Buckingham Airfield, Ft Myers FL - Central Florida autocross clubs take turns hosting this event every year; the 2006 event returned to the Gulfcoast Autocrossers site in Fort Myers. Buckingham Airfield is one of the hundreds of WWII-era training bases spread across the southern U.S., in this case the remnant of a former gunnery training center now housing DC-3 and UH-1 spray aircraft of the Lee County Mosquito Control District. GCAC periodically uses the southern runway -- actually part of the original parking ramp -- for autocross events. The pavement is nearly three times as wide as a standard runway, leaving course designers considerably more room to work with than a normal runway course, and the well-maintained concrete provides outstanding grip. The course for this event meandered the length of the half-mile runway and back again, including an unevenly-spaced slalom on each side.
Unfortunately, a great site and a good course was marred by unbelievably inefficient event administration. Rather than different classes taking all their runs at one time, everyone's runs were spread throughout the day. Waiting hours between runs was additionally frustrating because I did not drive well. In spite of the magnificent pavement, I spun early in my first run. My final two runs, although clean and improving, were badly off-rhythm and off-pace. I finished 4th of 7 in class, fully five seconds out of the lead and two seconds behind Dat Nguyen. A dismal 64th of 139 on the index underscored the performance. Better luck next year.
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