The MGA With An Attitude
St. Louis Autocross - March 1999
Preparing for battle
What do you do to top off a weekend after just returning from the 1000 mile Missouri Endurance Rally? Why, you put on the sticky tires and go autocrossing, of course. We haven't broken the car yet, so why not? This occasion was with the Boeing Employees Motorsports Club in St Charles, Missouri, in late March 1999. For those who haven't seen it yet, that attitude inspired sticker on the back of the car says "So many cones, so little time".
Mags and Stickies again, and ready to go
After wiping some of that Missouri back road dirt off the steel front fender we apply the magic magnetic numbers, pass a blessing to cast out the bad spirits and install a few demons of our own. It's absolutely amazing what a few numbers and some sticky tires will do to transform a mild mannered MG into the terror of the parking lot. Grab your helmet and let's get going! After serving as navigator for a grueling 21-1/2 hour rally, Phil Vanner from Minneapolis, Minnesota, has willingly agreed to put his soul on the line as the second driver for the autocross. Cheer up Phil. This time you'll be in control, remember?
Ready to do battle with those "monster" Neons
You might think there would be a bit of a disadvantage here, running a 41 year old MGA against those monsterous new Neons. No problen here! On this occasion the MGA with an attitude took down four of the five Neons entered, and they were all two classes up. Only one Neon ACR managed to beat the MG's scratch time.
A little body roll in a hard corner
Here Phil is catching some extra air in the wheel arches while negotiating a fast turn. Those sticky race tires can really load up the suspension, and some body roll is inevitable, even with a large anti-sway bar up front. And no, it's not wet here, just a bright day and a freshly sealed blacktop surface. YEEHAA!
How far can we go?
This is Phil giving the suspension a good work out in the switchbacks. Neither of us lost it for a loop today, but we did catch a little free air and strike up some smoke with the rear tire on occasion. This slightly fuzzy shot was captured almost at dusk with a telephoto lense followed by a zoom scanner.
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