YouTube is on and you’re watching an episode of Roadkill.
Finnegan is throwing cars around a coned track by the scruff of their neck, whilst Freiburger is typically ploughing straight over them.
‘Autocross’ they call it, and blimey does it look like a lot of fun.
So you head straight to google, and you strike gold with Go Motorsport’s Autocross page, except to your horror the competition takes place in a ‘grass or stubble field’.
At least that’s how it happened for me.
A frenzied look through the remaining pages comes up with the usual circuit racing, hill climbs and sprints. I found myself asking if there even was UK version of Autocross.
Not Autocross, but Autotest and AutoSOLO
Autotests have been a competitive form of motorsport since 1969. With a strong focus on car control, competitors rarely get out of second gear and normally include sections of reversing. Often used as a testbed for kit cars or development vehicles, Autotests do not require the vehicle to be taxed, insured or MOT’d.
AutoSOLOs are much the same but without any reversing sections. Cars entered into the AutoSOLO must be taxed, insured, MOT’d and driven to the event.
Clubs will however often run the same course for both AutoSOLO and Autotest, with the event defined by whether a car arrives on a trailer or not.
If you’re concerned, don’t let the sound of never leaving second gear put you off. You will still be travelling at nearly 60mph, and faced with a hairpin around a single cone you’ll be wishing you had more brakes and stickier tyres, not another gear.
What sort of car do I need for AutoSOLO?
The great news for AutoSOLO is that all you need to be competitive is a standard road car. Yes, it’s nice to have a bucket seat and a harness. Yes, it’s nice to have coilovers, and it’s definitely nice to have a cone filter and a naughty backbox to fill the air with a cacophony of braaaps. But do they get you to the top of your class, or even best overall? Probably not (he says, with a 1.8 turbo with all the above).
What will make a difference is a decent set of sticky tyres and a good alignment to help you feel what the car is doing.
Damage control
If you’ve been out on track, having the Armco rush towards you as you skid across the gravel isn’t a terribly enjoyable experience. And the risk of coming together with another car, despite being a rare occurrence, is all too real.
With AutoSOLOs, the potential to acquire unwelcome patina is significantly less. With only one car out on the course at a time, there is normally nothing to hit. Cones are the obvious target, ahem, I mean obstacle, but their orange plastic polishes off with ease. In fact, we took The Blue Peril to an AutoSOLO the weekend after it was imported, despite it having just received a full respray.
In the name of transparency, I once picked up a small dent in the sill, in front of the o/s/r wheel. I did deserve it, however, as I was being exceptionally greedy with the line I was taking, running right over the base of a cone at speed.
We’ve not known anyone else to pick up any damage and would recommend AutoSOLOs to those who are nervous taking their car on a track.
How do I find an AutoSOLO to compete in?
So you’re committed. You’re going to take your pride and joy and risk smearing it with orange plastic.
I jest.
Head straight over to our Find a Club page, where you can search the MSA database for clubs that hold AutoSOLOs. Once you’re there, you’re going to need to select Autotest from the Keywords dropdown. The MSA seem to list all the AutoSOLO events under Autotest, even though from our experience AutoSOLO is more popular. Proceed to enter your postcode, select a distance you’re comfortable travelling and hit the search button.
Join a club
One you’ve returned some results, click on a listing and you will be taken to the club’s page. Here you will find the club’s website, along with information such as the club officials and the other types of event they organise.
Club membership should set you back around £20. A full season’s motorsport should cost around £650, including entry to six events, a set of 15″ tyres and all your fuel.
A bargain, if you ask us.
Photo taken from onboard footage with Marcelo Tavares at the Sporting Car Club of Norfolk AutoSOLO
