Have you recently grown curious about Autocross and want to participate in one? Despite wanting to participate, since you are new to this, you must still have some lack of clarity regarding how to drive Autocross. No worries, we have prepared this article just for you!
For all the rookie Autocross enthusiasts and drivers, we will guide you on how to ace this competition and avoid the most common beginner mistakes. Once you are done, you can register for your nearest autocross event and stun everyone with your basic knowledge. Therefore, keep reading until the end!
Table of Contents
Setting Up the Car
Your primary weapon to participate in an Autocross race is your car. Therefore, it should be in tiptop shape before the actual event. Here are some ways you should prepare your vehicle before the big day:
Checking Tire Pressure
First and foremost, check the pressure of the tires. This is an essential step since quality autocross tires play a vital role in the race. Using chalk, you can do this — mark the tires on their shoulders to check their rollover distance. If the length covered is too much, you should pump more air.
In case of rainy or chill weather, you should lessen the air inside the tires to enjoy better hold over the car. On the other hand, if you plan to understeer, you can increase the air on the front tires. And if you want to oversteer, you can lessen the pressure on the rear tires.
Checking Fuel
It is crucial to have a full tank while attempting these types of races since you need to drive at a reasonable speed to step ahead of your competitors. Therefore, check the fuel tank to see if it is half empty or more, and refill it before you go.
Checking the Car
Lastly, do a proper check of your car to avoid any unfortunate mishaps on the race track. For example, see the wheel bearings and check if it is loose in any way. It would help if you also remembered to take everything out from the trunk of the vehicle to avoid anything inside scratching the interior while the car is moving fast.
Common Rookie Mistakes
When you go into something inexperienced, it is normal to not know the task in and out and make some common mistakes. In the case of Autocross, avoiding such rookie mistakes might help you gain a good outcome out of the race since many drivers might be beginners like you.
So here are some tips and tricks on how to avoid them:
Getting Lost
The most common blunder most new drivers make is not studying the track before attempting the actual race. As a result, they often get lost midway and end up losing the race. So make sure to walk around the track beforehand to mentally map it.
Not Looking Ahead
A lot of times, inexperienced drivers focus on what’s right in front of them and their current position instead of looking a bit ahead. But in Autocross, since everyone is driving fast, it is necessary to always look a bit ahead to avoid making sudden brakes.
Conclusion
Driving Autocross isn’t too difficult once you get the feel of it. And after reading this article, we hope your question, “How to drive Autocross?” has been perfectly answered!