THSCC Forums

Life is not fair. Autocross is not fair. Racing is not fair. It seems that most people's definition of "fair" is that they have the same chance of winning as anybody else. This is not true in racing or most any form of competition. We are not all gifted with the same amount of talent, money, or even time. Therefore, we do not all have the same opportunity or chance to win a national championship, or even a club championship for that matter.

Winning in any sport at a serious level will always require talent, dedication, hard work, time and in most sports, money. We are all blessed with varying degrees of each of the above. A whole lot of one of the above can help make up for not having as much of the other attribute as somebody else- but all are required to some degree.

I'm not picking on Rob, but I've seen so many lists where an invidual pushes for a rules change because they ultimately think it would benefit them personally, or it just fits the style of the way they want to do things. It is always in the interest of making things more "fair," at least to them. But its like the others here have said, making something that is truly fair is very difficult, and with the previously mentioned definition of "fair," it is nearly impossible on this earth.

The closest kind of racing I ever saw that tried to be fair was the IROC series where each driver ran an "identically" prepared car. But that isn't autox.

The good news for folks like me and many others is that we don't have to always win to have fun. If you don't have to win, you really don't have to spend a lot of money. You spend as much as you want to or can afford or enjoy spending. Unfortunately though, we usually do have more fun if we win at least now and then! And that can drive us to spend more money than we should.

Winning aside, the challenge in autocross for me is to improve my driving this year over where I was last year, with the resources I have to allot to this hobby.

Autocrossing can be an entry level motorsport, and is, for most of the people involved at the local club level. It is a great thing to be able to take the car you drive to work and compete. Sometimes, depending on the car, it can be competitive locally without any changes. You can't say that about many forms of motorsports.

I don't have a lot of money, time, or talent, so I do not expect to ever win a national championship. If I totally re-arranged my priorities, I think I could manage a decent finish with a few years more of the right experience and a properly prepped vehicle. But I have no plans or desire to do that. With a family that includes two small children, the price to even have a shot at it for me is too high. I'm not willing to pay that price. So, for me personally, it isn't because the rules are not fair that I will not win a national title- it is simply because I am not willing to pay the overall price. There is more to my life than autocrossing.

For each one of us in this sport, we have to be willing to accept the limitations of what we can accomplish for the price we are willing to pay. I finally accepted mine!

The best way to be fair in autocross is to be fair to yourself. If you don't want to spend $1000 on new race tires every year and such, then don't. If you don't want to spend $3000 on new race shocks, then don't. If all you want to do is put gas in the car and go to the event, that's what you should do. But be fair to youself and don't beat yourself up when you get beat by the guy that has been doing this for more years than you and has spent four times what you did on his car and equipment. Do the best you can with what you have.

In summary, autocross does not cost a lot of money. But winning does. Winning always has a price that is far more than just money. Winning nationally will always require skill (which can be acquired if you have time and money) and talent (which cannot be bought at any price and which was not handed out in equal amounts to begin with).

In the ways that matter most, I think autocross is pretty fair. With very few exceptions, we have an equal chance to have fun, to improve our skills, to make friends, to help somebody else, to enjoy being outside and delight in the wonderful world wrought by our Creator- regardless of what kind of car we drive or good or how badly we may be at it!

Miles
91 Corvette Z07