ARM993

There have been a few autocross experiences posted recently but I decided to tell you about mine anyway. Sunday was my first autox and first organized performance event. So I was a little nervous because I didn't know what to expect from the car or myself. Like most of us, I 've always thought I was a good driver since I have watched from the sidelines for years. It was awesome to finally participate and learn something about driving from the seat rather than a book.

The day started at about 9:30am with unloading the car of all my stuff and getting through tech. I had the great advantage for my first time having a good friend and Rennlister to show me the ropes. Special thanks to Mike (mikelsr) for taking the time to answer lots of newbie questions and for dragging me out there. I'm now hooked and looking to establish a tire budget. Mike walked the course with me a couple of times to teach me what to look for, pace off the distance between cones in the slalom sections, finding the line, etc. Then I walked the course on my own making as many mental notes as possible and trying to imagine what my run should look like as I walked the line I wanted to drive.

Following the drivers meeting we were on the grid and ready to go. I started out with about 40 pounds all around and eventually worked down to 34 pounds. I was amazed how much pressure builds in a tire in a one minute run. My first run was humbling as others have written. Have no idea what my time was because it really wasn't relevant. Second run I stayed on course and had a respectable time. Third, I got a little full of myself and scared myself. It is amazing, but with enough adrenaline you can actually hit the clutch with your brake foot and think you have no brakes. Then I finally settled down and started to drive. I cut over 6 seconds off from my first completed run to my last couple. I wasn't slow and I wasn't fast. But hanging with some good company and proud of my results for a first timer. Autocrossers are some of the coolest people I've hung around with. Willing to help each other out with advice, tools, etc. And the fast guys are more than willing to teach you if you are smart enough to ask for a ride along. If you think your doing good, ask the fastest guy to ride with you and you'll find that there is a ton of time left on the track. This almost seems like golf in that it is that one or two shots a round that keeps you coming back to play again in search of the perfect round.

The 993 was flawless all day and very competent for the task. I think it has good power for autox that you can actually use and the brakes are obviously great for the hard deceleration needs of this type of event. We had a few 180 degree turns that proved to me that there is such a thing as traction loss in a C4. In fact, you can actually do an amazingly controlled drift in this car that at one point had me laughing out loud much to the amusement of my passenger. I also experienced severe understeer for the first time which was another learning moment. If you haven't done something like this with your 993 you should at least once. You will learn how competent the car is and how limited your own skills are at least at the beginning. You also learn so much about the performance limits of the car that you can not and should not find on the street. Besides, were can you have this much fun for $25 a day?

So, I'm obviously hooked and the adrenaline is still pumping a day later. Get out there and drive these things like they were built to be driven. You'll be glad you did.