those crazy potters

Woo-Hoo!

So today I attended a Novice Autocross Driving School. What a blast! We started out at 8am with some basic info about autocross which then led into information such as how to tech a car and how to work the different spots on the course.

We were then taken in groups on a (fast) course ride - followed by two walkthroughs and then another instructor driven (this time slow) ride through the course. Each of us then took one slow drive around the track with an instructor riding along. There was a bit more discussion about car classes and then it was time for lunch.

I spent most of lunch either freezing (it was COLD - very few of us came prepared for the amount of wind) or staring at the course trying to figure out what lines to take. The majority of us at the school had never driven anything like this before and you could tell people were starting to get excited about being able to drive.

I worked the first heat of cars so had the small advantage of watching half the class drive the course. Still I knew my biggest disadvatage was my own fear of pushing my car to its limits.

My first time out I drove slowly - real slowly - just to make sure I had the course right in my head. Over the next few runs I dropped about 5 seconds off my time (yes, that's how slow my first run was). Still, I was having a hard time turning the car as tightly as I needed too and was losing a lot of time in the skid pad.

We swapped places again and I watched the first group go out for their last 5 runs. I knew I had to just go for it and really push myself to floor it on the straights and turn in advance on the slalom.

As it turns out, I came in first in my class! Well okay, there was only one other car in my class but still... :) My first run was a 62.857 - I wasn't kidding when I said I took it slowly. I ended the day with a 41.677. The other car's best time was a 42.178.

I think the student track record for the day as in the high 35's and the average seemed to be around 39 mark. I think with one or two more runs I could have dropped into the 40s without much trouble. It wasn't until the end of the day that I was really able to realize what my car could and couldn't do and where I was comfortable pushing it.

So, I'm exhausted and wind burnt and still on some kind of high from driving like that. This was FUN!! I think I might try and do the Novice 2 class in the fall.

Posted by Heidi at March 20, 2004 09:02 PM