Oscoda Pro Solo, 2011

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A Really Fun Reason to Drive 28 Hours, Round Trip

The Oscoda Pro has been my most anticipated event to date.  After having done my first Pro in Lincoln I could hardly wait until the next one, which was Oscoda. This was another one of those entries that kept getting pushed forward. I remember asking Nancy at SCCA to go ahead and push my entry fee to Oscoda, all the time wondering if I could really convince Jim and David to go that far, especially so close on the heels of Lincoln.  Well, as it turned out David couldn’t get away, but it was pretty easy after all to push Jim off the fence, so on Thursday evening, June 16th, we were loaded up and on our way. Early on in these crazy adventures I had wondered about enduring these mega drives, but after the non-stop Lincoln trip, the drive to Michigan didn’t seem very daunting.

As usual I had a ball, and I think Jim did too. I'm getting better, but I'm still a knuckle head on some issues and just need to keep plugging away. We lost the clutch on Sunday morning just at the end of Jim's runs-I think he felt it going a bit during his runs-so I didn't get to run on Sunday. Joe Austin offered me his HS Mini, but SCCA wouldn't bite, even for seat time only, so my day was done.

The atmosphere in Oscoda is totally different than other, larger events. We stayed in a cabin on the lake since there aren't really any hotels in the area. That was certainly fun, and very retro. I told Jim that it took me back to being a child in the 50's staying in an old club house at Wrightsville beach. He wasn't even a blip on the radar back then. That's funny to me. We cooked out on Saturday night, since there were also precious few restaurants in the area. As it turns out, Jim’s a pretty good cook. His marinated chicken was way beyond delicious! There were autocrossers there playing volleyball on the beach, and there was even a bonfire on the beach one night. All good stuff!

As the season has progressed I find myself even more excited about the entire concept of National competition. I love everything about it. From the anticipation of leaving for the event, traveling to parts of the country like Oscoda, that I’ve never seen, to competing with the best drivers in the country, it’s all exciting and challenging.  I’ve also enjoyed getting to make new friends, and getting to know better some drivers that I’ve known for a while. I’ve never been a fan of crowds, and had actually used that as a reason for not doing National events. Oscoda was, by National standards, a small event, but I’ve never felt crowded at any of these events, so, there you have it. I was wrong again.

As much as I have enjoyed the National Tours, I’m finding that I love the excitement of Pro Solo much more. L1, my class, is one of the toughest (I’ve been told) of all the classes in Pro. These are truly the top lady drivers in the country. I’m still not as consistent as I’d like to be on the launch, but when the dust clears…and there’s always dust when I launch… my reaction times are passable, and my 60 foot times are, for the most part, reasonable. I had some good times and some that were a little slow. As I become steadier with my RPM’s at the line those times will improve. Of course I still need to work on the entire course. That’s the great thing about Pro. Eight runs on Saturday, 4 on each course, followed by 4 more runs on Sunday morning. That means we have Saturday evening to go over video and data to work out places to pick up time. The courses are shorter than Tour courses, and relatively simple, but for just plain fun they can’t be beat. Jim is a great coach and I’m getting a little less self-conscious about watching my videos frame by frame, looking for ways to improve. I’m feeling much more positive about seeing the things that I do, both right and wrong.

This time my work assignment was scanning. This means scanning the bar codes on each driver’s helmet as they come to the line. That square of space behind the SCCA trailer is the busiest spot on or near the course. Most every driver has at least one person in that space, coaching, checking air pressures, adjusting outside cameras and recording times. I’m just amazed about everything that’s going on during that time. It’s also the perfect place to be to see launches and to watch drivers on course. Listening to the announcer as each run unfolds just adds to the atmosphere.

This entire season has been a growth experience for me. I continue to learn more about myself, and perhaps a little more about the people around me.  Getting out of my comfort zone with Team Grab and Go has been good for me as I tend to be more of a planner than I’ve been allowed to be this year. Just rolling with whatever the game plan happens to be at the moment has been exciting.

Autocrossing isn’t nearly about the six minutes spent on course over a weekend. It’s about the times before and after as well. Sitting with friends at the end of the day, having a drink and laughing just seals the deal on the best hobby ever! I’m so thankful and appreciative to those who have made it happen.

Gwennie