Reply With QuoteI'll be there. I'm waiting on tires to come in.
ER - Challenge Cup #1, Autocross February, 22nd
ER's first event is on February 22nd in Mineral Wells!
ER's Website : www.autocross.com/er
So who all is going to come out to start the 2004 Autocross season!
I'll be there. I'm waiting on tires to come in.
I'll be teaching at the PCA autocross schools that weekend.
Iain
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
I'll be learning at the PCA AX schools that weekend.Originally Posted by altiain
What are you getting? My Victoracers shipped out for Shreveport yesterday!
ER List (So Far)
- POS
JRW
I'm getting V700s. It's either those or Hoosiers for us 16" wheel owners.
I thought the PCA school was the first of March?
I'll be there... V700s are mounted... Hopefully things will dry out so I can do a heat cycle.
Be careful on the heat cycle. My last heat cycle rewarded me with a "Demonstration of Acceleration" citation. This was 2nd gear figure 8s in an empty parking lot. I couldn't talk my way out of it even with my infared thermometer and pressure gage and notepad.
That's "scrubbing in"... I'm just going to run 20 minutes two directions on the freeway to get them up to temp...
I should be there, weather and health permitting
wanting to go, but doubting I'll make it.
2013 Mazda2 slushbox daily
1993 Miata (future exocet donor)
I'll be there on my now 3 year old Hoosiers. Obviously I (1) won't be in the running for 1st place in CS, and (2) will be trying to grind those Hoosiers to their cords. :) On the other hand, I haven't even ordered my replacement R-Compounds, so I guess I'd better get cracking!
I should be there, weather and health permittingI hope it's nothing too bad...
I can't decide what to do...for a total autox noobie, should I go to the ER autox or should I go the PCA autocross 101 school? They're on the same day so I can't attend both. Which one will teach me more?
Oh and do I get more seat time at the PCA autox school? :P
and is it too late to sign up for the pca school?
It would be ideal it you could get a few events under your belt before going to any AX school. That way, you'd have a small experience base to go from as they are showing/teaching you stuff.
But given the fact that you can either go to your first AX event or attend the PCA school... I'd recommend going to the PCA school (if it's not too late to sign up... and I bet it's not). altiain is an instructor there, and apparently PCA puts on an excellent school. You'll learn a ton of stuff in that school, far more than you would at the ER event. Then you can apply what you learned the following weekend at the NTS2KOC event.
I would recommend going to the PCA school instead of the ER event for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, the AX101 school is designed primarily for those who have never autocrossed before - i.e., people like yourself. This school is designed to get students familiar with driving a car in a high performance environment, and then introduce them to some of the skills that will help them once they start attending actual autocross events. This school is designed to provide you with the basic car control and course reading skills that will help to prevent you from getting frustrated when just starting out in autocrossing.
Secondly, you'll get 10 times the seat time at the PCA school, literally. And all of that seat time will be under the watchful eye of your instructor, who will be able to offer you individual feedback and constructive criticism. As instructors, we are there specifically for the students - our job is to help you, individually. With some students this will mean helping them go faster, with some it will mean helping them to successfully navigate the course, and with others it will mean helping them to counter bad habits that they weren't even consciously aware that they were forming (I'll bet you don't drive with one hand on the shifter anymore, do ya Kestrel? :P ). You won't get that kind of individualized attention at an ER event.
The AX102/TT103 school in Mineral Wells on March 6-7 are geared more towards students with some autocross experience, as these schools focus more on learning how to drive specific course elements, and then learnign how to string the individual elements together into a cohesive whole. However, the AX101 school is designed and focused specifically towards the individual who has seen or heard of autocross and thinks it might be fun to try, but wants to go into it the first time as well prepared as possible.
Iain
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Do I need a roll bar for that pca school?
Nope. Don't need a roll bar to autocross with any of the DFW-area clubs (Texas Region SCCA, Equipe Rapide, Maverick PCA, Lone Star BMWCCA, North Texas S2000 Owner's Club) or attend any of their schools.
Here is a link to the Maverick Region PCA driving school site - be sure to sign up if you want to attend, as you cannot "just show up and go".
Iain
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Well, altiain answered your question, but he didn't give you the complete skinny on PCA events. You don't have to have a rollbar, but you do have to drive "top up". Doesn't sound like too much of a big deal, but it can be. Try sitting in your car, with you helmet on, and in proper driving/racing position... unless you are shorter than me (I'm 5'8"), your helmet is gonna hit the top. So that means you have to (1) slouch, or (2) recline more than your used to. I think that is way more dangerous than the very small risk that you'll roll the car, but "them's the rules".
And in the event that you do roll your car, that metal softtop frame would be like the blades of a harvester slicing through everything in it's path... but PCA believes that's better than no top at all.
OK, enough moaning. I don't run PCA events specifically because they require me to either (1) install a rollbar (which isn't a bad idea, but not something I'm interested in doing) or (2) run top up and gain all the protection that provides.
Go to the school, follow their silly rules, but learn from some of the best instructors around. It'll be worth your while!
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* BTW, I do run top up at MSR, because they require it there as well. And I think it's just a dangerous there. But I'm willing to put up with it for track time... not willing to put up with it for autocross. And you'll find that almost nobody else here will agree with me on this one...
New Azenis, new rings, and she's letting me go!!!
Woo Hoo
I got 2 of my friends to come along with me to the pca autox school
see you there Iain!
but yeah...I don't think driving with the top up will be too much of a problem since i'm only 5'5"
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