Dancing With The Cars

Going to theme parks and daring to take on the so-called “thrill rides” has never been much of a dare for me. You see, I never felt the rides truly lived up to their descriptive term; I was rarely “thrilled”. However, this past summer I visited Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, home of the world’s tallest and fastest roller coaster. Suffice it to say, that with a 0-128mph time of a face-flattening 3.5 seconds and a climb almost straight up to 456 feet, I was finally thrilled. But now what? What could possibly match that? I thought I would have to wait for the next generation of roller coasters to find out. I was wrong. I was wrong because I was the lucky winner of a silent auction that my parents bid on, knowing how much I love cars and would enjoy this early and unique Chanukah gift. The prize was a ride-along at a Porsche autocross event. While no road-going Porsche that I know of can launch from 0-128 in 3.5 seconds, this was a thrilling event in a different way. While anyone can mash a pedal to the metal and go fast on a highway, I learned that an autocross, of which I had never been to before, is a beast of a different nature. I likened it to a dance. Now, I’ve never much liked dancing, but now I know why this was the case- because I never had the right partner! I was amazed with Dave, my instructor, as he flung his car down the track. Actually, flung is probably incorrect terminology because that brings up a mental picture of lack of control and recklessness. Finesse would be a more accurate term; finesse that I have only witnessed watching the couples on some lame dance show on t.v. But, here it was…an adeptness, sophistication, and subtlety from the melding of man and machine. A true enthusiast and his or her car form an intimate bond, knowing exactly how your partner will react, but also knowing her limits. Dave demonstrated this relationship completely and fully, and therefore why so many people love a good autocross (and Porsche for that matter).

I will never forget this event, and neither will my wallet. I caught “the itch” for autocrossing. If I thought I had it before, I was wrong. This event taught me what I have been lacking in my driver-piloting skills and the desperate need I now have to remedy that shortcoming. The friendly nature of the Porsche drivers, as opposed to the chest-thumping, meat-head mentality of owners that I have met driving “other” fast cars, left me impressed. Thank you to the Southern Arizona Region of the Porsche Club of America for a truly mind-bending experience and thanks to Dave for the great nausea-resistance tests. If you have never participated in an autocross event, I leave you with six little words…so you think you can dance?

Sincerely, Mark Bleicher