Around the Cones

The History of GCR Autocross Sites

Steve Kidd, Autocross Chair

After our summer break the GCR Autocross series will resume on Saturday, September 10th at Sebring. This will be event #6 in what we hope to be a 7-event series for 2022. I hope all our regulars and those wishing to learn AX will sign up on clubregistration.net. Remember, we have one on the most user-friendly AX programs for newcomers.

Now for this month’s special AX feature, I would like to look back and share some of the AX history over the last 20-plus years and our biggest challenges in continuing an AutoX program: locating AX sites. Autocross sites seem to be the biggest obstacle in regions starting new AX programs and continuing a program, should a site become unavailable. Here is summary of some of the sites used in the past and the current status of these sites.

Currently our main AX site is the Sebring Racetrack skid pad. For the last 5 years this is where the majority of GCR AX events have been held, and we owe a huge thanks to Suncoast Region for allowing us to use the skid pad when they have a DE at Sebring. The main drawback to this site is the distance from Dade / Broward, which is about 2 to 3 hours each way. Other than the distance, this is a great venue and Suncoast Region offers a track tour at midday (in conjunction with their DE), lots of AX runs, and a very easy-to-design course that has proven to be very safe and easy to coordinate with our friends at Suncoast Region. Also used recently was the go-cart track at Palm Beach International Racetrack (PBIR.) We have used this site several times in the past, and it has proven to be another popular venue and easy to set up as a course. Unfortunately, the track has been sold, and it looks like any type of motorsports events are not in the future. Rumor has it that the site is slated to become a distribution center/warehouse complex. Another site that was used pre-COVID was parking lot #5 at FAU in Boca. This lot was turned into a COVID testing site during the peak of COVID, and remains a possibility for the future, especially if there is a reduced need for COVID testing locations. FAU was one of the easiest governmental agencies to deal with, and the lot rental price was very reasonable. The site was small and course design challenging, but very doable. Hopefully we can return there in late 2022 or early 2023.

Other site options involved doing events with other PCA regions. Probably the most notable were a few joint events we held with Everglades Region at the Buckingham Airport in Lehigh Acres. Distance-wise, it’s about the same as to Sebring: 1.5 to 2.5 hours, depending on where in SE Florida you are coming from. This is the home AX site for Gulf Coast Autocrossers, and one of my all-time favorite sites. What’s not to like about a half-mile long concrete runway, plenty of room, and fantastic course design options? Getting a date there is nearly impossible for any organization that is not established within the hierarchy of government agencies and SW Florida clubs that have first dibs on available dates.

Looking back a little further, most everyone who has been autocrossing a while remembers the 10-year span we had at the BBT Center parking lot in Sunrise. This site was large, very popular, centrally located, and it was easy to run events there. Courses were set up to run clockwise one month then counterclockwise the next month, and runs usually were 60+ seconds for the faster cars. Other than having to control onlookers who wandered over from the Sawgrass Mills Mall, this site was great until the repaving project. The new asphalt/sealcoat at the site put an end to management’s willingness to rent the site for close to 3 years. When the issue was finally revisited after months of attempts, the officials doubled the price, asked we pay a security deposit equal to the lot rent (something we have never been requested to do previously), and sign

Steve works course in rain or shine

If you can help us find that new AX site, please call Team AX: Steve Kidd at 954-292-3915 or Dottie Kidd at 954 562 5919

GCR Members running and volunteering for timing and scoring along with other track duties

a new contract that, as we interpreted it, made GCR responsible for any damage including but not limited to tire marks. The new package proved to be unworkable and as one observer pointed out, it “looked like their way of saying NO.”

Prior to BBT, another site that proved to be very popular was Hialeah Park Horse Track in North Miami. There were several lots available, and GCR along with several other car clubs generally used the long skinny easternmost lot that seemed to work best, sort of like a mini-Buckingham Airport. This site was used until casino gambling came along and the organization wanted all available parking spots for their new gambling customers. The same can be said for a number of other former sites such as Dania Jai Alai, Hollywood Dog track, Gulfstream Park, and Pompano Harness Track, to name a few. Other sites such as the former Hollywood Fashion Mall have been redeveloped.

Other sites (and the list is long) have said no, don’t return calls, or have proved to be unworkable for a number of reasons. Other possible sites, such as those run or overseen by governmental agencies, make the process so difficult and time- consuming that it feels like submitting an RFP, and requires approval by a commission body, planning board or other organizations such as the FAA. Looks like we need a full-time grant writer or lobbyist to make productive contact with some of these organizations!

This is a partial list of AX sites, and does not include a few that are currently still in the works. Hopefully one of the sites in the works will partner with us for a long-term arrangement such as we had with BBT. Back in the “good old days” securing a site was not a difficult sell. Property managers were happy to make anywhere between a few hundred to a few thousand bucks to rent a parking lot for a day. Times have changed, and hopefully, with someone’s help, we can find an appropriate site that is an hour or less from the core area of Gold Coast Region.