Congratulations—CVR Rain Meister’s!
Best wet course ever! I don’t say that lightly. After 39 years of dedication to the sport of autocross that’s the only way to describe the August 11th “double skid-pad” AutoX held at Lime Rock Park’s B-Paddock. Waiting until after the driver’s meeting was completed, the light rain started at the beginning of the first heat and ended just before the 8th and final heat. While umbrellas were used occasionally, not using one was equally an option as you dashed between the drops. The blessing of a consistent wet course was perfect for mastering all of your wet driving skills, run after clock-ticking run. With plenty of room to play with on this course you could be in “full-on attack mode” to find the balance point of smoothness and aggression. This fast and wide open course was in clear contrast to the normal courses in the region, and country, that usually become an exercise in patience when wet in order to negotiate the endless tight slaloms and gates. What a rare, refreshing, and wonderful occasion this was!
As documented by the clock from four drivers that registered their fastest times before the drops became a sheen on the course, wet times were only 0.3%, 1.7% 2.2% and 5.6% slower than their dry times. Said differently, you can fly through a wet course at 94.4% to 99.7% of dry times. Think about that next time you decide not to drive an AutoX because it might rain. The wet drive teaches you more and is definitely super exciting! The beauty of AutoX is that there are only a few soft plastic cones to slap should you decide to revert to your old harsh driving techniques while you are polishing your rain skills.
Congratulations to all that drove and became better Rain Meisters! You could visibly detect the difference, and measure it on the clock, as the day progressed. Special applause goes to Mike Wittman, Jeff Fournier, and Jay Frankel for their epic drives that won their tough classes. What better way to prepare for the upcoming Hoffman Cup run-off event on October 6th!