The reason I ask is that I fancy giving one if these things a go but have heard accounts of experienced fixed wing pilots "reverting to type" when things go wrong - with disastrous results.
No autogyro experience here, but some dual helicopter hours including reading up on how these things fly, hover, and crash. In fixed-wing aircraft, unloading the wing ("stick forward") often gets you out of trouble quickly. In two-blade helicopters with a teetering head (like the R22/44, but also the JetRanger or Huey), unloading the disc (i.e., stick forward, too, but actually any low g-situation) can lead to separation of the rotor from the helicopter and/or the blades hitting the tailboom owing to excessive flapping. Probably the same for autogyros.