Filming Fast Cars For The Forum Wars 2, Pt. - 2

Cars waiting to compete in the autocross.

 
Okay - back to The Forum Wars. The next event was the autocross. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about what autocross is - if you didn't already know...

"An autocross is a timed competition where drivers navigate one at a time through a temporary course marked by traffic cones, rather than racing on a track with multiple other cars, as in road racing or oval racing. Autocross tends to place more emphasis on car handling and driver skill than on sheer horsepower, and events typically have many classes which allow almost any vehicle, from economy sedans to purpose-built vehicles, to compete. Speeds are slower in absolute terms when compared to other forms of motorsports, usually not exceeding highway speeds, but the activity level (measured in discrete turns per minute) can be higher than even Formula One due to the large number of elements packed into each course. Autocross courses are typically 40 to 70 seconds in length, with speeds limited to 70mph for insurance purposes. In addition to being a national-level motorsport in its own right, autocrossing is a good way to learn skills that transfer to road racing, as drivers learn vehicle control and club ethics."

Our autocross course was carefully laid out in the parking lot behind the stands of the drag strip at Royal Purple Raceway, the cars had five laps to clock their best time. Autocross is truly a test of driving skills and how well the driver knows his car. Some cars better suited for drag racing don't fare so well on the autocross, they carry too much speed, preventing them from maneuvering with the driving finesse needed for the course.

I won't lie, watching some of the drivers made me want to tell them to move over so I could drive. You could tell which drivers had autocross experience. There was a flow to how they took the corners, braking just enough, then accelerating through the straight to the timing line. Multiple cameras filmed the action on the course from various angles. The cars themselves were also equipped with on board cameras capturing all of the "behind the wheel" action. I'm sure some of the drivers will keep the editor on the censor button busy!

The third and final event was the slalom. This time drivers had three passes to record the fastest time.  I think the drivers had more fun speeding back to the start after running the course, but once again, the event was a showcase of driver skill paired with the handling of the car.

A long day that started at sun up ended with Royal Purple's Kyle Neal announcing the winners of each match, and driver interviews. Everything wrapped with pizza, a beverage, and some cool swag from Royal Purple and Mothers.

Collecting some RP and Mothers swag after filming.

As we wrap up our blog coverage of The Forum Wars Season 2 filming, a few "Thank Yous" are in order. Thanks to Royal Purple Raceway Vice President and General Manger Seth Angel for being accommodating above and beyond what was expected. Thank you Schiefer Media for securing sponsors such as Mothers, Eibach, Falken Tire and Magnaflow. Thanks to the production crew who worked tirelessly all day and to Megan the production manager who kept things running smoothly considering the change to a one-day shoot. Thank you forums for your nominations and to the participants who made the trip (some further than others) and filming a great day of competition and sportsmanship.

The Forum Wars Season 2 is expected to debut in April. Look for launch announcements on our Facebook fan page theforumwars.tv. Full episodes will be posted on www.theforumwars.tv.

Post slalom interview.