Chuckanut Sports Car Club – Autocross School 2011 – Bellingham, WA

This weekend I was able to attend an autocross school hosted by the Chuckanut Sports Car Club.  I knew that I would enjoy autocross the second I tried it, but I was amazed a how friendly and knowledgeable the group was.  Special thanks to all of the veteran autocross guys who rode along and also gave pointers to all of us newbies from the sidelines!  I thought I would pass on what knowledge I remembered (I wasn't able to take notes) and explain my take on the event.

First off, they led us through the registration process.  This involved showing ID and having them make sure we registered.  Once completed, they told us to remove any loose items from the car (spare tire, cargo covers, boxes, etc.) and place them near the parking area.  Next, we lined up and they checked every car.  They checked wheel bearings, brake fluid, and the throttle cable to make sure that they all met racing requirements.  They also made sure that everyone had a Snell approved helmet or someone to share one with.

After completing tech inspection, we proceeded to move onto the next station where the CSCC president, Alex, gave us a rundown about what the club was about and the basics of autocross.  We then had a half hour introduction on how to prepare for race day presented by a gentleman with a very nice Porsche Boxster (I can't remember his name).  Once this was done, we were organized into 4 groups for four different stations.  Below is a description of each of the stations:

Station 1 – Slalom/Gates
Here we learned the essentials of walking the track and deciding on which were the best lines to take.  The cones were setup so that there was a 4 cone slalom, a 180° constant radius corner, and 4 sets of gates on the return.  A gate is basically a set of two cones that you must pass through without knocking either of them over.  We each had about 6 runs through the course and then they switched the direction and we each got 3 more runs this way.  During this session, members continued to give pointers and everyone was very friendly and patient.

Station 2 – Skidpad
In this station, we learned how to maintain car control while traveling around a circle on uneven pavement.  A skidpad is basically a large circle of cones that you try to travel as fast as you can around while keeping control of the vehicle.  We were pushed to find the limits of our cars and at one time I did spin out.  It was fairly minor – and I didn't hit any cones – but it gave me more confidence going forward in the event knowing at which point my car would start to lose control.

Station 3 – Starting Gate/Launch
For this event, we were placed behind a starting line and were told to try and launch and accelerate as fast as we could through timing lights spaced approximately 20 feet apart.  This proved to be interesting as most of us were fairly timid about launching our cars but there was an Evo IX that launched incredibly well.  This was a fun event and allowed me to dial in how to best launch my car from a stop.

Station 4 – Braking
The last station that our group participated in was meant to teach us how to control our braking distance.  We were allowed about 5 runs and the goal was to stop the car in a "box" of cones after accelerating from the gate.  This was interesting as the box of cones was only about 20 feet deep so it took some practice runs to determine how far it took our cars to stop.  All in all, this was a fun station and I learned a great deal about the stopping distance of my S2000.

Overall, this event was very well organized and I would like to thank all of the members of the club for all of their help and pointers during this event.  They really are a great group and I look forward to attending more events held by them in the future.  If anyone has an interest in autocrossing, I strong recommend attending an autocross school of some sort before going to your first real event.

-Matt