Great video about Autocross

ProDarwin wrote: It very much is as Bobzilla described, for better or worse. How people enjoy spending free time changes over the years and some people just don't enjoy it as much any more, or they enjoy it more and get crazy into it.

Agreed. I took a year off in the middle. Was fighting a C4 that gave me fits, no free time, surgeries etc. Just made me miss it and hte people even more. Dove back in the following year and have been going strong since. I imagine there will be another time when I need to take a break.... but I"m not there yet.

Bobzilla wrote: You work for an hour on course, you spend an hour running in one heat getting 3-6 runs. You spend the day joking and laughing and having fun with like minded individuals. Look, if you are ONLY there to make 3 runs and that is it your're missing 99% of the appeal of this sport. The people make it. I go to spend time with friends around cars. The bonus is I get to make a handful of runs flat out. HEll, I've gone to events to not even run but help out and spend time with those same friends.

/\ What he said /\

Autocross is great... but I feel like once you do a legit track day, autocross feels like the kiddie pool. You can still splash around and have fun, but you'd rather be in the big pool, jumping off the high dive, etc.

I know its not a fair comparison because the two are very different, I.E. someone who is fast at autocross wont necessarily be fast on a track, and vice versa.

I echo what others have said. Its much more fun to go all out on a track day, come in and chill/cool off/grab a bite to eat while the other group runs, then go back and do it again, rather than do 3 laps then have to work the course for an hour.

Drift events are another thing entirely, and they're always a blast. Getting sideways at all in autocross is extremely frowned upon (at least where I'm at), and they'll throw you out if you dont stop after your first warning. Drift events, you can basically go nuts and do whatever you want, granted you arent hitting fences or spewing oil.

But that is exactly what ends up happening, and then its all the more entertaining.

Anyways, there is a lot of grey area, because some tracks wont cater well to your car, and some autocross courses can be an absolute blast to drive. If you're in a stock miata, a fast track with lots of long straights wont necessarily be the most exciting thing for you. On the flip side, if you drive a twin turbo lambo or something, and your never able to get above 3000 rpm in first gear because the autocross course is too small, you'll probably get bored.

Murphy's Law #278:

For every autocross post, there will be an opposing track day post.

For me the difference is largely in competition and budget. I can compete at an autocross or rallycross and fight for the win in my class and sometimes overall. I cannot 'win' a track day, though i do want to start doing them to see what its like. And I cannot afford wheel to wheel anything besides rental carts right now.

The fact that i find autocross and its atmosphere really fun is a bonus.

This is pretty much where I am. Even with an inexpensive car road racing is well out of my budget. Entry fees, safety gear, etc. is just too big of a financial outlay for me. Hopefully when the time comes I can find some good autox groups to fall into.

RedGT wrote: For me the difference is largely in competition and budget. I can compete at an autocross or rallycross and fight for the win in my class and sometimes overall. I cannot 'win' a track day, though i do want to start doing them to see what its like. And I cannot afford wheel to wheel anything besides rental carts right now. The fact that i find autocross and its atmosphere really fun is a bonus.

In reply to Desmond:

I've done autocross and track days and couldn't disagree more. If there's a sense in which autocross feels like "the kiddie pool", its only the reduced likelihood of balling up your vehicle. Personally, I get no enjoyment out of the thought that I might have to flat-bed my vehicle home. Before you assume I'm a pansy, I've headed into turn 11 at Gingerman at 90+ . . . in the rain . . . and didn't get the same heart rate bump I do waiting for the go signal at the start of a large course autocross. Certainly you get more seat time at a HPDE, but, in my experience at least, it never has the same level of intensity. My experience regarding speed is contrary to yours as well, fast is fast. I've done track days and autocross with the same group of drivers and the ones who are fast are usually fast at both venues.

Never really investigated drift, because Miata or FWD.

Comes down to preference. I'll still do occasional track days, but just for variety, not for any need to "play in the adults pool".

Fair enough. Sometimes I'm grumpy and just start typing, but yeah, everyone's situation and likes are different, I get that. I guess I posted what I did because the video (I felt) was a bit over-the-top regarding how amped-up and high-energy autocrosses are - not. My counterpoint was that while the driving is fun, there's far more not driving that's happening. While I left out my own take on autocross vs track day events, as others have said, after my first track day event, that became my main focus, but again, that's just me. Celebrate diversity!

I have finally started adding track day's to my schedule. Up to this point we have taken advantage of the Southern California SCCA auto cross events that provide an all day practice on Saturday and competition on Sunday that has you work/run in the morning or afternoon.

Now that our youngest has started running in the "FJ" program, karts for kids that runs each event after lunch, we do have a bit of a thrash but the goal is to have a family weekend. My son has made friends with all of kids running at the events. His parents have gained recourses to keep his kart not only running but when it's obvious that his father is completely clueless someone has step up and helped.

When auto crossing I drive the car at the limit, yes a limit based on second gear and "stock"tires. When given the change to take passengers, I get their attention. On the track, again on "stock"tires, I find my self looking forward to the corners, but the straight sections not so much. If I'm not careful I'll start thinking of track days as an exercise of acceleration, braking and hanging on in the corners. The squishy, compliant suspension is telling me lots about what the car is doing, the rev-limiter is reminding me that I should have shifted earlier and I can get going to the point that I get my own attention.

But yes when they open up the passing points, you are hooked. And it would be that much better if my car could get to that next corner a lot faster. And I had tires that....