My Return to Autocrossing

If you've never heard of an autocross, it's a miniature road-race usually set up in a large parking lot with the course typically marked off with traffic cones. One car at a time, against the clock. It's also an absolute blast. People show up in everything from heavily modified Corvettes to shifter carts to bone-stock Hyundai Excels. And everyone has fun.

The first car I ever had the opportunity to autocross was a 1977 Porsche 924 which I purchased for $250 in 1998. I might have paid too much for it, it was in pretty sad shape.

I ran it in the Pacific Northwest region of the Porsche Club of America. Most of those guys paid more per tire than I paid for my entire car. That car didn't handle particularly well, and it's brakes were theoretical at best, but it made up for those shortcomings by being slow.

The next car I autocrossed was a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am. I ran it with the Mohawk Hudson region of the SCCA. This car had waaay more power than traction and just skated around the course. It was a real crowd pleaser, and a hoot to drive. On more than one occasion, the course workers would cheer as I drifted by them while rounding a corner.

Today, I autocrossed my buddy Mike's newest addition to his stable, a 2000 Corvette convertible (in the picture). This car has been modified in just about every way imaginable; aftermarket heads and cam, lowered suspension, bigger brakes. He was running soft compound road-race tires and the grip was amazing . . .

. . . Until you pressed the gas. Then the rear tires just erupted in a cloud of smoke. We set the second fastest time of the day today. The fastest was an open wheel Formula 500 race car.