[Tommy]

Maybe it was just me or maybe it was the guys that set up the courses, but I got lost on the first half dozen autocross courses I ran. Those damn cones were everywhere. I finally got in the habit of drawing a map of the course while I walked it. That way I could study it again right before it was my turn on the track. .... You'll likely see lots of improvement over your first dozen events, largely because you are getting better. I wouldn't worry too much about car settings until the driver feels somewhat comfortable. .... I think autocross is a great way to safely learn more about your car's limits and your abilities as a driver. But I eventually grew tired of spending an entire day at the event and three hours standing as a corner worker for about six minutes of track time. That's when I switched to track day events. Keep that option open after you've logged some autocross time.