Why a dedicated page for my autox buddies? Cuz they're the ones who make it fun! Most of the drivers on this page were in my SFR SCCA '01 Novice 3 class. Check out how we did in the SFR's '01 season. Clay, Andrew, and I took the 1st through 3rd trophies in that order. Good thing there wasn't one more event--Andrew would have had a good chance at edging Clay out for 1st! =)
On the weekend before the SFR's '02 Solo 2 season started, the awards banquet was held. Most of the
regular drivers showed up and it was nice spending some time during the off season w/ 'em. It was
pretty funny seeing everyone in nice clothes, though--if you autox, you'll know that you have to wear
your grungy jeans w/ holes in 'em (to keep cool when changing wheels???) and other nasty clothes for
fear that they'll get dirty. Hahaha...
Left to Right: Andrew Phan (Novice 3, 2nd Place and Rookie Extraordinaire), Clay Clifford (Novice 3 Champion), and me (Novice 3, 3rd place).
Clay (black windbreaker) and Andrew (white shirt) gave me a great victory celebration when I
finally won my first event. It took me 11 rounds to get it right, but that made the win so much
sweeter. =) If you check out the results, I was only 9 hundredths of a second faster than Andrew
in the index. Talk about close competition. Yikes!
(Left to right): Tim, Clay, Me, and Andrew waiting on grid.
Clay Clifford
Fremont, CA
SFR SCCA: ES 22
Here's Clay doing some last-minute checking. Clay's made my novice season more exciting as well as
competitive! Plus, he's a real enthusiast... Would "regular" people buy a new set of tires knowing that
they'll be seriously feathered after the next event? I think not...
Clay's wife, Michele, puts up w/ our usual "guy talk" at each event. =) See all of the "checkered
stickers" on the door? Clay got 'em by placing 1st in our class, Novice 3. One of these days, I hope to
catch up to him! So, Michele, when are ya gonna bring out the Saturn and race with us?!!
Andrew Phan
San Jose, CA
SFR SCCA: ES-N 711
Andrew "snuck in" my novice class one day and surprised the hell outta me and Clay by running so
fast! Clay, Andrew, and I usually run within tenths of each other (PAX time), so it makes things more
fun. All of us are so competitive (in a good way, of course) that we always find out each others'
fastest times so we can drive accordingly. =)
The LH 180° sweeper before the finish at R11. Check out the body lean. Now you can see why Andrew's
so fast--he consistently pushes his car this hard. =)
I believe this is Clay driving Andrew's NX during a R12 fun run--we all swapped cars and experienced
how each one handled differently.
Yeah, baby, yeah!!! Andrew's chasing down an S2000 at Laguna Seca's famous Corkscrew. Aside from being
an avid autox'er, Andrew participates in open track events. So far, he's driven his car at The Streets of
Willow, Buttonwillow, and Laguna Seca. Read his write-up of the Laguna Seca
experience and gain insight on what the track is like for an amateur driver. Mind you, he ain't a slowpoke!
Tim Verrall
Pleasant Hill, CA
SFR SCCA: ES-N 612
Tim's made things interesting in Novice 3 by running his Subaru Outback wagon and proving
that wagons don't have to be that slow!
Kenneth Kong
Oakland, CA
SFR SCCA: OSP-N 123
I've seen Ken develop into a much faster and better driver over the course of his novice season.
It didn't help that he was running springs in the rear w/ a crazy rate for the first 10 events. He's
a rare example of a "kid" that knows to stay away from the rice boy crowd. And wouldn't ya know it,
he actually knows how to drive fast! =)
Check out the baby drift! Is he still on course or what?! I don't see any cones nearby... =)
Durk Edwards
Livermore, CA
SFR SCCA: SM 23
Durk's another one of our fastest drivers. To top it all off, he's also one of the nicest guys in the
SFR. I was lucky enough to have him as my instructor for the SFR's '01 Autocross School. He taught me how
to consistently push harder and raise my own limits to drive my GT-S faster than I'd ever done before.
Thanks, Durk!
Durk used to race the same Corolla in the SCCA Pro Rally. I can kinda imagine that... =) If
you notice a gray AE86 getting a little sideways and still manage to post fast times, it's Durk...
Alan Gruner
Redwood City, CA
SFR SCCA: HS 70
When I started my novice season, good ol' Alan always led the Novice Coursewalk and was super helpful
to us, ummm, novices. =) His advice "As long as you don't do anything to embarass yourself or hurt anyone..."
will always stick in my head. Much thanks go to Alan for helping us fledglings out...
Bryan Heitkotter
Fresno, CA
SCCA: CS/OSP 87
Here's a cool shot of Bryan's 2 at Buttonwillow. For his first time on a track, he's getting the
suspension loaded pretty well!
I need to work on placing my car this close to the cones! It looks like he only has 1" of
clearance there! =)
Woohoo!!! This looks like power-on oversteer cuz the outside rear corner is totally loaded. That's it...
I've gotta get a RWD car... =)
See what a little detailing can do? Absolutely gorgeous...