I went to two by Coors Field. Once as a racer and once as a spectator (had a friend that was really into it). The place was full of stupid assholes. You could tell the legit people because they had M3s, C5 Vettes, Sevens and more exotic race cars like Radicals. Of course I didn't talk to any of them because they, like me, weren't the talkative types. I got to talk to assholes with Corollas that had picnic bench wings and SAFCs with +50% across the board because "more fuel equals more power." Really I saw it as being akin to a row of ugly ass Civics parked at a Taco Bell with their hoods open and neon glowing. At the time a DSM was cool due to all the "tooner" magazine coverage so people would approach me to tell me about their friend with a "700hp" Talon, how they were saving their milk money for an Eclipse or how I needed a Spoon engine or Mugen turbo. Fucks. I get angry just thinking about it.

Funny how you quoted me saying I understand the value of a track day vs auto-x, yet you still go on to explain how track is a better value. The bottom line is you still have to drop $250 at once for one day vs. a whole summer of weekends worth of fun.

autocross is for the people who can't afford the HPDEs, or think they can't, and like to win by nitpicking rules rather than technique.

most people i've talked to that say they can't afford a track day don't know what it really costs.

competing against others in a parking lot on a 60 second course is like saying you're fastest doggie-paddler in the kiddie pool.

$5k in sponsorships and tires is great, but prosolo isn't exactly solo2. furthermore, i'm sure if you lay out the cost of the mods to your car(s), the upkeep, travel expenses, vacation time, etc, you're not ahead anymore. if you are, you broke even. i don't know ANYONE who races professionally who makes money at it. drifters, prorally, etc.

HPDEs aren't about competition, it's about learning. much like autocross. i fail to see how autocross can cross over to street skill when most of the avid autocrossers don't run race tires on the street. i'm also sure most of the top autocrossers don't drive their competition cars daily. at an HPDE, you're competing against yourself, not the pimply choad in the crx.

it's great to begin in autocross, but the returns are hugely diminished rather quickly. sure organization of the events is key, but you still have to hurry up and wait.

i have a lot of very good friends who autocross, some are national champs. they like the system and it caters to their tastes. good for them, good for you. if you haven't done both autocross and HPDE, shut your pie hole. save your internet benchracing exploits you read about somewhere else for the auto-x groupies.

most cars have 5 gears, it's ashame to only really use 3 of them.

i like both, if i could afford more track days i'd never autox again.

wow, i bet your national autocross champ friends really appreciate you saying shit like that.

i like autox, i'd love to do a track day. It sounds like somebody got their ass kicked by their friends at the doggie-paddling competition.

I loved the time I spent on a race track (Race City in Calgary), unfortunately I've yet to get out there now that I'm boosted. Hoping to attend a lapping day, but will see if the weather hold.

I love Autocross. It's a totally different experience than running a road course. One isn't better than the other, they are totally different animals. You guys who can't understand that are fucking idiots.

I can't beleive this is even a discussion.

Why I hate autox...
 

my hatred for autox keeps me up at night

what it doesn't

I spend about $70 for a day of autocrossing, including $40 entry fee, food, and whatnot, and get 6min run time

Versus

$65 for a day at the strip, including $35 entry fee, $15 in fuel, and a conservative $10 in food, and get as many runs as I feel like running between 10am-11pm. Less run time I guess, but more runs..

..But I do both so I cant really pick a side on that one..

Oh weak

VWs alright, im thinking of starting my own autox club or at least stuff for track days. Theres a track in MI/IN we can get for 1500-2000 a day with workers and ambulance. I guess the guys who own it are red neck as hell and just want to have a good time.

I'd sell one of my kid's kidneys to have a track near by that would rent for $2K a day.

Sounds like my kind of place.

...or for people who don't have a track nearby, or for people who want to compete and don't have access to an affordable track... :nono:

I do, he's driven for Honda ('96 BTC Champ), Porsche AG, Audi, and Mazda now in various series and writes his own magazine column, and guess what? He started in autocross.

once again your experiences varies per your region. In Houston where we autoX 12 months a year it is ultra organized.

SCCA usually get 3-4 runs
Porsche club events 6 or so runs
BMW club 6 or so runs.

I hear other regions are a mess.

We aslo have MSR Houston and another 2 road courses that are opening up.
I'm glad to be in texas :)

I agree with this completely. Autocross isn't a 'baby road course' or 'the kitty pool'. Comparing autocross to road racing is like comparing hockey to soccer. The techniques are different, the cars are different.

That being said, I guess most people have more of a problem with SCCA events and competitors rather than autocross itself. I enjoyed driving my car through a cone course. What I didn't enjoy was waiting around with a bunch of ass hats, the nitpicking, the bitching, that sort of thing.

Wow, is this .net?

FWIW, I never said I was making money at it. I spend close to 10K a year autocrossing, so getting half of it back is nice. Do I give a rat's ass whether or not any of y'all enjoy it? No! I enjoy it, as does my wife and that is all that matters to me. I have done, and will continue to do HPDEs also, and the are completely different so don't even try to compare them. I get more of a rush doing autocross and hate the lack of competition that an HPDE brings. I guess I'd rather be fastest doggie paddler in the kiddie pool that some guy just swimming around in the big boy pool.

This is getting dumb even by my standards, but sbrian2 you spend 10k a year on autox?

I have now corrected the issue.

:dancegay:

I dont know but even in second grade i could sling better shit then that ;)

(brian changed his post, so this doesnt make sense anymore)

think that's the crux of the problem here with allot of people.
I absolutely love to autocross, but the people you autocross with and the quality of the people putting on the event can make a big difference between enjoying yourself and wanting to kick some ass at the end of the day.

For example, I'm currently racing in CS against people I like and respect, and most of which are good friends of mine, like Pitlab, who make the event all the more enjoyable for me.
In fact if it wasn't for my friends showing up to race and giving me a gentle push into it, I more then likely would have given this sport up long ago, and wouldn't be the current CS champ in Houston.

Beats the hell out of when I first started and was super slow, and didn't really know anyone, and the only guy I did know who was running in the same class as me was a jerk and touted the fact he was "faster" than me over my head. :td:

There is always going to be people who take the sport to the extreme (which I guess is what the pictures were supposed to be about at the beginning of this thread) and that happens in every sport.
You can't avoid it unless you just don't play.