(humbly as possible) I'm past my second AX season and was just certified for solo in Green Group in PCA DE. You are 110% correct thinking. After five years of really enjoying the car but not able to USE IT I cut bait and got over it ;)
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my mustang suspension guy, Sam Strano KILLS it on the autocross with an S197 Mustang that honestly doesn't even have as much suspension mods as my GT500. Check this out:
Sam Strano's 5. Mustang autocrossing - YouTube
That front end is planted. He's smooth.
A wee bit understeery but for a car of that size and weight it's really not too bad and I reckon is also a daily driver. I guess you can't ask it to handle like a Dallara Icunonove either.
People like going around cones in 2nd gear on a parking lot ?
Well it can be fun, needs very little infrastructure and is pretty much the safest motorsport you can do as you can't lose the car at high speed.
AX teaches some real skills, DE even more so. Getting to drive these cars with your throttle is a friggin blast. I like DE way way too much but the AX is kinda awesome not to mention it would be even more fun to see you cry trying to come close to the experienced drivers times.
Love you L. but man you are stuck in your ways ;)
If you’re going to do it, do it right. Also, for cycling purposes, this area of Germany has very good cycling.
Edit: Video is not showing up.... Nüburgring Nordschleife.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=65jW-FVAd2o
How about some Sabine Schmitz...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFgxUSOdecY
Driving around cones in a parking lot sounds super lame, until you do it. If you’re into cars and want a taste of the capability of your car and yourself, go do an autocross. You have no idea how hard you can corner at 35mph lol. I tripoded and spun out my buddy’s pimp stock Integra once.
Autocross is easily 1,000 times more fun than riding a road bike.
Road bikes are the best.
My former Mazda Miata was an autocross car and it proved to me the joy of a rear wheel drive vehicle but I’m pretty much with Lionel here. I can’t really understand the joy of a parking lot time trial any more than I understand the joy of a business park criterium. The open road is always where it’s at, whether in a great car or on a bike.
The difference is that road bikes are like setting $10 bills on fire and high end autos are like setting bundles of $100 bills on fire.
autocrossing is fun. i used to do it in my '84 GTI and it was a blast.
this is the kind of racing i do with my Mustang though: First race is only a couple of weeks away!
NASA's American Iron Race 7/13/213 at Pocono Raceway - YouTube
As dor autocross being dumb- it's no less dumb than 1/8th mile drag racing in a parking lot- and i do that the second to last friday of every month here in the parking lot of Qualcom stadium.
Race Legal Drag Race Qualcomm Stadium *MUSTANG NEAR CRASH - YouTube
You can’t drive on the road anywhere near as hard as you can at an autocross without seriously risking your life and the life of those around you.
And autocross can be done with any car with no extra work to the car. Sure if you wanna get competitive you can spend a small fortune, but if you just want to flog your car harder than you can imagine, just run what ya bring. Seriously - you’ve got a GTI right? Go do an autocross with it. The report back.
I’m sure driving on a real track is even more fun (me neighbor has a race-prepped ZO6 and I’m Uber jealous), but on a track if you eff up you total your car and maybe die. It’s a whole nother level of risk.
At autocross I’d you eff up you just hit one (or more) of those marshmallow soft cones. They don’t even leave a mark on the paint.
I know it sounds lame, and the videos look boring as hell, but behind the wheel - it’s stupid fun. Way more fun than riding a road bike. I stand by that!!
Oh, and in autocross “high end” does not equal fast. Fastest car ive ever seen at an autocross was a CRX with Hoosiers, faster than the corvettes, Porsche’s, etc. and that CRX is worth WAY less $$$ than many road bikes hahaha
Also, Autocross depends on it's existence as a volunteer effort. The instructors WANT to get in the passenger seat to make you go faster, it's a blast.
Jim, your Miata is capable of destroying P car times. As under powered as that car is it can freakin' turn in like nobody's business.
I DNF'd most of my first years Autocross events, than I calmed down and started to get it. The second season I graduated from a level II AX school where they teach you to drive the bloody thing with your gas pedal.
The skills gained are priceless and now I have a safe / legal way to go nuts.