Autocross report

Held at Grant Kern’s farm Waiuku Sunday 17 Feb 2008.

"Can you write a report Mike," asked Andrew. "Sure," I said thinking," Why me, I’m no sport writer and I sure don’t have any comparisons to make as it’s a first foray into any form of competition as a driver but here goes anyway."

Awake Sunday morning and check weather, unlike the past few weeks it looks like rain and sure enough a couple of light showers pass as breakfast is eaten. Oh well, probably not raining at Waiuku so I fire up the GT and off I go with "have a good day" the parting words.

Wondering where the farm is as I drive onto Waiuku Road but the sign on the road makes finding easy and the fact that its after the nominated "start time" by the time I arrive doesn’t matter as the course is still being set out in the paddock and paperwork being completed by the entrants, of which there aren’t many.

Fill in form and sign the ‘if you break anything it’s your fault’ clause then walk around the course to see what autocross is about.

The course turns out to be a figure of eight layout flattened at one end in a paddock at the top of a slope covered in grass about 100mm deep and dry.

Notice that some of competitors are getting serious. (emptying all the stuff out of the boot.)

Paul (Walbran) outlines how the day is to proceed and then just as we prepare for a practice run down comes the rain!!!!!!!!

Dry grass is now significantly wet enough to make MGs go sideways and even right round with any over use of the heavy right foot.

Most of us drive (skate) around the course a few times which makes the course a lot drier (until the next shower) and easier to find in the long grass.

Essential jobs are allocated to ‘volunteers’ (timekeepers) and its time to let it rip and have some fun and we did.

This consists of watching Paul set a time and then trying to get as close as possible to it which makes for quite a few laughs as some drivers push past the limits of car and driver and spin off the track.

The rest of the day goes by with the track drying (no further rain) and times reducing as the grass is removed especially from the corners and the grip improves.

A bit of lunch and a few more runs without any improvement in times and its time to pack up and head home.

As expected the experienced drivers were at the head of the field but everybody enjoyed the outing and except for a mechanical fault or two no damage inflicted except on Grants grass.

Thanks to Andrew (Walbran) for organizing and to Grant for the use of his paddock. It’s definitely a fun way to spend a day, I was smiling on the way home and I think the GT may have been as well.

Mike McCowan