Slipstream - May 2008

Autocross School 102-What a Difference A Day Makes
By Michael Pelletier
It’s Saturday morning, 6:30AM as I drive west of
Fort-Worth and realize that this is one of the great
benefits of joining the Maverick region and the driving
school: to be doing something different. There is also
something to be said about the beauty of the Texas plains,
especially when you come from the French Alps as I did.
It’s now 8 AM and the 944 that suddenly
popped into my rear-view mirror confirms
that I am getting close. As we finally
reach destination, Lisa and Andrea are the
first to welcome us with great smiles and
go over the details of the registration process.
I chat with a few participants and
get introduced to my instructor for the
day, the Awesome Marilyn, who I am told
is the 2007 rookie of the year. Quickly,
everybody gets busy emptying the cars while the inspection
is being carried out.
At 9 am Bryan calls the drivers meeting and goes over
the activities of the morning as well as the all important
safety guidelines. The drivers are split in 3 groups for each
one of the 3 work areas with a rotation every 45 minutes.
Marilyn takes the wheel to show me how to approach the
first exercise: an oval shaped skid pad with 2 hard left turns.
I immediately understand why Marilyn
was recognized for her skills last
year. The drive is sharp, precise and
exhilarating; this is going to be fun!
Trying my best to emulate my instructor’s
line, I come to realize in a matter
of seconds that there is nothing else
option in these career fairs at school?
10
Mark showis Richard
where to look ahead
I would rather be doing than this! I
clearly missed my calling! Why isn’t
race-car driver ever presented as an
Before long we rotate to the next exercises, and start
working on a faster course which looks more like a time trial
set-up composed of a short straight, a long curve, a long
straight, a chicane, and a short left turn to end the course.
Marilyn takes over and shows me her line. As a trained AX
driver she leaves no room inside the
turns and keeps a very tight line. As
I question my line for the first curve,
Bryan is asked to show-me his line.
His driving is faster and I can see the
track background as he takes longer
sweeping lines to maximize acceleration
and grip. Another 4 laps later, I
am still in search of my line when the
45 minutes resonate. Now it’s time
Michael volunteers
with a big smile!
Tannia with Megan...
looking ahead too
Photos by Charlie Davis
for the last exercise of the morning:
slaloms and a chicane.
After a lunch break and another
driver’s meeting, the drivers
are split in 2 groups: one runs the
course while the other works the
cones and calls the penalties. The
course compiles all the exercises
of the morning in a great way:
it starts fast with a long straight followed by a long curve
which leads right into the almost perfectly round circle,
ending into the slalom and a fast straight. A sharp left turn
leads to a box and into the slow series of turns and the finish
line. By the end of the day, Charles will manage the best
time with a 69 run in his track
Corvette. Meagan M. was the
fastest lady around the track
in her Mini Cooper S and a
time of 74. Meanwhile, I ran
my last lap at 71.5, an encouraging
personal best. By
Meagan gets Tannia’s
version of “go left”
then, the tires are complaining
a lot and new vibrations
have appeared in hard turns;
yes, welcome to Autocross where your tires aren’t so much
yours as they are the track’s.
By 5:30PM we are done, tired, ready to go, but everybody
is smiling, and we all seem to have had a good time.
I say goodbye to everyone and starts the drive back home
thinking about the day.
I must say, this was the
most fun day I have had
in years! I had a blast, met
great people, learned a lot
in a perfect environment.
The volunteers are just so
efficient and so friendly,
so quick to make you feel
right at home and share their
Wayne instructs Avery
to go left here
“Hats off” to all the volunteers
experience that I cannot think of a better school. My hat is
off to the volunteers for giving us such a memorable experience,
and making us feel welcome. I certainly encourage
everyone to participate in the school programs as well
as the racing events. The next day I signed up for the first
Autocross at the Birdville ISD, and the 6-point harness is
on order… Yes, I am already hooked on driving with the
Maverick region.