[morepowerjoe]

Originally Posted by Nick S

1. Leave the trans in auto mode. If it has a sport mode or something other then regular drive I'd give that a try. It will do better then you manually shifting and it will downshift when needed. The paddles I'm sure have such a large delay in actually performing the shift that it won't shift when you tell it to anyhow.

2. If you are new to autocross leave your ego at the gate. You will likely get beat by many cars that are not even modified or lower HP (like a miata). Don't worry about that. Just have fun and talk to people. You will get tips and tricks and you will learn how to get faster.

3. Try to connect all the turns together with smooth arcs. Don't drive it like point and shoot car. If you just mash the gas pedal from cone to cone and connect them all with straight lines you will be slower then the driver that learn how to connect them all with smooth flowing continuous arcs.

4. For Tire pressures I'd start at 32 psig cold and check after a couple runs. Try to keep them in the 32-34 psig range when they get hot.

5. Don't be shy to ask for ride alongs with other drivers. You can learn so much by riding with faster drivers. Then you don't have to worry about doing any of the driving inputs. You can just observe their driving line, where they brake, where they accelerate, how they connect the cones with smooth arcs, etc... Ride alongs with faster drivers especially in similar cars will be one of the fastest ways for you to learn yourself. So don't be shy! Make some new friends. Ask for ride alongs.

6. Most important tip: HAVE FUN!

Thank you!