Saying Hello! … and a few questions :)

[Michael Reed]

#12299

Hello everyone! My name is Michael and I am looking forward to attending my first autoX event, hopefully the SS1 on April 14th! Super excited to get to run with my new(to me) ’14 Mini Cooper S (F56). She’s still mostly stock as I want to get some good baselines for both my own skill and the car’s current handling before I go changing things, but would like some tips for classing my car. Currently, there’s a K&N panel drop-in (stock airbox and intake pipes), resonator delete (mid-muffler // still has stock back box and stock cat) and the rear seats are not in the car anymore. Any tips are welcome! I will also be dragging my roommate to the event as well, and we will be trailering his catless golf GTI, so some general resources for helping him class his car and make sure he’s going to pass tech as well would be amazing!

Generally speaking is there anything to know or expect for my first event? I know what SNELL approvals I need for a helmet, but are there also loaner ones in this post-COVID era available for my first event while I’m deciding on one for myself, or should I prioritize getting that sorted before next month? And lastly, do you get to just pick your own numbers at will? What if someone else has/wants the same numbers in your same class, is this an issue? Sorry for all the questions, thank you guys so much! I can’t wait to meet and drive with you all 😀

[Ken Hammack]

#12300

Hi Michael and welcome to your life long obsession. (c;

If someone else doesn’t post with your classing question, just make your best guess and when you get to the event, you can change your class, if necessary, after talking with some of our classing experts.  Read through the “Getting Started” link on this web site, it will get you started.  We also have a Novice Walk before the event in which you will get an expert leading you around the course talking about the things you should be thinking about while driving the course.  We also have a Novice run group which should have expert drivers available to answer questions and offer suggestions to everyone that is autocrossing for the first time this year.  Depending on the timing, you can also ride with more experienced drivers and have them ride with you.  We do have loaner helmets just look for the basked full of helmets near the start line.

When you register, you will be asked to enter the number you want, but it won’t let you take a number that is already in use, so yes you can choose your own number if it is not already being used.  There are usually paper numbers available that you can tape onto your car, but it would be a good idea to bring some tape with you to make your numbers with just in case.  Make sure the tape color contrast with the color of your car so it can be easy to see.  We are all here to have fun, so if you have any questions at the even just ask anyone and they will help you find the answer.

[Suraj Pradhan]

#12306

I believe if you still had the rear seats in the car, you can run it in D Street (stock class). I would strongly recommend putting those back in if you can. If you do decide to modify the car a bit. It can be in STU, SM or XB depending on what you do. If you do plan on modifying the car, register it in STU and we can chat about what mods you can do in STU at an event. Usual mods include:

Turboback exhaust with high flow cat.
Tune.
Coilovers.
Swaybars.

And a few other mods.

Cheers,

[Michael Reed]

#12309

Thank you both for your replies! I’m very excited to start this season 🙂 Awesome to hear about the numbers and helmets, I’m hoping to get 56! I found a few people in last year’s standings with the number, but none in the classes I’m looking at so here’s hoping!

Speaking of classing, thank you Suraj for your insight into where I might best be suited. I do agree after having read through most of the rulebook, that putting the rear seats back in would be a good idea, else it would throw me into a class with significantly more modification allowances than I will be able to achieve this season, thus leaving me less competitive. While my main goal is just to have fun and learn more about the car and myself as a driver, It would definitely be good to be somewhat competitive as well!

Are there any downsides to running this first event as D Street and then very shortly after moving to STU as I make some modifications? Or if I plan to modify past D’s allowances this season, should I already go ahead and register into STU now? I do think that ultimately, STU will be where I land in this first year, and we will see how everything goes from there! One last note, the unofficial classing tool does not highlight *any* of the “street” classes if I select “Cooper S & Cooper S JCW” (mine is a Cooper S) however, if I select “Cooper S (Including JCW & JCW GP except countryman)” then B Street is one of the highlighted options. So I am not positive which “street” class is proper, and which dropdown selection is true for my specific car. I know the tool is unofficial and just a starting point, just thought it was interesting.

[Ken Hammack]

#12310

The only downside of running in different classes is that in order to qualify for end of year awards is that you need to have run in one class in half plus one of the total events.  It looks like we have 10 events scheduled for this year, so if you run in one class for six events you will qualify in that class.  You will also be able to run in other classes for 4 events.

The link below (PDF) is to the official SCCA classing.  If you search for “Cooper S” (for example) it will show you for which class that car is eligible.

https://www.scca.com/downloads/71254-2024-solo-rulebook-march-edition/download

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