Autocross 2022

Chesapeake Region

Autocross 2022!

Greg Hartke

Welcome to Autocross 2022! I’ve been waiting and waiting on the folks at Prince George’s Stadium (PGS) to work onmy scheduling request (they were holding off, awaiting further direction from the County) and with no update, I had this article for the Patter all written and ready to send early to Patter Editor James Beavan. I was (ever hopeful…)holding off ‘til closer to the deadline to submit when, out of the blue, the Director of Ticket Operations at PGS contacted me with the needed information and we began to work in earnest on the schedule. Astonishingly, I was ableto close negotiations on the AX schedule in record time and am now able to present the 2022 AX schedule:

Scheduling AX is an interesting endeavor because I have to work around the Bowie Baysox home baseball schedule,other events at PGS (of which there are many), the Potomac AX schedule, the Chesapeake PCA event schedule (to a certain extent – I only work around the really major events), and holidays. All these imposed constraints certainlymake the task interesting. My original event schedule proposal was sent to PGS right after Thanksgiving (which is fairlyearly for the next year), so maybe I was near the top of the priority list for scheduling when the word from the County came in. Who knows? Certainly, I have a really good working relationship with the Director of Ticket Operationsat PGS (she’s very good – very communicative and has been quick to turn around requests) and that can never hurt.

As it turned out, there was no date available at PGS for the month of May, but I expected there to be at least one date that wouldn’t work, so I had a backup plan: If I couldn’t find a date for a particular month, I was just going to tryto schedule an event that month at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen. Actually, I was sweating over possible scheduling atRipken because the delay from PGS this year meant that available dates there had to be shrinking. (It is, after all, a popular facility.) Ripken is a great facility because the lot is huge and is in great shape, not to mention the availabilityof real rest rooms, of course. ;) The downside is that it is logistically very difficult for us because getting the trailer with all our AX equipment to Ripken for the events is really tough. We haven’t figured out how we’re going to do thatyet, but we’ll work something out. We always do. ;)

In the end, May was the month that had the scheduling problem at PGS and the only weekend that was available atRipken (due to the Ironbirds’ home games and other events) was Memorial Day weekend (and a Sunday, at that,which is not my favorite choice). I solicited opinions from AX Co-chair Brad Martinez, President Ron Farb, and fellow AXer (and Patter editor) James on the advisability of holding an event over a holiday weekend and all agreed weshould go for it. Let’s think of it as a fun PCA event for those of us who aren’t going anywhere over the (traditional) final weekend of the summer. AX is much more fun (and enormously more exciting) than lying around a beach anyway!;)

Venue Date Day EventPGS 2022-03-20 Sunday Test and Tune

PGS

2022-04-02

Saturday

AX School

PGS

2022-04-16

Saturday

AX#1

RPKN

2022-05-29

Sunday

AX#2

PGS

2022-06-25

Saturday

AX#3

PGS

2022-07-09

Saturday

AX#4

PGS

2022-08-14

Sunday

AX#5

PGS

2022-09-17

Saturday

AX#6

PGS

2022-10-22

Saturday

AX#7

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Chesapeake Region

Autocross (cont’d)

Our AX season can be summarized this way: Test & Tune – a practice event for experienced drivers looking for an opportunityto knock the rust off.

Introduction to Autocross – our annual AX school is expected to return to its usual early-season slot, providing newcomersthe opportunity to learn from experienced instructors

7 full Autocross races, 6 at PGS and 1 at Ripken

Tell you what… I am really getting the itch to get out to a race and go flying around again like a bat out of Chicago. The racing season can’t come soon enough for me, that’s for sure! I don’t know about you, but this happens to me everyyear. Maybe it’s worse this year because my 2014 Cayman S was down for an extended period last year (due to partsavailability) and I wound up racing with my 2012 MINI Cooper S (with almost 150k on the clock). That was fun in its way and it was certainly different racing a momentum car again, but racing my P-car is a lot more fun.

For anyone who’s never done it but might be thinking about trying AX, note that the AX School is held very early in the season. (The rationale is that we want to provide instruction early in the season so that the students who attend willhave all season to participate in full events.) With no prior experience, your first AX event can be a decidedly intimidatingexperience and the AX School will go a long way towards mitigating that. I did the AX School (with POT, actually) before I started racing and I still recall it well. Interestingly, I was really nervous ‘til I started driving, but once I got going,I quickly calmed down.

The AX School begins early with a chalk talk by AX Co-chair Brad, followed by 3 hours of exercises (at three stations –more details below), lunch, and a real honest-to-Christmas AX. To expand on that, you start with Brad giving some instruction on performance driving techniques, focused driving exercises to give you the opportunity to actually applythe necessary techniques, then you put it all together (with an instructor in the car to help you) in a real race with multipleruns (with each run being a lap around the course). Last year, the students got 8 runs each in the AX race at the school and had an absolute blast.

