Ross Bentley - Winning Autocross Techniques

ROSS BENTLEY

First published in 2008 by MBI Publishing Company and Motorbooks, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA

Copyright 2008, 2010 by Ross Bentley
Softcover edition published in 2008. Digital edition 2010.

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Digital edition: 978-1-61673-065-9
Softcover edition: 978-0-7603-3156-9

Editor: Chris Endres
Designer: Emily Jensen

Printed in China

On the cover:
One of the best things about autocross is the ability to drive your car to its limits with no fear of
damage. Rupert Berrington

On the back cover:
Autocross is great fun for all involvedexcept perhaps for the cones! M. L. Larson

My autocross experience has been sporadicsome events when I first started racing and then more throughout my road racing career, including a few guest appearances at club events when I was competing in Indy cars. But through the years, I picked up tips and knowledge from some very talented and committed autocrossers.

Years ago, I observed drivers like Gary Milligan, Sam OYoung, and Joe Cheng (probably more than they realized)these guys are absolute masters of the sportand I learned through events put on by the Vancouver Chinese Motorsport Club and the Burnaby Coquitlam Motorsport Association. These were some of the best organized motor-sport events Ive seen in my long career in the sport. And yes, I even learned a few things from the legendary Andy Field! Thank you to all those friends and club members for your contribution to this book.

When I first began Winning Autocross Techniques, I knew I needed help from an autocrosss expert. Per Schroeder is that expert. The main difference between an expert and someone whos really good at something is the expert can explain it. Per is not only fast, as proven by his extensive list of autocross wins and championships, but he knows how to explain what hes doing.

Chris Endres has been invaluable from two perspectives: as an editor, but also as someone relatively new to the sport of autocrossing. The perspective of a newcomerone who needs to know the basicswas the perfect balance to Pers years of experience. Without the help from Per and Chris, this book wouldnt exist. Thanks, guys! But you do know that youve given away a lot of your own secrets, and the competition just got tougher for you, dont you?!

During the time I was writing Winning Autocross Techniques, I was traveling and speaking to car clubs around the country, conducting advanced driving and instructor training workshops, and being a guest speaker at club dinners. Along the way I asked many club members what they would like to see in an autocross book, and I hope Ive been able to address their wish-lists, as well as include their advice. To all of you, thank you.

And, as always, thank you to my in-house editor, my wife and inspiration, Robin.

In writing this book, Ive attempted to cover a broad range of driving experience. Its meant to be a valuable resource for someone just looking to enter the sport, for both novices and experienced autocrossers. Even champion autocrossers should get something out of it. If I can challenge you to push yourself, rethink how you do things, and help you take your driving to the next level, Ill be ecstatic.

You can never learn too much and there is always more to learn. No matter what sport you look at, the superstars are constantly looking for ways to improve themselves. My hope is that this book will help you improve your performance, no matter what level of driving youre at. To me, the investment in a book may be the least expensive and most effective way of improving.

Let me tell you what this book wont give you:

An explanation of what autocrossing is.

A description of the different forms of autocrossing.

A rundown of the different classes of cars competing in autocross events.

Descriptions of the various clubs organizing events.

An understanding of the rules.

An explanation of how autocross events are run.

Advice on modifying and tuning your car to enhance its performance.

Why am I not giving you this information? Three reasons:

1. There are other resources (books and websites) out there that do that, and I dont want to duplicate other peoples work. However, I will list some resources in the appendix of this book.

2. Things change. Organizing clubs come and go (well, some dothe bad ones), rules change (always), and classifications of cars change. If I wrote about those things here, they could be outdated by the time the book is published and you have it in your hands.

3. This is a driving book. My expertise is in helping drivers improve their driving. I like to stick to what I do best, which is helping you learn more about autocross driving.

My hope is this book will do for autocrossers what my other Speed Secrets books have done for oval and road racers. Im always pleasantly surprised when I see how many drivers carry my books in their equipment bags to every race. Based on the comments I hear from them, I know that they use my books as a constant resource and motivator.

Id like for you to use this book in the same manner. Take it with you to events. Between runs, open it and flip through to remind you of some things you need to work on. While sitting in your car, with the engine revving, waiting to start a run, read chapterwait, Im just joking!

My point is this: This is not a book that you should read once and place on a shelf. Its a resource, and its value is in using it.

Talking about performance and competition driving, no matter what form of motorsport, is a complex subject. The challenge is in breaking it down into manageable bites, allowing you to learn one thing before moving onto the next. However, autocross driving is not a linear subject. Its not like you learn and master one thing, then move onto the next, and then the next, and the next, and so on. No, autocrossing is a dynamic, constantly changing, multidimensional activity. While youre learning about and improving one aspect of it, youre likely to be doing the same for many other things concurrently.

In writing a book, the challenge is in presenting the information in an orderly fashion so you, the reader, can take it all in. A word of warning: While I will present the information in a linear, orderly fashion, understand that is not how driving works. I will be tossing many balls in the air, talking about vehicle dynamics at one point, driving techniques at another, the line through a set of turns, and the mental aspects of the sport. But to be successful as an autocrosser, you are going to have to be able to manage them all at the same time.