A National Champ Autocrossed My Evo VIII. What I learned - How to Autocross Faster Relaunched EP2

[@dakatonaanme]

This push to increase my personal "comfort zone" with the car, is absolutely the most interesting of intellectual struggles. Your video defined my internal struggle.

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

So true. Autocross truly is a mental game with rules. Get your brain right and follow the rules of driving fast and it magically works out.

[@mjenx86]

My local autocross tracks are smaller so average speed is slower, which makes your point about "Less distance > More speed" even more important! If 60mph is 88 ft/sec, then 30mph is 44 ft/sec, which means you will add 1/10 seconds for just 4.4 feet of extra distance! Wow!

[@mjenx86]

Love your videos by the way! Thanks for taking the time to make and edit all these videos to benefit the sport and the other drivers! Cheers!

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

Generally speaking, except in some cases, the shortest line wins!

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

@@mjenx86 thanks, Mark! It’s the hobby inside the hobby. Hah. I just hope to help someone learn in one season what took me years to figure out!

[@rigidjunkie]

Someone told me years ago, you have to be comfortable at 11 tenths and you have to go there consistently. If you don’t go to 11, you never really know where 10 is. But if you go 15 tenths you learn very little. The key is finding the limit and staying very close to it. I always went from 8 to 15 and could never find 10 and 11. After years of practice I’m pretty good at it. The amazing thing is when you develop that ability you can go fast in new to you cars very quickly.

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

You're absolutely right. Top F1 drivers, for example, are at the top because they can find that 10 very quickly and stay there consistently. The same goes for champion autocrossers. Whereas mere mortals, such as myself, flounder about at an 8 trying to build up the courage to push the narrow pedal on the right further down! LOL. Next season...

[@rigidjunkie]

@@EvolutionAutocrosser exactly why everybody was mad about Alonso getting to test with the young drivers. Once you do it you should be able to just do it. I wish I knew the GoPro data trick. I am teaching a friend to autoX and that data would have been awesome to compare runs.

[@aroundomaha]

This is exactly the kind of discussion I’ve been looking for! I also rewatch Vivek Goel’s beyond seat time videos.

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

Thank you, David. It certainly takes a bit of bravery to be fast - even in a parking lot. On the flip side - don't be a foolish hero. Crashing is still possible at an autocross.

[@aroundomaha]

@@EvolutionAutocrosser I tend to under drive but then swing to the limit due to frustration and probably lack of fundamental car control. I’ve seen some mishaps though and my car is set up conservatively. Good tires and a 26mm RSB make my GTI a riot on course, but not as risky as some setups.

[@benmartinez399]

Don't give yourself such a hard time but keep working at it, even someone that has been driving auto cross for 32 years with 2 National's Championships I ask other National Champion to drive my car, your right.. how do you know if your too that level of driving. Also I didn't go to my first National's until my 12th year of auto cross so you have time.

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

Thanks Ben I really appreciate that. Makes me feel a bit better about my progress. If I can just put into practice what I’ve learned, I’m literally one step away from being at that level. One giant step - but one step just the same.

[@johnloflin8881]

I’m binge watching videos..😀😀👍👍

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@kenstephens2955]

Can I suggest that you have enough experience to go to ‘the dark side’. Why not try deliberately overdriving (within limits) so you get to experience your car and yourself in that regime and expand your comfort level in this way? With love, Ken

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

Thank you, Ken. When I first started I drove too fast all the time. My first event I wagged the tail and spun out. In the following events I would blow through corners and take out walls of cones. It was only after I learned to slow down and focus on the line that I started to do better. That said, I admit that I do tend to under drive the car a bit now so I agree that it's time I start putting more power and speed back in to the fundamentals I've learned to really drop those times! Jeremy

[@ClaytonYatescarenthusiast]

I was always an over driver and dialing that back has been the magic for me. Love your videos. Thanks I've been watching your videos for a long time

[@morganmotorsports4220]

It is much easier to teach someone to be fast who starts out constantly over the limit, than it is to nurse someone up from a comfortable zone. You had an advantage!

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

Glad to help. I hope to make more videos this year one I emerge from my pandemic cocoon.

[@dcarden3031]

Buy adjustable coil overs and set them per each course it's would it spend the money don't go cheap. It's the best advice I can give a autocross/road racer that's looking for more speed and lower times.

[@BmacRDX]

I think for most of us (the good, but not national winners or trophy finishers), seat time with a capable co-driver is paramount to improvement. You can look at data from other people's cars all you want from the same course/event, but it's only so valuable. 2020 was really tough for that, as I had planned multiple co-driving events and Evo School back before the pandemic hit.

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

Co-driving and ride-alongs are both great ways to learn. I agree with you on that. I learned so much by riding along with great drivers. They showed me things I didn't know the car could do. But I also feel that the data has a way of showing you things that are hard to explain or can't be easily visualized until you see the data. At least that's how I feel about it. Thanks for the thoughts and stay tuned for more!

[@BmacRDX]

@@EvolutionAutocrosser definitely, though having spent a lot of this year comparing data, it's hard to do with cars of quite different capabilities.

