hey what up guys, im about to turn 18 in a few days. And as a present from my folks, I asked them if they could pay for autocross classes, or performance driving school, or something like that. I would take the 8 with me. I live in Chicago, Illinois. Does anyone know how i can get started, or where i can go. Thanks alot.

 

Try skipbarber.com and scca.org.

SCCA organizes amateur racing here in the states, from auto-x to wheel-to-wheel, ranging from run-what-you-brung to spec series and open-wheelers.

Skip Barber is a biz venture of well, Skip Barber, ex-race driver and author of "Going Faster" (I highly suggest the book... it's a great read and educational tool)

For auto-x, the best bet is scca.org.

Welcome to the madness, btw.. it's a sickness, these little motors, they are... :D

o.O I find it refreshing you came in asking about auto-x and getting schooled properly.. instead of "H0w c4n eye m4ke m0r3 Powah! Kudos!

I haven't autox'd the 8 yet, but by all accounts, it's a very nice buggy for killing cones. :D

 

The 8 does do well for killing cones. I have taken a few out myslef. It is a lot of fun, and for the most part, can take what i throw at it. It is nice not having too much torque, i can stay on the gas, when one of the guys with a turbo 8 kicks the tail out too much. You will have fun, and it is like crack, very addicting. :D

 

Anyone know a rough estimate auto-x schools would cost you?

Maybe in the future I'll take a class and I'll impress the instructors with my aw3s0m3 sk1llz0rz.
......

Just kidding. But I am looking into Auto-X

 

I went to a school from the Chicago Region SCCA, www.scca-chicago.com , in April. They run an autocross school in Joliet for beginners at the start of every season. It was 2 full days for $100.

Skip barber has driving and racing schools all summer at Road America which range from $700-3500 for a class, they provide the car.

Once a month or so Autoweek has a driving school advertising section with a lot of good programs. I dont remember anything else in the Chicago area. See if you can get ahold of one of these or search their website I think it is www.autoweek.com .

Hope this helps

 

Put some cones in an empty parking lot and save yourself a couple hundred dollars.

 

I think everyone else has got you covered as far as where to start with autocrossing/racing, so I'll just say that I really hope I turn out like this guy when I get older.

 

Hey, I just auto x'ed the 8 this past weekend. You REALLY appreciate the car after running it. It handles. HANDLES. I may try to go to a racing school too.

 

Checkout evolution schools. Phase 1 and 2 are pretty good, but its expensive.
http://www.autocross.com/evolution/

Also check out the...

Audi, BMW, NASA, Vette, and Mazda clubs in your area. The bigger clubs almost always have DE events at the track. I'm a bmwclub and audiclub member, and I own a mazda .

 

http://silvereightstudio.com/autocross.html

link to my in-car vid from this past weekend's auto-x. way too much fun.

 

It sounds expensive up front, but my local SCCA charges $25 member/$35 nonmember for an autoX event. Depending on attendence you usually get 4 runs, and sometimes 5 runs. This is about 3~4 minutes of seat time.

Evolution charged $200. During which time I got 30+ (lost count) runs, so seat time alone ended up costing $6.67/min vs $6.25~8.33/$8.75~11.67/min (est member/nonmember). PLUS another 5 or 6 runs with the instructor driving and explaining what they're doing. PLUS expert instruction. PLUS doughnuts and bagels for breakfast and hoagies for lunch.

I can't over emphasize the value of getting multiple runs back to back, along with instruction and suggestions. AutoX by itself is valuable, but if you're making a mistake, you'll just keep making the same mistake over and over.

I'm a MUCH better AutoXer due to Evo, and can't wait to take my next class.

