Autocross

What to Expect

Autocross, sometimes called Solo, is a timed precision driving event. You drive a marked course as quickly and cleanly as you can. You are not racing side by side with other cars. You are racing the clock.

Almost any vehicle can run, from a stock daily driver to purpose-built race cars. For safety, we do not allow high-profile vehicles like most SUVs and minivans.

Most autocrosses take place using large parking lots or paved spaces at racetracks. We build the course using orange traffic cones. Each cone sits inside a chalk box so we can tell if it moved.

Drivers run one at a time. Your time starts when you cross the start line and ends at the finish. If you hit a cone and knock it down, or push it completely out of its chalk box, you add a 2-second penalty to that run. If you miss part of the course or do not complete it as designed, that run is scored as a DNF, which means Did Not Finish.

At the end of the day, your best run time, including any penalties, is your final score.

Autocross events are hosted by car clubs all over the country. Some are independent clubs like THSCC. Others are part of the SCCA, the Sports Car Club of America. Event formats vary, but THSCC treats autocross as a full-day hangout as much as a driving event.

Most people arrive between 7:30 am and 8:30 am. We wrap up after we pick up cones, clean the site, and hand out awards. That is usually between 4:30 pm and 6:30 pm, depending on the venue, course length, number of drivers, and daylight. Many of us also head to a casual dinner afterward with whoever wants to join.