BMW CCA Golden Gate Chapter autox - Sept 12 @ Great America

[nordique14]

Alright 1addicts, the next Golden Gate Chapter BMW CCA is Saturday Sept 12th. Note the date change. It was originally schedule for Sept 20th.

The big news is that we are moving this one from Marina to the Great America aux parking lot off of Tasman (across the street from the Santa Clara golf course). So if you have been putting off autoxing because it was too far a drive, here is your chance to attend one at a closer location.

Registration is open. It is getting close to sell out, so register soon.

Click here for info on the Autocross

Don't worry if you have never autoxed before. We have experienced autoxers who will coach you and give you some help. We are very friendly and open to first timers. So come out and see some nice BMWs, talk to some bimmerheads and see what your car is capable of in a safe environment.

Hope to see a few new faces out there.

-Matt

[ichiban]

just signed up. Im gonna try and make this.

is there a discount code i can use?

[nordique14]

Originally Posted by ichiban

just signed up. Im gonna try and make this.

cool. The record is 4 1-ers at our autox. Would love to break that record. So far we have 3 signed up.

Just a reminder that convertibles are welcome at autocrosses. So let's see if we can get another E88 out to one.

[Dangerlucas]

I signed up as well, so I'll see you guys out there.

[ichiban]

dibs on shotgun in lucas' car.

[mechanicalmagic]

That makes at least 4 1-ers.
I signed up ASAP.
Hope to see more 1's.

Dave J.

[radiantm3]

I'm assuming you don't need a helmet for this event? I'm going to sign up as soon as my BMWCCA membership is processed. Hopefully there's still room.

[ichiban]

they have some helmets to loan out. I'm gonna try to see if i can borrow someone's but if not it's first come first serve for the loaners.

[radiantm3]

Anyone know where I could buy or rent a helmet in the south bay area?

[mechanicalmagic]

Originally Posted by radiantm3

Anyone know where I could buy or rent a helmet in the south bay area?

Any helmet rated SNELL 2000 or newer is good. Motorcycle helmets are OK for BMW autocrosses. Open face is fine. Make sure it's a SNELL 2000 or later. Craig's List has TONS of helmets.

SIGN UP NOW, (if you can).
67% full on Tuesday morning.
Helmets are easy.

DJ

[nordique14]

sign up prior to having your membership processed. As long as it has been processed by Sep 9 you will be fine. Just leave the membership number field blank when you regisiter. It can be filled in later. Reg will be full before if you wait too long. We are at 80% capacity right now.

Loaner helmets are available at at the event free of charge. We have never run out of loaners for drivers yet.

If you do buy a help, do not get a Snell 2000. Make sure it is Snell 2005. Snell 2000 will soon be out of date and will not be accepted at most driving events.

[radiantm3]

I ended up signing up. At first I thought I had to wait for my reg to process because there was a message that my BMWCCA # couldn't be found. Realized later you could just continue through registration. I've never been to an autocross event and it's something I've always wanted to do. I hope I can learn a lot. I entered myself in the noncompete class. I'm assuming that's the right place for a first timer?

[aarong_m3]

If it was on Sept 20th i would have made it. I'll be there in Oct.

[nordique14]

Originally Posted by radiantm3

I ended up signing up. At first I thought I had to wait for my reg to process because there was a message that my BMWCCA # couldn't be found. Realized later you could just continue through registration. I've never been to an autocross event and it's something I've always wanted to do. I hope I can learn a lot. I entered myself in the noncompete class. I'm assuming that's the right place for a first timer?

N-class if fine if you do not want to compete for points. If you want to see how you do against other cars in the same class then you should compete in the regular classes.

For first timers we tell them not to focus too much on the results against other cars in the same class. You should focus on getting better throughout your runs. Think of playing golf for the first time with experienced golfers. You really are not competing against the guys your group. You are really competing against yourself. You are looking to improve throughout the day so that your last holes are better then the first holes. You improve a little more each time you go out.

We have driver coaches that will be happy to ride with you and give you tips and instruction. Also, unless you are in the first run group, we highly recommend grabbing a helmet and riding along with other drivers. That will give you a good idea of what it will feels like when you get behind the wheel. Generally most drivers are happy to have passengers for their first few runs.

Like doing any thing new for the first time, it will be a mixture of thrill and fear. Quite a few people get hooked.

