Good for you Drew!
There is hope for me yet.
Photography by J.A. Ackley
What’s preventing you from autocrossing? Money? Time? The know-how? Stop with the excuses and just do it, says Drew Hierwarter.
The 76-year-old started autocrossing just two years ago, and he wishes he hadn’t waited so long.
It’s not like Drew’s a newcomer to motorsports, though. He covered NASCAR and local oval tracks as a photographer since the early 1980s. In 2019, he hung up the camera.
Looking for a new pastime, he bought an NB-chassis Miata with the desire to autocross locally with both the SCCA and Porsche Club of America. His racing experience was limited to some drag races with street cars, but nothing else in true competition.
[Buyer's Guide: NB-Chassis Mazda Miata]
“Now that I had the car–the Miata, one of the most popular autocross cars there is–I finally said, ‘Damn it, I’m going to do it!’”
Trying a new activity can be intimidating, and that holds especially true with sporting events. Drew advises newcomers to cast aside those worries when it comes to autocross.
“The guys in the SCCA and Porsche clubs are welcoming and encouraging,” he says. “They want you to come and learn autocross. They have a high tolerance for beginners. If it’s your first time, they’ll help you. They have instructors who will ride with you.”
At $50 for entry, autocross also fits his budget.
“This is the only form of racing that I can afford,” he notes. “There’s no way I could go amateur sports car racing; the cost of entry is a little too high for a retired couple. And you don’t need any special equipment to run the car. You can run it completely stock.”
As allowed by the rules, though, Drew recently fit an aftermarket anti-roll bar while installing stickier-than-stock Hankook Ventus R-S4 tires.
“I’ve always been competitive with myself,” he says. “My lifelong interest in racing has put competitiveness in me. I always want to do better.”
Part of that endeavor to do better: Drew participated in the SCCA Starting Line Autocross School.
“I learned I wasn’t driving the car hard enough,” he says. “I have to hammer on the car more. Brake later. Brake harder. Get on the gas sooner. Drive faster. I learned my car is quicker than I am.”
Drew enjoys his time at autocrosses, even if he’s a late bloomer in the sport.
“I’m wearing a helmet,” he says. “I got numbers on the side of the car. I’m going out on a closed course. I get one lap to set the fastest time I could possibly set. That’s racing. I’m enjoying it because I feel like I’m racing.”
Good for you Drew!
There is hope for me yet.
In reply to Noddaz :
Agreed. Drew's an inspiration for many of us.
Get after it brother. No quit!
Thank you for this. I've been reluctant to dive in with my NA Miata as a 57-year-old. No longer. I'm hitting the next fun run the state's chapter holds.
In reply to mkempphoto :
One of our drivers at the vintage races is 85 years old............I want to be him when I grow up.
Hoping Drew does this for many years to come.
Now going on 77 and still autocrossing. Started when I was 16 with a new license and a Dad who wanted me to understand car control so he signed me up with the Staten Island Sports Car Club in my Mom's Corvair.
The best thing about autocrossing at this age is that it forces you to connect your decaying brain with your arthritic body !
But I need a beater to turn into a race car.
Looks out at driveway.
Oh, wait...
Great story.
when is the best time to plant a tree?
either today or 20 years ago. If you didn't do it 20 years ago today is the next best day.
Started in my late 50's. I'm no smoking gun, but it's alot of fun!
I was 62 at my first autocross event, turned 68 last week. I'm never going to be competitive on a national level, but I'm doing well locally and having fun.
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