 

ive done the EVO school 2 times, gives you a lot of stuff you can use out on the track or on the streets to help keep you and everyone else safer.

while schools are a good way to help learn/cram knowledge in, just going out to an autox event, ~20-40 bucks most places, you can pick up things riding/talking with other drivers, and you can start to learn your limits as well as your cars.

class is good, but it all comes down to seat-time IMO, the more you got, the better you get.

im a student now, going to be a teacher, and I fully plan on starting a autox club for the jr/sr at the highschool i work at. drivers ed is ok, but the first time you lock up the wheels in a car trying to stop, or start to slide on a wet/icy road, it will scare the s**t out of you....its something new youve never felt! i think if more people had the ability to drive a car over 10/10ths in a safe/controled enviornment the roads would be a safer place.

 

I'd settle for people actually stopping at lights, using turn signals and not crossing 2 sets of double yellows when making a left turn at an intersection. There's an intersection near me that people always feel they have the right of way to make a left over the oncoming traffic going straight. It's not such a busy intersection that they'll miss their turn if they wait. They usually don't use their turn signals either. Some bad accidents there.

I always shake my head at the people who stop at a red light, and then eventually end up 10 feet into the intersection as they either don't keep their foot on the brake, or keep getting ready to anticipate the light. Invariably the light changes and it takes them 2 seconds to wake up!

 

looks like there wont be any evolution classes till next year. And the scca seems to have events, but no classes. Id be kinda freaked out to just get in there...

 

I will give you the benefit of the doubt, and assume that you're joking with this.

 

If by getting into autocross with no training, unless you don't know how to drive a car pretty hard, it is not that big a deal. Last weekend, there were two trucks, and a kid in a 2000 accord sedan, stock. It is just fun. ANd it gives you an opportunity to drive in a way that would get you a fat ticket in most places.

 

Excellent advice! Autocross is fun whether you know what you're doing or not. And, by doing some autocrosses before you ever do a school, what they teach you in the school will be a lot more useful, since you'll have a context for the teaching. And (again) you'll get a chance to see if you enjoy autocross, which is not for everyone--it's very technically demanding, quite difficult to excel at, and there's a lot of standing around time compared to driving time.

Autocross also is quite safe, since you will rarely go over 50mph. It's much more about car control than just about throttle.

 

You have good instincts. :D

 

but dont you have to buy a helmet that costs a couple of hundred dollars?

 

You do need a helmet, but there are helmets out there for 100 bucks and less. they just need to be M2000 rated for autocross use. And here in our region, they have loaners for use the day of the event, as long as you don't mind swapping sweat with a bunch of other people.

 

Since you're in Chicago, you could try contacting the Windy City Miata Club -- they have a pretty active bunch of autocrossers. Miata club people are usually very friendly and willing to help out a newcomer, even if she's got an OTM (Other than Miata). Webpage: Windy City Miata Club AutoX

 

Also one of the best things at autox's...riding with other drivers! Make some friends, go for a ride along. Its awesome. Its better (and lasts far longer) then most rollercoasters. Some of the truely preped autox cars will HURT you from g forces. Its some of the best fun you can ever have in a car.

Thats one of the biggest disadvantages to the track I've seen thus far. You're only allowed to ride along with instructors, which really limits your chances of getting into the 360 Ferrari .

And I concur on the evo school. It was hella useful. I think I got about 39 runs. The nicest thing about evo is they time each section. So you can see how you improved in various ways, and see where your also losing the most time. Having the instructor drive your car is also eye opening...it immediately shows you how little effect most mods have on the car, until the driver is able to utilize them.

The greatest reason to autox is safety. Driver ed courses and license tests never teach you the things you need to know...like how to recover from a fishtail, a skid, when you hydroplane, spin out...etc etc. The first time most people get any experience in recovering a car from a potentially hostile situation is when they're heading towards a guard rail, or into a tree. Not the best time to try and learn.

 

Chicago Region SCCA has loaner helmets. Next event is July 24th @ Rt 66 Raceway south of Joliet.
http://www.scca-chicago.com/
I've been a member for 25 years.

 

Amen :D

It's a blast kicking the tail out though.

Jamie

 

^^he is the turbo 8, he was always about two cars behind me, and I could hear him skidding as I was driving. :D