Slipstream - April 2002

Autocross Therapy
By Suzanne Cochran
Ican sum up the Ladies AX school in just a few words. RIP
ROARING GOOD TIME! But here are a few more just in case
you don’t yet have the picture.
I arrived at the Ladies AX school thinking it couldn’t be any
more fun than AX 101 the day before. Boy, was I wrong! I had the
advantage of not being a total novice having been at the school the
year before and having driven in events a few times. But since I
mostly drive a Ford truck, every time I’m in the Boxster, it’s a new
driving day. My 101 instructor, Lanean, lobbied for me to have one
of the instructors most in demand: Ed Mayo. I have to admit that I
was a bit intimidated. After all, everybody knows Ed is one of the
THE best drivers in the country (maybe second only to Jan, his
wife.) My impression was also that he was a no nonsense kind of
guy. How much tolerance could he have for a timid driver that just
shows up every now and then in a helmet. My concerns faded
away quickly.
Photo by Kevin Hardison
Suzane Cochran in a rare (?) moment of control.
I wasn’t about to say “I can’t” but I was thinking it would be a cold
day in hell when the car went that fast through a slalom with me at
the wheel.
Ed coached me to a performance I would never thought I
could achieve but, to get there -- Well, all I can say is Ed is a saint
when it comes to patience. He remained calm and mercifully kind
when I hit the same cone again - and again - and again. (I expect
Photo by Kevin Hardison
Karen Erz showing us what her 911 can do.
. . . so out of control that I wound
up in the other slalom course . . .
the workers who were having to run for the cones may have had a
few not-kind-comments, though.) We laughed when I went so out
of control that I wound up in the other slalom course. Backwards
at that. But, hey, I didn’t hit any cones.
Photo by Kevin Hardison
Here’s how we started. The usual procedure was for the
instructor to drive first – to give the student a taste of what it’s
supposed to look and feel like. But since I had driven in autocross
before, Ed suggested that I drive first so he could see what we need
to work on. My experience from the day before made that easy: my
priority was the slalom.
So. As I sat in line, I tried to recall what I’d been told before.
(and, judging from my dismal performance on the Saturday slalom,
I obviously didn’t stay told). I played over and over in my head
“Keep it smooth; don’t try to go too fast.” So I drove as smoothly as
I could which was pret-ty darn sloooow. Ed just said “OK.” Pause.
“Let me show you how I do it.” We changed seats. He drove the
same course. Holy Cow!! I didn’t know my car would even do that!
Sandy Long looking through the corner.
Photo by Kevin Hardison
Dede Todd sends the cone flying.
There were a lot more “Oops!” moments throughout the day,
but Ed and the other volunteers whooped and cheered me on
with every little improvement. If you work in a confrontational
environment like I do, where opponents lay in wait for you to make
a mistake so they can cram it down your throat, AX is the place to
go for a vacation. The cadre of hard working volunteer instructors
and workers not only tolerate mistakes, they encourage them. Its
how you learn to go faster. And they celebrate every small victory
with you as if you climbed the Matterhorn. It’s exhilarating. Even if
you feel you’re not quite ready to drive, then come out any way and
work with these great people. I promise you won’t even think about
the office and you’ll freak out your co-workers the next day because
you’re in such a good mood.
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