Okay, at 33 I'm not really an old timer, but I have competed in roughly 100 events over the past nine years. With all of the relatively new blood the Alabama Region has seen recently, I felt it was time for another article on driving tips and general preparations for a successful day of cone dodging. You should come to these events with the goal of having fun.  But take it from me -- it's much more fun when you win!

First of all, arrive at the site as early as possible. This will give you plenty of time to change tires, prep your car, get registered, and walk the course. Even if you compete in the family Civic exactly as it is driven from week to week, the more time you have to get ready for that first run, the better.

Probably the single most important and overlooked factor in doing well is walking the course. I would suggest walking the course a minimum of two times, with three or four times being much more rewarding. If you walk the course with a friend or group of driers, make sure you go back and walk it at least once by yourself. Try to visualize things like braking points and where you will need to upshift and downshift. Where is the slowest corner? Where is the fastest straight? I find it helps to pace off certain distances, especially the distance between the slalom cones and the straights. After a while you will learn at what speed you can take a slalom based on the distance. You will learn from the distance of a straight whether or not there will be an upshift to second, or an upshift to third. Remember that a curve or a bend where you will not have to lift should be considered as part of the straight. Naturally, things may not work out exactly as you planned. But if you've done a good job of walking the course, it will be easier to adjust on subsequent runs.

Now for a few driving tips. Let's start from the beginning -- the launch. You should experiment with different RPMs to find the perfect balance between wheel spin and instant acceleration. If you boil the tires on your first launch, try backing off about 500 RPM. If your engine shudders or bogs, try going up about 500 RPM. By your second or third run you should be able to find the right balance. Remember, every event will be a bit different due to track surface, temperature and the condition of your tires.

Once you have left the line, concentrate on getting full acceleration from your car in every gear. Don't shortshift! Try to glance down at your tach and don't upshift until you reach redline. If the first braking point comes before the shift, go ahead and drive that corner in first gear, or second gear if that's the case. This holds true for the entire course.

This brings me to cornering. To the novice, an autocross course probably seems like one long continuous corner, but this is not so. Corners and straights must be recognized and treated as such. There are basically three stages to a corner. The first is braking. Try to get your braking done while the car is still in a straight line. This way you can break very hard without upsettting the car. The second stage is turning  in and getting on an even throttle. Try to turn in smoothly and precisely. When driving through the corner you should not be coasting or accelerating. This is known as an even throttle. The third and probably the most important stage is the exit. As you begin to exit the corner you should do two things simultaneously. These are unwinding the steering wheel and gradually increasing the throttle position. This is difficult to do correctly. It is something you must feel through the seat of your pants. Every car is different, but what you are striving for is a balance somewhere between being glued to the surface and an out of control slide.

In my opinion, slaloms are the most difficult aspect of an autocross. It took me many years of practice to feel comfortable in a slalom. I have seen many experienced drivers take completely different approaches to getting through a slalom quickly, so you may need to develop your own unique method. Anyway, this is how I do it. First, I try to brake as late as possible. I will usually still be in the brakes when I'm midway between the first and second cones. I then drive as quickly as possible through the slalom while on an even throttle. This is where knowing the distance between the cones becomes very important. I treat the last two cones of the slalom as a lane change. I know I can take a lane change much faster than a slalom, so I try to get back on a full throttle just as I'm passing the next to the last cone. If I wait until I'm completely out of the slalom to nail the throttle, I have waited too long.

I hope that I have given you some new ideas on how to improve your times. Don't be afraid to try a  new technique. And remember that they all take a lot of practice. Please feel free to ask me anything you wish at an upcoming event. Until then remember -- "Cones 'R Bad, 'N-Kay?"

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