Project EVO IX

When we first decided to embark upon another Lancer Evolution project, we had to take a step back and think. The Evo is a fantastically fun car to drive, regardless of generation. It's blessed with quick-spool turbo power, loads of grip and an untapped potential just waiting to be unleashed. But the Evo is also well balanced from the factory and, like the Honda S2000, is easily corruptible with the wrong parts. So when we drew up the plans for our Evolution IX project, we knew we would have to have a game plan going in.

We wanted more than our mildly tuned red Evo VIII (our first Lancer Evolution project) delivered and we didn't want to go with a massive turbo like our old grey Evo VIII MR. No, the plan for Project Evo IX was to build a capable and fast street machine that still utilized the stock turbo, yet provided a wickedly fast driving experience. And some competition couldn't hurt either. We're going autocrossing.

For those unfamiliar, autocrossing is an event where cars are timed as they run through a cone-lined course, which is usually set up in a generously sized parking lot. Cars are broken down by class, based on platform and modifications. Times between competitors usually split hairs based on tenths, if not hundredths, of a second. All that's needed to run is a helmet, four tires and a steering wheel. Autocross courses are tighter and smaller than typical road courses, which means lower speeds and the ability to be constantly at the limit of adhesion. The lower course speeds also mean less danger, nearly zero chance of rollover (although anything is possible if a driver is talented enough) and no need to worry about high-speed aerodynamics or instability. We're still going to take Project Evo IX out to a track day here and there, so there'll have to be some concessions made in terms of low- versus high-speed balance, and with heat dissipation in the brakes, but the primary focus will be on cone dodging.

The first step to entering autocross events is finding out where the hell they take place. The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is the largest sanctioning body in the US. Unfortunately, they don't hold open track events for street cars in our region, like the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) HPDE program, but they do have the most detailed and structured autocross competitions around, known as Solo and ProSolo. ProSolo differs from the normal Solo autocross in that ProSolo is run head-to-head between two drivers using two mirrored courses. Both cars are sent off using a drag-style Christmas tree and the top times from each course are combined for each driver. The fastest Schumacher-esque cone masters at the end of competition are then run head-to-head in a series of extra 'challenge' events.

One cruise through SCCA's website will track down your local regional SCCA car club, which will feature the calendar of events in your area. Some regions run events that require SCCA membership and some don't. Our local events currently don't require SCCA membership to run, but to accrue points and compete at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships, membership and dues are required. A course walk, which is exactly what it sounds like, is done once or twice a day, but the glory of autocross is its ability to force you to learn course recognition and adaptation in just a few runs. Drivers such as World Challenge competitor Randy Pobst and Formula Drift pilot Calvin Wan got their start driving around cones in mall parking lots and, hey, if it worked for them, it's got to be worth a set of tires or two.