mrmatto
Autocross Champion
- Location
- Jacksonville, FL
- Car(s)
- 2015 GTI DSG
Edit: Changing this thread into a bit of a log for my autocross journey as a beginner just learning the ropes and just learning this car, starting with an introductory driving school.
———————
This weekend, I participated in an APEX Performance Driving School, Level 1, geared toward Autocross. The instructors were various top SCCA drivers, including some national champions. The class took place at St. Marys Airport in St. Marys, GA.
Me:
All skill levels were present, from complete novices (me!) to seasoned racers. My favorite was the Porsche GT4. Good god. Everyone there was super nice and just wanted to geek out about car stuff. The instructors tailored their instruction to what you needed help with. For me, having never autocrossed or raced my GTI, I wanted to learn my car's limits, some crucial driving techniques, and to get a feel for my next mods.
The class consisted of figure-8 runs, a slalom course, and an autocross challenge.
Figure-8:
I was the very first car out on this course in the morning. It was cold and it was wet from overnight rain, so being a FWD car with A/S tires, it was definitely challenging at first until I got a good handle on my limits. At first, the instructor was overly-encouraging of getting on the gas coming out of the turn, but it became clear this was just causing understeer, so I backed off. It was very frustrating at first. And with the tune and wet asphalt, it was just pure spin to the next turn anyways. The instructor took the wheel for a couple laps so I could feel what the limits are. He tried to do a little bit of trail braking to induce some oversteer, but stability control kicked in (more on that later) and cut the power.
But as we ran the course more and more, I got better and better at it. I learned how to stay closer to the cones, when to brake, where the ABS threshold was, how to roll on the throttle so the turbo kick didn't rip the tires out, and very importantly: how to look ahead. Such a crucial skill that I spent the day trying to drill into my head. Look ahead, turn your head and look at your exits, plan your exit.
It became very clear in this first session that my tires were a big weak point. Granted, the track was wet, but still, traction was very hard to come by.
Also, even though the EBC Redstuff pads are pretty good, they started to fade after several back-to-back loops. They just aren't mean for repeated high speed braking like you would experience on an open track. I'm sure my stock brake fluid had something to do with that too. To be fair, I wasn't the only car that day who experienced brake degradation on that figure-8 challenge. It was pretty brutal. A Tesla came off with big smoke plumes coming from his brakes, and a couple other drivers had smoking brakes after that session too.
A pretty fun one to work the cones, especially watching the RWD vehicles trying to push the exit speed.
In between:
Slalom course:
What fun! This had so many challenges in it and gave me more of a taste of an autocross course. It was a short sprint, then a slalom, then a hairpin turn, then a Chicago box, then sprint to the finish. To make it extra challenging, the start and the turn had some loose gravel.
This is where I really got a feel for the car's limits, because the track was finally dry! Learning how to enter the slalom and get the right timing with turning was a revelation and I could feel it when I got it right. The loose hairpin turn was a fun way to practice some trail braking and oversteer. Disabling stability control (instead of having it in "Sport" mode) was key here. It didn't cut my throttle if I brought the back end out. Then transitioning into the Chicago box from the turn was easy peasy for me as long as I got my braking timing down. Brakes performed well. Took down a couple cones in the slalom, but such is life.
This one was really fun to work the cones, seeing how other drivers drove it and made mistakes. I was surprised how much I learned by just watching other drivers screw up.
Autocross challenge:
The instructors set up a full autocross course that included some of the elements we practiced, plus some new ones. We got 12 runs total each, which was awesome, and they walked the course with all of us beforehand. I did 2 runs with the instructor, 2 runs with the instructor driving, 5 runs with instruction and focusing on cutting my time, then 3 solo runs.
The course (if I recall correctly...): Turn start, slalom, gate, hairpin turn, super tight Chicago box, wallom, high speed turn, gate, slalom, slalom, hairpin, wallom, sprint to the end. I love love LOVED this. It was a pretty fast course, which I greatly enjoyed. A nice mix of speed and technical elements. Track was dry, tires were warm(ish), brakes performed perfectly. The course was tricky in some places because there was a high-speed slalom entrance on a gravelly patch. Aside from 2 runs where I got sideways there, I improved my times every run.
Very fun to watch other cars run this, especially the loose slalom section. A few spinning Miatas.
Wrap-up:
———————

This weekend, I participated in an APEX Performance Driving School, Level 1, geared toward Autocross. The instructors were various top SCCA drivers, including some national champions. The class took place at St. Marys Airport in St. Marys, GA.
Me:
- Zero autocross experience, and zero performance driving experience with a car (I have done some karting)
- 2015 GTI 2-door, DSG, Michelin AS3+ tires, EBC Redstuffs, ECS rear brace, CTS FMIC, APR Stage 1 low torque tune
All skill levels were present, from complete novices (me!) to seasoned racers. My favorite was the Porsche GT4. Good god. Everyone there was super nice and just wanted to geek out about car stuff. The instructors tailored their instruction to what you needed help with. For me, having never autocrossed or raced my GTI, I wanted to learn my car's limits, some crucial driving techniques, and to get a feel for my next mods.
