Features

In The Zone

Racing on the massive Moore Air Field was a new experience for many but CVR’s Auto-U prepared us well (Marc Casslar photo)

Nine CVR AutoX drivers ventured to the annual Zone1 AutoX at Moore Field in Devens Mass. to end the summer. We made a great overall showing, ending up with the highest percentage of 1st and 2nd place finishes of all the Regions. Team CVR “In The Zone” shirts said it all as we posed in front of our CVR AutoX Tent to start two days of driving intensity on the mile-long course. CVR camaraderie and the spectacular September weather combined to make a fun and memorable weekend. For most it was their first Zone1 AutoX but now they can’t wait for next year.

What a team! CVR was definietly “In The Zone”! (Front: David Carlson, Charles Letouzey, Paul Kudra, Chris Walsh. Back: George Comenale, Ed Bogue (seen for the first time not in a Hawaiian shirt!), Marc Casslar, Tim Mahr, Scott Sylvester).

They said their Zone1 AutoX weekend was:

Thrilling: Moving at speed for that long brings new levels of concentration and focus with adrenaline soaking through your being.

Intimidating: Such a dynamic change from our normal events. The day started off with a dose of apprehension, wondering “Can I remember all of that?” Turns out that you didn’t need to since it was reasonably well marked and had a predictable flow. 

Galvanizing: Our group came together and were offering each other feedback, coaching and cheerleading. There was no holding of speed secrets, we openly shared. We are now an even stronger group!

A pleasure: Let’s do it again.

A CVR flyer spots its landing in front of the Devens tower, which was hard to do sometimes because of those camoflaged cones. It made us appreciate the cleaning CVR cones get after each event. (Charles Letouzey photo)

Educational:  I really enjoyed: walking the course asking some specific questions of Ed and others on those sections; the high speed bigger slalom runs that I hadn’t experienced before; time in the grid talking about tire pressures and how to read the tires with Paul. The willingness of everyone to freely share their insight and experience was great

Friendly: It was great to have the time to sit down and share a few meals with the guys from CVR. The stories were phenomenal and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn at least a little bit more about everyone that went. At the same time, it was great to engage with the other guys in my class on the grid. One of my “competitors” was actively encouraging me after every run, he wanted me to do better so that it would push him. Gathering at the end of the day on Saturday dinner was a nice addition.

Scary: Being a corner worker and covering a large area with only 2 guys was pretty tough. There was very little time to get out to the cone, get it reset, and getting out of the way before the next car was barreling down on you. Luckily my experience with CVR autocross gave me the knowledge to know what should be happening and how to make sure that I was operating safely. By the second day we had a much better system in place. It points out how well we do safety at CVR. From my first day at autocross (and at DE days) I was impressed with how important safety is to CVR and it shows at every event. I recommend that future Zone1 events should consider safety vests or bright clothing for corner workers to make them more visible. One on our team members suggested that Hawaiian shirts should be mandatory! What a beautiful scene to imagine.

“Camp CVR” really stood out with our clean green cones and orange HQ tent. There was no doubt that CVR was here in force. (Tim Mahr photo)

Throaty: This doesn’t refer to the various exhaust notes but to Paul’s advice to me at the Start.  Throughout the weekend he was the Starter and he told me “OK, go have fun” or something like that.  Halfway through the second session on Sunday he said “Go out there and grab it by the throat.”  I decided to be more aggressive and intentional which resulted in my best time yet.  I continued this approach for my last run of the day and surprisingly improved by an additional second. 

Physical: It’s more demanding to yank the wheel through a series of tight turns as opposed to simply steering the car through the course. It’s much more physical, and of course more fast and fun too.

Challenging: The course and the event as a whole took me out of my comfort zone. The speed and course design were much different than what I was used to and I had to learn and adapt to the car’s behavior. The new competitive environment challenged me to push myself and the car to do better. While the new lot, different surface, and open layout was a daunting challenge, the skills learned during Autocross University helped all the CVR drivers put together some impressive times.

Kick off the driving shoes and chill with your friends, lunch in the CVR fun house. (Marc Casslar photo and ocupant of the empty chair in the foreground).

Collaborative: I could not have done this on my own but I was more than happy to take on the challenge because of our group. The input, feedback, discussions and recommendations were all helpful to get better. Everybody is happy to help each other and see each other go faster. This lead to trying new techniques and acquiring a new feel for the car’s behavior as the tires were singing. Good collaboration only happens when you have a good group.

About being a real Team: Great banter in and outside the event. We all have learned a few more things about each of us and it confirmed that we have a great group of people involved at CVR. (We will have to talk more about that “ring of fire” but that’s for another day). By far we had the best team. Proof is in our team picture. I think that we were the only ones to show up to the event as a team.

Grid was right in front of our CVR compound making it the only short walk of the weekend. (Marc Casslar photo).

