by Lori Straus

Autocross lets you challenge your driving skills without raising the vast amounts of money needed to race professionally. Purists may not categorize autocross as racing because each car drives around the track alone. On the other hand, autocross drivers race against the clock, hoping to have the best time in their class. In this blog post, we’ll quickly walk you through the basics of autocross in Ontario.

Selecting a Car for Autocross

The selling point of autocross is that you, for the most part, decide on the cost of participating. For some drivers, they’ll invest in vehicles that are close to professional race cars. However, if autocross tempts you more to test your driving skills in your daily driver without even changing tires, you’ll absolutely find the appropriate class.

Autocross Racetracks in Ontario

Unlike many professional race tracks, autocross tracks are temporary. They lack walls of tires to crash into or barriers intended to protect viewers from flying debris. You also can’t joke that autocross drivers only turn left.

So what do autocross race tracks look like? Pylons demarcate the course, which is laid out on a large parking lot, airport runway, or racetrack paddock. The track is almost like an obstacle course of driving skill. Turns can be tight and in any direction, and there is no standard configuration.

Autocross Events

In Ontario, the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs Ontario (CASC Ontario) organizes many autocross events. They refer to the sport as autoslalom. Their website says, “Almost any driver can participate in almost any car, no matter how old, the make, the model, or the modifications that have been done to the vehicle. As long as the car meets certain safety standards, Autoslalom has a class for your car.”

After registration in the morning, CASC Ontario walks drivers through the track. This helps competitors become familiar with the track and plan their strategy. Autoslalom events include 18 different classes that divide vehicles by drivetrains and the level of modifications made to the car. Ontario CASC says on their website, “Whether you have a fully tricked-out Camaro or a completely stock Honda Civic, there is an Autoslalom class for you.”

Racing With Little Risk

All driving involves risk, but I don’t think anybody would disagree that every professional race can be life-threatening. Autocross by comparison is relatively safe. Because you’re not racing wheel-to-wheel and cars rarely surpass highway speed, the risks to you and your vehicle are minimal. If you love driving but value your life, autocross in Ontario may be the answer for you. And who knows? Maybe you’ll branch out to ice racing not long afterwards! (You may want a very used car for that, though.)