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Toyota MR2 Sports Cars Speed Driving Schools Autocross Driving Schools I have also participated in an autocross driving school which was done by McKamey. The schools are broken into phases and I participated in the Phase 1 school. There is an opportunity to make 30 or so runs and the sections of the course are timed. The instructor makes some runs in your car so you can look to see how you are doing compared to them on the various sections. This helps you either know that you are doing a section pretty well and using reasonable technique or making some mistakes which rob you of speed. To see Summit Point or information about Car Guys or McKamey select the sites below. Summit Point Racetrack Car Guys Driving Schools Evolution Performance Driving School Tire Trailer
Kit trailers can be
purchased at a variety of places. They actually come in a box and then you
need to assemble them which is a lot of nut and bolt work. After this is
done, you have only a metal frame which can then be filled out with just a sheet
of plywood on the floor or something more. My trailer is shown in the
following pictures. The picture at the right shows the trailer from the rear to the front. I wanted a trailer which could be used to haul other things if necessary so it was built so a divider is running horizontally across the middle of the trailer which could be removed. The divider, when installed, separates the tires from a storage compartment in the front of the trailer. You will notice that the tires set on a raised platform. This was needed to raise the tires above the fenders. I have a storage compartment under the tire platform. If you make this high enough, certain equipment can be stored there. You will notice on the picture above that there is a door there. That door cannot be opened unless the tailgate is removed and the tailgate locks in place. I chose to set the
tires in flat, or as Mark Teal says, nappy fashion. There are U bolts in
the white things you see in the floor above that are sprung to stick out of the
floor but can be depressed if the trailer is used for other purposes. As
they stick up, it is easy to drop a hook down through the center of the tire,
hook the U bolt, and then go to a recessed pull in the center front of the tire
compartment and also in each corner of the rear. The floor and front of the
trailer are 3/4 inch treated ply. The sides, the divider between the tires
and the equipment compartment, and the compartment lid are made of 1/2 inch
treated ply. Considerable use was made of aluminum angle for bracing,
attaching, etc. It is always nice to have umbrellas for some shade in the heat of the summer. I used two garden tractor umbrellas. They are adjustable up and down as well as sideways. They are not so large as to be difficult to store. The trailer tows easily behind the MR2. There is just about the correct amount of weight on the tongue with the jack and other equipment stored up front.
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My red 1991 MR2 is pictured below zooming around the Lowe's/Charlotte Motor
Speedway in North Carolina. This event was sponsored by the Porsche
Club and they generously invited a few other cars. I have also
attended some Performance Driving School operated by Car Guys of Roanoke, VA.
These experiences are both
educational and exciting. Educational in that many things are learned about driving
smarter and safer. From my days of riding motorcycles I had learned the importance of
looking ahead. In the Car Guys school I learned that our senses naturally focus in closer
to our immediate environment when we are excited. When going in excess of 100 miles per hour, looking a
few feet in front of you is not helpful as you are far past the point of your focus by the
time you react. I also learned a great deal about finding the apex of the curve, selecting
entry and exit points, learned about braking, sliding, and accelerating. Although the MR2
was run hard for the two days at each of the activities, it continued to be reliable. Not as
fast as the Corvettes or the bigger Porsches on the straights of the track, the MR2 is quite competitive in the
corners.
As
you do the various autocross events, track events, etc. you may wish to have
sticky tires. But then you need a method of transporting them as they will
not wear long if you drive them on the road to and from the events. 
The
picture below/left shows the front of the trailer. Notice that the lid to
the storage compartment lifts off completely. It can then be used as a
table. It rests on the trailer tongue and hooks under the front of the
trailer for stability. 
The
tailgate and the tailgate bracing is made from oak.
