Yesterday I participated in my first real autocross event. The weather was perfect and it was fun doing timed runs for the first time, as well as running in the dry for the first time. Prior to this year, I had never done autocross of any kind. The BMW CCA novice autocross school gave me a taste of what autocross was like, but we weren't using timing that day and it rained the entire day.
I got down to the Baysox stadium at about noon and immediately got registered, prepped my car, and went through tech. That gave me enough time to walk the course twice on my own and once as part of the guided "novice course walk." I think walking the course that many times helped me a lot. There seemed to be a lot of other people having "off course" runs (where they miss a gate/cone and get no time for their run), and that never happened to me. After the course walks, we had a driver's meeting and then split into two groups. My group was racing first, so I jumped in my car and got in line in the grid.
I don't know how many people participated in the afternoon session, but even half of the group felt like a lot of cars. I was lined up in the grid at about 1:30 and we didn't finish running until at least 2:30. That means each of my 4 runs was spread apart by 15+ minute breaks. That aspect of it kind of sucked, since it was hard to stay in any kind of rhythm and hard to remember what you needed to change from run to run.
In my first run, I got a pretty bad start off the line, got slightly confused by the double-cone pass-through gate, and sort of forgot to keep looking ahead on the course. I also went diving into one of the turns and had so much understeer that my steering wheel was turned way to the side even though I was barely turning. Oops! The end result was a 45.277. On the bright side, I didn't hit any cones and didn't go off course. Plus since it was my first run, I was still getting used to how tight certain turns were and where I could get on the gas more.
My second run I got a better launch and did a much better job of looking further ahead on the course. Seeing more of the course ahead of you makes a huge difference with placing the car and getting through the turns smoothly. It was fun jumping on the gas and brakes a lot harder that run and feeling the car slide slightly as I approached the limit through the turns. That run was a 42.704, which was a nice improvement over my first run.
My third run was essentially more of the same. Slight improvements got my time down to 42.630 which ended up being my fast time of the day. The fourth run felt pretty similar too but was slightly slower at 42.764.
One of the weird things about the format was that it was hard to follow who was in what class and where I stood at any given time against the people with similar cars. So I would sit and watch cars come in with anywhere from 39s times to 45s times and have know idea how I was really doing.
After my half of the drivers were finished, I worked one of the flag stations as a runner for fixing cones that were knocked over. The weather was great and it was fun watching some really nice looking cars weave through the cones, so I was surprised that working the track actually wasn't so bad. Plus I got a little exercise running around picking up cones. One thing I wish I had done was wear sunblock! I'm a bit red today, working on an awesome farmers tan.
Once all the drivers were done, we had a little awards ceremony where they announced the top three in each class. I finished second in my class and got a little foam cone as a "trophy!" Turns out there were only four people in the S2 class, but it's still fun to see that I was faster that at least somebody. :-) Actually, looking over the results, I was faster than three out of the five drivers in the S1 class and the one driver in the S3 class, so that's not too bad. Overall I finished 62nd out of 102 drivers, which I'm pretty happy with considering it was my first autocross and I'm running a bone-stock 335i.
It was fun getting out for a real autocross event. It's something I wish I had gotten into a long time ago, although until now I never really had the car for it. Plus, talking to some of the other guys, it sounds like the National Capital Chapter of BMW CCA does a great job of putting on events that are nice and relaxed, since after all it's really just for fun. So I'm glad my first autocross experiences have been with the NCC BMW CCA.
Most of the rest of the NCC BMW CCA autocross season is down in Waldorf, about an hour from my house. As fun as autocross is, it's still kind of crazy to think about prep time, leaving home at 11:30, and getting back at 4:30 all for less than three minutes of actual driving time. Adding an extra 40 minutes of commute time in each direction would make that even worse. But, I'll see how I feel as the summer goes on. I'm sure I'll try to make it to the only other event at the Baysox stadium in October. Plus, in mid-June I'll be doing autocross in a Ferrari with Gotham Dream Cars! I'm hoping my little bit of autocross experience I now have makes that day even more fun.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
BMW CCA Novice Autocross School
Saturday I attended the BMW Car Club of America National Capital Chapter's novice autocross school at the Bowie Baysox stadium. It was my first time doing autocross and I had a ton of fun, even though it was raining.
We started off the morning split into two groups in the two halves of the parking lot. My group did the slalom first, which was just a standing start and then weaving through about eight cones. Even just that little exercise was a lot of fun. It was only in 2nd gear, but it was still fast enough to feel the car reach the edge of adhesion if you pushed too hard. It was also amazing how much it helped to keep your eyes further down the road, positioning the car for the next slalom instead of just looking at the cone right in front of you.
