Race to win. That's not just some sort of catch-phrase that we cooked up to sell extra magazines or ads (Well, maybe just a bit.--HL). No, we've called this meeting to tell you the super-secret formula. This is how it goes: First you get the speed. When you get the speed, you get the power. When you get the power, you get the women (But I don't want the women.--BM). When you get the women, you win. Or something like that.
Speed and power first require a venue in which to demonstrate them. The major ones that you can race your car in (without the fear of the police throwing your butt in jail) are drag racing, autocrossing, and road racing. We will be exploring the wonders of autocrossing and road racing in this story.
The term road racing is used to describe events in which a car is driven around a racetrack that contains straight sections connected by turns and corners. There should be both left- and right-hand turns, meaning an oval race track doesn't qualify (Oval track is for sissies.--MP). Usually road racing involves multiple competitors racing at the same time. This creates a very competitive and challenging atmosphere. Different levels of road racing exist for both professional drivers and amateurs. Unfortunately, road racing is expensive no matter how you look at it. If you only own one car and you don't make much money, autocrossing is a nice alternative.
Autocrossing is a dedicated-amateur event. Held across the country on almost anything flat and empty (parking lots and airport tarmacs are the most popular), autocrossing consists of temporary courses made of orange cones. These courses generally resemble miniaturized road-racing tracks. The layouts vary, but maximum speeds are usually 60-70 mph and cornering speeds are no more than 45 mph.
Autocrossing is a timed event and the idea is to circulate through the cones as quickly as possible without knocking any of them over. It is a very challenging and rewarding thing to do. Best of all, it's pretty damn cheap. All you need is a valid driver's license, a car (that will pass tech inspection), and a few bucks for the entry fee.
The Sports Car Club of America is the nation's largest sanctioning body of autocrossing and its Solo II program is by far the most popular format. With regional chapters across the country, finding an SCCA Solo II race to participate in is no problem. There are different categories and classes in Solo II in which to enter a car. The three main categories in Solo II are Stock, Street Prepared, and Modified. The Stock category is the most popular and is very limited in terms of what modifications can be made to a car. The Street Prepared category allows many more modifications, especially in terms of wheel/tire combinations, springs, shocks, and engine parts. The Modified category is for real race cars that never touch the street. Within all three categories, there are varying levels of classes that allow you to compare your skill to other people driving similar vehicles.
Recently, we've been hearing that some young import-owners looking for something more challenging than the 1,320 have been trying their hands at autocrossing. That's cool. It's about time the new generation of hot rodding had a presence there. What's not so cool is that they have been bringing their tricked-out GS-Rs and Civics, and then getting their butts kicked by retired dentists wearing stringback driving gloves and piloting rickety old MGs. What's happening is these young racers are going out thinking their cars lord over all. In reality, being successful at autocrossing is much more dependent on skill rather than horsepower.
Being skilled at autocrossing requires an understanding of what it means to go fast. The essence of racing is to maximize traction and control your car's weight transfer during the basic functions of braking, cornering, and acceleration. Everything from driving position to shifting technique affects your ability to drive your car to it's utmost capability.
As most of the cars in the Super Street world have manual transmissions, learning how to shift properly is very important. The key is to be smooth. Don't act like you're punching bozo. To shift from First to Second (or Third to Fourth), cup the palm of your hand on top of the gear lever and let your fingers extend down the lever to provide guidance. For Second to Third (or Fourth to Fifth), just use the heel of your palm to guide it over and up. Again, be gentle and smooth. There's no need to slam it, just be consistent. Speed shifting won't really help you and a missed shift on an autocross course will end any hope of winning.
