Newcomers to MBCA National Events are often confused, or maybe even intimidated, when they hear event veterans talk about their experiences at events like Gemutlichkeit, StarFest, StarTrack, and Tri-o-Rama. So here is a quick overview of the driving events to answer some questions and to ease your mind.
Defensive Driving is the basis for all of our MBCA driving events.
The purpose is simple: to help everyone become a safer, more confident highway driver. The course begins with a “chalk talk”, an explanation in layman’s terms of the course layout, the purpose of each of the driving exercises, and an understanding of how both we and our vehicles react in an emergency. You will be driving your vehicle at low speeds through a course of pylons (orange cones) set up in a vacant parking lot and will be accompanied by an experienced MBCA instructor to help you to improve your skills. We often hear “I have been driving for many years and have never had an accident. I am already a good driver.” Those things may be true, but many of us learned to drive in vehicles that did not have modern technology like anti-lock brakes (ABS), traction control, or electronic stability control (ESC) and learning how to use those features properly adds to our safety on the highway. Many of our most experienced track drivers take the defensive driving course to help to polish their skills and to give them a refresher before driving in the autocross or track events. So whether you are younger or older, confident or timid, defensive driving is of great benefit. Defensive driving is open to any safe vehicle–you do not need to drive a Mercedes-Benz to participate. Each participant will receive a certificate of completion that may result in a reduction in your auto insurance costs.
Autocross is a low-to-moderate speed event usually held in a parking lot or large paved area. The objective is to drive the course as quickly as possible without hitting any of the cones. Each participant has the opportunity to walk the course prior to driving it and can be accompanied by an experienced in-car instructor to help to learn the course and to improve their skills.
What are the benefits of autocross?
1. It helps to train your eyes to look further ahead as you drive which can increase your safety margin on the highway. 2. It improves your understanding of vehicle dynamics (why your car behaves the way it does) which in turn gives you more confidence in a emergency situation on the road. 3. It is a great transition to help you to take those first laps on the track. 4. IT’S FUN!!
Acceleration Run is the easiest event we do. You simply accelerate from a stop as quickly as you can over a set distance (usually a 1/4 mile). All you need to do is put the pedal to the metal and hang on!
Time Trials will be held at the internationally famous Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The event begins with a classroom session–the Performance Driving School–where you will learn about the course layout, fundamentals of track driving, and how to get the most out of your vehicle and yourself.
On Monday and Tuesday each driver will get multiple practice sessions with an instructor. As your skill and confidence level increases, your instructor can give you the OK for a big thrill–your first solo laps on a racetrack! All passing is very controlled–there is no door-to-door “racing”. Time trials culminates with timed runs against the clock so you can see how much you have improved during the event–and maybe win a trophy too!
View a Mid-Ohio track video here
Track map showing the course layout with turn numbers:
MidOhio Track Map