Autocross: Cone-Dodging Fun!
Autocross: most of you have probably heard of it, and I’d be willing to bet that a large portion of you have probably spent a lot of time doing it too. To many people, it’s nothing more than wannabe racecar drivers dodging cones in a parking lot at 30 miles per hour. Those of us more interested in the sport see it a little differently, but when you look at it as its most basic form, that’s correct. However, the people you meet and the experiences you get with autocross make it so much more than that.
For the uninitiated, Autocross is a motorsport discipline where drivers compete against themselves or others in a time trial on varying courses often marked using cones. Autocross is an amazing way to get your feet wet in HPDE or motorsports for many reasons : the cost of entry is usually extremely low, especially when compared to HPDE or open track days. On top of that, the car that you have is the car that you can take to an autocross! It doesn’t matter if you drive a base model Honda Civic or the latest and greatest BMW M car, you can take it to autocross, be competitive, and most importantly have fun! Best of all, autocross events are accessible. Even in the reaches of small towns and areas where I live, where Knoxville is considered the “Big City”, there are a few autocross groups to choose from, each offering their own benefits and different styles. When you combine all of these factors, you get a motorsport that’s easily accessible for anyone who truly wants to get their feet wet and try out driving in a performance setting.
I got my start in autocross this year thanks to the push of a few friends and an invitation to a local event in March of this year. I had done a little research, and autocross definitely interested me, but I wasn’t too sure that I would like it. From the outside looking in, there were a few things that seemed a little odd about it. For starters, the courses looked extremely confusing and, if i’m honest, downright intimidating: cones standing up, laying down, and in different patterns, all meaning different things. On top of being confusing to read, the layouts also seemed difficult to follow and learn. Most confusing of all however was the classing system. I couldn’t wrap my head around which modifications made my car fall into which classes, how the classes were ranked, or if I would stand a chance of being competitive in any of the classes due to the way my car had been modified. However, all that intimidation and worry went away the first time I set foot on the course. As it turns out, there are some groups that run these events with an open classing structure, meaning that you basically run with no classes, in a more laid-back form. This completely changed my outlook, as that had taken care of one of my biggest concerns. This way, I could focus on the driving and less on whether or not I was competing at the top.
At my first autocross event, I was finally able to understand and learn many of the things that had made it so confusing at first. The drivers’ meeting and the time I was given to walk the course and learn the ways it twisted and turned made things much more approachable. By the time the drivers meeting was over, I couldn’t wait to get in the car and start turning laps. After the first lap, I realized a few things: first, that you can go a lot faster than 30 on an autocross course, second, how much more difficult this was than it looked, and lastly how much fun it was. By the end of the day, I couldn’t wait to be at the next event. All it took was that first pass, and I was hooked. I had so much fun and learned so much from that first event, and it fueled my passion for driving even more. At the end of that event, I immediately hopped on Facebook and MotorsportReg to try and find more events I could attend as soon as possible. This also kickstarted my interest in track days, which we’ll cover in another article at a later date. With it now being the end of the season for my local autocross groups, I have all winter to plan out and prepare for multiple events next season and I cannot wait until things start moving again.
To those of you who are thinking of trying it out, give it a shot! Autocross is a great way to get into motorsports and will bring you tons of good times. It’s a cheap, fairly low-risk way to get into motorsports and yet it can still be enjoyed by even the most veteran drivers. Oh, and just remember: you can go a lot faster than 30mph at Autocross.
Photos by Stephanie Phillippi
Be sure to check her out on Instagram @stepharooxoxo !
