The Okanagan Precision Driver’s Association held its first annual Introduction to Autocross in Kelowna yesterday under a warm sun and clear skies. The club hosted a completely sold out event, running students through a classroom session covering the theory and technical aspects of autocross, followed by on-course training given in graduated driving sessions which culminated in an afternoon of full-on autocross heats. The students were a very talented bunch and a huge amount of progress was made over the course of the day. Based on student comments and survey results, the event was a great success.
Thanks to all the budding autocrossers that joined us yesterday. We look forward to racing with you in the future, if we can keep up.
Thanks also to all the OPDA members that gave up a perfectly good Sunday to bring the sport to these eager newcomers. Special thanks to Steve Gunner for all his work as the event’s progenitor and chair, and to Nick Gunner for doing a lot of the planning and heavy lifting. Thanks also to the instructors and crew making the event a success: Wade Schmidt, Amanda Schuffels, Wayne Terai, Richard Matte, Matt Schmidt, Matt Phillips, Daniel Buehler, Wade Pollok, Bevin Buehler, William Pao, Will Dwyer, Ethan Delichte, Steve Wensley, Ben Wegner, Tim Reid, Doug Floer and Kiernan Wingfield.
Images below provided courtesy of Ethan Delichte and Steve Wensley of Prime Light Media.
The Okanagan Precision Driving Association will be hosting a one-day introduction to the motorsport of Autocross on Sunday, April 24, 2022. The event is targeted at those interested in trying the sport but have been hesitant to jump straight into a competitive event without the benefit of instruction.
Autocross, also known as autoslalom or solo, is an inexpensive form of motorsport competition that uses traffic cones in a paved lot to produce a small road course for competitive events. Participants compete to see who can make it through the course the quickest and without dislocating cones or going off course.
If you have been wanting to test your skills at an Autocross event but have been hesitant due to the intensity of competing in an official event, this day is made for you.
Attendance will be limited to between 15 and 20 in order to provide a high instructor to student ratio, with the goal of giving each student one-on-one instruction by seasoned Autocross competitors.
The Okanagan Precision Drivers Association 2022 Annual General Meeting was held on January 26, 2022 and covered many topics of interest to Okanagan Autocross members. Most significant is the increasing cost of operating a motorsport event hosting organization. The OPDA has seen significant cost increases from everything from lot rentals to insurance coverage and has taken steps to ensure the organization remains viable and able to continue to host challenging autocross events throughout the Okanagan.
Here are the highlights from the 2022 OPDA Annual General Meeting.
Financial Changes for 2022
To cover increased operating costs, the OPDA has made two changes for 2022. First, the fee for Friday evening events at Kelowna will be raised from $20 to $25, while the fee for Vernon full-day events at Vernon will be raised from $40 to $50. Half-day entry has been eliminated for Vernon.
Second, the Okanagan Autocross punch card used for discounted entry at autocross events in the past has been eliminated. Outstanding punch cards will be honoured until the end of the 2022 season.
Trailer Wanted
Due to the many limitations of the current OPDA utility trailer, the OPDA Executive has approved the purchase of a replacement trailer in 2022. Unfortunately, the market for trailers is very hot right now with prices high and availability low. If you know of a trailer around 7’x14′ with barn doors that might be available, please contact Wade.
Event Registration Online
Beginning with our first event in 2022, both membership and event registration and payment will no longer be taken in-person or at the event. All registrations must be done online using the MotorsportReg.com motorsport registration system.
OPDA Championship Extended
In an effort to improve attendance at events, the OPDA Executive Board has approved the addition of an overall (multisite) championship starting in 2022. In addition to the traditional Hotshot and Topgun championship trophies awarded each year for Kelowna and Vernon, the OPDA will award trophies to the first, second and third place winners based on combined points totals for both sites.
Regional Championship
The Confederation of Autosport Car Clubs (CACC), of which the OPDA is a member, will be supporting a regional (provincial) championship for 2022. Three weekend events have been tentatively scheduled
June 11-12 at Westshore Motorsport Park in Victoria, hosted by the Victoria Motor Sport Club
August 27-28 at Mission Raceway Park in Mission, hosted by the VCMC Motorsport Club
September 24-25 at Kal Tire Place in Vernon, hosted by the Okanagan Precision Driving Association
The CACC Autoslalom Discipline has set aside $5000 to assist participants with travel costs ($100 per event) and has provided $3500 for trophies and prize money for the regional championship winners.
Introduction to Autocross Day
Planning is underway for an OPDA Introduction to Autocross Day. The purpose of the event is to introduce newcomers to the sport of autocross in a friendly, low pressure way. Steve Gunner is taking the lead on event planning and is targeting a one-on-one trainer to trainee ratio for participants. Current OPDA members are encouraged to contact Steve to help in introducing autocross to newcomers. The event will not be a competitive championship points event.
Volunteers Wanted
It takes a lot of work to put on 21 OPDA autocross events over the spring and summer months. The bulk of that workload has been carried for many years by just a few hard-working and committed club members. The OPDA would like to encourage its members to step forward to help ease the burden for the core group. We need volunteers for everything from course setup to registration to timing setup and operation. If you can spare a few hours or more over the course of the season, please contact .
The annual CACC awards were presented at the 2021 Confederation of Autosport Car Clubs Fall Annual General Meeting and the Okanagan Precision Driving Association was front and centre.
Long-time autocross competitor and ODPA member Wil Dwyer took the trophy for the 2021 CACC Autoslalom Competitor of the Year. Wil has been competing in autocross events for more than a decade, placing consistently at or near the top of the field. Wil is not only a fearsome competitor but serves on the executive and is the Chief of Timing and Scoring at OPDA autocross events. Congratulations to Wil for his success in the sport and his contribution to autocross in the Okanagan.
