About this event
For Beginners & Veterans Alike
The Autocross School offers something for everyone:
- For those new to performance driving: start with a solid foundation of driving basics like proper driver position, vision, and smoothness; learn how you and your car behave at the limit as you navigate a number of course elements like slaloms and “bus stops”
- For those starting their autocross careers: reinforce what you already know, maximize the value you get from course walks, speed up your process for finding the best line, push yourself farther, and get yourself closer to finding your car’s limits
- For veterans: find the last hundredth of a second through the opportunity to try multiple approaches to the same elements throughout the day while getting feedback from podium and championship winning autocrossers
Student Count is Limited to 40.
Course Schedule
The school is delivered in two parts:
Classroom Session:
- Date & Time: June 5 from 7:00PM to 9:30PM
- Location: Salon B/C, Best Western PLUS Ottawa/Kanata Hotel & Conference Centre 1876 Robertson Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K2H 5B8, 613.828.2744, wwwbestwesternplusottawa.com
- Refreshments will be served
In-Car Session:
- Date & Time: June 6 from 8:30AM to 4:00PM
- Location: Lot 9, Canadian Tire Centre, 1000 Palladium Drive, Ottawa, ON
Course Outline
Classroom session focused on:
- Terminology
- Basic car preparation (safety)
- Marshaling
- Proper driver and hand position
- Vehicle dynamics
- Autocross elements
- Course reading and course walks
- Mental planning and preparedness
- Creating and updating your plan of attack
- Think ahead to be ahead
In-car session (full day, rain or shine) focused on putting the theory from the classroom portion into use through actual course walks and timed (but non-competitive) runs through an autocross course, with instructor support.
- 8:30AM: Drivers' meeting and marshaling tutorial
- 9:00AM: Course walks
- 10:00AM: In-car session
- 12:00PM: Lunch break
- 1:00PM: In-car session
- 4:00PM: Wrap-up & feedback
Notes for Autocross Veterans
While the school is open to all, preference will be given to those starting their autocross careers. If you have more than two seasons of autocross or the equivalent of 20 events or more under your belt, please indicate that you are a "Veteran" when registering. You'll be placed on a waiting list until May 24, at which point empty slots will be filled based on the date you registered, so you'll still want to get your name in quickly. Of course, you will not be charged until your registration is fully confirmed.
Event requirements
REQUIREMENTS
- Driver's License (minimum G2 for Ontario drivers, minimum Class 5 for Quebec drivers)
- Vehicle in sound working condition
- Completed Vehicle Self-Tech Declaration Form (hand this in at the classroom session)
Helmets
Everyone needs a helmet and it needs to be appropriately certified. If you don't have one, loaners are available at the event. Snell 2000 helmets are no longer accepted. Valid Helmets are those with any of the following certifications:
- FIA 8860-2004
- Snell 2010 SA or SAH
- Snell 2010 M, Snell 2010 K
- Snell 2005 SA, Snell 2005 M or Snell 2005 K
- SFI Foundation 31.1A, 31.2A or 31.1/2005
FAQ
Do I need a sports car for this?
Most definitely not! Our school is open to all types of vehicles from family station wagons, to common compacts, to high powered exotics. The only exceptions are vehicles with roll-over risks such as SUVs, trucks, and mini-vans, which we do not accept. For the same reason, Smart Cars are not permitted. If you drive a Ford Fiesta for Fiat Abarth, please contact the organizer.
Who will be instructing?
Our volunteer instructors are MCO veterans with proven track records as competitors and as instructors. They typically have championships under their belts, years of experience as instructors, and experience in a wide range of cars.
Does this happen rain or dry?
While driving is usually more fun under sunny skies, rain does happen, so we run - wet or dry. Take some comfort in the fact that students will tend to be warm and dry in their cars all day, unlike the volunteers making the school happen.