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So, you've finally gotten a chance to take your awesome car out to play with the cones!
Are you wondering, "What should I expect?"
Well, you've come to the right place!
Once, not many moons ago, I was that same person. I had no idea what to expect, and that can induce a slight bit of anxiety.
Fortunately, Autocross events are super laid back, and everyone is really nice and helpful. There is something about not being at work, and playing with cars that helps the vibe.
These events are pretty standard for most Autocross events but our region and current site has some things that make it unique.
I will try to lay out how your day will go chronologically:
0. The day starts before "the day". You will be emailed event supplementals the evening before. This will tell you what the course map is, worker assignment, where to go, and usually have more details about the following:
1. When you arrive at the site, you will need to fill out a waiver(s). Different sites can require you to fill out seperate waivers, but it's no big deal. SpeedWaiver is also a mechanism that you can use at some sites, but that is for another discussion. This will typically be at the entrance to the site. You'll get a wristband to prove you've filled out the appropiate waivers. You need to wear these wristbands, and as Mickey Mouse would say, "It's a surprise tool that will help us later."
2. You will proceed to the Paddock. What's a paddock? I used to ask myself that when I first started. It's just a fancy name for the place you'll park your car/trucks and trailers at a motorsport event.
3. When you arrive at the Paddock, you'll find a "Paddock Marshall". That person will usually be standing near the entrance, and he will ask if you know which run group/heat you are in. He will direct you to where you should park your car. This can be contingent on which run group you're in, so be sure to check with this person!
4. When you've parked your car, you'll likely have a brief conversation with somebody in the Paddock with a car JUST like yours. This is also the time to open your hood, trunk, unload any loose items in your car you don't want slinging around when you drive it and get your helmet out. An individual will be by to "tech" your car. The "tech" process is to make sure that your car is safe for competition, and your helmet is up to requirements. This is also the opportunity to get the appropiate class numbers and letters on your car.
More information regarding tech here: http://community.alscca.net/forum/events/solo/86286-tech-sheet
5. If the course is approved for walking, you can now take the time you have to walk the course. Not really sure where the start and finish line are? Not really sure what all those cones laying around mean? No problem! They will have the "Novice Walk" where seasoned competitors (Usual referred to as Novice Coaches) will take some time to bring you up to speed on the course, and tell you what the cones mean. They'll even take this time to breifly tell you how the scoring works. The purpose of the course walk is to try and see where you'll be driving so that when you get in the car to drive, you'll know where to go! It is highly recommended that you do the Novice Walk.
6. After the novice walk is over, the drivers meeting will begin. The drivers meeting is MANDATORY for ALL participants. In the drivers meeting, we will discuss important topics from safety to scoring, and format. There may be some other important things shared during this time regarding the weather/heat and the available waters will be pointed out to you.
7. TIME TO PLAY! Or time to work? Autocross is a sport that involves a little bit of work. You'll have to work for the other group of drivers who will work for when you are driving! I'm going to break down both of these:
A. Working first? Go check in with the "Worker Chief" who will be pointed out in the drivers meeting. He will tell you what your "job" is. For your first event you'll usually be running to reset cones. This is not as fun as driving the car, obviously. But, you will get an opportunity to watch other drivers and see what spots are giving them problems, and maybe get and idea of the "flow" of the course. And who knows, you may just see me do something silly and spin my car out in eye shot of you! If you don't know what the job entails don't be afraid to ask the worker chief or your corner captain!
B. Driving first? Go to your vehicle in the "Grid". At our events, your car's parking spot will become a "Grid Spot" when that area is "hot" for competition. Sweet! You didn't have to work first! EXCEPT, you're now the first drivers off, and you didn't get to watch how other drivers approached the course. If you're less than comfortable with this prospect, ask to ride along with a more experienced driver. You can ask the Novice Coach to ride with you. Ultimately, this is a lower speed, laid back "Grassroot" motorsport. You can take things slow at first and as you get more confident later in the day, you can attack the course with more speed. Your faster runs will be in the afternoon runs anyways, so learn the course first. Remember, be SMOOTH on the wheel!
8. The end of the first run group/heat arrives! You did good resetting those cones, or maybe you didn't? Who cares. It's your turn to play now! You also did really well driving, or maybe you didn't and you drove onto the grass a few times? Who cares. You won't be the only one to drive into the grass! (I'm the worst offender.)
