Ive participated in my share of auto-xes in a variety of different cars. Ive completed 2 out of 3 phases of the Evolution Auto-x school. Ive had the privelege to have shared my car and to have driven with national level auto-xers. I was even reasonably good in CSP with my slightly modifed Z3 racing against gutted Miatas and MR2s.
Despite all that, auto-xing never really took a hold of me. Perhaps its waiting all day in a parking lot to get at most 6 minutes of seat time. Perhaps its the fact that I can get several hours worth of seat time at a drivers school.
Now, I do think that auto-x skills and track skills complement one another. I usually auto-x when I need to get a feel for a cars extreme limits.
Other than that I dont hit the pavement anymore.
But the itch remains, lurking in my subconcious, waiting for for an oppotunity to be scratched.
There I am, driving down the highway or road. Auto-x totaly not on my mind. Heck I could even be talking to my wife about our new baby and then it will hit me. I will get momentarily quiet and I look. My wife notices this. We are approaching a construction site or line painting project. I see the orange sea of cones. I know my hands want to move the wheel. I can feel it. My mind sees an impromtu course and sharpens itself for action. Action I have never acted upon except once.
My wife, then grilfriend, vacationed in central Maine (Millenocket) several years ago. We decided we wanted to head south and visit Bangor. I got on to the higway in a rental Startus and was immediately faced with a row of cones and those orange traffic barrels, perfectly spaced for what seems a few hundred yards, seperating the right and left lanes. I looked at my GF, checked my mirrors, let my impules take over and dived for the cones. A few cones later I got back into the fast lane, with a BIG grin.
So even though I dont really auto-x anymore the sum of all that I have learned about auto-x manifest itself as an impulse to willingly dive into a sea of cones.
Supressed cone addition??
Despite all that, auto-xing never really took a hold of me. Perhaps its waiting all day in a parking lot to get at most 6 minutes of seat time. Perhaps its the fact that I can get several hours worth of seat time at a drivers school.
Now, I do think that auto-x skills and track skills complement one another. I usually auto-x when I need to get a feel for a cars extreme limits.
Other than that I dont hit the pavement anymore.
But the itch remains, lurking in my subconcious, waiting for for an oppotunity to be scratched.
There I am, driving down the highway or road. Auto-x totaly not on my mind. Heck I could even be talking to my wife about our new baby and then it will hit me. I will get momentarily quiet and I look. My wife notices this. We are approaching a construction site or line painting project. I see the orange sea of cones. I know my hands want to move the wheel. I can feel it. My mind sees an impromtu course and sharpens itself for action. Action I have never acted upon except once.
My wife, then grilfriend, vacationed in central Maine (Millenocket) several years ago. We decided we wanted to head south and visit Bangor. I got on to the higway in a rental Startus and was immediately faced with a row of cones and those orange traffic barrels, perfectly spaced for what seems a few hundred yards, seperating the right and left lanes. I looked at my GF, checked my mirrors, let my impules take over and dived for the cones. A few cones later I got back into the fast lane, with a BIG grin.
So even though I dont really auto-x anymore the sum of all that I have learned about auto-x manifest itself as an impulse to willingly dive into a sea of cones.
Supressed cone addition??
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