I took my RX8 to the autox event. I think it is worth doing it once out of curiosity, but that's about it. I spent all day at the track for less than 4 min of racing. I have better things to do with my time. I did OK for novice (placed 5th out of 30), but some of the guys running novice, especially the top four including the porsche 911 and M3 with roll bars, did not look or behave like novice riders.
I'd rather spend the day trail riding or motocrossing with my wr426 bike or going on the track or back roads with the Ducati. The AutoX event is just an obstacle course. I did not get to shift past second.
You get what you pay for.
Don't get me wrong, it was fun and instructional, but I need something more for my adrenaline rush. Usually I have "butterflies" in my stomach before I race, but in this case I had nada, zip, zilch, nothing. The only way you may get hurt in this event is when you're working the station. One car, an original mini, came within five feet of hitting me, but I could have stopped it with my hand.:D
Did anyone have the same experience?

I do track work as well as a/x. If you didn't get an adrenaline buzz from autocrossing, then you weren't really trying - in my experience it can be every bit as intense as any other form of motorsport, through it does come in smaller doses. If I'm not shaking at the end of a run, I know I didn't give it everything I had - a top run will get the old ticker pumping just as much as any wheel-to-wheel racing I've done in the past.

Everyone has personal preferences.

I'd be bored silly watching football yet millions enjoy the pasttime. Thousands (tens of thousands?) enjoy participating in autocross but that doesn't mean it floats everyone's boat.

I enjoy autocross and participate roughly twice a month. But I agree that $30 for three runs is pricey at $10/minute plus having to work one run. Strictly in terms of dollars per minute most high speed track events give you more bang for buck.
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Yeah, I was going to say something similar.

If you get "competitive" with it and really try to match or beat the top folks there (either in your same class or on the index) you'll find the buzz.

Put one of the top National-level drivers in your car (almost every region has one) and watch how they make it go 1-2 seconds faster than you did. Then go try to match it. You'll find the buzz.

It's different than what you're used to, but it's there.

Drive faster.

:)

I agree, I too would rather trail ride my KTM 525 than work the auto-x. At the auto-x you race for a few minutes then spend the rest of the day chasing cones. When you trail ride you spend the whole day just having fun.
Have you tried drag racing? You do not have to work when you are not racing. You can use the down time to work on the car, talk to the other drivers or whatever you want.

Some enjoy the combo of car show/racing. I know it isnt that much time on the track overall, but I find it fun. I also enjoy the worktime chatting with other car lovers as we watch cars make their runs, wipe out, etc. Of course, I have only been doing it sicne I got my 8, and I dont know for how long I'll be at it, but so far I find it a very entertaining way to spend 8AM to 3PM every few weeks.

Call me crazy but I've been contemplating giving it up... It's fun and I like it quite a bit, but is it really worth it is exactly what I've been asking myself.

It's downright boring compared to racing karts, I don't get near the rush I got from racing karts, and I get to be on a track for a whopping total of 4 or 5 minutes. In order to be nationally competetive I would have to spend serious amount of money, and compromise my car for daily use. A lot of this has to do with the fact that the WRX does best in STX rather than DS.

So, I'm considering getting back into RC racing. I recently found out one of the best tracks in the country is 10 minutes from my house. I can practice several times a week if I want and race 2 or 3 times a week. It will cost me about 1000-1500 to get back into RC and be competitive, which is about the price of a TBE for my WRX. The amount of fun I will get dollar for dollar is far more than I could ever get from autox, especially considering we don't race autox for more than 7 months out of the year, and it's not every weekend locally.

The rush from RC racing is still there believe it or not, RC racing made me more nervous and gets my heart pounding more than autox ever has. It's also a lot of fun tuning the car and dialing it in to handle the way you want it to. That being said I may race a couple events this year in autox but I'm scarping my plans more mods for now, I will save money and have more fun by RC racing, and I'll see how I feel next year about getting back into autox regularly once the bulk of the RC investment is taken care of.

If I could afford Karting instead of RC I would do it in a flash, but it's a lot more time consuming and about 5x more expensive, so it'll have to wait.

Ike

What's RC? The shifter karts are about 5-10K aren't they? Kart racing looks llike a blast.

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
What's RC? The shifter karts are about 5-10K aren't they? Kart racing looks llike a blast.

More fun that you could ever imagine, I don't think anything in a car will ever compare. You're looking at 5-10k depending on if you go used or new with the shifter karts. I still have my kart, but things get obsolete fast, so I might as well not even have it, unless I want to terrorize the neighborhood :p

RC is radio controlled.

How can you get the same rush sitting still as you can blazing around a track? I know the RC cars you are talking about are high-end (not like my son's NASCAR thingy he got for x-mas) but still.....

I have a friend who races his Boxter S (has his license) and had the same complaints as the above with auto-x, but another one who auto-x his Miata and enjoys it.

The upfront/maintenence/tire costs (and potential damage losses) with formal racing make kart racing seem like a better alternative for me, I'm going to look into it.

