THUNDER BAY - Buckling yourself in and racing around a closed track trying to beat the clock may seem a little intimidating to some, but it’s completely safe and once you get a taste of the thrill, you just might not be able to stop.
“You just have to come out, have a ride along in someone’s car, and then just drive,” said Troy Mangatal. “You’ll have fun. You’ll get addicted. I’m having a great time three years later.”
Mangatal was one of more than 35 drivers taking to the track for the Autocross Races, hosted by the Thunder Bay Autosport Club.
The race has been held for the last six years in the parking lot of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and is a fundraiser for Northern Cancer Care.
“We are hoping to break $50,000 total for the past six years,” said Shawn Allen, Thunder Bay Autosport Club vice-president. “At this point we are about $42,000. We are proud to do it.”
Drivers are challenged with negotiating a closed course with some tight turns and a few straightaways.
“It is just you against the clock,” Allen said. “You get to drive your cars as aggressively as you want in a safe and controlled environment.”
And pushing your car to the limit is all part of the thrill, but Mangatal said that might actually scare some people away, even though it shouldn’t.
“Mostly its just courage,” he said. “The reason people are fearful of this is they think they are going to hurt their car, but you’re not. The speeds are street speeds, just in a small parking lot. It’s not highway speeds or anything like that.”
“While you are ripping around the cones, everything stays under control. Interestingly enough, the fastest cars around the track are the ones with the most control.”
Drivers are given six runs throughout the day. According to Allen, there are no skills and no car preparation required, aside from maybe a little extra air in the tires.
“The secret I tell people is to start slow,” he said. “As far as skills, just look a head. Keep your head up, look further ahead than just the pylons you are approaching, try to get the car to flow as smoothly as possible and carry as much speed wherever you can.”
This year also saw a lot of new drivers hitting the course, including Dominic Pasqualino, who has tried drag racing before, but was out on the autocross course for the first time.
“I got lost. I won’t lie,” he said. “It’s a fun course, it feels good driving the car on a course. I’ve dragged raced this car before but I have never run it on an autocross course before, so I have lots to learn.”
“I’m very slow, I’m very rusty and I got lost, but I’m hoping to improve,” he added. “I have nowhere to go but up today.”