After the groups swapped places, we did a little mini-autocross course that was kind of half of a figure 8 - two rights, a diagonal straightaway, and then two lefts. The first few runs I accidentally left the traction control on, so once I figured that out it was a lot more fun to push the limit as I got on the gas coming out of the second turn and onto the straightaway. At one point I got it pretty sideways and saved it, and I could see people standing there watching and cheering.
In the afternoon they had the whole thing set up more like a regular autocross session. They started off after lunch with a driver's meeting and track walk. During the track walk it seemed like there was so much room for a racing line, but when you get out there in a car you realize just how little space there is in some of the turns.
Before we actually drove our own cars, we got a chance to ride with instructors, which was fun. Even in the rain, the 4-wheel-drive WRX I rode in had tons of grip and would really throw you into the seats under acceleration and turning. It was also interesting see how hard the instructor would get on the gas and brakes.
Finally around 2pm in the afternoon I got to drive the full autocross course in my own car. Oh man it was fun! It was great pushing my car to the limit around all these turns. I think the wet actually made it more fun, since the car was so much more willing to slide around. It was amazing how quickly a lap on the course went. It just felt like a quick blur of corner after corner and then poof!, it's all over. Another thing I noticed out there was that autocross seems to be all about positioning you car for that next turn. It took me a little bit to adjust my thinking away from the road course mindset of maximizing exit speed so that you carry a lot of speed onto a straightaway, and instead focus on where you want the car positioned for the two or three turns ahead.
After I drove the course five times, I worked one of the flag stations while the other half of the group was on course. It was kind of fun watching the other cars go through the turns and seeing their racing line. There were times in the session it was raining pretty good though, and by the end of it I was soaked to the bone.
Despite the weather, I had an absolute blast. It was just so great to push the car hard in an environment that's safe and legal. Everyone there seemed to have a great attitude and was equally enthusiastic about the whole thing, which also helped make it a lot of fun. I'm going to try to make a real autocross event at the same location later this month. I can't wait to get back out there!
We started off the morning split into two groups in the two halves of the parking lot. My group did the slalom first, which was just a standing start and then weaving through about eight cones. Even just that little exercise was a lot of fun. It was only in 2nd gear, but it was still fast enough to feel the car reach the edge of adhesion if you pushed too hard. It was also amazing how much it helped to keep your eyes further down the road, positioning the car for the next slalom instead of just looking at the cone right in front of you.
After the groups swapped places, we did a little mini-autocross course that was kind of half of a figure 8 - two rights, a diagonal straightaway, and then two lefts. The first few runs I accidentally left the traction control on, so once I figured that out it was a lot more fun to push the limit as I got on the gas coming out of the second turn and onto the straightaway. At one point I got it pretty sideways and saved it, and I could see people standing there watching and cheering.
In the afternoon they had the whole thing set up more like a regular autocross session. They started off after lunch with a driver's meeting and track walk. During the track walk it seemed like there was so much room for a racing line, but when you get out there in a car you realize just how little space there is in some of the turns.
Before we actually drove our own cars, we got a chance to ride with instructors, which was fun. Even in the rain, the 4-wheel-drive WRX I rode in had tons of grip and would really throw you into the seats under acceleration and turning. It was also interesting see how hard the instructor would get on the gas and brakes.
Finally around 2pm in the afternoon I got to drive the full autocross course in my own car. Oh man it was fun! It was great pushing my car to the limit around all these turns. I think the wet actually made it more fun, since the car was so much more willing to slide around. It was amazing how quickly a lap on the course went. It just felt like a quick blur of corner after corner and then poof!, it's all over. Another thing I noticed out there was that autocross seems to be all about positioning you car for that next turn. It took me a little bit to adjust my thinking away from the road course mindset of maximizing exit speed so that you carry a lot of speed onto a straightaway, and instead focus on where you want the car positioned for the two or three turns ahead.
After I drove the course five times, I worked one of the flag stations while the other half of the group was on course. It was kind of fun watching the other cars go through the turns and seeing their racing line. There were times in the session it was raining pretty good though, and by the end of it I was soaked to the bone.
Despite the weather, I had an absolute blast. It was just so great to push the car hard in an environment that's safe and legal. Everyone there seemed to have a great attitude and was equally enthusiastic about the whole thing, which also helped make it a lot of fun. I'm going to try to make a real autocross event at the same location later this month. I can't wait to get back out there!
Autobahn Arrive-and-Drive
Got the work crew out for an arrive-and-drive tonight at Autobahn. Some good close racing. Once again Greg keeps the office trophy. The new track surface and kart setup seem to be suiting him!
