[jerhofer]

Autocrossing is a great way to get to know your car. While I haven't autocrossed my Boxster, yet, the basics apply to all cars.

Get to the event early so you have plenty of time to get everything out of your car. Take along some garbage bags to put all of your stuff in just in case it rains. Take along a cooler, some snacks, suntan lotion, chairs, etc. If it's like most locations, you will spend a lot of time sitting or standing around waiting for your group to run. Some events require long sleeve shirts and pants so check this out before you go.

After you have your car emptied, register for the event and go though the tech inspection. The tech people will be checking to see that you have everything out of your car, will be checking the brakes, wheel bearings, secure mounting of the battery, etc. You will need a helmet and they will check that as well.

Be sure you get a course map if one is available. Now you want to walk the course as many times as you need to burn it into your brain. Autocross turns happen very quickly and it is easy to get lost in a sea of cones. You need to memorize the course. Ideally, walk the course with a veteran autocrosser. Look for the fast line through the corners, for pavement changes (cement to asphalt as an example), holes and bumps to avoid, etc.

As you walk the course, it is best to walk it on the actual line you expect to take through the corners. This is where an experienced autocrosser can help. He can show you where you should have the car for each turn and what gear you can expect to be in. Most courses are first and second gear. Depending on how tight the course is, you may even have to shift back to first for a very slow corner.

If you don't already know how to heel and toe, you may want to learn. The key to success is being smooth. If you don't blip the throttle properly during downshifts, you will be very jerky which negatively affects the handling of your car. Same goes for braking. Brake as if you have an egg on your pedal. Smooth on and off means less pitching of the car which means you can get maximum traction.

If there is another Boxster at the event, talk to him about tire pressures. Keep in mind that unless you have the exact same tires and suspension setup, any suggestions are just that. Make sure you have a good tire gauge and use the same gauge at every event for repeatable measurements.

As a beginning point, I would bump the cold tire pressures to around 40 rear and 35 front and see what happens. Once common trick is to make a couple chalk marks on the sidewall of your tire. Start the chalk mark on your treaded area and go into the sidewall. As you run, you will see where you wear off the chalk. If you are not wearing the chalk into the rounded edge of the tread, you have too much tire pressure. If you wear off the chalk well past the rounded part of the tread into the sidewall, you need more pressure.

Make you changes in small increments. Keep in mind that your tire pressures will increase as the tire heats either from driving it or just setting in the sun. So the pressure in your shaded garage will probably be lower than mid afternoon in the sun on a hot day.

Since you appear to be new at this, I assume you do not have a set of racing harnesses in your car. Staying firmly planted in your seat while competing is a huge plus as it is easier to keep your head upright to better see where you are going. Here is a trick you can use with your factory belts. Once you pull the belt across your body, twist the end a few times before you lock the belt in it's receptacle. You will find that this will firmly hold you in you seat as it removes the slack. To make it tighter, have your seat one click back from your normal driving position. Twist and lock the belt and then move your seat forward. This will make the belt tighter.

Don't try for FTD on your first run. If this is the first time you have ever autocrossed, not missing any gates will be a successful run. Build up your speed gradually as you learn both the track and your car. You can't learn if you are sliding sideways rather than going forward. The key is to learn the proper line through each corner which will reduce the radius of the corner and to extend your straightaways as much as possible.

As your are sitting in your car waiting to run, close your eyes and run through the course in you mind. You should visualize your braking points, shfit points, etc. It should take just as long as actually driving it. This really helps you become more automatic on the course.

Best of luck.

By the way, what is the location of this autocross?