How to Start Autocrossing in the Washington DC Region

March 20, 2012 by · 1 Comment
Matt Autocross WDCR

Matt Autocross WDCRAn autocross is a timed course that is comprised of slaloms and turns marked with street cones. Within a controlled environment such as a large parking lot, autocross courses test the driver’s precision, allowing him or her to compete with other drivers in a safe environment. In addition to competing for the best time, drivers must navigate around cones or else receive a 2 second penalty for each cone hit. Drivers must also stay on course or they will receive a DNF (Did Not Finish) for that run.

To Get Started With Autocrossing…

MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATING IN AN AUTOCROSS:
To compete in an autocross, one must have a valid driver’s license. Some regions provide cars as rentals for events. Most autocross events are open to the public, but some may limit participation to SCCA or NASA (National Auto Sport Association) members. Registered SCCA members are covered by insurance in case an accident related to the event occurs. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Life, Racing · Tagged With: , , ,

Matt Bought a Motorcycle

March 17, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Our Virginia Home - Matt Motorcycle

So last Saturday, Matt woke me up around 6:30am to let me know he was leaving the house. He had not mentioned that he had any plans for the weekend. His XBox game, Mass Effect 3, had just arrived in the mail. Because he had been waiting for this game since October, I thought he would be playing it all weekend.

I followed him into the kitchen.

He moved around the kitchen, trying to block my view of the kitchen door. I peeked over his shoulder and saw his racing helmet and combat boots. Now I was really confused. Track day and his autocross season were a few weeks away and neither one would require combat boots. He left the house as quickly as possible to avoid my questions.

I told myself he must either be doing some kind of race that was dangerous enough that he wouldn’t tell me about it OR he was sitting safely in the living room of one of our friends, saving the universe on Mass Effect 3. (With a racing helmet and combat boots on, of course.)

As the evening grew closer, Matt came back home. So what had he been up to all day?

Getting his permit to ride a motorcycle. *sigh*

I didn’t find out until last night that he already purchased the motorcycle 2 weeks ago. He brought it home a few hours ago.

Our Virginia Home - Matt Motorcycle

 

Matt Motorcycle Jacket

Filed Under: Racing · Tagged With: , , ,

Wordless Wednesday: Loving the Little Moments

March 14, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Life in the Country

{ A Sunday afternoon }

Life in the Country

{ Childhood memories relived }

Matt with a Turtle

{ Family with cats }

Wordless Wednesday: Family & Cats

{ Friends }

Wordless Wednesday: Friends

Win an extra 25 points for select giveaways!cardinal

Filed Under: Life · Tagged With: ,

Looking Back on This Year – Today Is My Birthday

March 6, 2012 by · 6 Comments

With today being my birthday, I’ve had a lot of thoughts about things I accomplished since my last birthday. I’ve also had a lot of thoughts about things I wish I had done.

Just to name a few…

I’m delighted that it’s been over a year since I’ve had a soft drink. On December 7th, 2010, I gave them up. Can’t say that my sugar addiction has improved, though. :( I really didn’t focus on my health at all with the exception of not drinking soda.

I’ve been building my skills with graphic design. Although I’ve been working on digital graphics and web design for several years, I now have the time to really develop my skills and work with clients. In the past, I was juggling school and working full-time so it was something I did on the side periodically. Although the circumstances that caused me to work from home weren’t exactly ideal, I’m using this opportunity to pursue something I’m truly interested in and enjoy.

I started this website and reached out to people online to learn more about blogging. (Big thank you to the Newbie Blog Hop!)

There are a few questions that I’ve asked myself today…

  1. What did I learn?
  2. How have I changed?
  3. What do I want to accomplish this year?
  4. What were some things that I wanted to do, but didn’t make time for?
  5. What should my priorities be?

Maybe it’s because I’m almost 30, but I feel like this coming year will be busy and I have a lot of things to do.

What about you? Do you have things that you think about each year when your birthday rolls around?

Filed Under: Life · Tagged With:

Got the lab results back for Dubie

December 15, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
dubiexmas

Dubie under Christmas tree

I’ve been fairly stressed over the past several days because I was waiting on the lab results for my 14 year old little buddy, Dubie. We took Dubie to the vet to determine why he lost so much weight and what was causing his allergies.

Matt’s dad was very kind and helpful and drove us to the vet on Saturday. Dubie was very upset about the drive and cried the entire way there and back. Dubie tolerated the vet visit the best he could. We visited a new vet and I feel very comfortable with her. I appreciate that she wants to take his treatment in steps instead of jumping into costly procedures.

So I patiently waited for the lab results and just received a call from the vet this afternoon (Thursday.) Honestly, I was expecting to be told that he was terminally ill and that I’d only have a short time left with him.

When I spoke to the vet, I found out that his kidneys, liver, and sugar levels are normal. His blood work showed that he’s definitely having problems with allergies- most likely due to his food- and he also has an overactive thyroid. She suspects that he’s also having allergies due to our new cat, as many of the symptoms showed up at the same time we adopted her. I had changed the food around the same time, too.

Dubie’s allergy medication is making him very sleepy and somewhat moody. I was delighted when I got him to play a little bit yesterday. For the most part, he sleeps under the Christmas tree or in his cardboard box that he confiscated while we wrapped Christmas gifts for Matt’s sister.

He’s an indoor cat, but we take him outside to sit on the deck. Even though it’s December, it’s been between 40-60 degrees here so I’ve been able to take him outside. He loves it and despite the medicine, he perks right up when he’s outside.

Filed Under: Life · Tagged With: ,

SCCA autocross events for the Washington DC Region

November 9, 2011 by · Leave a Comment
MattSafety

As a member of the Sports Car Club of America, Matt participates in SCCA autocross events on a regular basis between April to October. An autocross is a timed course that is comprised of slaloms and turns marked with street cones. Within a controlled environment such as a large parking lot, autocross courses test the driver’s precision, allowing him or her to compete with other drivers in a safe environment. In addition to competing for the best time, drivers must navigate around cones or else receive a 2 second penalty for each cone hit. Drivers must also stay on course or they will receive a DNF (Did Not Finish) for that run.

Matt currently races in the G Stock class with his 2009 Volkswagen GTI and participates in races in the Washington DC Region.

In addition to racing at SCCA autocross events, members are asked to work on the course. Members that are working on the course are responsible for reporting the number of cones hit and if a car goes off course. While working, Matt likes to wear a GoPro camera with a chest strap so that he can record cars on the autocross course. This makes for some fun videos when cars spin out. When driving, the Go Pro camera has a suction cup mount that allows him to attach the camera to the sunroof or window.

SCCA Autocross Events

GoPro makes one of the most popular HD cameras for motorsports. It’s working out well for the autocross videos because it’s easy to adjust by just suction cupping it to different parts of the sunroof or windows from inside of the car. It also can mount to a helmet, motorcycle, ATV, car, plane, jet ski, boat, snowmobile or other vehicle. He also uses it to make mountain bike videos of some of the local trails.

SCCA Autocross Events in Videos

To see some of his SCCA autocross events or mountain bike videos, you can view his Youtube channel. Most of the mountain bike videos are from the Rivanna Trail in Charlottesville, Virginia.

You can see more videos on his YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/runnermatt

Filed Under: Racing, Reviews · Tagged With: , ,
« Previous Page