More importantly, it is time to SWITCH and this is where things can be a bit more challenging.
A. If you were working first, this is your chance to use the restroom, and get your car cranked and warming up.
B. If you were driving first, you need to return any borrowed helmets. Use this opportunity to use the restroom if you need it, and check in with the worker chief for what your work assignment is.
C. The more effiicient this swap over is the more "runs" you'll get for the day!
9. The second run group will get to drive at this time.
10. LUNCH BREAK! When the 2nd heat is over, it's time to go eat. There will be an annoucement for when you should be back for the next heat. Lunch Break is usually 45 mins to 1 hr. Again, the closer to start back time you can be in your work assignment, the more likely you are to get more runs!
THAT WRISTBAND YOU GOT IN THE MORNING WILL NOW BE USEFUL TO GET BACK IN TO THE SITE!
When you return, your Paddock/Grid spot will be the same as the morning, and so will your work assignment.
10. The afternoon heats will run in the same order the morning heats went.
11. The event is over! You had a great time! And if you think you didn't, imagine being at work on that day. You did have a good time, didn't you? Trophies will be handed out!
but...
We have to clean up the site first! The cones all need to get loaded back into the truck. You can help by stacking cones up, or simply helping load them into the truck when somebody asks for a few volunteers. Cleanup usually takes 20 minutes if we can get enough help.
After trophy presentation, we usually ask what everyone thought about the event, and make the shameless plug to follow us on Facebook or join the forum to keep up with future events!
12. Take a picture of your cool car, with the trophy you got! Or if you didn't get the trophy, you can still take a picture of your car knowing you got to enjoy DRIVING the car, and not just driving it down the highway!
We usually finish up ~ 4pm if the event and cleanup has gone according to schedule.
During your whole day, be sure to socialize with people. You are at one of the few places where everyone around you has a common interest in CARS! This is an incredibly social sport, and I personally always enjoy meeting new people. I've made some incredibly good friends at these events.
If you have ANY questions during the event, never be afraid to ask somebody! We all have a great time, and want to share this experience with you!
If you have any questions, just respond to this post, or email alscca.solochair@gmail.com
See you soon!
Are you wondering, "What should I expect?"
Well, you've come to the right place!
Once, not many moons ago, I was that same person. I had no idea what to expect, and that can induce a slight bit of anxiety.
Fortunately, Autocross events are super laid back, and everyone is really nice and helpful. There is something about not being at work, and playing with cars that helps the vibe.
These events are pretty standard for most Autocross events but our region and current site has some things that make it unique.
I will try to lay out how your day will go chronologically:
0. The day starts before "the day". You will be emailed event supplementals the evening before. This will tell you what the course map is, worker assignment, where to go, and usually have more details about the following:
1. When you arrive at the site, you will need to fill out a waiver(s). Different sites can require you to fill out seperate waivers, but it's no big deal. SpeedWaiver is also a mechanism that you can use at some sites, but that is for another discussion. This will typically be at the entrance to the site. You'll get a wristband to prove you've filled out the appropiate waivers. You need to wear these wristbands, and as Mickey Mouse would say, "It's a surprise tool that will help us later."
2. You will proceed to the Paddock. What's a paddock? I used to ask myself that when I first started. It's just a fancy name for the place you'll park your car/trucks and trailers at a motorsport event.
3. When you arrive at the Paddock, you'll find a "Paddock Marshall". That person will usually be standing near the entrance, and he will ask if you know which run group/heat you are in. He will direct you to where you should park your car. This can be contingent on which run group you're in, so be sure to check with this person!
4. When you've parked your car, you'll likely have a brief conversation with somebody in the Paddock with a car JUST like yours. This is also the time to open your hood, trunk, unload any loose items in your car you don't want slinging around when you drive it and get your helmet out. An individual will be by to "tech" your car. The "tech" process is to make sure that your car is safe for competition, and your helmet is up to requirements. This is also the opportunity to get the appropiate class numbers and letters on your car.
