Autocrossing serves to compliment any drivers' training experience, by teaching maneuverability and accident avoidance techniques (both mental and physical). The yearly season generally consists of six events. The first one is a school with classroom and in-car instruction and the rest are regular, timed events.

You participate in your daily driver, so the techniques you learn and practice are directly transferable to street driving (yes, some folks prepare a car just for autocrossing - but then they have to win). Street cars are prepared at the event by removing all loose items from within the trunk and passenger compartment, tire pressures are checked, as are battery hold-down clamps, hoses, belts, wheel lug nuts, etc.

The course that is laid out in a parking lot, is manned by corner workers who are responsible for safety. When you're not driving, you're a corner worker (don't worry - we will teach you this talent, also). Several corner worker locations are designated by the event chairman. These spots are well away from the path a car on course will follow (and those that an off-course car would likely follow). These workers monitor the car's progress and use colored flags to signal any errors to the timing station. We will teach you how to do this, too.

The school that begins the season is not mandatory for latter participation, but it does teach many of the fundamentals in a classroom setting followed by practice with an experienced instructor in your car with you. An Autocross Manual is included for your future reference. Basic topics include: correct seating, effective use of seatbelts, proper hand placement on the steering wheel, proper hand movements while turning the wheel, efficient braking technique, etc. Classroom usually lasts about an hour and in-car work for an additional four hours.

All drivers at the school, and subsequent autocrosses, must wear an approved helmet. The chapter has loaner helmets for your use as a beginner. Seat belts must be used. No alcoholic beverages are allowed at the events. Leave your pets at home. Your younger children are your responsibility to watch, feed and water ( just like at home).

The active site (the course) and the staging area are cordoned off from the general parking area using two-foot high, traffic orange, rubber pylons or some other obvious delineation. This provides a visual barrier to keep visitors from harm's way. The course itself, consists of a series of pylons marking a route to be followed by the drivers. Entrants are given maps of the course to study, plus the opportunity to walk the course prior to driving it. The event chairman is responsible for course design, and they are always unique (yes, the chair & the course).

Entrants run against the clock (actually a digital timer started and stopped by your car breaking a light beam_pretty high tech, huh?) Usually, only one car is on the course at a time. However, if the parking lot has enough room to layout a wide open course, it is often possible to safely start a second car after the first one is half way through the course. These are low-speed events - 1st, 2nd and maybe some 3rd gear driving.

Windy City BMW has been running autocrosses for about 20 years and has a solid compliment of experienced men and women to safely conduct the events and to help novices understand the sport and enjoy themselves. The season runs, nominally, from late April on into September. Events are held on Sundays from 9 or 10 am until 4 or 5 pm. Check the Breeze calendar for dates and locations of the events. Come join us and learn to appreciate your car's capabilities. Sign up your new teenaged drivers so they can learn, in a safe environment, how a (YOUR CAR) car responds to their inputs.

If you have any questions, virtually any of the chapter Board Members listed in the Breeze can help answer them.