BadBrad Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Adrenaline doesn't have to come from fear. Autocross involves you driving between traffic cones, a mistake typically only causes a scuff on your paint. Yet you get really pumped after a fantastic run and are usually breathing hard.Not quite - sold my Miata for an S2000. ;) Do I know you from autocross? PM or email me, you have both disabled in your profile. Not to drift the thread too much, but I am a motorsports enthusiast as well. I've done SCCA club racing and autocross since 1995. Road raced in showroom stock (SSGT MR2 Turbo, SSB MR2, SSC Miata), ITA (Miata), ITS (RX7), Spec RX7, and Spec Miata. Autocrossed various Miatas, MR2s, BMW M3, BMW 330i, and a few others, mostly in stock class. I've owned 5 Miatas but when I became a dad I decided I needed a family sedan, so I sold the Miatas and the racecar, wheels, tires, hardtop, trailer, etc. and bought a 2004 BMW 330i with the ZHP performance package. Nice street car, and I usually win my local D-stock autocross class in it too. A good autocross run can be a big thrill, and I've even been shaking after a run before, but it still can't match the adrenaline rush of wheel-to-wheel racing. Here's the family sedan in action. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Taking the discussion out of this thread: http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=228107#post228107 I can't decide if I like car racing because it reminds me of carving, or if I like carving because it reminds me of car racing. :) Not to drift the thread too much, but I am a motorsports enthusiast as well. I've done SCCA club racing and autocross since 1995. Road raced in showroom stock (SSGT MR2 Turbo, SSB MR2, SSC Miata), ITA (Miata), ITS (RX7), Spec RX7, and Spec Miata. Autocrossed various Miatas, MR2s, BMW M3, BMW 330i, and a few others, mostly in stock class. I've owned 5 Miatas but when I became a dad I decided I needed a family sedan, so I sold the Miatas and the racecar, wheels, tires, hardtop, trailer, etc. and bought a 2004 BMW 330i with the ZHP performance package. Nice street car, and I usually win my local D-stock autocross class in it too.A good autocross run can be a big thrill, and I've even been shaking after a run before, but it still can't match the adrenaline rush of wheel-to-wheel racing. Here's the family sedan in action. Cool! With the Tire Rack stickers I assume you've done some Tour events or even Nationals, true? Me at nationals, finished 8th in a class of 58 in A-Stock: http://gotcone.com/pgallery//images/2008_scca_tirerack_solo_national_championships_topeka__ks/as/img_3562.jpg I did wheel-to-wheel ice racing, but the costs and time required were too much for my level of desire. Plus being in the winter it really cut into my snowboarding time. Although there's nothing like being sideways at 90 mph on ice with standard winter tires - in a pack! Open Studded class was even faster/crazier yet but I got sick of the car breaking all the time... Studded tires put a LOT of extra load into the axles. Autocross is my passion though, I find it much more addictive. I started in 2000 in a Ford Focus. Then a Miata, the aforementioned 500 hp Camaro, and now an S2000. I also run the local autocross school, that's very rewarding both in helping people develop themselves and getting to drive a wide variety of cars. Nothing like hopping out of a Chevy Aveo and into a Porsche 911 to sharpen your focus! I've got a bunch of videos up on www.YouTube.com, search for 'coreydyck'. Who else is into amateur car racing? I know Allee used to race autocross/gymkhana back in the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martyagt4 Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 I like carving because it reminds me of racing. Love the Gs and speed, just like a good track day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadBrad Posted January 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Hey, great job on finishing in the trophies at Nationals, and nice S2000! That photo of me was taken at the DC ProSolo, hence the Tire Rack sticker. I usually win locally, but I'm mid-pack at the national level events. At the DC Pro I was in the trophies after the first heat, but was overtaken in the later heats. The AWD cars had a huge advantage at the start, gaining nearly 1/2 second per side over my one-wheel-drive car. That's 1 sec. total, which was the difference between first and 11th place. However, I think a Type R ended up on top, so I can't totally blame my start disadvantage, although the Type has a limited slip and I don't. My car is totally stock except for tires and front swaybar, plus it has all the heavy options that make it a nice street car (sunroof, xenon headlights, leather, heated seats, fold-down rear seats, premium stereo, etc.). It would probably do better with some good shocks and a cat-back exhaust. I'm not as dedicated to the sport as I used to be. Now I just do half a dozen or so local autocrosses, and if there is a local ProSolo I'll do that too. As a new dad, and with a wife who doesn't enjoy motorsports, even that is tough to do these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 True enough, it takes