Results (average of best lap from each heat):
Greg: 22.894
Paul S: 23.004 (0.109 back)
Andre: 23.342 (0.448)
Paul P: 23.720 (0.826)
Chris: 24.113 (1.218)
Hurley: 26.062 (3.168)
Results (average of best lap from each heat):
Greg: 22.894
Paul S: 23.004 (0.109 back)
Andre: 23.342 (0.448)
Paul P: 23.720 (0.826)
Chris: 24.113 (1.218)
Hurley: 26.062 (3.168)
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Tuesday Night League..... Week 9?
Bonus racing this week! After some confusion last week about when the season was over and when we'd get trophies, gift cards, etc., the league director at Autobahn, Jordan, had us come back this week for some free racing. Despite not getting an actual e-mail from Jordan, word got around and everyone made it there. We got two races - one on Monaco and one on Le Mans - as a thank-you for participating in the league this season.
Both tracks are finished with their surface work and the karts are set up with better tires. The results are phenomenal. There's so much grip, and the karts are so neutral. They just turned great at speed and the g-forces shoved you into the seat with each change in direction.
The results weren't for season points, but as far as bragging rights are concerned, here's how we finished:
1. Bob: 23.028 avg
2. Greg: 23.243 (0.215 back from 1st)
3. Peter: 23.338 (0.310 back from 1st)
4. Taylor: 23.340 (0.312)
5. Paul: 23.551 (0.523)
6. Andre: 23.576 (0.547)
7. Joseph: 23.799 (0.771)
Greg finished 2nd! His best finish of the year and earning him the office trophy back from me.
Bob took home the championship trophy for the year, with Taylor and I getting medals. All three of us received gift cards for Autobahn, which is cool. When they announced the final standings, they actually originally had Bob in second and me in first, but it must have been because the league manager forgot to drop the lowest score when doing the calculations. Everyone there knew what the results should be though, so we corrected them. The general consensus was that the league management at Autobahn is sorely lacking.
It sounded like everyone had a ton of fun this season and is looking forward to getting back on track with each other. The group is so closely matched that it makes for a great challenge, and everyone has a really positive attitude. Hopefully we can still get out for some racing even without the scheduled league nights.
Both tracks are finished with their surface work and the karts are set up with better tires. The results are phenomenal. There's so much grip, and the karts are so neutral. They just turned great at speed and the g-forces shoved you into the seat with each change in direction.
The results weren't for season points, but as far as bragging rights are concerned, here's how we finished:
1. Bob: 23.028 avg
2. Greg: 23.243 (0.215 back from 1st)
3. Peter: 23.338 (0.310 back from 1st)
4. Taylor: 23.340 (0.312)
5. Paul: 23.551 (0.523)
6. Andre: 23.576 (0.547)
7. Joseph: 23.799 (0.771)
Greg finished 2nd! His best finish of the year and earning him the office trophy back from me.
Bob took home the championship trophy for the year, with Taylor and I getting medals. All three of us received gift cards for Autobahn, which is cool. When they announced the final standings, they actually originally had Bob in second and me in first, but it must have been because the league manager forgot to drop the lowest score when doing the calculations. Everyone there knew what the results should be though, so we corrected them. The general consensus was that the league management at Autobahn is sorely lacking.
It sounded like everyone had a ton of fun this season and is looking forward to getting back on track with each other. The group is so closely matched that it makes for a great challenge, and everyone has a really positive attitude. Hopefully we can still get out for some racing even without the scheduled league nights.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Time Trial League Suggestions
It was a fun season in the Autobahn Tuesday Night League, but I have a few suggestions in mind for how to make it even better, should Autobahn decide to do another season:
1. Three heats per night instead of two. We were all so closely matched this year that sometimes it just came down to which kart you were in, and some of the karts were real duds. In order to reduce the effect of the different karts, it would be great to average the best laps over three heats. Plus, if we're going to take the time out to be at the track anyway, why not get out there for three races?
2. Two drops per season instead of one. People are busy. Sometimes you can't make it to every race. Giving two drops would let more people earn full points for the season.
3. More track variety. This season we did Monaco six times and Le Mans twice. Not only should that be better distributed, but if we ran each track in reverse that would add even more options.
4. Ignore non-participants. We had several people only show up for one night all season. Giving those people 3rd-place points for the evening (for example) disrupts the points race for the people who are actually participating in the league. Recommend only giving points each night to the people who end up participating in, say, half of the league nights.
5. Start on time. The league this year was advertised as starting at 6:30, but we frequently weren't on track for the first heat until 7:00 or 7:15. I'm not sure what they'd need to change to get us on track quicker, but that should be a priority. If it means moving the advertised start time for the league earlier or later to fit better into the other track sessions, so be it. Or, maybe they need to give a cutoff time where they won't put any more racers on track so they can prepare for the league.
