Ask people if they’re a “better than average driver” and the reply is likely to be “Of course”, or “Better than most”. Ask a Porsche owning car enthusiast and that reply is all but certain. With the amazing feedback and responsiveness built into every Porsche, it’s no wonder most feel better than average behind the wheel. So does driving a Porsche magically make us all “better drivers”?

Let’s answer that question with some examples, and with congratulations:

AutoX 2021 Rookie of the Year – Charles Letouzey: In early January, Charles reached out for some advice about finding a nice used Porsche. Boosted by the knowledge and confidence from many emails and calls he then found a nice one in March. In the process he discovered CVR. By May he enthusiastically participated in his first AutoX, earning a score (percentage of the fastest time) that was indeed better than the average newcomer. His second event showed that he was capable of an even higher score and by his third AutoX he won the Novice Class against stiff competition, 10 cars deep. Moving out of Novice class Charles proceeded to win his class at each of the remaining three events with consistently high scores that typically take a few years to obtain. This earned him Rookie of the Year honors. Congratulations Charles!

AutoX 2021 Most Improved Driver – Marc Casslar: What a break-out year Marc had, winning twice in a tough class against newer and arguably faster cars. This accomplishment is even more impressive because he has steadily improved his yearly best-three-events score each of the last five years, going from 240 points to 266 points. This last season was punctuated by his biggest yearly increase yet of 9 points. He is getting faster at a faster rate! That’s really hard to do and shows remarkable focus and effort. Congratulations Marc on your accomplishment that is the definition of “better than average”, and for earning the honor of being the Most Improved Driver.

2021 Hoffman Cup Champion – George Comenale: While news of King George II’s win isn’t new, it bears repeating due to the thorough dominance displayed to the other Top-20 drivers in the no-excuses special CVR event, the Hoffman Cup Run Off. As George drove each of his three runs, his super smooth, flowing driving style developed over many years was apparent, as was the fact that he honed it to perfection this year. He sliced within centimeters of each key cone and carried astonishing momentum throughout the whole run. I recall stating to the line of waiting drivers “we all just witnessed the winning run”. That proved true a few seconds later when the clock froze. It was a humbling honor to witness such extraordinary driving that was not only better than average, it was Best-of-Best. Hmmm, “BoB” Comenale has a certain ring to it, or maybe “Georgie-Bobby”. Congratulations George on earning our highest honor, the Hoffman Cup Run Off Champion.

AutoX 2021 Overall Champion – Paul Kudra: This is also not new news, but it is a humbling honor not taken for granted. The 2021 Championship was incredibly tight. It saw a record 4 different FTD (Fastest Time of Day) winners over the 6 events with the title of AutoX Overall Champion not decided until the last few runs of the last event. Notably, second and third place ended up being separated by a mere 0.01% over the whole season. One of my main goals for CVR AutoX has been to help everyone keep developing their driving skills no matter how new, or not-new, they are to this form of motorsport. Data shows that the skills of our AutoX drivers get stronger every year. Attending one of our CVR AutoX events will also show that camaraderie and friendships do as well. We have a fantastic group of people that regularly drive in CVR AutoX events, and that is what I’m most proud of.

Ask any of the above drivers if they’re a “better than average driver” and I’ll bet the reply is something like “maybe, but I’m working to get even better”. Based on decades of data and experience teaching “Better Driving…Faster!”, it’s clear that just driving a Porsche doesn’t magically make you a “better than average driver”. You have to earn that claim by actively investing in your driving skills. Every one of us can get better. Make that fun journey by joining the CVR AutoX Class of 2022. The first event, with its integrated AutoX-U lesson, is on April 16^th. Watch the AutoX web page  (https://cvrpca.com/autox/) for updates and to register.