[ichiban]

i can't wait

[nordique14]

Just received this email today from a first time autoxer who was at our event last Saturday.

Thanks to everyone involved, this was my first autocross, and most definitely not my last - this could get addicting! Anyway, I had a great time, and it's always nice to meet friendly people, especially those with like minded tendencies.

I agree. We are friendly people. Feel free to stop by and say 'hi' and catch a ride in my 135i convertible. I am very easy to spot.

[radiantm3]

A few more noobie questions. What gear are you 135i drivers in most of the time on the course? Do heal/toe techniques come into play?

And thanks for the info on the classes. I'll switch back to a competitive class.

[nordique14]

Originally Posted by radiantm3

A few more noobie questions. What gear are you 135i drivers in most of the time on the course? Do heal/toe techniques come into play?

Sort of depends on the car and the course.

Assuming you have a 135 with stock gearing, you will typically shift from 1->2 and then leave it in 2 for the rest of the run. We do not run at any large airports or anywhere you can really build up a good head of steam. Speeds usually do not hit more than 60-65mph and then only briefly. I have only shifted to 3rd on a couple of courses and that was in my old E36 that had a shortened diff gear. So heel-and-toe is not important to know. Some people do shift down to 1st for tight turns but those are normally cars that have no low end torque when the RPMs drop (think Honda S2000 where there is no torque below 6k). I find that unless you have a SMG/DCT you will loose more time shifting twice (one down shift and one up shift) than just leaving it in 2nd.

One thing I would also point out is that after you shift out of 1st, take your foot away from the clutch and put it on the deal pedal. That will stop you from accidently putting the clutch in when you do not want to and it will also allow you to use your leg to brace for the high-G corners. You would be surprised how many people drive with their foot hovering over the clutch after they shift. I usually tell the driver coaches to mention that if they see any of the driver's doing it.

Courses are usually in the 45-65 second range. We have 7-8 runs with a chance of 2-4 fun runs (do not count) at the end of the day.

Keep the noob questions coming.

[radiantm3]

Thanks. That's good to know since I can't heel/toe worth anything. I can double clutch and rev match no problem, but not while I'm braking. My leg just doesn't want to turn that way.

What about traction control? I am comfortable driving with DTC on (you almost have to with a tune). Do you guys generally run with it completely off? I'm assuming you can't get into too much trouble at these speeds. But what do I know.

[nordique14]

Originally Posted by radiantm3

What about traction control? I am comfortable driving with DTC on (you almost have to with a tune). Do you guys generally run with it completely off? I'm assuming you can't get into too much trouble at these speeds. But what do I know.

Turn it off. You may want to keep it in DTC for the first couple of runs and then turn it completely off. The system does not allow a whole lot of wheel spin or sliding (slip angles). With the tight corners in the autox it will be going off all the time and will slow you down. Stomp and go will work for the low hp cars but modulating the right foot is all part of the fun in the 135i.

[mechanicalmagic]

Originally Posted by radiantm3

What about traction control? I am comfortable driving with DTC on (you almost have to with a tune). Do you guys generally run with it completely off? I'm assuming you can't get into too much trouble at these speeds. But what do I know.

I am very uncomfortable with the traction control ON. Makes the throttle absolutely DEAD. I tend to carry too much speed into corners, and the trac control just kills the power on mine. Feels like horrendous turbo lag.

I waver on mid setting, and full off. As a senior citizen, sometimes my reflexes and speed - foot coordination are a little off. And the adrenaline might have an impact on throttle control too.

And, no you can't get into any real trouble. Sliding off course is about the worst thing that can happen, and then you murder a few of the endangered Orange cone species. The course will be layed out so there is plenty of room to recover. If you want to try drifting corners, that's OK, but that's a really SLOW way to get around the course. Getting totally out of control and recovering by powering a 360 while on the course, missing cones, often draws applause.

Absolutely ride along with others. But, some folks don't like extra weight on their later runs. So, car hop a lot during the first two practice runs.

DJ

[radiantm3]

Thanks for the info guys. One thing that worries me about autocrossing is knowing which cones you have to go through next. Is it pretty easy to figure out when you are actually driving or is track memorization extremely important? I've watched a few helmet/in car cams on youtube and some setups just look like random cones everywhere. I'd be the guy that makes up his own path.