Thursday, April 30, 2009

SCCA Autocross, Event 1

I attended the SCCA's Learning Curve in the beginning of April. It was raining, so cold that I couldn't use my race tires, and generally awful weather all-around, but I had a good time and learned a lot about racing.

Last weekend I put on my race rubber and went to the first real SCCA event of the season. I placed 2nd in class.
http://www.scca-chicago.com/solo/2009/event1_index.html
Yes, I'm in 71st, but keep in mind that there were plenty of cars there that weren't street-legal, i.e. open-wheel race cars, plenty of people with a lot more experience than me, and plenty with faster cars. So, I'm happy with my standing.

I'm especially satisfied considering the 1st place in my class (STS) was a well-prepared 91 Honda CRX driven by a man with 30-some years experience in racing. His son, who also drove the CRX, was well behind me.

All things considered, I'm happy with my standings, surprised at my own skill, and I think the sunburn was entirely worth it.

I'm going to see about joining the Tri-State Sports Car Council and the Windy City Miata Club so I can attend more autocross events. This summer is gonna rock.