We started off the morning split into two groups in the two halves of the parking lot. My group did the slalom first, which was just a standing start and then weaving through about eight cones. Even just that little exercise was a lot of fun. It was only in 2nd gear, but it was still fast enough to feel the car reach the edge of adhesion if you pushed too hard. It was also amazing how much it helped to keep your eyes further down the road, positioning the car for the next slalom instead of just looking at the cone right in front of you.
After the groups swapped places, we did a little mini-autocross course that was kind of half of a figure 8 - two rights, a diagonal straightaway, and then two lefts. The first few runs I accidentally left the traction control on, so once I figured that out it was a lot more fun to push the limit as I got on the gas coming out of the second turn and onto the straightaway. At one point I got it pretty sideways and saved it, and I could see people standing there watching and cheering.
In the afternoon they had the whole thing set up more like a regular autocross session. They started off after lunch with a driver's meeting and track walk. During the track walk it seemed like there was so much room for a racing line, but when you get out there in a car you realize just how little space there is in some of the turns.
Before we actually drove our own cars, we got a chance to ride with instructors, which was fun. Even in the rain, the 4-wheel-drive WRX I rode in had tons of grip and would really throw you into the seats under acceleration and turning. It was also interesting see how hard the instructor would get on the gas and brakes.
Finally around 2pm in the afternoon I got to drive the full autocross course in my own car. Oh man it was fun! It was great pushing my car to the limit around all these turns. I think the wet actually made it more fun, since the car was so much more willing to slide around. It was amazing how quickly a lap on the course went. It just felt like a quick blur of corner after corner and then poof!, it's all over. Another thing I noticed out there was that autocross seems to be all about positioning you car for that next turn. It took me a little bit to adjust my thinking away from the road course mindset of maximizing exit speed so that you carry a lot of speed onto a straightaway, and instead focus on where you want the car positioned for the two or three turns ahead.
After I drove the course five times, I worked one of the flag stations while the other half of the group was on course. It was kind of fun watching the other cars go through the turns and seeing their racing line. There were times in the session it was raining pretty good though, and by the end of it I was soaked to the bone.
Despite the weather, I had an absolute blast. It was just so great to push the car hard in an environment that's safe and legal. Everyone there seemed to have a great attitude and was equally enthusiastic about the whole thing, which also helped make it a lot of fun. I'm going to try to make a real autocross event at the same location later this month. I can't wait to get back out there!
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