The class consisted of figure-8 runs, a slalom course, and an autocross challenge.
Figure-8:
I was the very first car out on this course in the morning. It was cold and it was wet from overnight rain, so being a FWD car with A/S tires, it was definitely challenging at first until I got a good handle on my limits. At first, the instructor was overly-encouraging of getting on the gas coming out of the turn, but it became clear this was just causing understeer, so I backed off. It was very frustrating at first. And with the tune and wet asphalt, it was just pure spin to the next turn anyways. The instructor took the wheel for a couple laps so I could feel what the limits are. He tried to do a little bit of trail braking to induce some oversteer, but stability control kicked in (more on that later) and cut the power.
But as we ran the course more and more, I got better and better at it. I learned how to stay closer to the cones, when to brake, where the ABS threshold was, how to roll on the throttle so the turbo kick didn't rip the tires out, and very importantly: how to look ahead. Such a crucial skill that I spent the day trying to drill into my head. Look ahead, turn your head and look at your exits, plan your exit.
It became very clear in this first session that my tires were a big weak point. Granted, the track was wet, but still, traction was very hard to come by.
Also, even though the EBC Redstuff pads are pretty good, they started to fade after several back-to-back loops. They just aren't mean for repeated high speed braking like you would experience on an open track. I'm sure my stock brake fluid had something to do with that too. To be fair, I wasn't the only car that day who experienced brake degradation on that figure-8 challenge. It was pretty brutal. A Tesla came off with big smoke plumes coming from his brakes, and a couple other drivers had smoking brakes after that session too.
A pretty fun one to work the cones, especially watching the RWD vehicles trying to push the exit speed.
In between:
- Shopped for tires
- Pulled up my OBD app to fully disable stability control (soooo much better)
Slalom course:
What fun! This had so many challenges in it and gave me more of a taste of an autocross course. It was a short sprint, then a slalom, then a hairpin turn, then a Chicago box, then sprint to the finish. To make it extra challenging, the start and the turn had some loose gravel.
This is where I really got a feel for the car's limits, because the track was finally dry! Learning how to enter the slalom and get the right timing with turning was a revelation and I could feel it when I got it right. The loose hairpin turn was a fun way to practice some trail braking and oversteer. Disabling stability control (instead of having it in "Sport" mode) was key here. It didn't cut my throttle if I brought the back end out. Then transitioning into the Chicago box from the turn was easy peasy for me as long as I got my braking timing down. Brakes performed well. Took down a couple cones in the slalom, but such is life.
This one was really fun to work the cones, seeing how other drivers drove it and made mistakes. I was surprised how much I learned by just watching other drivers screw up.
Autocross challenge:
The instructors set up a full autocross course that included some of the elements we practiced, plus some new ones. We got 12 runs total each, which was awesome, and they walked the course with all of us beforehand. I did 2 runs with the instructor, 2 runs with the instructor driving, 5 runs with instruction and focusing on cutting my time, then 3 solo runs.
The course (if I recall correctly...): Turn start, slalom, gate, hairpin turn, super tight Chicago box, wallom, high speed turn, gate, slalom, slalom, hairpin, wallom, sprint to the end. I love love LOVED this. It was a pretty fast course, which I greatly enjoyed. A nice mix of speed and technical elements. Track was dry, tires were warm(ish), brakes performed perfectly. The course was tricky in some places because there was a high-speed slalom entrance on a gravelly patch. Aside from 2 runs where I got sideways there, I improved my times every run.
Very fun to watch other cars run this, especially the loose slalom section. A few spinning Miatas.
Wrap-up:
- I left this event surprisingly sore and tired, yet inspired and energized to learn more and drive more.
- The instructors (I had 2 different ones) both complemented my smoothness and lines, but both noted I needed to work on being more aggressive with braking, and that I need more traction. The instructors were amazing teachers.
- Key skills learned:
- Looking ahead
- Threshold braking
- Slalom timing
- Edit: also, string theory and using that to brake a little late into a turn to load up the front tires.
- The GTI on stock suspension can get a little oversteer when you trail brake it or lift off the throttle in a turn, but not nearly as easily or neatly as my Mazda 3 did. I do miss that. I think a rear sway would help this. I need to practice it more for sure.
- XDS on medium felt right and gave the car the most neutral feel (IMHO). But at speed with A/S tires and no LSD, XDS settings probably don't do much.
- The Redstuffs were excellent for Autcross, but absolutely would not hold up on a real track.
- Tires. Tires. Tires. Good god I need better tires. Shopping for summers now... The AS3+'s seem to have a limited window where they do well, and I kept pushing them outside of that window. They're excellent AS tires -- the sidewalls are stiff and they did not roll over at all. Stayed very responsive. -- but not good Autocross tires and struggle to do two things at once.
- The APR Stage 1 low torque tune was really great because its powerband extends all the way to redline. So, I was able to keep it in 2nd gear the whole run and not worry about revving out of the power band. On a different tune or stock, I might have been tempted to shift into 3rd gear at times, which would have been an extra element to think about. Oil temp never got above 234*F and quickly cooled back to ~210*F after runs.
- Tires.
- Did I mention tires?
- Lastly, tires.
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