Autocross

Winning is the Byproduct

What to win at the August 14th CVR AutoX? Here are 5 secrets and specific ways to apply them to that course:

Everyone had fun unlocking the flow and speed at the July AutoX and all went home better drivers.

1. Show up. Just by registering (at https://www.motorsportreg.com/) and showing up, you will start your path to winning. Regardless of what car you drive, how many years you’ve been “driving”, or even if you consider yourself “pretty skilled”, you’ll be amazed at the ROI for your $40 AutoX entry fee. Our motto, Better Driving…Faster!, has been earned by decades of refinement. CVR’s AutoX-University program will send you home a better driver than when you arrived.

Graham W. successfully navigated his first AutoX in July by studying the map, taking advantage of the AutoX-U, and using the “Visual Clarity” clues to stay on course. Follow the orange cones initially then after the tall cone gate follow the green cones to the finish. The same visual clarity is being used on the August 14th course.

2. Think about it. Just like the Olympians we see in Tokyo, show up prepared to give it your best. Across the whole country, CVR is the only group I know that publishes a scale picture of each course the week before. Start by looking at the map with the colored “path” to understand the basic direction and flow of the course. Note how the color of the path corresponds to the orange and green cones for those portions. Now comes the thinking part – look at the map without the path and focus on the different cone features until you can trace out the course by heart. Luckily, CVR also leads the country with “visual clarity” clues to help you stay on course. Notice the two different cone colors to follow for the first and second portions of the course; bright green directional foam arrows to get your eyes looking properly ahead for that last section, distinctively tall cones as landmarks for entering the “inner loop” and to easily spot the wall to drive around; white Hoffman Cup Finish signs, plus the careful cone placement and use of “pointer cones”. Think about what the cones will look like from your car as you drive around the course. Think about where you should be advancing your gaze to spot the next turn. When you arrive on August 14th, walk the course several times, first with another person to help you but then by yourself to really concentrate on looking ahead 2-3 turns at all times. Finally, join the popular AutoX-U walks (starting between 8:00-8:10 am) for additional secrets from our skilled CVR AutoX instructors. They will simplify what to focus on and help you to apply the AutoX-U lessons featured at that course. The August 14th course was designed to help you master decreasing radius turns and how to link several “corners” together into one fast turn.

Looking ahead and using these pointer cones as a guide, Instructor David C. found the course and found a class win. Congratulations David!

3) Relax. It’s hard to convince many new and intermediate drivers to take their first run slow enough to have time to actually look ahead and to remember their whole run. Relax, breathe, and don’t allow yourself to enter the next gate until you have already spotted the gate after it. As you gain experience this gets easier. If you go off-course, take that as hard evidence that you skipped this vital advice and vow to follow it on your next run.

New plan…Randy K. modifies his line to rip through this section of the July AutoX and shave off more time.

4) Let ‘er rip! Once you have successfully stayed on course and can remember how you took each turn, then you are ready to let ‘er rip. This is why AutoX is so addicting. Driving your Porsche flat-out in a safe environment is something to be cherished. After each run, evaluate where you can smooth out your inputs and if you can link several corners together into one flowing and fast turn. Ask yourself “If I set-up better here”, can I get on the power sooner, cut down more distance, or arrive at the next gate in a better position? Unlock the hidden speed in each course by watching and listening to how others take each corner then revise your plan for the next run. Ask a CVR AutoX Instructor to watch your run and you’ll get some insightful feedback and some new ideas to try.

Listening to his car, Rick K. gives his front tires the weight they need to turn-in towards that green cone. Nicely done Rick!

5) Refine and repeat. We have averaged 7 runs per AutoX this year, so you have plenty of time to experiment with your line and to learn what is fastest. There is always more speed to be found if you think about it differently. Listen to your car and try to understand what it is telling you. For example, if you are understeering it’s probably because that’s exactly what you asked your car to do by not putting or keeping enough weight on the front tires, or by impatiently adding gas too soon. Refine your line to smoothly link corners together into one big flowing turn. Remember “The Line-Is King” (just like that Disney film title), and a great line lets you roar through the cones. Rethink spots that don’t seem to be as quick as others or at any particular limit, and repeat spots that were. Solving that puzzle with a new course every AutoX is another reason why AutoX is so addicting and rewarding.

Join us at the August 14th CVR AutoX in Lime Rock Park’s large and smooth B-Paddock. This beautiful setting makes for a fantastic day with your CVR friends and offers a unique course that promises to be fast and fun while teaching you more about decreasing radius corners and smoothly linking corners to be flowing and fast. Detailed maps are already posted on the CVR website AutoX page ( https://cvrpca.com/autox/ ), both with the path and without (August 14th Course Map / No Line Map ), so you can come prepared for the fun. Re-read Secret 2 above, then the two map captions below for how to specifically apply these secrets to the actual August 14th course. Then enjoy the byproduct, winning!

Apply these secrets to the August 14th course. In the morning, as you are standing at the Stage Box to start your course walk, look at this whole orange-line section at once. Resist the temptation just start walking towards cone A. Before you move from staging, think of how you want to end up with your left rear tire close to cone C and the direction your car should be pointed to be best set-up for arriving at cone D. Only now should you start walking. When you are staged to drive do the exact same things (look ahead at cones A, B, and C, and think of the direction and position of your car right next to cone C ). By doing this you will have refined the generic “path” on the initial AutoX map into your personal “driving line” plan that smoothly links these cones into one flowing corner, cuts down distance, and maximizes speed. Then…
As your walk approaches cone B, raise your gaze to see the next three key cones together: cone D, the left orange cone of Gate E, and the orange cone on the right side of Gate F. At the same time think about the angle your car should be pointed when it’s at gate F. Smoothly getting your car to that precise position and angle is your main focus as you traverse this whole section, since that will allow maximum acceleration as you track-out to the left side of Gate G. Repeat this process of advancing your vision and your thinking as you walk around the whole course. Doing so will make it much easier to do when you drive it and are going about 20 times faster. Training yourself this way will send you home with this vital driving skill that most drivers never really master. Now that’s a big win!

3 Comments

  1. That’s an awesome point

  2. Why is it I always really feel like you do?

  3. I didn’t know that.

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