Questions on joining without experience

[93NA88FC]

I guess everyone has to get experience somewhere but want to do it in the least intimidating venue as possible.  So I thought I would ask if this club is sympathetic to new members who want to learn the ins and outs of autocross or rally.  I've rallied over the years but nothing official.  Never autocrossed. 

The other reason for my question is that I've now got a 16 year old who is getting his permit and I need to get him educated on what car handling is all about and I think the club venue would be ideal.  I could be wrong though therefore my question.

Am I going down the right road here?  I know I can go to a very expensive teen driving school for my kid and I still may, but by joining and participating, can I get myself and him educated and have some fun driving without being yelled at or intimidated by other "professionals"? 

Ralf W.

[JCHVMSC]

We are very sympathetic with new folks and love to get them started off well in the autocross and rally sports. Autocross is a great way to learn car handling and develop driving skills.
The only wrinkle is that our insurance requires that all participants be fully licensed drivers, not those with just permits. When your son gets his license, we offer autocross schools and have co sponsored with BMW, a Street Survival school, which teaches car handling and "street" driving skills for younger drivers. Keep an eye on our website for announcements about future schools.
We would love to have you participate in any of our events to help you gain skills (and have a lot of fun). Our next autocross event is scheduled for March 29th. The insurance restriction applies to riders also, so your son would have to be a spectator for a while. We also have a members meeting at Candela's on March 19th that you would be very welcome to attend. You could meet a few folks and get a better feel for what our club is all about.

Sorry we can't be more helpful for your son right now.

John

[ahamos]

Come on out!  Watch, learn, drive, work.  It's the best way to gain a ton of experience.  You'd be surprised how much you can learn during the working part of the events.  I don't know if the club's insurance would allow your son to ride (I've seen young riders) in others' cars, but getting right-seat time is almost as valuable as left-seat time.  Coming to understand what the real limitations of a car are, and where it is and is not appropriate to explore those limitations, is something I wish I'd had access to as a teenager.

I and plenty of others would be more than willing to offer up the use of a passenger seat, to ride along with you in your car and provide tips, and to work with you during worker assignments to maximize your fun and learning opportunities.

[funrun]

Hello Ralf,

Yes, you are definitely going down the right road.

I have been involved with the club since I moved here several years ago. So I can speak from experience that VMSC welcomes all newcomers, being experienced or not.

I have autocrossed with several different clubs in many different states. And to me, they all have one main theme in common... they are all made up of people from many different ages, backgrounds, experience levels, and etc., but all seem to be able to welcome anyone and be able to talk shop and offer feedback if asked for.

I have always preached it is a great way for beginner drivers to learn car control and breaking in a safe environment. After all, I think it is much safer to learn by dodging a cone than a car that suddenly swerves out in front of you.

As far as a driver school. There are many instructional schools to choose from. I do not think you could go wrong in any choice. And the more the merrier. We actually have had many of our members go to Evolution Performance Driving School. In fact some of their instructors have raced with us before.

And our club puts on our own version of a drivers school once or twice a year. Our drivers school this season is currently scheduled for April 25th with an adjoining autocross the following day on April 26th.

You also mentioned you son at 16. Our club's past president was/is in the same situation. He actually had him out at our events well before he was able to drive. So he just helped us out at events. When he turned drivers age he then started to autocross with us.

In a nutshell, I think autocross is a great sport that is an economic and safe way for "Joe Racer" to get his five minutes of fame and glory in and compete in bragging rights with his/her buddies. All the while doing no damage to their vehicle other than a little tire scrapping and possible bumping a cone or two.

And I believe everyone you would encounter at one of our events would be more than happy to share ideas, answers, comments and etc with you.

Hope to see you out at out next event on March 29.

-Lonnie Hawkins
2nd Vice President
Virginia Motor Sports Club

[wahoo5]

As Lonnie mentioned, I started each of my sons in autocrossing when they were 16. I strongly believe that the place to learn how to respond to losing control of your car is in a parking lot in a controlled environment rather than on the street. Others in the club have done the same.

An autocross school for you and your son is a great idea. We have done both the VMSC schools and an Evolution school. I recommend them both. I do think it really helps to have autocrossed at least once or twice before you do a school, particularly the more intensive Evo school..

I would encourage you to come out and join us, and bring your son. I will be there with my younger son who will soon be 18.

I look forward to meeting you.

David

[93NA88FC]

That's great!  Thank you for all the welcomes and advice.  We will try to get down there.  I think March 29 is out as we are going to the Miata thing in Myrtle Beach, but after that, events that you sponsor will be great to attend. 
Ralf

[CoryB]

That's great!  Thank you for all the welcomes and advice.  We will try to get down there.  I think March 29 is out as we are going to the Miata thing in Myrtle Beach, but after that, events that you sponsor will be great to attend. 
Ralf

Look us up while you're there. My wife and I will be in our silver 2007 MX-5, license IH8 RAIN. I'll be glad to talk to you about VMSC, autocross, etc.

Are you going to the autox at M@MB?