CDC Autocross July 3rd in Winchester, VA

CDC kicked off their fourth autocross event this year and I have to say that it was as impressive as it was confusing (we’ll get to the confusing part later) and squirrels are terrible apexers. Everybody had a great time and roughly over 60 cars attended the event on a scorching Saturday in Winchester, Virginia.

For those of you that are not familiar with CDC, this organization is your alternative to SCCA in the Northern Virginia/Southern Maryland region. It’s smaller, cheaper, and easier to reserve a spot in CDC than it is with SCCA (sometimes it’s easier to reserve a last minute table for two at a fancy restaurant on Valentine’s Day than reserving with SCCA weeks before the event).  Is it the most organized? No. Is it the most efficient? No. Is it easier for newbies to get into the sport? Absolutely. 

 Consistent drivers within the 45 seconds range

That being said, Ed Chan is the host organizer for CDC and the rest of the staff is extremely friendly compared to the more strict bureaucracy that is SCCA. There are some differences that should be noted however. The vehicles are classed based on horsepower, tires, and weight in CDC. If you’re familiar with SCCA, they classify the vehicles by make and model. Which organization has better classification is debatable, but each has its advantages and disadvantages.

 Tighten that battery!

I’ve been autocrossing for a few years in my Honda Accord, to my E36 M3, and now with my AP2 S2000, so my experience with various organizations have led me to believe that CDC need better course organization (the confusing part). I can’t tell you how many people have gone “off-course” this past weekend because drivers couldn’t tell where to turn next on an overlapping “figure 8”. SCCA would never have this issue because there would be “arrow cones” pointing in the direction that the driver needs to go. Not so with CDC. A simple problem that could be solved by adding additional cones pointing in the right direction could have solved this annoying issue, but it never happened. Another issue would be some of the ridiculous cars that show up to these events. Half of the cars that show up to CDC wouldn’t even have classification in SCCA. For example, there is a late ‘80s Toyota Corolla with tires far extending out of the wheel wells (a good 5 inches) and it’s out-pacing everyone because of its traction advantage. You would never see a car like that at SCCA. 

One of my main competitors, the BMW M Coupe

In the first heat, the drivers were able to get three runs of their group, which are separated by Group A and Group B. During the afternoon runs, the drivers were able to do five runs due to the lack of traffic and cars that showed up, so we all had some extra time to kill. The Shelby Cobras were clocking the fastest times in the 36-38 second range while the Subaru STI and the EVOs were clocking the 39-42 second range. The S2000 group I came with managed between 47 and 50 seconds, which in my opinion were lackluster, but all the drivers were novices and some were still rolling in their all-season tires. I was able to pull the fastest time for the group with a 42.64 second range, but I was extremely disappointed that I couldn’t break into the 41 second barrier. I was however pretty consistent with my last three runs (42.8, 42.7, 42.64) with my near bald rear Dunlops. 

 Very quick

Overall it was a fun event and the S2000 guys came away learning the grip limits of their cars and improving their driving skills.

The next event will be in Woodbridge and I highly suggest for everyone that’s thirsty for some tire screeching action to come out and compete in this friendly environment.