Autocross
 

Went to my first Autocross this Saturday and let me say if you own a Boxster you seriously need to add this to your list of things to do in your lifetime !

What a incredible way to test the limits of your car ( and yourself ) in a fun, safe, and controlled environment.

Here is a good website to find an event in your area :

http://www.myautoevents.com/pls/mae/frmMain.Show

A special thanks to fellow forum member Sammy for the invite and the instruction...

You'll be hooked, for sure. Look into the Porsche Club of America, as they have auto-x and driver education (track driving) events. I'm sure there is a local club you could get in with. Check them out at http://www.pca.org/.

@NickCats:

Hi,

Being in Chitown, you definitely need to checkout the events held at Blackhawk Farms Raceway up near Beloit (less than 90 minutes from you - http://www.blackhawkfarms.com/ ). Blackhawk Farms is one of the best little Road Courses in the Midwest and the PCA and local chapters often hold events there. The track is 1.9 mi. long with an equal number of left/right handers. I've been racing there for more than 20 years in various events and cars. While I've never had my Boxster there yet, I've raced my Esprit there several times and it really favors a mid-engine car. PCA is having a DE there this month, week of the 20th I believe. Check it out...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Jim,

Thanks for the advice. I have been to Blackhawk before to watch the sportbike races and I agree, it is a great course. I would love to take the Box out there, my only concern is how much wear and tear can I expect on the tires and brakes after a day of racing ? My Box is my daily driver and don't really want to dump $1k on tires plus brakes for a day of fun.

Thoughts ?

Thanks,

Nick

Hi,

It all depends upon how you drive, how many laps you take and the starting condition of your tires. You probably push the equipment more in an Auto-X because they are normally 0.3-0.5 mi. courses and the turn radii are tighter. You'll use more brakes at Blackhawk because you'll carry higher speed into the curves, but pads are fairly cheap, I'd keep a set specifically for the track, maybe more suited. Swapping them is a 45 min. deal, so no big thing. You could easily have a day of fun and not jepardize your Daily Driver or que up for the Poor House...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Sound advice ! Thanks, Jim...

Nick

I'm glad you were able to make it out for the event. My crew had an awesome time and look forward to the next time we can get together at an event! It was great to see your times dropping as you were quickly learning how fast and stable the Boxster can be when it comes to handling.

We may not have had the fastest times of the day but we sure had the best looking cars on the course! ;)