fact, its unlikely your car will ever come into contact with anything other than a traffic cone on even the worst spinnouts. Event entry fees are typically $20 for 3-4 timed runs. Most courses are designed for a 60 second run in most sports cars like the Honda S2000.
Many of your fellow owners have used their cars at autocross events. In fact, at nearly every event you will meet fellow owners. SoloIISeattle, RonBauer, and Bannanie have been competing nationally for many years, including winning National Titles. I very much recommend opening a dialogue with them if you have the opportunity. In addition, Lig, LedaAtomica, S2KYSK, and myself are regulars at events throughout the season.
When and Where
An Event day is usually split into two parts: an AM event and a PM event. The AM event typically starts just before 8am and wraps up at 1pm. PM event time usually starts between Noon and 1pm. Expect that most of the regular season events will occur on a Sunday. I highly recommend showing up early no matter which half of the day you will be participating in. Often the events around here fill up well before registration closes. Some of the WWSCC events will even offer online registration this year!
Autocross events are normally held in large parking lots or paddock areas of formal Racetracks. During last year's season events were held at: Bremerton Raceway, Everett Boeing parking lot, the PIR paddock, Blaine, Cheney Stadium, Emerald Downs parking lot, and the fairgrounds in Yakima. The two most common event locations for Seattle residents are the Everett Boeing and Bremerton Raceway. In a future revision, I'll cover these tracks individually: including Ferry information for Bremerton events.
What to Bring
The essentials are just a car and a driver. At nearly all events, the organizers will have loaner helmets available. I do however recommend that you bring your own, but its not neccesary. During your run group simply trade your driver's license to the Helmet Master and you are good to go. Beginers can simply show up, and run which is part of the attraction to most where autocross is concerned.
For those of you that are attending events regularly, I recommend that you bring the following:
A positive attitude
Helmet
Warm Clothes: Jackets, Sweaters, and Umbrellas
Tire Pressure gauge
Air Pump (I recommend the sort that plug into your cigarette lighter: $20 at Sears)
White Chalk
2003 WWSCC Rulebook
Magnetic Numbers and Letters (Car Number and Run Group)
A Quick Tutorial on an Event
I've split this section into two parts: Arrival and Participation.
ARRIVAL: Register, Unload, Tech
Ok so you've decided to go to an event and show up before registration closes. Upon arrival at the event site you will need to sign a waiver form if you are a participant OR a bystander. After signing the waiver forms you need to register/check-in. There will always be a registration desk. When you arrive ask a participant where you can find it. Once there you will complete a small card with information on your car and contact information. This card is very important because it will be used to record your times from the event. From here out I'll call this a "Timing Card". You will then be provided a work assignment.
Work assignments are provided to every participant. Everyone who races, also spends a session working the event site to ensure everything runs safely and smoothly. In addition, it can be a real blast for some because you are literally on the course while the cars are running. In fact you typically are within 50ft of a section of turns while the cars are running!!!
Now that you've completed registration, find a place to park your car. Open stalls are the ones without any tires, trailers, and junk from inside peoples cars piled around them. It might take a few minutes to find a spot if you are running late. Once you find a space for your car you need to unload it. This means taking anything not bolted down out of the car. Floor Mats, empty bottles, loose papers, CD's, fuzzy dice, et al must be removed from the car. This includes everything in your trunk. If you have a spare tire in the car, you can chuck that too to save some weight. Less weight means you go Faster!
So your car is cleaner and more spacious than the day you bought it. Next you need to have your car "Tech'd". Again, ask one of the other participants where they are running Tech and take your car over there. Remember to bring your Timing Card to the Tech Inspection. If you've brought along a Helmet, they will need to Tech this also. During Tech, a person will inspect your bushings for excessive play, throttle cable for tension, passenger and trunk for loose objects. After inspection, your timing card will be signed off.
Excellent Links to visit for more information
http://www.wwscc.org/
http://www.scca.org/soloii
http://www.nwr-scca.org/solo/index.html
Revision History
jp - 2003.01.01 - First Draft
jp - 2003.01.03 - Added in-car video and Event day Section
This is so much fun!
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 819
Likes: 5
From: Seattle, WA
Regarding Slush 3, it is on the last Sunday of the month, it will not be restricted to WWSCC members but will have an entry cap. I don't believe the details are on the website yet but keep watching www.wwscc.org for details.
As for passengers, UWFSAE has run a few *practices* that have allowed passengers. Their competition events very likely do not, as I believe they are utilizing the same insurance carrier the other WWSCC clubs use (K&K) which prohibits passengers on competition runs. You may want to check with the event chair.
FYI to all - Typically an event held by SCCA (either NWR or OR Region) will allow passengers with some restrictions, events held as part of the WWSCC series (which Slush events fall under) do not - simply a difference in insurance carriers.
Annie
(will be at Slush 3 in an obnoxious yellow Boxster S)
As for passengers, UWFSAE has run a few *practices* that have allowed passengers. Their competition events very likely do not, as I believe they are utilizing the same insurance carrier the other WWSCC clubs use (K&K) which prohibits passengers on competition runs. You may want to check with the event chair.
FYI to all - Typically an event held by SCCA (either NWR or OR Region) will allow passengers with some restrictions, events held as part of the WWSCC series (which Slush events fall under) do not - simply a difference in insurance carriers.
Annie
(will be at Slush 3 in an obnoxious yellow Boxster S)
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,425
Likes: 0
From: Kirkland
Where's the best place to find a cheap-ass, Jack in the Box not a lookalike helment with the face guard thing?
Is JHill the discount source? This is the only thing that's stopping me from whooping Annie and Brant on the auto-x course.
Is JHill the discount source? This is the only thing that's stopping me from whooping Annie and Brant on the auto-x course.
Community Organizer
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 11,340
Likes: 221
From: seattle
hehe... I wish I could buy a helmet that would make me faster. 
I have bought a bunch of stuff @ Seattle Cycle Center over the years and found a pretty inexpensive but serviceable helmet there last year.
They are on Aurora across from the Oak Tree cinemas...
I have bought a bunch of stuff @ Seattle Cycle Center over the years and found a pretty inexpensive but serviceable helmet there last year.
They are on Aurora across from the Oak Tree cinemas...
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Registered User
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 739
Likes: 0
From: Seattle
Ben,
Try www.racerwholesale.com
Here is a cheap one that comes in Black or White:
http://www.racerwholesale.com/Merchant2/me...=Racing+Helmets
Try www.racerwholesale.com
Here is a cheap one that comes in Black or White:
http://www.racerwholesale.com/Merchant2/me...=Racing+Helmets
