,
VCMC's autocross stations are well equipped: fire extinguisher, safety vests for the workers, two-way radios, extra cones and water bottles. Umbrellas are optional but highly recommended! Personally, I had my winter parka, wool mitts, rain gear (which didn't fit well over the parka), and work boots. Staying warm while standing for an hour or so in the middle of a giant parking lot make the event far more enjoyable! Even if you look funny.
Drivers all gridded up in the provided cues and that was 'their' spot throughout the session. As you look to the hilltops in the background, that is fresh snow covering the hill tops that had just fallen earlier in the day. The clouds never cleared enough to clearly see them, but it's quite possible that there were snow capped mountains off in the distance.
Once through the queue the driver was scanned. Everyone received a bar code at the beginning of the day at the driver's meeting (or had one from a previous event) and most had them applied to the side of their helmet. This was a fast and efficient way of recording times under the correct user.
Inside the trailer a team kept in constant radio contact with the workers on the course, recorded times which were displayed on a massive LED screen that the driver saw when the finished the course, and did whatever else time keepers and course clerks have to do! Which I'm not downplaying – these roles are critical to the success of the event.
Of course, nothing could happen without the course design and then the volunteers to set everything up. Each cone was marked in place with chalk (it must've been waterproof chalk because most of the marks survived the rain and snow).
The cones are the unsung heros of the autocross world. They get hit, run over, knocked flying, and at times dragged under a car for perhaps the majority of the length of the course. Thus the need for a supply of cones at each work station. Your's truly didn't hit any cones, but also came in dead last in raw times and second last in PAX times. Sigh! Time to practice the excuse again – 8 year old hockey puck snow tires!
Was it mentioned that we also had fog? Or rather, steam as the sun came out and started heating up the pavement. Fortunately, this occurred during our lunch break so all of the cones were easily visible when the course was back under the green flag.
