Interesting fact about the Canadian Autoslalom Championships

[13inches]

Dating back to 1972, Canadian SoloSport competitors enjoyed a National AutoSlalom Day with identically designed courses run on the same day on different venues across the country from which national class champions were determined.

What a fantastic, and FUN, idea to ressurect! I wonder if any clubs in the region would be interested in trying that idea out this year.

Just for S&Gs, nothing more.

[StewPiddass]

I'll betcha their handheld stopwatches weren't very accurate to the thousandth as is required these days...

Cool idea though, a pro solo with a little bit more distance between the 2 courses. You'd have to get Joe to MC that over the satellite feed! LOL

[J.C.]

I bet each region would be looking for the best smoothest lot possible.

Personally I would recommend running on the concrete in the sky dome and cranking the heater up. :D

[SE-R Racer]

Sounds like a postal match, I have competed in worldwide versions of this. Usually cool if you have a central point for all the scores to be displayed.
The only problem is (for autoX) no two lots are the same, so an Identical course plot has to be of a size that will fit on most lots and a lay out that can be easily duplicated (measured) which usually means a fairly simple course. Of course the grip conditions will never be the same, whether it rains in one area or not.

[13inches]

Sounds like a postal match, I have competed in worldwide versions of this. Usually cool if you have a central point for all the scores to be displayed.
The only problem is (for autoX) no two lots are the same, so an Identical course plot has to be of a size that will fit on most lots and a lay out that can be easily duplicated (measured) which usually means a fairly simple course. Of course the grip conditions will never be the same, whether it rains in one area or not.

Can I put you in charge of the pax factors to equalize the fields Pat?

The rest of us can work on having FUN and bench racing afterwards.

:D :p :cool:

[SE-R Racer]

Not a chance

[SE-R Racer]

Actually on second thought...sure. No prob
Everyone now has an official Pax of 1. Ok done.

[miataboi]

They used to run events on CITY STREETS in London as well with permission...

And the Nationals wasn't good for comparison, obviously... camber alone would make a huge difference... not to mention conditions...



Would have been neat to have participated in that tho...

[TOYSRUS]

It was something I looked forward to every year...the last one was sponsored by Yokohama and involved a 3 lap course utilizing very few cones - you had to complete a figure 8, oval and triangle to complete the course in any order you chose.

[Pete@Marcor]

It was something I looked forward to every year...the last one was sponsored by Yokohama and involved a 3 lap course utilizing very few cones - you had to complete a figure 8, oval and triangle to complete the course in any order you chose.

Do you guys have ANY idea how depressing it is to realize that just about no-one even knows about those events, let alone was around to compete in them?

The last one I competed in was in the Oshawa GM lot, and the rain was so bad that the pylons were washing away as a car went by them.

Bill, I think that the course design was actually an oval, figure 8 and a shape name that escapes me, but looks like the oval with the middle squeezed together. One had to go through the centre pair of cones twice, and do a complete lap on the perimeter of the course once.

There was always considerable talk about the specific lots that were used. The western guys always seemed to arrange for a concrete lot, so everyone else in the country got shafted when it came to grip.

This was back in the day when there was little information possible, and it took us a while to even crown class champions.

Being a competitor who actually ran the events, I can say that its concept is interesting, but there will always be talk about the appropriate conditions and lot equality. It might get more participation, but it is hardly a fair comparison.

And, I ALSO ran in those Hamilton street events. We were able to get the Ministry of Transport pick up the barriers from the Toronto Molson Indy and drop them on to the street for us. Then, they came back for them after our autocross.

[MR2SC]

I was young, but remember well every year going to Toronto for the National.

Yes, there was always talk of the Vancouver guys having an advantage with having their event on an airport with a concrete surface, but no one complained that much.

It was a different time then. None of these uber-sticky tires. Just street tires. Race tires were slicks.

If you were within a tenth it was a tie. I remember helping with timing one year. We had two people with stopwatches. The time was the average of the two. The same two people kept time the whole day to keep consistent.

You could have over 100 cars in your class. It did take a few weeks to find out who won what, but it was always exciting. Mum won her overall Ladies in 81 and a few class wins along the way.

One year we had a National location in Kingston (1974). Dad was the organizer. I came across the plans a couple years back. Each club was sent an Engineering drawing of the course. It was a fast course with only maybe 18 cones in total. No leaners. You were expected to know the course. We even still have some of the dash plaques. I loosly remember the big party at our house afterwards. Cars everywhere down every side street.

[finboy]

isn't that how the NATIONAL champ was awarded back in the day??

[brute66]

Could we not consider 'autocross day in ontario', if co-ordinating this concept nationally will be a problem? No doubt co-ordinating across ontario would also be awkward [logistically, politically, etc.] , but it may be a great way to either start or end the provincial series year.....

[gatherer]

isn't that how the NATIONAL champ was awarded back in the day??

yes,

I remember meeting the 1972 B-Stock National Champion Charles Hook. he won the class in the first national autoslalom day.

it's an interesting way of running the national competition taht would certianly cut down on drive time.

[Marsh]

I never thought this was a good idea. For one of these WOSCA apparently had a great lot (or a slow stop watch) because damn near half the field became the national champion.

The "hour-glass, oval, figure-eight" course that we recycle every couple of years is one of the old nation-wide national courses.

[DareBee]

I am pretty sure the few nationals I attended had an electronic timing system with stopwatch backups.

This format definately has its flaws, but a flawed national event is better than no national event.