Car shows are an excellent way to see brand new and restored cars.

With the arrival of spring and warmer weather, car-related events become common. With automotive and auto body courses there should be some interest in car-related activities.

If you are interested in participating in, watching or perhaps just want to find out more about the particular cars you are considering buying, then the following list of car activities in DC and the surrounding areas should be of value.

Car Clubs

Are you interested in activities with other people who share common car-related interests, or have questions about certain makes of cars or activities? Joining a car club or at least visiting club meetings can be invaluable. There are car clubs for most if not all car makes, especially performance, sporty cars and antique cars. These clubs may have local chapters that are affiliated with a national club, or they may be independent clubs.

Sample marque clubs include Mustang, Mercedes Benz, Mazda, and Nissan Z. Clubs are also available for people with common interests, like autocrossing or the top down club, for folks who enjoy riding around all year with their convertible tops down.

Clubs often have a monthly meeting at a restaurant. Sometimes they have a speaker, or they put on activities like drives, autocrosses, rallies, technical sessions (which might include using dealer repair shops after hours), and car shows. They also often sponsor driving days at regional race tracks. The national car clubs often put on an annual convention which features many kinds of activities, such as the Alfa Romeo (Italian car) Owners Club national convention in Frederick, Md. from June 23-27.

Car clubs are a great place to talk to fellow owners about solving car problems and getting recommendations on servicing. There are often discounts on parts available and often a newsletter is published. Yearly membership can range from about $25 to $60.

A large nationwide organization is the Sportscar Club of America. They put on professional and amateur road races at various tracks, as well as staging hillclimbs, autocrosses, rallies, and time trials. The DC chapter’s website is wdcr-scca.org.

Thinking of car clubs, why aren’t there any car clubs at the NOVA campuses?

Autocrossing

Want to drive fast around tight curves set up in a course marked with orange highway cones in a paved lot? This activity is autocrossing. Vehicles are sent out on the course individually and timed. Most courses are set up in stadium parking lots, like at FedEx Field, and baseball stadiums like at Frederick and Bowie. Helmets are required as well as a car safety inspection. Early in the year autocross schools are often held. Many clubs hold these events and sometimes allow non-club entries if space is available. Often participants are allowed at least three runs through a course, and in club events there are often more runs allowed. Entry fees normally range from $25-$30 per driver.

An area calendar is at autocrosses.org. The Mazda Sportscar Club is putting on autocrosses in July and October at Bowie and welcomes non-members. Their website is mscw.com.

Go Karts

Want to drive around curves but not in your own vehicle? Go karts have bare and ultra-light chassis with horsepower ranging from 5 to 30. High speeds can be attained in large outdoor courses, which are often available at road racing and other tracks. The nearest course is Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, whose website is olddominionspeedway.com.

There is an indoor course – Allsports Grand Prix – which is about a mile from the Loudoun campus in Sterling, Va. Its karts feature 5.5 horsepower Honda engines with top speeds of about 35 mph. The karts and the course feature rubberized curbs which minimize collision dangers. Participants rent a well-used racing suit, helmet and a kart. Sessions for individuals are priced about $25 per ten minutes with a printout provided of lap times after the session. Their website is allsportsgp.com.

Driving at Speed

Want to learn and practice with you own vehicle at speeds nearing race speeds? Regional race tracks host driving schools and practice sessions on their circuits, which are often put on by car clubs or other organizations. For instance, the Friday at the Track at Summit Point Raceway session offers an introduction to high speed driving with your car under the supervision of experienced instructors. Cars require a safety inspection and convertibles often need roll bars. The cost for FATT is about $250 for the day.

Car Rallies

Car rallies feature various kinds of activities in the participants’ own cars, usually on public roads, and offer different levels of competition and speeds. More casual events like gimmick rallies involve following course directions and answering questions from signs along the way, with occasional checkpoints. A poker rally involves just picking up a playing cards at the checkpoints with the best hand winning.

There are higher pressure events called time-speed-distance rallies that require following set speeds with sometimes tricky directions, with checkpoints timing the cars.

This year the DC chapter of SCCA is putting on a series of these rallies, including a school in April.

Other types of rallies are run on non-public dirt or gravel roads and involve driving as fast as possible with checkpoints along the course. The SCCA sponsors rallycross and pro rally calendars.

Drag Racing

Want to drive your car down a straight race strip or want to see some wild cars and dragsters roar down the strip? Then you should go to a drag strip. Cars take off from a standing start and are timed at the end of the strip. The closest strip to DC in Virginia is at Old Dominion Speedway which features a shorter, 1/8 mile strip. Racing is Friday nights, with another night called Test and Trial where participants can try out their car in a lower pressure atmosphere. Another Virginia dragstrip is Summerduck in Fauquier County, at summerduckdragway.com.

Maryland drag strips include those at Capitol Raceway in Waldorf, at capitolraceway.com, and Maryland International Raceway in Budd’s Creek, at mirdrag.com. These drag strips have the more conventional ¼ mile long strips.

By: Arch Scurlock

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