Fast AX course at ACS today...?

[Oli Thordarson]

I took my son Kristjan to Auto Club Speedway to practice his kart before the LAKC race next weekend out there.

There was a very large and very fast autocross course set-up. It had some very long straights and long sweeping turns in places. It almost looked like road course speeds in places. Only a handful of cars were running.

Who was that out there? I did not see any signs or banners.


Oli

[Mako Koiwai]

Sounds like someone wasn't sharing :unimpressed:

[Pat O\'Neal]

If it was in lot 12 then it was the Alfa Romeo Owner's Club doing time trialing, not autox.

Pat.

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

If it was in lot 12 then it was the Alfa Romeo Owner's Club doing time trialing, not autox.

Pat.

Pat is correct.

[Mako Koiwai]

Interesting ... Alfa Club, who I believe usually run at Streets of Willow are now running at the Green Lot ... while the Porsche Club is planning a tight track day at Streets instead of El Toro in May.

[Steve Ekstrand]

Ala Club has run in our same lot for a long time. I don't know if its every year or what, but I remember them running a few years ago.

[Sebastian Rios]

Shauna has a business associate (Truck Driver) that is in the Alfa club, he told her about it...He thinks SCCA folks are hardcore and that she'd run circles around all of 'em. ;)

[Steve Ekstrand]

She would.... Its just the fear of leaving an imprint of a civic on the armco.

[Andrew Hsieh]

I also noticed that they were running multiple cars at one time and it seemed as if they were racing each other on that autox course!

[Pat O\'Neal]

It was a time trial. No door-to-door racing, but IIRC passing is allowed with a point-by in pre-determined places on the track. Very conservative and safe. I think we had five cars on track at a time. The track is wider and faster than a typical autox course, sort of an autox on steriods and you don't stop. Here is a lap from the last time we were there in 2005. All 2nd and 3rd gear when my Miata was naturally-aspirated, probably a top speed of maybe 65 mph. I'm sure a high hp car like a Vette might reach 80. I marked the s/f line with a freeze-frame. The practice sessions on Saturday and Sunday morning were 20 or 30 minutes, I think. The actual timed event on Sunday afternoon was a total of five laps. It was a lot of fun!

[Mako Koiwai]

That looked and sounded very cool. Would love to see a course map of one of your tracks. I saw the Porsche club do a similar event in San Diego/Qualcomm, on the regular West lot while we AX'ed on a tight course in the East Lot. A number of cars on course at the same time ... extra wide straight sections for passing.

I wonder if we could do something like that under the SCCA banner? Perhaps create a new Cone Track Day type event. Mini road course ... no slaloms, etc.

We helped run an AX in Lot 12 during the Japanese GT Champ event a few years ago. I believe one did two laps at a time. The problem was that our regular fast folks would quickly catch the slow Sunday Drivers. No provisions to pass ... so one just had to hold back once one caught up.