der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 24

T H E

H A B I T S

O F

H I G H L Y

E F F E C T I V E

A U T O C R O S S E R S

(Above and Inset photo on previous page) Many of us remember AJ's 1991 Honda Civic S.
power, it is extremely light and small
and can be set up to be very fast.
Locally and even at a few national
level events, it has proven to be a
winning car.
I purchased my '95 NSX
because it was my dream car and
mainly for fun. It was not built with
any particular rule-set or competition in mind. I just set it up to be
about as fast as I can get it without
getting too extreme. It is not the
ideal autocross car, however, it has
done surprisingly well in the past
few years that I've autocrossed it.
However, it does feel more at home
at higher speeds on the track.
dB: How did you come to be so
involved in NCC autocross?
AJ: I started running with NCC when
I found out non-BMWs were
allowed. After participating in a
number of events and becoming
friends with the organizers, I started
to get more involved at each event.
Back then the club was struggling.
I volunteered to help out wherever I
could and help the organizers.
I think they valued my work at each
event and eventually asked me to
join the committee. It just so
happens that around that time the

NCC autocross program was on the
verge of shutting down, and I
would've hated to see that happen.
With a few other longtime committee
members who are still active today,
we were able to revamp the
autocross program to what it is now.
I've heard rumors of other BMW
CCA regions looking to our club for
advice and for ways to improve their
own autocross programs. To me,
that's a sign that we've been doing
something right. It's really been an
honor to be a part of the NCC
autocross committee and see how
it's grown.
dB: What tips can you share with
drivers who are new to autocross?
AJ: My advice for anyone new is to
go in with an open mind and don't
be intimidated. After years of
instructing a lot of novices, I know it
can be very intimidating and often
very frustrating to learn the basics.
However, if you keep at it and are
open to receiving help, it becomes
very rewarding and always fun.
Where else can you safely push your
car, and yourself, to the limits for
relatively low cost? There are also
countless enthusiastic autocrossers willing to guide you along

the way to becoming a better driver.
dB: What next-step tips can
you share with intermediate
autocrossers?
AJ: Get seat time! Go to as many
events and autocross schools as
possible if you want to improve.
Become acquainted and talk with
some of the best drivers in your
area. Ask them for advice, ask them
to ride with you, ask them to drive
your car and see if they can give you
any pointers on how to get faster.
When you start to feel like it's
getting harder to improve your
driving, then start focusing on car
set up and start all over again.
dB: And how about advanced
autocrossers who are seeking to
squeeze out those last few tenths of
a second?
AJ: If you consider yourself an
advanced driver, you've probably
already done all of the above mentioned. If you haven't gone to any
other venues or national SCCA
events, I would highly suggest
doing so. Putting yourself in a more
competitive environment will push
your limits and you'll start to learn

more. Also, if you haven't gotten a
lot of experience driving other cars,
I would highly recommend doing
so. Competing at different venues,
in different conditions and in
various vehicles will mean that you
are becoming a very well-rounded
driver who has the potential to be
fast in any given setting.
dB: Any other advice you'd like to
share with dB's readers?
AJ: If you're like me, playing with
cars and competing in motorsports
is an outlet from your day-to-day
routine. I highly encourage anybody
who has not tried to autocross to
give it a shot. Not every autocrosser is striving to be the next famous
professional driver.
Most
autocrossers do it because they
have fun and they love the community. You do not need to own a race
car or have experience in any motorsports to thoroughly enjoy everything the NCC Autocross
program has to offer.
dB: Thanks for your time!
AJ: You're welcome.

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der Bayerische November/December 2020

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