a lot of time. I'd love to do a ProSolo, sounds like a really fun event. The S2000 is amazingly fun but the rear diff can't handle repeated hard launches, so maybe it's a good thing I haven't made it to a ProSolo event. Unfortunately SCCA removed all the 'close' (under 8 hours drive) Tour events, so we're left with Nationals in Lincoln, NE at around a 10 hour drive. Luckily our local series is amazingly competitive, and the guy that finished 2nd in AS will be co-driving with me. (For the record: I beat him in our local series. ;) I predict he's going to beat me in 09 though.) I worked DS at Nationals. It's amazing how quiet all the BMWs are and how annoyingly loud the Type Rs are! It's a tough battle you guys have, and the 09 WRX may shake things up even further. Two weekends ago I was carving down a nice blue run, pulling some healthy G's in a mid-radius toeside turn. I caught a little icy patch with a bump that kicked the tail out into a slide. Pulling that back in line felt EXACTLY like having a little surprise oversteer on the track in a very responsive car. Whee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdyno Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 I managed to do a track day in my 2007 GTI before I sold it. It was at Shannonville on the Pro track. There was another DSG GTI that was chipped with an exhaust and we had fun chasing each other all day. He had me on the back straight but I spent many a lap on bikes there so I always reeled him in. I would like to try autocross or SCCA type racing, I just need to get a house first. And a garage and a super moto bike and a welder and oh nevermind, this list could get quite long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadBrad Posted January 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 I worked DS at Nationals. It's amazing how quiet all the BMWs are and how annoyingly loud the Type Rs are! It's a tough battle you guys have, and the 09 WRX may shake things up even further. I think the '09 WRX is going to be a very good DS car. I was seriously thinking of buying one. It has better power and acceleration than my BMW, is a lot lighter, and has AWD. It would also make a good family vehicle with the versatility of a 5-door hatchback and the AWD. But my BMW is such a nice street car that I'm afraid I'd regret selling it. I used to own a '97 M3 and I still miss that car. Here is a link to some photos of my racecars, including the Spec Miata that I built in my garage. I did all the work except for the cage fabrication. The 3 photo albums are listed in the lower left of this link: Racecar stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigdyno Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Has anyone driven the 135 yet? I almost bought one but delivery was too far off and I have this stuff called snow that hangs around here. I spent two winters in the GTI and swore not to do another, in Bruce county anyway (Ontario along the east shore of Huron) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zone Posted January 16, 2009 Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 For you guys racers, how is the thrill of your car racing vs. karting? Asking because I can get into karting a lot easier (and cheaper) than car racing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadBrad Posted January 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 Has anyone driven the 135 yet? I almost bought one but delivery was too far off and I have this stuff called snow that hangs around here. I spent two winters in the GTI and swore not to do another, in Bruce county anyway (Ontario along the east shore of Huron) I haven't driven one, but they have proven to be very competitive in D-stock. Compared to my 330i, which is a decent DS car, they have less weight and lots more power and torque and can fit wider tires under the fenders. They have won some national level events, but didn't do great at Nationals. The Nationals surface is low grip and the 135i doesn't have a limited slip, and I think that is what hurt it. I'd love to have one, but a new BMW is out of my price range. Even the used 2004 model was a financial stretch for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadBrad Posted January 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2009 For you guys racers, how is the thrill of your car racing vs. karting? Asking because I can get into karting a lot easier (and cheaper) than car racing. Karting can give huge fun for the buck. On an autocross course the only thing faster than a F125 kart is a top-level A-mod car. Most Formula 1 and Indy car drivers started in karts and still drive them during the off season to maintain their car control skills. I've thought about getting a kart, but I have back issues and I don't think my back could take it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonyblaze87 Posted January 19, 2009 Report Share Posted January 19, 2009 i love snowboards racing its my life>>>> and the only other thing that even relates is auto raceing thats why i got myself a mazdas3 its quick lil car and it eats up the roads Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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