A fella from the local Corvette Club came up to me at autocross last Saturday and asked if he could attach his GoPro camera to my Formula. I said "Sure" and he stuck it on the rear clip above the belt line.
It's a very interesting angle. Within the frame you can see many things, including my ugly mug in the side-view mirror (sorry everyone ), my hands on the steering wheel, the track of course... and most importantly, the front wheel. I'm serious, being able to see the front wheel clearly while buzzing around the track is fascinating. I never knew the wheels went up and down so much!
So the fella posted the video on YouTube at my request. I love it! The audio came out fine as well, which was quite a surprise considering the camera was mounted outside the car. And all those little "ticks" you hear are pebbles being tossed at the camera by the tires.
The course was designed to allow high horsepower Vettes to open 'er up. I was in 3rd gear half-way don't the back stretch. I estimate I was hitting the stop box at 70 MPH... pretty fast for an autocross.
So crank up your volume and watch my Formula tear up the track... full screen at 1080p is best.
. The red arrow is the line I wanted to follow.
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[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 08-13-2014).]
Indeed, nice video. Is that a Momo steering wheel that I seen? Also, not knowing what engine you have in your car, it does have a nice rumble to it! It appears as though you had fun on that course.
Cool. I havent ever done an autocross, it always seems to me I wouldnt know where to turn, even watching you it seems like there arent enough cones or lines
I think you've found the sweet spot when mounting it on a Fiero for autocross.
I agree. I'm going to have to build some kind of protective case for my Sony 3D Bloggie camera that I've been using inside the car so I can use it outside the car. I don't want one of those many pebbles being thrown up by the tires to nail the camera!
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Originally posted by Lunatic:
Is that a Momo steering wheel that I seen? Also, not knowing what engine you have in your car, it does have a nice rumble to it! It appears as though you had fun on that course.
You've got a good eye. Yes, that's a genuine made in Italy Momo steering wheel I picked up for a song years ago that I adapted to fit the Fiero. Took me awhile to get used to the thickness of it, but now I love it.
The engine is a stock 2.8 that has had the exhaust manifolds ported. I like the sound of it as well.
The fella from the Corvette Club who designed the course jokingly told everyone that he specifically was not making it Fiero friendly. I think I did okay on it.
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Originally posted by 2.5:
Cool. I havent ever done an autocross, it always seems to me I wouldnt know where to turn, even watching you it seems like there arent enough cones or lines
I don't deny that it can sometimes be a challenge. I now volunteer the day before to help set up the course. That way I know the course the next day when the runs count.
Regarding the autocross course, it helps to be there at the drivers' meeting in the morning, so you can walk the course. Then, let several other cars go before you, so you can see them negotiate the course. Also, after a dozen or so cars have run the course, the tire tracks start becoming visible enough to use as a guide.
Regarding the autocross course, it helps to be there at the drivers' meeting in the morning, so you can walk the course.
Yes, that's mandatory at the events I attend. Nobody wants drivers out there who don't have a clue where they're going. That would make it unnecessarily more risky for the people stationed out on the track (chasing cones). We all get maps (such as the one posted above) and have plenty of opportunity to walk the course several times.
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Originally posted by Blacktree:
Then, let several other cars go before you, so you can see them negotiate the course.
We don't get that choice, it's the luck of the draw. We get put into two or three groups, and the order of who drives first is pre-determined. But yes, I prefer being in the group that does track duty first so that I can observe how the other drivers pick a line through the course.
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Originally posted by Blacktree:
Also, after a dozen or so cars have run the course, the tire tracks start becoming visible enough to use as a guide.
That might work on a concrete pad, but not so much on asphalt. The only time I've ever seen a "guide" marked on the course was when someone had a cone lodge under their car right at the start and they dragged it around the entire course. The end result was an orange colored line clearly showing the route on the black pavement. It might've been me who did that, but I'm admitting to nothing.
I guess this is as good excuse as any to show the "in car" camera angle of the same course. Yes, there are certainly tire marks visible on the pavement, but a lot of them are skid marks veering off course that you wouldn't want to be following. I had the sun roof removed that afternoon, more for weight reduction than anything else, but I don't like how it introduces a whole lot more wind noise to the video. Usually, the camera mounted to the inside of the windshield provides pretty good audio. This run is actually 2/10ths of a second faster than the earlier posted run, but it seems awfully slow in comparison due to the less exciting camera angle and to the occasionally wind distorted audio which has far less auditory impact. It is however shot in 3D, although it can be viewed in 2D as well depending on which YouTube settings you choose to use.
[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 08-14-2014).]
Yeah, I always try to get track duty first. It lets me see the other guys run the course. Plus, I get to settle into the "racing mentality".
Most of the roads (and parking lots) down here are asphalt. Concrete pads big enough for autocrossing are very rare. But here in Florida, asphalt doesn't stay black very long. It turns a greyish color. The black tire rubber shows up pretty well against the grey background.
[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 08-14-2014).]
Most of the roads (and parking lots) down here are asphalt. And concrete parking lots are very rare. But still, many of the racers are using sticky tires that shed a lot of rubber, even on asphalt.
Blacktree, make sure to watch the video I added to my above post. You're right, there are tracks made by the tires, but not all of them are advisable to follow.
A fella from the local Corvette Club came up to me at autocross last Saturday and asked if he could attach his GoPro camera to my Formula. I said "Sure" and he stuck it on the rear clip above the belt line.
It's a very interesting angle. Within the frame you can see many things, including my ugly mug in the side-view mirror (sorry everyone ),
So crank up your volume and watch my Formula tear up the track... full screen at 1080p is best.
[https://images.fiero.nl/2012/course.jpg[/IMG] The red arrow is the line I wanted to follow.
You are kidding me right, watching it at full screen size just makes your ugly mug, well even uglier !
Nice track though,
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't
), my hands on the steering wheel, the track of course... and most importantly, the front wheel. I'm serious, being able to see the front wheel clearly while buzzing around the track is fascinating. I never knew the wheels went up and down so much! 
The red arrow is the line I wanted to follow.
