This past Saturday FordMuscle’s Jon Mikelonis got a chance to witness the “Crowbra” up close at a SCCA autocross event at the Reno-Stead Airport. You may recall the Crowbra is the incarnation of our former teal 1993 Cobra Project car that was stolen from us several years ago, and subsequently recovered, striped and pillaged of its original beauty. FordMuscle friend Rufus Crow III bought the car at auction and has given the car a new life with new purpose – as an autocross machine. However, Rufus is quick to point out that by no means is this a trailer queen. Case in point, he drove the car from Sacramento, over the Sierra’s and into Reno to race in the Solo 2 E Street Prepared Class. In fact, Rufus is the points-leader in the Sacramento chapter’s 2008 Cup – ahead of a variety of American and foreign sports cars.


The fundamental appeal to autocrossing is that driving skills level the playing field. You can have a 500 horsepower , $100,000 sports car, but if you are not the best driver out there you’re gonna get beat. That is why more often than not the best driving ability comes from guys or gals in the least suspecting of sports cars. Many seasoned autocrossers will tell you that your best shot at being competitive is to focus on really learning your car and using the power it has. Once you get it to the absolute quickest lap time, then you make the next investment in power or handling. Unlike drag racing, you can’t simply throw horsepower at the car to run faster or quicker ET’s, since you have to know how to maneuver that power through the cones. Autocross is grassroots motorsports, and the focus is on skill – you can race anything so long as it is safe, and many drivers find themselves doing very well with half the horsepower as their competitors. Just take a look at the variety of cars in the lineup below.

Despite the fierce competition amongst the eclectic mix of domestic and foreign vehicles on the grid, SCCA autocross events are full of camaraderie. These are not fully sanctioned races and participants must contribute to compete! Everyone has to work in order for the event to operate successfully. Work entails handing out time slips, flipping cones, starter, or even announcing. Don’t look at it like work though, who out there doesn’t like to watch high performance cars while bench racing?

Auto-X events are usually setup in large parking lots or airfields, void of obstructions. The track is laid out with cones and hopefully chalk lines. Depending on the club, speeds can reach 70mph. American Autocross series, for example, is known for its wide and high speed events. Cars are generally run one at a time, hence the name Solo racing. All of this adds up to one of the safest Motorsports events you can attend.

The autocross event at Reno-Stead airport is the same place the annual Reno Air Races are run, where usually the P51 Mustang is the star of the show. Today Rufus’ Crowbra was the star, but this rare shot caught both Mustang’s striking winning poses.

Just like drag racing, autocrossing brings out a wide range of enthusiasts and cars. Some have endless budgets for the hobby, trailering their six-figure race cars behind tow RV’s of equal value.

FordMuscle, however, tends to bias the guy who takes on the challenge of driving their car to the event, beating on it, and then driving it back home – with the full expectation of driving it to work Monday morning. Even though there is anxiety in this approach, having driven your car to the event gives you the confidence to park it and hit the port-a-potties before the event starts, rather than scrambling to check tire pressure and all those other things that don’t really give you the comfort level you need.

More Pictures: