THUNDER BAY – Unless you own a purpose-built racing machine, the opportunities to push a car to its limits are very few and far between.
However, the Thunder Bay Autosport Club has a way for local drivers to fulfill their need for speed in a safe environment.
The club has started off their 2024 autocross season, with races on Thursday at the Motorcycle Safety Training Organization Northwestern Ontario training site in Rosslyn and at the WSIB lot on Jade Court on Sunday.
“What I like the most about it is that it gives you an opportunity to drive your car at its limit in in a safe and legal environment instead of doing it on the streets, especially with how fast some of these cars are now,” Samuel Morris said before strapping into his Mazda on Thursday.
Autocross is an individual time event where a car goes around a parking lot on a course that is laid out with cones.
It’s a test of a driver’s skill and also the agility of the car. If someone hits a cone, they receive a one-second penalty per cone.
“Smoothness is the key to a good run,” Morris said. “The car shouldn’t look dramatic when you’re on the course.
“If the tires are squealing or the brakes are screeching, you’re driving too aggressively. Believe it or not, it’s slower than being smooth.
“Drama free is always faster.”
The Thunder Bay Autosport Club, which also runs the ice racing events during the winter locally, has been holding autocross events since 2011.
This year’s schedule will see them holding events at the Workplace Safety Insurance Board parking lot, the turtle lot at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, the Terrace Bay Airport and in Rosslyn.
“Everyone has their preferred type and model of car, but what really brings us all together is that we really enjoy putting them to the test and having a safe place to do some performance driving on,” said TBAC secretary Melissa Lamothe.
“We have some of our members that are really competitive and come out every time we have an event, but we also have those who are casual racers that pick and choose their events based on their schedules, the weather and what works for them.”
While there’s a consistent group of 20 to 30 cars at each autocross event, the goal is to get more people involved in the sport.
“There are lot of kids out there with nice cars but there are some people that are afraid to try it out,” Morris said.
“It’s a skill set like anything else. On your first time out, you tend to not to be super-fast, but nobody will laugh at you. We’ve all been there. We just wanted to see you have a good time and enjoy driving your car.”
On Sunday, Brad Folino, sponsor and former president of Thunder Bay Autosport Club, said auto cross is a test of driver skill more than anything.
“The Autosport Club tries to encourage people to come out, try the event and learn a little bit more about how to handle your car.
“Yes, it is a speed event but under controlled circumstances,” he said.
Folino said at these events you can drive your car with a little bit of aggression, unlike on the streets of Thunder Bay.
“We want to send people out on the streets better drivers than they were when they got here,” he said.
This year the Thunder Bay Autosport Club have had between 18 and 25 cars at their events. They have a goal of 35 cars at an event, Folino said.
“For the most part people have sports cars or sedans, and they’ve bought them because they want to drive them with a little bit of passion.
“Autosport is all about passion. People are getting out here under a controlled environment to drive their car a little harder than they normally would,” he said
Folino said the appeal in auto cross is wanting to better yourself.
The Thunder Bay Autosport Club has a fundraiser for cancer care Thunder Bay.
“Even with being a small club, 20 to 30 cars, we have raised about $75,000 in our 11 years of doing the fundraiser event.
“The more money we raise, the better off everybody is. The fundraising we do for cancer care is all local.”
Folino and the Thunder Bay Autosport Club members feel very strongly about fundraising in Thunder Bay.
He said more information will be coming out soon about the fundraiser.
“I think people will surprise themselves if they come out.
“If they like watching it on TV, but never saw themselves as a driver they should come out and just try it,” Folino said.
“This club is all about supporting each other and supporting the autosport community.”
Folino said entry fees are $30 and the club membership is $60.
For more information about Thunder Bay Autosport Club or the Autocross Race in support of the Northern Cancer Fund visit their website.
-- With files from Olivia Browning