For downshifts there is a special technique racers use. You've probably heard of it--it's called heel-and-toe downshifting. It's not easy in the same sense that the old trick of patting your head with one hand while rubbing your stomach with the other is not easy. Heel-and-toe downshifting requires coordination of both hands, both feet, your ears, and your brain (Uph. That's it. I'm outta here.--MP). And they all must be working at the same time. A tough call, we know. Heel-and-toe downshifting is used to allow smooth power flow and avoid upsetting the car's weight transfer and balance during braking. To perform a heel-and-toe downshift, begin braking with the ball of your right foot on the brake pedal. Depress the clutch pedal with your left foot and shift to neutral. While continuing to brake, blip the throttle pedal with the side of your right foot (the term heel-and-toe is a bit misleading) to raise the rpm of the engine. Shift to a lower gear. Let the clutch out. Release the brakes or begin trail braking.
Keep in mind that if you screw up, you risk damaging your engine. If you are trying to downshift from Fifth to Fourth and grab Second instead, you will over-rev the engine. A rev-limiter is useless in this case. Once you have had some practice with heel-and-toe downshifting, you should be able to perform the downshift in less than a second.
Keep in mind that if you screw up, you risk damaging your engine. If you are trying to downshift from Fifth to Fourth and grab Second instead, you will over-rev the engine. A rev-limiter is useless in this case. Once you have had some practice with heel-and-toe downshifting, you should be able to perform the downshift in less than a second.
Keep in mind that if you screw up, you risk damaging your engine. If you are trying to downshift from Fifth to Fourth and grab Second instead, you will over-rev the engine. A rev-limiter is useless in this case. Once you have had some practice with heel-and-toe downshifting, you should be able to perform the downshift in less than a second.
The skills required for getting a car through a corner are also very hard to master. The basic idea is to be smooth and allow the chassis to do one thing at a time, maximizing traction. Any given corner can be divided into three parts: the entry, the apex, and the exit. The entry is the most important part, as it determines how the rest of the corner unfolds. It is also where you combine braking and heel-and-toe downshifting. Picking a line through a corner depends on a multitude of factors, but here are the basic steps.
Imagine you are on an autocross track, accelerating full throttle toward a simple 90-degree right-hand turn. As you approach the turn, use as much of the track as possible, positioning your car on the left-most part of the track. Look ahead into the turn. When you reach your braking point, ease off the throttle and allow the weight to begin transferring to the front tires. Squeeze the brakes and apply maximum brake pressure. The car should still be pointed straight, using all of its traction for braking. Before you enter the corner, perform any downshifting that is required. When you reach the turn-in point, begin easing off the brakes and feeding in steering. Your braking should be done at this point. Use trail-braking to keep the chassis stable. With the first third of the corner nearly completed, come completely off the brakes. Look where you want to go in terms of the apex area. The apex is where your car should be most stable and be using all of its available traction for cornering. As you approach the end of the apex area, determine your exit point and set the steering accordingly. Begin feeding in throttle as you enter the exit. Apply full throttle as traction becomes available. This corner is now complete. Your car should be positioned on the left-most part of the track again. Look ahead for the next corner.
Keep in mind this is only a guide. After reading this, don't hop into your Civic, pretend you're Alex Zanardi in his Honda-powered CART car, and end up understeering off a cliff because you went into a corner too hot. A good way to learn more about lines and apexes instead is to watch racing on TV. Watch the way race-car drivers pick their lines through corners and modify them from lap to lap.
While the street is not a good place to race, it doesn't mean you can't practice the basic skills for autocrossing and road racing. In just normal driving you can practice downshifting and looking ahead through corners. When you are cornering, get a feel of how your car reacts to weight transfer. If you want to try your hand at racing, there are numerous options. You can call the SCCA at 303/694-7222 or check its Web site at www.scca.com. You can also check around your local area to see if any car clubs are having track days. Regardless, when you do get the opportunity to race on a track, you'll be ready to race and win.
Road racing occurs on real racetracks with real competitors. You can do it, but it requires a lot of time and money.
The SCCA is the nation's largest sanctioning body for autocrossing. This Neon is competing in Solo II's E Stock class.
Almost any car can be used in autocrossing. This includes everything from your mom's Accord wagon to a twin-turbo RX-7.
In road racing and autocrossing, skill is more important than the capabilities of your car. Learning how to get the most out of your car is imperative for going fast.