Quote:
Originally Posted by Bonster
Lol, Scott. I don't know about the a-hole part, but you are right about trackers not necessarily making good autocrossers. I was a track addict first, and decided to hang out and see what was going on at the autocrosses. There was a time when I couldn't afford to just go to the racetrack every weekend, so I started autocrossing. At first, I was the SLOWEST car in my class. Two years later, I was second place in the CSP class with a local club (there were about 15 or so regulars, a total of 29 overall entries for the season). I occasionally autox using someone else's car, as I no longer have a car that I would autox (Spec Miatas are difficult to autox). I just pay their fees and buy them lunch, and I get to autox. Surprisingly, as rusty as I am, I am still quite competitive. I get teased by my road racing pals about autocrossing, but I still think it is a blast.  If I knew how to design a course, and if I had cones, and if I had a timing trailer, T.E.A.M. would likely host an autox series, as well. |
It's been my experience that autocrossers tend to have the biggest egos of any competitors in motorsports... probably because a mistake at an autocross doesn't mean death or bodily harm like it does at the track... so it's easier to be cocky. However I've also found Reno Region to be the exception. We have very few big egos at our races, lots of n00b friendly programs including a Novice program and yearly autocross school, and plenty of members that bend over backwards to help out new folks. But if you go to National Tour events, or larger regional events, you run into a ton of cocky, secretive, overly-competitive people. Watch that Forza Challenge show, the autocrosser guy is by far the most abrasive person on the show... he's kinda par for the course.
Track folks just don't seem to be quite like that. Usually the fastest people on track end up being the nicest and most willing to share/teach off track. It's probably a chick/egg situation... the nice modest folks are able to learn more because they're willing to listen and learn, which in turn makes them faster and later more willing to teach. At least that's what I've noticed at TEAM, TM and UL events. The a-holes at the track seem to be the people with ridiculously fast cars and tons of track time that are still driving slowly in the novice group because they refuse to learn anything.
As far as track drivers being bad at autocross... I don't really mean they just not good at it, I just mean that when making the transition, track experience doesn't count as much towards autocross speed as autocross experience counts towards track speed. Basically, it's easier to go from the parking lot to the track, than the other way around. On the track being violent with the car is a good way to find yourself spinning in the dirt... at autocross being violent is sometimes the fast way around, since you have so much more available traction at 30 mph than you do at 90. However, the one thing I've noticed about being one of those autocrossers turned trackers is that I have an unnatural fear of being loose on track... I'm really scared of spinning at speed. I'm not sure if that's because of my autocross experiences or just because my car just tends to spin instantly with little warning.