The Okanagan Precision Driving Association was also honoured at the event with the 2021 CACC Club of the Year award for its success in the promotion of motorsport in the province. The OPDA began life in the fall of 2019 under the guidance of then-president Bruce Stevenson. Since that time the club has grown to be one of the most successful clubs in the province, boasting some 118 members and hosting 22 autocross events in 2021 under new president Wade Schmidt. Congratulations to the OPDA and its enthusiastic volunteers for the many accomplishments in the club’s short life.
The Confederation of Autosport Car Clubs is the sanctioning body for ASN Canada/FIA for the province of British Columbia. The Okanagan Precision Driving Association is a proud affiliate of the CACC.
At the 2021 Fall General Meeting held on Tuesday, November 9, 2021, the membership elected the board that will serve as the Okanagan Precision Driving Association executive for 2022. The membership also ratified a special resolution to reduce the number of directors from a range of three to nine down to three.
New to the board are Wayne Terai (Treasurer), Steve Gunner (Secretary) and Doug Floer (Vice President). Completing their terms on the OPDA board are Amanda Schuffels (Secretary), Devon Nakatsu (Treasurer), Mike Sinclair (Director) and Ben Wegner (Director).
The board would like to extend its gratitude to the departing board members for their service and dedication in helping with the establishment of the OPDA in 2019 and for their hard work over the past two years in advancing the goals and objectives of the club.
Visit our Club Information page for a full listing of the current OPDA board members.
The Okanagan Autocross 2021 season is now complete. After a late Covid start which resulted in cancelling five events in April and May, the Okanagan Precision Driving Association hosted a total of twenty-two autocross competition events from May through September. Thirteen events were held on Friday evenings at our Okanagan College facility in Kelowna while seven full-day events and a two-day Eliminator were held at our Kal Tire facility in Vernon.
Many thanks to all the hard working volunteers who help put together a great season of motorsport competition.
Here are our 2021 championship winners. Hotshot champions are permanently moved to the Topgun category for the next season.
Championship
Winner
Kelowna Topgun Champion
Richard Matte
Vernon Topgun Champion
Richard Matte
Kelowna Hotshot Champion
Doug Floer
Vernon Hotshot Champion
Matt Phillips
Vernon Eliminator Champion
Jordan Valgardson
For detailed information on the 2021 season’s results, visit the OPDA Forum.
Pre-registration Required for 2021 Okanagan Autocross Vernon Eliminator
The 2021 Okanagan Autocross Eliminator weekend will be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 18 and 19 at Kal Tire Place in Vernon. The Eliminator is a 2-day event with three half-day qualifying sessions on Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Your best times from the qualifying sessions will be used to determine your ranking for the Sunday afternoon Eliminator.
Note that no half-day participation is allowed for the 2021 Eliminator. You may participate on Saturday only (no Eliminator), Sunday only or both Saturday and Sunday. Attending both days will maximize your chances for ranking higher to start the Eliminator.
For 2021, all Eliminator attendees are required to pre-register at our 2021 OPDA Vernon Eliminator Registration site. No onsite registrations will be accepted. Registration closes at 5:00 PM on Friday, September 17. You must be an Okanagan Precision Driving Association member to attend. Anyone wishing to become a member in order to participate in either or both days of the Eliminator must apply for membership using our OPDA Membership Application form. No onsite membership applications will be accepted.
Onsite check-in begins at 7:30 AM on both days, course walk at 8:00 AM and competition at 9:00 AM. All competitors must complete the course walk in order to participate in the event.
On Sunday trophies will be awarded to our 2021 Okanagan Autocross championship winners, including our new Novice of the Year award.
And thanks to the generosity of PIHL Law Corporation and the OPDA, a pizza and a soft drink lunch is included in the cost of admission for all registered participants.
UPDATE May 29: the Vernon autocross facility has been secured and the first race will be help tomorrow morning, May 30. See you there.
UPDATE – May 28: Everything is now in place for Kelowna Autocross start tonight.Vernon start on Sunday is still tentative. Stay tuned.
With Tuesday’s announcement of a loosening of Covid-19 restrictions, the OPDA executive is working with the CACC and its venue partners to finalize preparations for commencement of the 2021 season with an autocross event this Friday, May 28 at Okanagan College. The event will be capped at 50 participants (spectators not allowed) in accordance to the Covid-19 guidelines. Work is underway to clear the final hurdles. Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.
The 2021 season is now here and the Okanagan Precision Driving Association has booked a full schedule of Okanagan Autocross for both our Kelowna and Vernon facilities. That’s the good news. The bad news is that events such as autocross are not allowed under the Covid-19 restrictions currently in place by the Provincial Health Officer in the province of BC. We are working with the Confederation of Autosport Car Clubs to appeal to the PHO to relax restrictions for outdoor motorsports. Stay tuned to this page for more information.
Okanagan Precision Drivers Association members Ethan Delichte and Steve Wensley have produced an excellent documentary on the sport of autocross. The duo’s company, Prime Light Media, produced the video for the VCMC Motorsport Club and used extensive footage from Okanagan Autocross events.
The short nine minute documentary does an excellent job of explaining the concept of autocross and reflecting the sheer enthusiasm and dedication of its supporters. The OPDA gives a shout-out and a vote of thanks to these two dedicated members for their wonderful work and this outstanding contribution to the sport of autocross.
The documentary can be viewed below and at this location.