More information regarding tech here: http://community.alscca.net/forum/events/solo/86286-tech-sheet
5. If the course is approved for walking, you can now take the time you have to walk the course. Not really sure where the start and finish line are? Not really sure what all those cones laying around mean? No problem! They will have the "Novice Walk" where seasoned competitors (Usual referred to as Novice Coaches) will take some time to bring you up to speed on the course, and tell you what the cones mean. They'll even take this time to breifly tell you how the scoring works. The purpose of the course walk is to try and see where you'll be driving so that when you get in the car to drive, you'll know where to go! It is highly recommended that you do the Novice Walk.
6. After the novice walk is over, the drivers meeting will begin. The drivers meeting is MANDATORY for ALL participants. In the drivers meeting, we will discuss important topics from safety to scoring, and format. There may be some other important things shared during this time regarding the weather/heat and the available waters will be pointed out to you.
7. TIME TO PLAY! Or time to work? Autocross is a sport that involves a little bit of work. You'll have to work for the other group of drivers who will work for when you are driving! I'm going to break down both of these:
A. Working first? Go check in with the "Worker Chief" who will be pointed out in the drivers meeting. He will tell you what your "job" is. For your first event you'll usually be running to reset cones. This is not as fun as driving the car, obviously. But, you will get an opportunity to watch other drivers and see what spots are giving them problems, and maybe get and idea of the "flow" of the course. And who knows, you may just see me do something silly and spin my car out in eye shot of you! If you don't know what the job entails don't be afraid to ask the worker chief or your corner captain!
B. Driving first? Go to your vehicle in the "Grid". At our events, your car's parking spot will become a "Grid Spot" when that area is "hot" for competition. Sweet! You didn't have to work first! EXCEPT, you're now the first drivers off, and you didn't get to watch how other drivers approached the course. If you're less than comfortable with this prospect, ask to ride along with a more experienced driver. You can ask the Novice Coach to ride with you. Ultimately, this is a lower speed, laid back "Grassroot" motorsport. You can take things slow at first and as you get more confident later in the day, you can attack the course with more speed. Your faster runs will be in the afternoon runs anyways, so learn the course first. Remember, be SMOOTH on the wheel!
8. The end of the first run group/heat arrives! You did good resetting those cones, or maybe you didn't? Who cares. It's your turn to play now! You also did really well driving, or maybe you didn't and you drove onto the grass a few times? Who cares. You won't be the only one to drive into the grass! (I'm the worst offender.)
More importantly, it is time to SWITCH and this is where things can be a bit more challenging.
A. If you were working first, this is your chance to use the restroom, and get your car cranked and warming up.
B. If you were driving first, you need to return any borrowed helmets. Use this opportunity to use the restroom if you need it, and check in with the worker chief for what your work assignment is.
C. The more effiicient this swap over is the more "runs" you'll get for the day!
9. The second run group will get to drive at this time.
10. LUNCH BREAK! When the 2nd heat is over, it's time to go eat. There will be an annoucement for when you should be back for the next heat. Lunch Break is usually 45 mins to 1 hr. Again, the closer to start back time you can be in your work assignment, the more likely you are to get more runs!
THAT WRISTBAND YOU GOT IN THE MORNING WILL NOW BE USEFUL TO GET BACK IN TO THE SITE!
When you return, your Paddock/Grid spot will be the same as the morning, and so will your work assignment.
10. The afternoon heats will run in the same order the morning heats went.
11. The event is over! You had a great time! And if you think you didn't, imagine being at work on that day. You did have a good time, didn't you? Trophies will be handed out!
but...
We have to clean up the site first! The cones all need to get loaded back into the truck. You can help by stacking cones up, or simply helping load them into the truck when somebody asks for a few volunteers. Cleanup usually takes 20 minutes if we can get enough help.
After trophy presentation, we usually ask what everyone thought about the event, and make the shameless plug to follow us on Facebook or join the forum to keep up with future events!
12. Take a picture of your cool car, with the trophy you got! Or if you didn't get the trophy, you can still take a picture of your car knowing you got to enjoy DRIVING the car, and not just driving it down the highway!
We usually finish up ~ 4pm if the event and cleanup has gone according to schedule.
During your whole day, be sure to socialize with people. You are at one of the few places where everyone around you has a common interest in CARS! This is an incredibly social sport, and I personally always enjoy meeting new people. I've made some incredibly good friends at these events.
If you have ANY questions during the event, never be afraid to ask somebody! We all have a great time, and want to share this experience with you!
If you have any questions, just respond to this post, or email alscca.solochair@gmail.com
See you soon!