If you can afford karting, by all means DO IT! But keep in mind damage in autox is a very rare occurence other than wear and tear. In the end karting is probably more expensive because you still have the expense of tires blueprinting motors, extra parts and pipes, racing suits and shoes, keeping up with the latest technology, etc etc...

Autox you're just tossing some extra goodies on your daily driver, or a car that you drive on the roads at the very least. It still has pratical uses and you can enjoy it and the upgrades whenever you like. The kart has one place, and that's the track, there's nothing practical about it.

I don't know how to describe the rush I get from RC racing, but it's there and there's even a feeling of speed. It's a totally different feeling of speed, but still a very satisfying one. There's a ton of skill involved in both, and the preparing of the RC car is a lot more fun and hands on (unless we're talking making a real car into a dedicated track car), but the goal is the same. Make it faster, and make it handle better.

How fast do RC cars go, are they gas-powered?

RC cars and model airplanes (even more so) are cool and require a deft touch to make them go fast.

But... Ike, just get a Leopard-powered kart (they'll be legal at Badger this year) and you'll spend less upfront and not have to put a boat load of money into it (apart from tires).

Karts = cool. :)

BTW Ike, what kind of kart you have? I won't get my shifter out to the autocrosses until June or July (I finish my masters in June) but I'll be out at Miller Park in it.

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
How can you get the same rush sitting still as you can blazing around a track? I know the RC cars you are talking about are high-end (not like my son's NASCAR thingy he got for x-mas) but still.....



I think he's talking about a competitive rush, right Ike? I have found that the cheapest type of motor racing is cross country (trail riding) with your buddies. You get a competitive and adrenaline rush. We used to race each other on streetbikes on the rural backroads on sundays, but it turned a out to be costly and deadly at the end. We moved it to the track, but I still get the "butterflies" in my stomach when I think about those Sunday rides.

Originally posted by desmo996
I think he's talking about a competitive rush, right Ike? I have found that the cheapest type of motor racing is cross country (trail riding) with your buddies. You get a competitive and adrenaline rush. We used to race each other on streetbikes on the rural backroads on sundays, but it turned a out to be costly and deadly at the end. We moved it to the track, but I still get the "butterflies" in my stomach when I think about those Sunday rides.

It's that ducati that's ruined it - if you want to keep your need for speed on 4 practical wheels, you can't ever ride a 2-wheel rocket :)

Originally posted by noahprtlnd
How fast do RC cars go, are they gas-powered?

It depends on how much you want to spend, what class you want to race in, and how good you are. Even the slower electric classes for touring cars are going to be faster than any new driver will be able to handle, it takes quite a bit of practice to get clean lines down regularly and really be consitent at doing so. Some are gas, some are electric, the gas is more expensive and generally faster. It's not all that uncommon for the gas cars to reach 70+ with non oval electric cars being around half that fast. Oval electric cars can reach speeds of 80mph+ and there are drag cars and gas cars that go much faster.

Racerdave, don't tempt me... I used to race Dino Karts, which if you've been around for a while you probably have heard of... Are you running PCR, it seems that was always a big Kart for the WI guys. Are you able to keep up with Dan Cyr at Miller Park, I'm not sure how he does in other formats but he's damn fast on a solo2 course.

Desmo is right, it's the competitive rush, and I've always found that it's a similar rush whether you're behind the wheel or a radio transmitter.

I've heard of Dino. No, I run a Tony variant called the Trulli (made totally by TonyKart).

Dan? Not yet. :)

He is the reigning F125 Solo II National Champion. :)

Last year was my first in a shifter. A lot to learn, but I wasn't DFL! :) (ever)

Cool Dino and Tonykart were the top two italian karts back in the day though Dino seems to have died off some. Yeah I know Dan is the SoloII champ, it's gotta be kind of daunting but at the same time it will make you better trying to keep up with him. Are you going to race the whole series next year? I'm sure I'll see you out there (most likely I'll just be spectating :(), and I'll stop by and say hello if you don't mind.

Ike

I'll be only out in late June or early July for the first time. You should be able to identify me by the helmet (my kart # is 13). I'll keep an eye out!

For the money, AutoX is in no way near economical if you are simply comparing seat time.

However, after AutoXing I went into NASA HPDE events. This is possibly the next step from a daily driver perspective. I found that driving at high speed around a race track was a breeze compared to the skill required to win AutoX events. And since it is a non competitive format you can still keep costs down while having a blast.

Now if you have the money, or like me who was lucky enough to be able to drive someone else's Shifter Kart, this IS racing at it's finest. And the adrenaline rush is amazing.

Stick to the AutoX for economy and technique though. While HPDE events are a better bang for the buck, at ~$200 per event the AutoX is still cheap. Run in the Stock class as it is fairly competitive with the RX8 and the cheapest of the classes to compete in.

And find that National guy to drive your car. You'll find your rush in trying to beat him.
;)

Originally posted by AlexCisneros
I found that driving at high speed around a race track was a breeze compared to the skill required to win AutoX events.To quote a T-shirt I once saw:AUTOCROSSING
If it was any easier, they'd call it racing.