May 3, 2014 St. Augustine Autocross
The first autocross that I participated in this year and it rained on and off for the whole event. Couple the wet conditions with the fact that 10 feet off the track is water over a foot deep and you get some cautious driving. Odd that I turned out my personal best time ever (wet or dry) on lap 6. But here's the breakdown of the day:
Tire pressure: 35PSI on all corners
Car mileage: 101,668 miles
Gas tank: full
Outside temperature: 63*F
Track Orientation: Forward
Lap 1: 51.865 seconds
Lap 2: 52.989 seconds
Lap 3: 50.663 seconds
Lap 4: 49.135 seconds
Lap 5: 49.214 seconds
Lap 6: 47.484 seconds - currently fastest personal track lap
Tire pressure: 35PSI on all corners
Car mileage: 101,668 miles
Gas tank: full
Outside temperature: 63*F
Track Orientation: Forward
Lap 1: 51.865 seconds
Lap 2: 52.989 seconds
Lap 3: 50.663 seconds
Lap 4: 49.135 seconds
Lap 5: 49.214 seconds
Lap 6: 47.484 seconds - currently fastest personal track lap
At every event, I try to improve and I try to learn something new. The more experienced driver's are happy to share their knowledge and techniques so sometimes it's best to just stand there and listen.
So what did I learn at this event? STAB the brakes HARD before a turn. This isn't street driving like we are used to every day, commuting back and forth to work. Keep the speed up as long as possible, then punch the brakes and be reapplying power as you exit the apex of a turn. My last 3 runs were more in line with this method and my last lap was a over a 3 second improvement compared to my first three laps, where I was gentler in my braking. Three seconds is an eternity in autocrossing. And remember, this was on WET pavement.
I'm hoping for a dry track at the next event to see if this method continues to work!
So what did I learn at this event? STAB the brakes HARD before a turn. This isn't street driving like we are used to every day, commuting back and forth to work. Keep the speed up as long as possible, then punch the brakes and be reapplying power as you exit the apex of a turn. My last 3 runs were more in line with this method and my last lap was a over a 3 second improvement compared to my first three laps, where I was gentler in my braking. Three seconds is an eternity in autocrossing. And remember, this was on WET pavement.
I'm hoping for a dry track at the next event to see if this method continues to work!