I'm a National
Champion! That's right, I won my class at the 1996
Tire Rack SCCA Solo II National Championships, driving my '85 Citation
Formula Ford (the yellow car in the pictures on this page.) For more info
about the National Championships, see the
Tire Rack page (which includes
stories and
results), or check out these
pictures that another
competitor took (including one of my car).
Rather than try to describe the sport, I'll point you at a description elsewhere on the net.
This picture is from the Los Angeles
Pro Solo,
in 1994. That's me on the left in my old race car, an '82 Van Diemen
VD82 Formula Ford. I was up against
Michael Butler in the Pro Solo Challenge
competition. The first one back wins. Michael got a substantial lead due
to the fact our cars are rather obviously different. What you see is about
4 seconds. It feels like about 60, as you sit there on the line and watch
the other guy get a head start.
I am an active member of Team.Net, which is really nothing more than a rather humongous e-mail list for autocrossers around the country. I was one of the first 5 members, I think. The list is now over 1000 members strong! I maintain the Bay Area sublist of Team.Net.
I started
autocrossing in 1988, after I attended the BMW/Skip Barber
Advanced Driving School in October '87, at Lime Rock Park in northwestern
Connecticut. My first race was in the summer of '88 at Candlestick Park in
San Francisco. Back then I raced my street car, an '86 Acura Integra. In
1990 I attended my first National Championship event in Salina, KS, driving
Tim Villanueva's Fiat X1/9. I finished 14th of 27 that year. In November
of 1990 I bought my first dedicated autocross car, an '85 Toyota MR2. I sold
the MR2 in early '92, so for that season, I drove a lot of other people's cars,
including Alan Dahl's Miata at
the '92 Nationals. I bought the Van Diemen in December of '92, and then
replaced it with my current autocross car, an
'85 Citation Formula Ford (the yellow car up above), in September of '94.
Since I started driving Formula Fords, I haven't failed to trophy at the
National Championships. Starting in '93, I've been 5th (well, almost, there
was this, er, weight problem, so I was penalized to 31st), 3rd, 6th, and then
I finally won in 1996.
I'm
getting the family involved! This is a picture of my Dad
in his new Porsche Boxster, that he and I both drove at the
Devens National
Tour, near Boston on June 7th and 8th, 1997. My brother also
autocrosses in his own Formula Ford. Click on these pictures for bigger
ones.
I'm
currently in the process of repairing and repainting the bodywork. Any
opinions on this paint job? Send me mail
if you have any input. I know I'd have to make the numbers a little
bit bigger. Thanks go to
Dennis Pedersen for the design and the Photoshop playing. He suggested
a bright green though. I believe that
yellow is faster.