Read.
Tonight, or sometime before your first event, you
should read the Autocross
Novice Handbook by Kate Hughes.
![[Jerry Mouton in Slush Series, 1996]](images-autox/tn_wetVW.jpg)
It's all available online and it has everything you'll need to know for
your first year or two autocrossing. If you have absorbed this book,
you'll start out way ahead of other new autocrossers, and ahead of some
old-timers, too.
Check the Car Classification
Rules and figure out what SCCA class your car belongs in. You will
probably want to run in one of SFR's
Novice Classes -- check out the rules.
It will help a lot to know your class before you arrive.
Read the complete rules for the SFR
Solo Novice Class at novicerules.html.
If you have time, peruse the other
autocross-related links on our site. You can find out a lot of
additional information, including other places to autocross in the Bay
Area.
Review the general procedures for one of our
autocrosses so you will know better what to expect.
Join.
For SFR Bay Area events (NOT Sacramento or Fresno),
you must be a member of SCCA, able to present official documentation (like
a membership card). Most clubs and SCCA Regions don't require
membership, so check with your club to see their requirements. Join
SCCA by clicking the "JOIN SCCA"
button above, or call the SFR office at Willows and fax in your
application for a quick entry.
Arrive.
For SFR events, you may only have to spend a morning
or afternoon to compete. Check out the Event
Schedule and see when you will compete. Arrive by 8:00 AM for morning
runs, by 11:30 or earlier for afternoon runs. That way you will be able
to walk the course before you run.
Sign the release waiver at the gate, if one is offered there, and put
on a security wristband.
Please obey site speed restrictions -- 10 MPH. Higher speeds, tire
warming, burnouts or drifting practice on site will get you removed and
banned, and may lose the site for autocrossing permanently. Please help
us out here!
Register.
Tell the folks at the desk that you're a new
autocrosser. They can answer your questions and may be able to point you
to someone who will help you through your first event.
- Sign the release
waiver and put on a security wristband if you did not already do so
at the gate.
- Sign up for work
assignment. Look for your Novice class on the assignment sheets.
- Present your
driver's license and SCCA membership card -- these must be in your
possession when you register.
- The registration
worker will scan the bar code on your SCCA membership card, if you
have one. Otherwise, your identity and other information will be
entered into the database and you will be given a bar code sticker
for your membership card. This will speed registration next time.
- Pay the
registration fee ($35 as of 2007 in SFR, $45 for guests)
- Get your
bar coded event sticker for the lower left hand corner of your windshield
- If you need a
number, ask for one at the registration desk. The normal procedure
is to get two sheets of paper with a unique number printed on them
to be taped to your car. Alternatively you can use masking tape or
white shoe polish to print large numbers on your car. Pick a number
greater than 200 that nobody else would think of.
Walk.
The course is open for walks before the first![[Seth Emerson's Lola]](images-autox/tn_sethlola.jpg) run group, and during lunch break
between groups 4 and 5. There will be organized Novice course walk led by
an experienced driver at most events. Otherwise just tag along with
someone who looks as if they have done this before.
Listen.
Announcement are often made over the Public Address system. At some
events no PA is allowed, and you must get information from different
sources. The latest rig transmits a weak FM signal which can be picked up
by your nearby car radio or other FM receiver, Find out what frequency is
in use. You will need to pay close attention to the progress of the event
so you will be ready for work time, grid time, and run time for your run
group. Pay Attention! to the
Meet.
Listen to the announcement of the Drivers' Meeting.
You must attend it. You will be informed on your work assignments, Tech.
Inspection, instructional course walk, grid procedures, and other
organizational details. Please ask any questions that you have at this
meeting.
Prepare.
- Take EVERYTHING
out of the car: spare tire, jack, tools, maps, old Big Mac
wrappers. EVERYTHING. It's simple safety precaution. You don't want
to discover the book you like to keep under the seat jammed under
the brake pedal at the end of the fastest part of the track, or have
your windshield blocked by the map that came flying trough the
cabin.
- Remove wheel
covers, or hub covers that are not screwed in. They will become
projectiles on the course. Once you have them off, make sure your
wheels lugs are properly torqued.
- Check the tire
pressures. If you are running the street tires you probably want
to bump it up few pounds more than you normally run. If you're not
sure, ask somebody with the same or similar car, one of the Novice
Mentors, or somebody who looks like they know what they doing (
usually folks with funny looking cars covered with stickers). .
- Attach your car
numbers. Make sure they are easily visible and readable.
Get Tech'ed.
Now you are ready for tech inspection. You will be told where
the tech is conducted during Drivers' meeting. If you run in the
first group, your car will be tech'ed on the grid.
Drive your car to the Tech inspection site for inspection. Tech will
check for safety and numbers visibility rather than class conformance.
Your car's legality is policed by your competitors, who can protest you
for illegal modifications, and get you disqualified.
Work.
Depending on the event schedule, you may have to work
before, or after your run. You must work to pay for your runs,
non-workers will be banned from future events, not to mention disliked
and shunned. When your group is called to work, report to the Timing
Trailer. Event Chairman will check your name off the worker sign-up
sheet. If you do not work, you will not be listed in the results and may
be banned from future events.
Grid.
When your group is called to grid. There will usually
be someone controlling the grid. Pay close attention to this person
running the grid and do not leave your car unattended from this time on.
Note that one or more lines are for two-driver cars, use these only if
you have a co-driver. If you need a loaner helmet, get one just after you
grid your car. Leave your fully filled out registration card under
your windshield wiper or on your dash in clear view.
If your class runs in the first run group, arrive early and grid your
car FIRST. This group uses an Inverted Grid:
- First car to
arrive on grid is put into last position;
- Last car to arrive
will run first;
- Cars in the first
run group will be tech'ed on grid.
WHY? Because the first car out each day runs on a
slippery, dirty track, and smart drivers want others to clean it off for
them. Grid Early.
Drive.
Other drivers often are happy to coach you on your
first runs. Ask for help and you will usually find a friend who can help
you with staging, starting and actual driving. SFR rules permit
passengers on any run, and other drivers often give rides when asked,
though most often on their first or second runs only. Don't be afraid to
ask, don't be deterred if one declines -- ask the next person.
During your run, watch for any red flag being waved by a course
worker -- STOP AT ONCE if the red flag is waved, until the workers direct you to
continue quickly through the course.
IMPORTANT: After you cross the finish line SLOW DOWN and STOP to pick up your timing slip, then proceed back
on the grid to prepare for the next run. After the last run SLOWLY drive
to your pit.
Congratulations! You've done it!
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