About this event
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Who: Entry is capped at 30 participants – It will be first come first serve on motorsportreg.com You need to be preregistered to participate; there will be no spectating at this event.
What: OVR Test & Tune
When: April 6th, - 7:30AM Site opens, 8:45 Drivers meeting. 9AM Start running
Where: National Trail Raceway
Why/How - Use this time for dialing in suspension setup, shift points, brakes, adjusting to new tires, etc. This event is targeted towards the folks trying to shake down / develop their cars, not the folks who are simply looking for seat time. To serve these needs, the entry has to be capped.
Format is this:
Working assignments:
o Each person signs up for an hour to work the course 4 per hour (course open from say 9-4, 7 hrs = 28 people)
§ Working course with only 4 people means you have to hustle from cone to cone quickly, Cones are NOT called in, just set back up quickly, no radios, captains, etc. it is a very self-sufficient setup.
o The remainder or ‘specialty’ folks are basically ‘on call’ or in charge of setup, tear down, tech or ensuring timers continue to work. (Imagine 1 person is set as the T&S person, so if something falsely trips the timer, or something doesn’t work, they are responsible to go make it work/figure it out, then are free to run again)
Running:
o If you are not working… you are free to run, quick driver’s meeting in morning to explain both format, and safety issues, such as “Start line is here, you must wait until the previous car passes ‘X’ point (that can be seen from the start) then you are clear to go”
o You could work from 1-2p.m. shift, then you are free to run all you want, or TUNE all you want from 9-1 and from 2-4.
Event requirements
BE SURE TO BRING:
- Your driver’s license
- Your SCCA Member Card (Required for all members)
- Cash for the entrance fee and fun runs
- A Snell 2000 or NEWER Helmet for you and any guests, Helmets are required, we do have a few we can loan at the event.
- Magnetic class name and numbers, or have CONTRASTING painters tape or electrical tape to create your own on site. (Be mindful it needs to be CLEARLY visible from 50'+ away)
- Water, and lots of it
- Lunch
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Raingear
- Hat / cap
- Folding chair
- Tire pressure gauge
- Tools, jack, jackstands (if needed)
- Paper and a pen
- Bug spray
As you will learn, autocrosses can range from simply a day and a time to hang out with friends to running national events that are very, very competitive. The amounts of money people spend preparing their cars also ranges significantly. At most events, you will see some very well-prepared cars that use special autocross tires (the tires have a softer rubber compound that heats up very quickly, and really sticks to the pavement) to people simply using their ordinary daily commuter street tires.
I know first-hand that it can be extremely tempting to go out and buy some of these go-fast parts, but don’t spend money your money now! Do a few more autocross events with your car as-is and get as much seat time as possible.
If you really want to do something to upgrade your car, go out and buy some better street tires after the ones you currently have on your car are worn out. If you intend to participate in high performance driving events in the near future, consider buying an inexpensive extra set of rims for these tires. The best thing you can do to decrease your lap times is to focus on learning as much as you possibly can about race driving techniques.
[Courtesy of www.SCCA.com and www.goaheadtakethewheel.com]