Back To School

I have been regularly autocrossing since 1992 (yeah, I’m that old) but had never received any formal training. My entire technique was developed by trial and error. This past weekend, however, I was a student at the Evolution Driving School. This school crisscrosses the country, and the staff is made up of former and reigning national champions. I was impressed to hear that many current national champs regularly go back for mid-season tune-ups.

While autocross seems pretty basic at first (go fast and avoid the cones) there are nuances that separate a first-class run from a mid-pack finish. I guess that’s true for any sport. We did a few lessons that drove home a major point: look ahead. The sooner you see a gate, apex or pointer cone, the faster you’ll get through there.

By the way, for those who haven’t been thrilled with the shape of the latest WRX, gotta say that the car performed very well. A severe lack of negative camber caused me to tear up one Nitto race tire, but I can’t wait for our next event.