A really good session – that's how GWS Driving Events Chairman (and MBCA Educational Foundation President) Joe Wozney characterized the day. A really good group of students with their parents kept the instructors busy during the school session, which included several of the exercises specified in the National Events Rule Book. Upon completion of the Defensive Driving Class, students and instructors were given the option of participating in an autocross.

While most folks went off to get lunch, a small crew of volunteers helped lay out a course designed by GWS Driving Events Co-Chair, Mike Wirt. The course was specifically designed to reinforce the skills students worked on during the morning class. While the design may have looked daunting to the many first-time auotcrossers, everyone figured it out and quickly started turning in very good times. By the end of the day we saw a real gain in both confidence and skill among those students from the morning class who stayed to autocross.

While we don't award points for this event, we do award Fastest Time of Day. Mike Wirt ran the course in an untouchable 42.592 seconds to take Fastest Time of Day. Laurie Harrell, a regular GWS autocrosser who ran with the student group, ran the course in 47.624 seconds to take Ladies Fastest Time of Day.

The keenest competition of the day was between two students – Katie Van V. and Samuel H., with Katie (driving a Toyota Prius) edging Sam (driving a Ford Ranger Pickup) out by 0.111 seconds. The fastest true student on the course was Biff P. who was consistently smooth and had a best time of 48.195 seconds in his '98 Honda Civic.

The students and parents who came out for this event were terrific, and we hope to see them again (and again) during the 2009 GWS autocross season.