Autocross isn’t the most popular sport in Central Oregon, but there is an active community that gets together and provides opportunities for drivers to take on cone courses. The Autocross Club of Central Oregon has hosted six events this spring/summer and has seven more in store.
So, what is autocross? In autocross, drivers use traffic cones to create mini road courses (usually on an airport tarmac or in a large parking lot), and see who can drive the course the quickest without hitting obstacles or going off course. AACO promotes motorsport safety and active participation, according to the club’s website. Drivers are racing against the clock in these timed competitions, instead of against other cars.
“As an entry level motorsport, it provides a stepping stone for drivers looking to move into other more competitive and possibly expensive forms of motorsport, including rally and circuit racing,” describes ACCO’s Facebook page.
During the first weekend of July, ACCO July Autocross will take over the lodge parking lot at Hoodoo Ski Area for a day of testing car control and weaving around cones. ACCO hosts these event sessions every month, April through September. Drivers can enter the competition for $35 a day, and those who don’t want to get behind the wheel can watch for free.
On Saturday, July 15, ACCO will switch up its normal event setup with high-performance driving at the ACCO Track Day at Oregon Raceway Park.
“This [event] is not a race; this event is a driving skills day for drivers to stretch their legs and learn to handle their cars on a racetrack, states the ACCO website.
The racetrack is nestled in the wheat fields of Grass Valley and features two miles of smooth asphalt. At the event, there will be four run groups — rookies with instructors, novice, intermediate and advanced.
For those looking to get into autocross, Autocross Club of Central Oregon is an organization that offers a space to get a foot in the door, learn from experienced drivers, network and maintain a safe practice of the motorsport.
This article appears in Source Weekly June 22, 2023.
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