It depends a little on where you are. The "horsey" definition of gymkhana
is strictly overseas, as far as I know.
Gymkhana involves taking your car out to a parking lot where a course has
been laid out with traffic cones, and seeing who can get through the course
the fastest. One car through at a time. In the US this is pretty much
always done on paved surfaces.
Autocross also fits this description, but it isn't exactly the same thing.
(In the US, again it may be different in England or Australia - I believe
that are usually called "slaloms" over there.)
The real differences between the two, as practiced today, are that
gymkhanas are usually club events for older cars and they may involve the
use of: garages, (a box of cones that you have to pull into and stop)
reverse gear (never done in modern autocross, as far as I know; certainly
not in SCCA Solo2.) and they are more likely to use pivot cones. (A cone
that you have to do a 180 degree turn around. These are sometimes used in
autocross but they are pretty much universally hated, and the guy who laid
out the course better have a pretty thick skin.)
Gymkhanas are usually put on by and for people who don't run them all the
time. They may be even be timed with a stopwatch. The cars may not attain
the kind of speeds you see in autocrosses.
Autocrosses are usually put on by groups that have autocross as their main
reason for being. They use much more sophisticated timing equipment,
electric eyes or air hoses. The fastest stock cars will reach "highway"
speeds. (Whatever that means. 65-70?)
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) calls autocross "Solo2." They are the
sanctioning body for many, but by no means all, of the autocrosses held
regularly in the US. All Solo2 events use the SCCA definitions, safety
regulations, general event parameters, car classes etc. The many
independent autocross clubs may or may not use rules that are similar to
the Solo2 regulations, so it's hard to make general statements about them.
The SCCA, of course, does a lot more than sanction autocrosses.
In summary, I think of gymkhanas as low-key autocrosses. For more info see:
http://www.autocross.com
Phil Vanner
-----Original Message-----
From: G Graham [SMTP:ggraham@edcen.ehhs.cmich.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 1999 8:50 AM
To: MG Mailing List
Subject: gymkhana
Please excuse my ignorance, but what is a "gymkhana"?
Gary
74B (currently under sedation, waiting for organ transplant (starter))
--
^!!^ "iwlf"
A
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