For those who don’t know, I own a 2023 Toyota GR86. I’ve waxed poetically about the car before, and you can read about that if you like, but suffice to say, I love it. It has that special ability to make my work commute a bit less boring, and although the ride is firm, it’s rarely harsh. Further, it has all the technology I need and want, and very little that I don’t want. Toyota aced it when they designed this car.
But where the car really comes into its own, is on a competitive course. Regardless of whether you’re on an autocross course or an actual racetrack, the car comes alive when you can truly push the limits. Set the traction control to track mode, focus on less brakes and more gas, remember “pavement good and grass bad,” and you can feel the car come alive. It is a truly special feeling, and I fully believe that high performance driving events make me a better all around driver.
Recently, I had the pleasure of spending a weekend at Summit Point Motorsports Park with Out Motorsports for the Rainbow Road Autocross event. I believe this was the third time that I’ve attended one of these events, and I’ve yet to be disappointed. I arrived Friday evening and got to hang out at the track for a while, and get tech and registration done early. This actually ended up working to my advantage, as I needed a bit of extra time the next morning.
Saturday was our first day, and it was to take place on the Washington Circuit. Washington is an odd course, in that it was originally designed to be three separate skid pads, used for a while as a high-speed go-kart track, since been repurposed into a course that is popular with autocrossers and drifters. Given the design, the lack of camber or height changes, and how much open grass is around the course, it’s actually fantastic for beginners and people looking to have a fun time without too much risk.
Our track times were split into morning and afternoon, with everyone getting several runs around the course both times. I put down times that were consistently in the mid to low thirty second range. That was better than a Buick Roadmaster, and worse than several Porsche 911s, so make of that what you will. In the afternoon, we ran the course in reverse, with a couple of small changes. The times were similar, but my car definitely responded differently, and let’s just say I learned the importance of letting the chassis settle before adding more inputs.
Originally, Sunday was supposed to be more of Washington with a different course layout. However, thanks to a very generous last minute change, we were granted access to the Jefferson Circuit. Jefferson is a different beast entirely compared to the Washington Circuit, and Out Motorsports has hosted events on this (and other) circuits before called “trackcross.”
Jefferson was designed as a road course from the start, and you can achieve much higher speeds given the intent and layout. You also encounter significant changes in elevation and camber that aren’t present on the Washington Circuit. Add in a decreasing radius corner or two, and there are a lot of opportunities for off-track excursions.
As with Saturday, everyone got to drive for one session in the morning and once more in the afternoon. Due to the change in course, we got significantly more time on track, with most of our times being approximately double the previous days. The increase in achievable speed definitely made this course more challenging, with the camber change in one particular corner sending me into a rather unexpected drift on one of my first laps. Although there was no wheel-to-wheel competition, there were a few other Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ “twins” in attendance to compare against. I was very pleased that for each of my timed laps, I improved on the previous time.
However, track time was not the only reason that I had such a good time that weekend. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the time spent in the driver’s seat is not the biggest reason why I love these events. When we weren’t driving, we hung out with the other drivers, encouraged each other, and hopped in cars to ride along as a passenger princess. Then, both Friday night and Saturday night, we gathered in the hotel lobby for a few hours to kiki, chat, play pool, eat tacos, and catch up with one friends from near and far before the next day’s antics.
During a late-night, taco-and-Truly-fueled conversation Saturday evening with Jake Thiewes, we came to the conclusion that these track events are not about the individual people, the cars, or the track time, but how it all mixes together to form a community. There is something special about our little community of LGBTQ+ car enthusiasts, and our gatherings are often where I’m happiest. In hindsight, this is why I’ve made the effort to not only be a part of the community, but to help expand it. I participate in many of the semi-hidden Facebook groups, I was previously responsible for organizing events through Pride at The Dragon, and I’ve recently taken on more work helping with Out Motorsports.
It has been over a month now since my Summit Point adventure, and I still get excited thinking about it. If you’ve been on the fence about coming out to the track with Out Motorsports, I highly recommend it. Frankly, I can’t wait for the next time I can get on track. But even more so, I can’t wait until the next time I get to participate in this little community. Thank you to all involved for participating and for making this community what it is.
