In my previous month’s Stroll automotive related article, I spoke about  autocross as a good introduction into performance or competitive driving.  For best results in autocross it is usually preferred that you have a  medium to small sized sports car because they are lighter and can  respond to braking and turning inputs more efficiently. Back in the day  when I first started autocrossing and performance driving almost all the  cars were either English or Italian such as MGBs, Triumphs, Austin  Healey’s, or Alfa Romeros. Today you will see a lot of Mazda Miatas, and  Honda 2000 type of sports cars competing in SCCA autocross events. A car the size of a Corvette or Mustang tends to be too big and heavy to  perform to its best potential at an autocross event. But, what if you have  an exotic sports car that is not suited to autocross and you would like to  be able to drive your car fast and safely under controlled conditions. 

Well, in Albuquerque we are fortunate to have some options for car owners who  wish to drive their cool car fast and safely. Southwest Motorsports  (www.SWMS.org) is a local racing organization that offers owners of high performance cars an opportunity to exercise their rides very fast and yet  stay safe and legal. SWMS offers a High-Performance Driver’s school with  classroom instruction regarding the best line around our local road  course covering corner apex and brake points. The instructors will also  assist in car setup regarding tire pressures, etc. Once classroom lessons  are complete the instructor will ride with you in your car as you go onto  the track and start driving laps. At first the laps will be at a modest pace  with the instructor giving you pointers such as what gear to be in as you  exit each corner, what line to take, how late you can brake and so on.  Pretty soon you will be driving faster and faster around our road course.  You will be impressed with your car and your own capabilities. Once you have graduated for classroom and track lessons you will be issued a club High Performance Driver’s license which will allow you to take part in our  track day race events. As a novice you will be closely watched by your  instructor when you are on the track and given advice and direction if  needed. During the High-Performance Driving events there will be  multiple fast cars on the track at the same time but you are not competing  against them, you are trying to set your best lap time while improving your  driving skills and getting the most out of your car as possible. If you  happen to approach another car which might be slower you must wait for  the other driver to acknowledge you and safely point you to pass on one of  the two straight aways. Pretty soon you will be driving your sports car  faster than you knew you were able to and all while doing it legally and in a  relatively controlled environment. 

The local road course we use is now called Suika Circuit, formally known as Sandia Motor Speedway. www.Suikacircuit.com. This track is 1.65  miles to one lap with 14 corners. Corners 6 and 9 are tight right handers usually taken in second gear while the rest of the track will be driven in 3rd or 4th gear. On the main straight you should be able to reach 90 to 100+  miles per hour. Trust me, you will be quite busy driving around our track  once you start turning quick lap time. We are fortunate to have such a nice  road course here in Albuquerque and the facilities are first rate as well.  So, if you have a fancy or exotic car and would like to be able to push its performance potential, consider checking out our local Suika Circuit and  Southwest Motorsports as venues to get the most out of your ride in a safe  and controlled way.  

Your Neighbor,

Walter Hollowell