Do's and Don'ts
- Take your work assignment seriously. Part of autocrossing is helping with various tasks that keep the event running. Giving your work assignment 100% of your attention will ensure that you are not having a negitive effect on someone else's event. Be sure that you arrive on time or ealry for work, as tardy workers often delays event start times.
- Arrive Early. Give yourself plenty of time to get yourself together, register, tech and walk the course a few times. It’s always better to have a little spare time to chat with friends than be scrambling.
- Look for opportunities to help. Few are able to bring their full garage to an event, as such often people need to borrow a tool. If you have a tool someone needs to borrow, let them borrow it, or better yet, offer them a hand. Autocross is a community, everyone is there to enjoy the day and helping someone else enjoy theirs will certainly come back to you in the long run.
- Respect the Site. Autocross sites can be challenging for a region to secure, and require a relationship between the site management and every person who participates in the event. Simple misjudgements, such as disrespectful driving, littering or excessive noise in and around the site can strain this relationship and put the usage of the site in jeopardy. Being mindful of this balance at all times is a essential part of being a member of the autocross community.
- Be Honest. Despite the very best efforts of all involved, mistakes do happen in the timing and scoring of runs. Generally, the first person to notice is the person it benefits. If this ever happens to you, whether you were assigned the wrong time, or a penalty was over looked, own up to it. You will appreciate it the next time when someone does it for you.
- Allow others to prepare for their runs. Autocrossing is a largely mental sport. Many drivers require a few moments to become prepared for a run. Be aware of this when you are in the grid, and be cautious of when you approach someone with a question. Most autocrossers are always willing to help out, but there is a preferred time and place.
- Save the performance driving for the course. Whether it is for the preservation of the site, or safety of those around you, there is a place to play with your car, and there are many places not to. Any unsafe practices puts everyone at risk, and should be avoided at all cost. If you speed on roads leading to or from the event site, it not only puts you at risk of a speeding ticket but also can give the club a bad reputation. This hurts everyone involved.
- Remember, we are all in it for fun. You may not get why some of us do what we do, but if you step back and look at the sport we are all in it for fun. We come out here to drive cars, but most of keep coming back to hang out with great people. Stay positive, have a great attitude and you'll rarely have a bad event.
