Eddie Savage’s Etiquette for Autocrossers: Emily Post in a Porsche

Do:
Show up on time.
Arriving when the gate opens means giving yourself plenty of time to prepare your car, go through tech, stand in the registration line, fit in an extra course walk, etc. (See Event Day Timeline). Being on time also applies to the starting line and to worker assignments. Stay with your car while in grid and be ready to go. Get to your worker station ASAP and relieve the person whose work stint should be over.
Own this.
Do your work assignment. Get to it on time and pay attention to doing it well: half-hearted efforts don’t cut it. (See Working the Course) Volunteer for an extra assignment if we’re short of workers. Ask an organizer what jobs they need help with. Consider attending training for a major job. When you participate in autocross, remember it’s run by other drivers.
Be nice to newcomers.
Remember that even if it’s the fifth event of the season, it may be someone’s first. Answer questions. Offer advice or assistance. Make newcomers feel welcome. If you have time, tell them about the Novice course-walk and/or introduce them to our Novice Chief. Be patient: remember that a sociable attitude around novice drivers goes a long way to bettering the sport and your future competition.
Share your tools and your knowledge.
Helping another competitor is in the spirit of comraderie and good sportsmanship. Sometimes it’s just loaning someone a tire gauge. Take it even further by offering to let another driver ride with you for a run, or by loaning your car to someone whose ride has broken down.
Respect other drivers’ paddock space.
Stuff lying around in a paddock space generally means someone else is pitting there: so don’t park there. Don’t crowd in so close you’re making it difficult for someone changing tires, and don’t take up 3 spaces when 2 will do. Make sure your stuff and your trash won’t get blown away and become someone else’s responsibility. Before leaving, deal with your trash.
Be polite about protests.
It’s no fun being surprised by an unexpected protest. Sometimes the offender isn’t aware that what s/he has or is doing isn’t allowed. Politely confront another driver about a suspected rules violation before filing an official protest. And remember, sometimes the protester is wrong.
Be a good (honest) winner and a good (honest) loser.
Be safe.
Always be watchful in grid (especially for co-driver switching) and on the course (for red flags and course workers). (See more in General Information)

Don’t:

Don’t start up a conversation carelessly.
Don’t start talking at someone who’s quietly focusing on his/her course walk or who’s in the grid, helmet on, strapped in and about to take a run. You will ruin his/her concentration.
Don’t speed in the paddock, on the site entry road or in town.
Also: No burnouts at the starting line. No donuts in the parking lot. No squirreling through the grid area. Unsafe practices put everyone at risk and give us a bad reputation.
Don’t be stubborn.
Thinking you know it all already doesn’t get your anywhere faster. Enough said.
Don’t sulk and drive.
don't give up on a run if you miss a gate or cream a cone -- put it behind you and keep driving like a competitor. Just because you hit a cone or two, don’t get careless and plow down ten more. Somebody’s got to right all those cones, and you could be costing everyone valuable time!
Don’t yell.
Not at course workers. Not at officials. They’re volunteers, you know, and they don’t need to take your crap. Cool down and come back with your issue when you can speak in a reasonable way.
Don’t drink.
As in NO alcohol: you’re not at Fenway.
Don’t cheat. Don’t steal.
This is a no-brainer: we’re friends.
Don’t plan on drifting.
Autocrosses aren’t drift events.
Don’t drive to the porta-potties while karts are running.
Subscribe to me on YouTube
Sign up for our
Email Newsletter