Autocross school sponsored by Conway Autoworks
The School starts at 8am. Students should arrive no later than 7:30 to empty car and get ready. This event is only for Novices and New autocrossers. Non-members are eligible only if they are driving a Porsche.
New for 2017- Registration to the school includes one (1) free registration to a 2017 regular season NER autocross event!
What is autocross?
Like all club activities, Autocrossing is primarily a means to bring people with an interest in Porches together.
Having said that, autocrossing has two primary benefits that distinguishes it from many other PCA activities…
First, it allows you to learn the limits of your car control abilities in a safe environment. The venue we are lucky enough to utilize allows participants to exceed the physical limits of their car’s mechanical grip without posing much risk of damage to cars or participants. In contrast to Autocross, Driver Education with its higher speeds and normal track obstacles (e.g. boundary wire, sand traps, railings), forces participants to be much more conservative in order to avoid exceeding their limits. Autocross devotees claim that you cannot truly learn the limits of your car’s abilities until you have exceeded them once or twice.
Secondly, with the exception of PCA Club Racing (which requires well-developed skills and a not inconsiderable budget), Autocrossing is the only competitive driving activity supported by the Northeast region of the club. (Note: contrary to some of the conversations you may overhear, Driver’s Education is NOT a competitive club activity). For those of you who appreciate a little competitiveness in their recreational activities, Autocrossing should scratch this itch for you.
Wait, we interrupt this nice explanation to point out that attendees at the Autocross School will all receive an NER Autocross pint beer glass as a memento.
Autocross is not the minor leagues where you practice until you can move on to DE (although it certainly is a great idea to learn car control skills in the safer environment of Autocross before doing DE). Autocross is an ideal complement to DE and just one more way to enjoy your Porsche. (Oh, all right, there are those who like to say “If DE were any harder, they’d call it autocross.” But we’re all trying to tone down the dialogue.)
What about the downsides?
Autocrossing is one of the most budget friendly activities you can participate in through the club. In order to keep costs down, however, we do not employ professional flaggers on our courses. That means that every participant has to work the course during a day of competition. While working a course allows folks to participate in a different form of learning about car control (i.e.observation), it does mean some time spent standing outside in the weather. (And actually it can be a nice break to stop multi-tasking and just watch some cars racing. The Porsche person’s version of “gone fishin’”).
Who should attend the Autocross school?
NER traditionally runs an Autocross School as the first event of our 6 event season. The autocross school is designed for autocross novices looking to learn/improve their car control skills and to learn what the sport of autocrossing entails in a non-competitive environment. Our instructors understand the anxiety that novices feel and therefore promote a low stress learning environment. Teenage drivers who are fully licensed (not just a permit) are also most welcome, though if they are under the age of 18, they must provide a signed waiver and have at least one parent present. Please contact the Autocross chair for further information about teenage drivers. This event is not a “test and tune” and experienced autocrossers will be denied admission to save room for novices.
Registration
Online registration is required for this event. Sign up online at www.pcaner.motorsportreg.com. Registration opens April 1st and closes April 26th at midnight. We can only accept a limited number of participants and the event will sell out so register early to avoid disappointment. The cost will be $60 and includes a free registration to one of the five (5) regular season autocross events. Pre-registration is required, so please do not show up without having registered. Non-driving guests/observers are welcome.
Directions to Fort Devens
The event will be at Moore Airfield on Route 2A which is separate from the main Army base.
From 128: Take Route 2 West. After you go under Route 495, travel another 3.6 miles. Take Route 111 North for 2 miles. At the rotary, take Route 2A West toward Ayer. Stay on 2A as it turns right in downtown Ayer. After the right turn stay on Route 2A by bearing left at the fork. After the strip of stores, the entrance gate will be on your left after crossing the railway lines. The google maps address is 90 Fitchburg Rd. Ayer MA
Registration questions: Jeff Johnson
General questions: Chris Ryan
Here are some great photos from the event from Richard Viard