Time Trial??
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A time trial is like a cross between autocrossing and open track racing. Here are some of the similarities, and some of the differences:
Unlike autocross where you'll never see the same course twice, the PCA has only three set time trial courses that they use, and they run six time trials a season, so you'll actually see each course twice if you run all six events. The same courses are used year after year, so you can build up a lot of experience on a particular course configuration.
A time trial course is more "open" than a typical autocross. It won't have 1st gear pivot cones, or tight slaloms, or anything like that. Think of it more like a small road course (typical course length is 1.3-1.5 miles per lap) marked out with cones. Because it is more open, speeds tend to be higher - at the last time trial I attended last year I was seeing speeds approaching 100 miles an hour coming into the braking zone on the back of the course. On a ride-along in a friend's new STi, we were over 115mph in the same spot.
You will run several laps back-to-back in a time trial. In conjunction with the higher speeds and heavier braking, the health of your braking system - and your cooling system - are a lot more crucial in time trialing. I've seen aggressive drivers on R compounds fade their brakes at a time trial on their third consecutive lap - that just doesn't happen in autocrossing, because you don't get the cumulative heat in your brakes that you do in time trialing. If you're thinking about attending I would highly recommend flushing your brakes with good fluid (ATE Super Blue, Valvoline Synthetic, Motul RBF600) if it's been over a year since you last did it, and checking to make sure that your brakes pads are less than 1/2 worn.
That being said, it's a blast, and probably the safest place to learn real high-speed driving. Since it is a timed event, you'll still be released onto the course one at a time like you will be in an autocross, so you don't typically have to worry about the same kind of dangers that can occur running wheel-to-wheel on a real road course. Come on out to the school, where you can be introduced to it in a controlled manner, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it.
Iain