Driving fast in a straight line is one thing (anybody can push the go peddle hard – it doesn’t take much expertise to do that), but having the ability to actually use the handling capabilities of your car is another. As Scottish rally driver ColinMcRae so aptly put it, "Straight roads are for fast cars, turns are for fast drivers." Let’s think of it this way:

AX will help make you a fast driver.

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Chesapeake Region

Autocross (cont’d)

Greg Hartke

I’ve said this before: If you’ve ever had an itchto see what your car can do when pushed to its handling limits, AX is a wonderful opportunityto do so safely and the AX School provides a golden opportunity to learn and practiceimportant elements of the necessary driving skills before taking them out on a fullcourse. Whether or not you actually decide topursue AX on a regular basis is immaterial. Either way, the AX School is a unique opportunityto learn car control and can safely open your eyes to a whole new world of excitement.

Safe? You bet! The coolest part of AX is that you can push your car very hard without risking damage to the car. (Theworst you can do is hit a cone and if you’re me, you then cry because you have to clean the cone marks off your car. ;) ) You’re using the car the way it was meant to be used and just about the only things you’re really wearing arebrakes and tires. If you’ve never tried AX before but thought about it, you really owe it to yourself to come out and go for it. And of course, the best way to get started is to attend the AX School where you’ll get classroom instruction followedby plenty of seat time to apply what you’ve learned. And note that we really focus on the driving portion of the school.

Since the AX School is an early season event, it’s time right now for anyone with an interest to consider attending. Theschool is for newcomers and inexperienced drivers who desire focused instruction at the basic skills of AX. (It’s not necessary before attending an AX race, but it is helpful.) The day will begin with Brad providing a short period of instruction(about an hour of chalk talk), after which the real fun begins. In the morning, students will rotate through three instructor-led exercises: a figure-8 dual skid pad, a slalom and threshold braking section, and a small section ofan AX course where the student will put together all the driving elements. In the afternoon, the three exercise elements will be joined to form a full AX course and students will proceed with instructors for timed racing through thecourse.

Another reason I really enjoy AX is the camaraderie found at the events. Our AX events (while certainly competitive) are also social activities. It’s a very friendly environment filled

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with other enthusiasts and what could be better than that? See for yourself! And don’t forget: anyone who has joined the PCAin the last year gets a free AX. Come out and join us! Note, too,that our Taste of Autocross program will be back in effect this year. Anyone 18 y.o. or older can pay a very nominal fee (a fewdollars, mandated by National) and have the opportunity to ride along with instructors during their competitive laps to seewhat it’s like. To do so, you can (preferably) register on Motorsportreg.com before the event or walk-up the day of the event.Feedback from those who have participated in ToA has beenvery positive and there’s certainly nothing like a view from in-

Chesapeake Region

Autocross (cont’d)

side the car in real-time to see what it’s reallylike. A hint: because of the almost constant hard cornering, braking, and accelerating,it will seem a lot wilder inside the car with an experienced driver than it does justwatching from the sideline. ;)

Hey, have all you experienced and dedicatedAX drivers figured out what you’re going todo for tires this year? That was always so easy – just go out and buy Bridgestone RE-71R’s. Nothing’ to it! With the demise of the RE-71R’s, though, we’re all now forced tomake a decision. I don’t claim to be the best when it comes to researching things like this, but as far as I can tell, thetwo best choices for the stock class (and I want to emphasize that it’s for stock class) would seem to be the Yokohama ADVAN A052 and the Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3. The Falken Azenis RT660 would also be a contender, but sadly

does not come in the sizes I need for my car.

From what I’ve read (and you have to be really careful when reading tire reviews), the Yokos seems to heat up reallyquickly, which makes them well suited to AX, but they may also wear really quickly and I’d prefer to be able to get one full season (which for me means something like 14 to 16 events) out of the tires. I’ve also read reviews saying that theyrequire wide wheel widths and lots of camber to deliver optimal performance and life. Skimp on either of these, andyou’ll be buying new tires quite often (no doubt contributing to the reputation for fast wear), but get it right, and you’ll be fast. That makes me think the stock configuration of my 2014 981 CS won’t work so well with the Yokos because ofits modest camber. I haven’t decided yet (some days one, other days the other), but I’m going to have to pull the trigger soon.

An important reminder for the experienced AXers: The helmet requirement is now SA2010, SA2015, or SA2020. Make sure your helmet is up-to-date when you come out to race this year! For those of you who may be contemplating AX,yes, you’re required to use a helmet when racing. To make it easy to get started, though, we have an assortment ofloaner helmets available (along with head socks) so you can see what it’s like without the added commitment of buying your own helmet. YMMV, but for HPDE, I would use afull-face helmet, while for AX, I’m comfortable with an open-face helmet and no face shield.

With a schedule in place, I’m rolling on the throttle asquickly as possible to prepare everything for the 2022 season. Still, plenty to do, but now I can makeprogress. Can’t wait for the season to start! Needless to say, Brad and I are looking forward to seeing yousoon at the races!

Greg HartkeCHS AX Co-chair

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