I am really interested in Auto-X but I am not sure if there are any courses in Michigan, it looks like a lot of fun but I dont know of any. Anyone in this forum from Michigan? I know there are a lot of nascar oval tracks...

 

Glad to see someone else from the Detroit area. Here's a couple of links that will get you started:

http://www.dcscc.com
http://www.detroit-scca.org

Keep in mind though that autox courses aren't permanent. By their nature they're usually temporary courses laid out in parking lots.

 

Parking lots? Theres no actual course thats permenent? What kind of cars go to these? I know F-Bodys arent the best handling but I think it would just be fun...

 

We do have one road course here in the Detroit area that some local clubs use for autoxing, but they put cones on it to slow us down to a more "reasonable" speed. It's called Waterford Hills

Typically autoxing is held to a top speed of about 60 MPH. Road courses without cones are almost all a good bit above 100 MPH for top speed. For a brief primer of what autocrossing is, try this link: http://autocross.com/autoc/started.htm . On that site you'll see that pretty much any type of car can autox and there are many classes to allow most people to find a class they can be competitive in. The 2 links I gave you in my first response to you are clubs that have autox events and events on road courses near Detroit.

Here's links to 2 road courses near Detroit (within 2.5 hours drive):

http://www.grattanraceway.com
http://www.gingerman.com

 

Wow, that first track is really close to my house.. I even shop by there and I knew about it but I didnt know that normal cars could go on it? What club is this? I am interested in the waterford hills, how would I get started when it opens?

 

Go to http://www.dcscc.com and check periodically for their new schedule. 2 clubs have events there from the DCSCC - Corvette Club and Michigan Sports Car Club. They usually hold their autox there around July 4. The Corvette Club will also hold a driver's school (lapping day with instructors) in June normally. The Shelby American Auto Club will also have some lapping days. Links to the individual DCSCC club sites are all on the links page. You might also try the SEM Porsche Club. Their link is on the Waterford Hills site. I'm checking with them to see if they will allow our cars at their track days since they had about 4 WH events in '02, as well as one at Gingerman.

WH is a fun track, but it's a little slow and has very little runoff room in some areas. Take it easy the first few times at speed on that track. I've seen cars totalled there 3 out of 4 times I've been there. Every one of them was in the swamp turn. When you exit that turn do not by any means lift off the throttle. If you do, your rear end will kick out and almost certainly when it grabs again you'll be heading straight for the pit side concrete wall.

Gingerman and Grattan are much more friendly to new drivers, trust me.

 

From everything i've seen in our Detroit area, all autocross events are here and gone in a flash. They'll start setting up the course at 5-7 am, Tech is over at 8-8:30, racing starts at 9 and they're packed up and gone before sundown.

A lot of the ones i've been to were loctaed at the 9mile/Mound Rd GM Tech center in one of their parking lots. Another place is Lawrence Tech University in Southfield. I also went to one in Plymouth at a sportsplex last year and that was pretty good.

The longest and best event last year was the one held in the Palace of Auburn Hills parking lot. The course was massive from what i've ever seen. Typical time was in the 1:40 range. They'll announce everything on the Detroit SCCA page if it's no there already. It's a day of fun if you get into it! later man

 

That was the last Detroit region event I ran in '02 and I doubt I'll run more than a couple in '03. There are consistently 220 cars or more at Det SCCA Solo II events and that makes a very long, tedious day. At the Palace, giving us 4 runs at that kind of time made a 13 hour day for me. I was there at 7 AM to get teched in and left at about 8 PM after waiting for my trophy. You were in the maroon 3rd gen convertible on Yokohamas, right? I was in the green '94 Firebird. Anyway, autoxing is just for fun for me. Spending 13 hour days doing it is too much IMO, for about 5-6 minutes of track time. I've now transferred my SCCA membership to the Toledo SCCA (NWOR) and will run with them and the DCSCC this year.

I'm prepping my car for NASA's American Iron road racing class over the winter and through this year. Plan to be racing in '04. Our cars are so much more at home on a road course, and the track time I get at lapping days and drivers schools is orders of magnitude longer (about 1.5-2 hours per day).

Rodrigues, I would recommend that you take the Detroit SCCA Solo II driving school this April. Go to their web site and check out the date and check back for more info. It has some class time and a good bit of track time, with an instructor if you want. Best to learn your car and it's limits at low speed before you start doing 100 MPH at Waterford Hills or other road courses.