Unfortunately I have a several close friends that are, let’s just say… “car enthusiasts.” One in particular that had a background in autocrossing with his 350z Coupe. This friend just purchased a new Corvette and decided he needed to break it in by taking it autocrossing. Well I tagged along to get a ride along in this 500 HP Beast.
This was about two weeks after I purchased my (new to me) Infiniti G Sedan. I probably only had a chance to wax it once at this point (ha ha). After arriving to the course, they did a basic intro and allowed the drivers to walk the course and get a feel for things. During this 15 minute walking lap, my buddy had convinced me “You have to drive your car around this course to learn how to drive it”. Essentially it’s for MY SAFETY! Needless to say I was convinced and pretty much ruined for life after driving around this course like a go-kart smelling of burnt rubber.
Example photos from another event I dragged multiple friends too. They obviously all have nicer cars than I do, but that doesnt matter!
Autocrossing is definitely an easy entry activity. You don’t need prior experience, you can literally take any car in good mechanical condition. Best of all the entry fee is only around $40 for a day which can consist of 8-12 runs depending on how busy the event is.
For example, I was even able to get my wife out on a course the first year we were dating. She may have even beat me. By next year I even had her mother out on the track driving like a maniac to 80’s greatest hits. It seems no one has any issues trashing my car on the course!
I always found these two videos hilarious. I make sure that everyone that comes with me has their first experience “driving” the course rather than riding along. Nothing beats the first time you mash that peddle and hold on for dear life, not worrying if a cop is in front of you! It’s an adrenaline rush like jumping out of a plane!
Courtney’s First ride –
Courtney’s First ride along with me –
I refuse to post any videos where she beats my times. I have limits!
Here is an example of a course from a driver’s perspective. This course is at Circleville, OH which is a dedicated track about 40 minutes from my house. No cones were harmed in the making of this video. I think speeds peaked around 40-50 mph at a couple points but usually it’s under 40mph. It’s really hard to tell from the video how fast you’re going. In the car it’s quite a different experience. This course is designed primarily for Mazda Miata’s (tight cornering).
Two groups in town you can always find events with is:
I try to make it to one or two events every year, which isn’t much but my car already has over 120k miles on it!
My goal eventually will be to get a project Miata that I can abuse and not worry about knocking my daily driver out of commission. With a car like this I can get more active in events called High Performance Driving Events. These take place at legit tracks like Mid Ohio.
Find your adventure,
Justin
Life, Love & Adventure 