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

@@BmacRDX I agree. It's almost pointless to compare two completely different cars. Although you can learn about the different benefits and capabilities of the different cars.

[@berkeleygang1834]

I've known for the past two seasons I need to get out of my comfort zone and get closer to the limits. I daily my STR prepped '07 Miata, but I think I'm used to the grip levels I have on my street tires vs. the grip available on my Auto-X tires. It'll be interesting to see how you raise your personal limit. Bucaneer Region (SCCA) allows co-drivers but no passengers during the pandemic. We've allowed passengers in the past. Porsche and Corvette Club have not allowed passengers. even before the pandemic.

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

My personal strategy is to get more comfortable with winding the car out in to higher RPMs and trying to carry just a little more speed through turns in slaloms. I'll also make sure that I'm slowly and gradually adding in just a little more speed over time and only when the situation is safe - no curbs, light poles, things like that to crash in to. Hopefully over time of doing that I can retrain my brain as to what the upper limit is and drive at that limit more consistently.

[@joshuagorman7856]

Fairly new to autox, on my 2nd year of a full season (about 20 total events). After starting at the bottom of N and then placing 1st in N multiple times I made the move into CAMC with some fast guys. Ive noticed the more ride alongs I have with faster people and letting others ride along with me I tend to do better at those events. Ive been considering letting one of our regions directors (much faster than me) codrive my car an event. Thought about it and its a win win situation. If he puts up a much better time than me, than It just shows me where I can improve. If I match or put up a better time than itll be a light ego boost that im not leaving too much time on the table. Id prefer the 1st outcome just so that I have more to work on. But also Id like to know if he thinks my setup can improve with some minor tweaks to the suspension, alignment, sway bars etc.. so i messaged him and we're set to codrive in 2 weeks! Im both excited and nervous but itll be a great learning experience regardless

[@Zewerr]

I can think of a time Mr. Foley drove out of his comfort zone.

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

Lol. Brutal.

[@fcsantiel]

Thank you

[@mwhitney86]

keep up the good work

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

Appreciate the encouragement

[@pontiaco]

Thanks for the videos, I'm going on my 3rd autocross event and the problem I'm having is not been able to read the cones fast enough, I know I'm just starting and maybe age and bills got something to do with that, I be looking at videos but when I get to autocross I'm all confused about reading the cones, any suggestions . I have a 2018 camaro 1LE, so I know the car can hang with most of this guys, I just get lost out there! I let some of the intructors drive my car and they get some killer times,thanks guys

[@oateater5044]

I think this is one of those experience things. It gets better with seat time. In the meantime, do as many course walks as you're allowed. I'd even suggest coursewalking after the event to compare what you saw at high speed with what you see when walking. Also, the first runs of the day need to not be DNF if at all possible. This means driving SLOW to startthen adding speed on each subsequent run as your confidence in the path increases. When new, I've also had instructors ride with me and just point the whole time to ensure I'm finding the path.

[@kolehobbs9336]

Do you go to lone star park in grand prairie?

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

Yes. The autocross runs in this video were from an event at Lone Star Park.

[@kolehobbs9336]

@@EvolutionAutocrosser yo I’ve seen Jeremy out there I was in a 2001 bmw 330i silver with red rims. I parked over by Blake Pomykal. I have been using his old pirelli slicks

[@PiroFyre]

What program did you use to combine the top and bottom videos like that? I just had a 4 time national champ drive my car and on a 30 sec course, he put over a 1 sec gap on me and we even corded the tires that day so those 71Rs were pretty much done.

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

I do all my video editing with Adobe Premier Pro. You just need to crop and stack the two videos. Cropping out the extra sky is what makes it work.

[@3rdGenGuy]

Unfortunately instructors can't drive other's cars in my state right now. huge letdown since my AutoX club President is a nation champion as well. Also, When are you getting Yokohama A052s?

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

That is a bit of a bummer. But surely codriving is allowed right? We still do two driver cars in Texas. Is that completely out of the question? As for the Yokohama‘s I already have them and plan to do a video on those soon.

[@Zewerr]

Stephen?

[@videonow32]

Disappointed you didn't do a split analysis for both runs...

[@reobressman]

Weren’t you at Lone Star BMW CCA this past Sunday?

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

We sure were! Next time say hi

[@reobressman]

@@EvolutionAutocrosser will do! It was my 5th ever autocross event I was a good 4 seconds off of you all’s time.

[@EvolutionAutocrosser]

@@reobressman I checked the results. You trophied in novice class. Fifth out of sixteen in class. Not bad at all! Keep at it! Did you get any video?

[@reobressman]

@@EvolutionAutocrosser thanks! I had to overcome a lot from a dead battery didn’t even think I would make it to the event. To having a loose wheel in the morning runs. Then having to race in rain in the afternoon. I was able to learn a ton. I unfortunately haven’t been taking videos of my runs plan on doing so next season.

[@kolehobbs9336]

You got the 2018 Honda Civic white, I was in novice class Kole hobbs in a 2001 bmw 330i