6. Lower cost. At its core, the league nights are really just arrive-and-drive sessions. We're just racing for fastest lap, just like we would be with arrive-and-drive. The cost is $35 for two sessions ($17.50/ea) when you can get three sessions for $40 ($13.33/ea) or eight for $100 ($12.50/ea). Granted, they do more to ensure the karts are evenly matched (some nights more successfully than others). And, if we could do tracks in reverse then that's something they won't just do for arrive-and-driver racers. Also, the league has the advantage of actually getting fast people out to the track to race together. But, we're paying a big premium for all these league advantages.
7. Online Standings. Part of the fun of being in a league is seeing where you rank in the overall standings throughout the season. Autobahn doesn't post the standings anywhere, so the racers are left to tally points themselves and hope they match Autobahn's records. The standings for the leagues should be posted somewhere online for everyone to see each week.
As far as altering the way points are done, if we had used suggestions #2 and #4 above this season, these would have been the standings going into the last week of the season:
Bob: 498
Peter: 498
Taylor: 492
Paul: 492
Greg: 484
Andre: 482
So many positions up for grabs! With the way Week 8 played out, we would have finished with:
Bob: 597
Peter: 596
Paul: 592
Taylor: 589
Greg: 580
Andre: 577
The only difference in finishing order from the actual results is Peter jumping up to 2nd since he wouldn't have lost out by missing two weeks. Still, going into the last week with the standings so close would have been awesome.
Of course, even with all these suggestions and all the fun I had this season, I'm not totally sure I'm up for another 8 weeks of Autobahn evenings. It's such a big time commitment, especially with a toddler at home. I could see doing more arrive-and-drive racing every two or three weeks, with the odd Monday night race-for-position league night mixed in. But, we'll see what info we get about the next seasons for the leagues and go from there.
1. Three heats per night instead of two. We were all so closely matched this year that sometimes it just came down to which kart you were in, and some of the karts were real duds. In order to reduce the effect of the different karts, it would be great to average the best laps over three heats. Plus, if we're going to take the time out to be at the track anyway, why not get out there for three races?
2. Two drops per season instead of one. People are busy. Sometimes you can't make it to every race. Giving two drops would let more people earn full points for the season.
3. More track variety. This season we did Monaco six times and Le Mans twice. Not only should that be better distributed, but if we ran each track in reverse that would add even more options.
4. Ignore non-participants. We had several people only show up for one night all season. Giving those people 3rd-place points for the evening (for example) disrupts the points race for the people who are actually participating in the league. Recommend only giving points each night to the people who end up participating in, say, half of the league nights.
5. Start on time. The league this year was advertised as starting at 6:30, but we frequently weren't on track for the first heat until 7:00 or 7:15. I'm not sure what they'd need to change to get us on track quicker, but that should be a priority. If it means moving the advertised start time for the league earlier or later to fit better into the other track sessions, so be it. Or, maybe they need to give a cutoff time where they won't put any more racers on track so they can prepare for the league.
6. Lower cost. At its core, the league nights are really just arrive-and-drive sessions. We're just racing for fastest lap, just like we would be with arrive-and-drive. The cost is $35 for two sessions ($17.50/ea) when you can get three sessions for $40 ($13.33/ea) or eight for $100 ($12.50/ea). Granted, they do more to ensure the karts are evenly matched (some nights more successfully than others). And, if we could do tracks in reverse then that's something they won't just do for arrive-and-driver racers. Also, the league has the advantage of actually getting fast people out to the track to race together. But, we're paying a big premium for all these league advantages.
7. Online Standings. Part of the fun of being in a league is seeing where you rank in the overall standings throughout the season. Autobahn doesn't post the standings anywhere, so the racers are left to tally points themselves and hope they match Autobahn's records. The standings for the leagues should be posted somewhere online for everyone to see each week.
As far as altering the way points are done, if we had used suggestions #2 and #4 above this season, these would have been the standings going into the last week of the season:
Bob: 498
Peter: 498
Taylor: 492
Paul: 492
Greg: 484
Andre: 482
So many positions up for grabs! With the way Week 8 played out, we would have finished with:
Bob: 597
Peter: 596
Paul: 592
Taylor: 589
Greg: 580
Andre: 577
The only difference in finishing order from the actual results is Peter jumping up to 2nd since he wouldn't have lost out by missing two weeks. Still, going into the last week with the standings so close would have been awesome.
Of course, even with all these suggestions and all the fun I had this season, I'm not totally sure I'm up for another 8 weeks of Autobahn evenings. It's such a big time commitment, especially with a toddler at home. I could see doing more arrive-and-drive racing every two or three weeks, with the odd Monday night race-for-position league night mixed in. But, we'll see what info we get about the next seasons for the leagues and go from there.
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