Full of Apprehension: I found myself very nervous when I arrived, having no idea if all of the CVR events over the last seven years would have prepared me. It was an amazingly large venue and I had no idea what to expect. I assumed there would more attendees and was nervous about the procedures and figuring out the course. I should have known that attending a CVR autocross event prepares you for doing autocross anywhere, anytime – we have the best group of leaders, instructors, volunteers, and participants!!

Frustrating: I was very frustrated when called off course on the second morning and could not convince the control people to change it despite my video showing I was on course.  Ultimately enough people seem to raise the same issue and that spot on the course was “fixed”.

Fantastic: I had a fantastic time spending the weekend with friends, a really good time.  Autocross to me is not just about the cars and the challenge, it’s about the camaraderie and friendship.  I often joke about the fact that if I had known you get a club when you buy a Porsche, I would have bought one years ago!! 

A catered dinner Saturday evening hit the spot and gave us more time to hang with our team of friends. (Marc Casslar photo – and still the empty chair)
Helping one of our teamates design the best garage ever behind a pool-house waterfall (aka “bat cave”) or hearing about the car ramp “Ring Of Fire”, we had lots of laughs and a really fun evening. (Marc Casslar photo – and again the empty chair)

Exhilarating: Two speed-filled days at a new venue, with competitors from across the northeast made for a wild adrenaline ride.

Exhausting: Never has shagging cones been so much fun! With a lot of real estate to cover in a short amount of time, course workers were on their toes. But it was also a great opportunity to watch fast drivers explore different lines.

Fast: The speed on course requuired some adjusting to my driving so I could utilize the increased speed and set the car correctly for the next section. As a first, I’ve never used third gear at an AutoX before and the car was begging for more.

Inexpensive: A word not often thought of when at an event with over sixty Porsches however what a fitting word. For less than the cost of a trip to Home Depot you experience two solid days of back to back runs, meeting new people, continuing to learn about yourself, your car, your driving , building friendships, laughing and going fast… priceless might be the better adjective. 

“Sheer Will” making some new friends, another example of why this Zone1 gathering is so special. (Marc Casslar photo)

In Summary they said:

David: Thank you all for being my Motorsport Family! I had a great time and I want to return there in the future to expand my skills. I started with some trepidation or nervous excitement, felt slow, took some feedback, pushed it into practice and the clock proved it was good advice! 

Tim: Thanks to all! I had a really great weekend, thank you to Paul for encouraging us to sign up.

Finally Marc is in his seat! CVR gathers for the awards ceremony as Paul puts his CVR sun-shade to good use on the summer-like afternoon before we all head home.

Chris:  I had a great time, thanks everyone! 

Charles: Great time this weekend. Just an overall good time, definitely something we need to do again.

Marc: CVR Autocross is an amazing group of people and I am delighted to be part of it.

George: This was a fantastic weekend, thank you all!  Was the course challenging? Yeah.  Was the competition tough?  Yeah.  But it was our CVR team that made for what will be one of my most memorable events ever.  The team shirts represented more than a bunch of guys looking similar: it represents the bond we’ve all built around a hobby we all love.  Thank you for your support and guidance at Zone 1 and throughout the year with CVR. 

Chris sums up his Zone1 weekend, grabbing smooth by the throat to make it fast! (Charles Letouzey photo)

Scott: What a great way to spend the weekend; good friends, playing with cars and enjoying life. It was great spending the time with you all. Thankful is the word that best sums up my experience of the weekend. Thankful to be part of a family that cares about each other and is so inviting. Whether it’s our CVR family or the larger Zone 1 PCA group, spending time sharing what’s working, what’s not working, how to be better to go faster, sharing input on car setup, etc. The openness of everyone to help each other and laugh with (and at) each other is to me what made the overall experience great. Looking forward to doing it all over again next year! I didn’t even known about the event and now can’t imagine missing it.

Being surrounded by my CVR friends made the whole weekend fun and special for me. OK maybe the shoes helped too. (Marc Casslar photo).

Ed: It was a terrific 2-day event with a great group of new and old friends sharing interesting stories and discussions during lunch and dinner.  The course was fast and fun. Every one of us learned something that will make us better and faster drivers. Now, about those Hawaiian shirts and that ring-of-fire…

Paul: I’ve been to many, many, Zone1 AutoX events over its 34 year history, but this team stands out as one of the best we’ve ever had. Our camaraderie made it such a wonderful weekend that it renewed my enthusiasm for attending and I can’t wait for the next one. I had a blast!

We all hope you can be “In The Zone” with us next year!

2 Comments

  1. Tim Anderson

    Great article, I loved all the team comments! Really regret that I was not able to join this year due to Covid. But I have the shirt so I’m ready for Team CVR 2023!

  2. pat salerno

    Awesome job CVR team… Wish I could have made it.. Next year… and we will bring more CVR members… This event is great, the site is great…its a lot of fun. Those who did not go should plan on it for 2023. It is worth the drive.

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