Entering a whole new way to race: Autocross

For the months that I've had an injured leg, I've had to rearrange my priorities.  One of them was transportation to work.  Whereas before I could ride a bike, my injury has taken that option away for right now.  The need for a car has moved up the list.


 I didn't think I'd be needing to buy a car anytime soon, but with my current situation I couldn't wait any longer to buy one.  I decided to buy a used car from a friend who had previously used the car in Autocross. 

What I eventually got was a 1996 Mazda Miata with a 5-Speed manual transmission.  This was my first car that I've driven that hasn't been an SUV or a truck, and the first that has been a manual transmission.  It was quite nerve racking to drive something so small and exposed, adding on top of the unfamiliar nature of the car.  I never though getting to work the day after I got the car would be such a challenge!

In an interesting turn of events, one of the supervisors at my work is one of the best Autocrossers in Texas, and my introduction into the motorsport began here. 

Autocross is an SCCA sanctioned motorsport which is a mix of a time trial and a rally/drift course, outlined by direction cones.  This sport is more focused on car control and precision versus other motorsports, and is safer since it is individual with no real walls or valleys to crash into.  It's also cheap - all you need is a car that fits in a class and the entry fee.  Each car has it's own time-adjusted class, and higher classes with more mods allowed to the vehicle.  Look it up on Google; almost any vehicle is allowed, and most entry fees never reach more than $30.  It teaches you the limits of the vehicle and how to work around them. 

For one thing, I didn't know how fun the car would be until I got it, and I was even more surprised what it could do on the race course.  Things you wondered about in terms of handling, acceleration, and braking are answered very quickly on the course.  Because of the time scaling on car class from modifications, everything is competitive as the scaling looks to remove the car and list the skill of the driver.  However,  I still have a LONG way to go.  Some people with the exact same car are getting up to 8 seconds better than me on a 60 second course. 

I think autocross so far has been a great influence on me; teaching me what the car can AND can't do.  The latter of those lessons is the most important.  Understanding how to use only a fraction of your car's true handling on the road is what makes you a better driver.   

This week has also been the first week I have returned to the bike, albeit only short distances though.  I guess I went from racing on a bike to racing in a car - but hopefully I'll be able to have both going in full force soon. 

I'll see you on the road, either on my bike or in my car.

-David