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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 9, 1998)
Battalion Aggielife Page 3 • Friday, October 9, 1998 mow, WHO'-5 &M Sports Car Club takes its cars, driving to the limit BY JOE SCHUMACHER The Battalion trap in and hold on to something,” the muffled voice behind the hel met tells the passenger. Within sec onds, they are off. The passenger looks around the rebuilt car for [ething to hold onto and latches his arm around lof the frames. [sthe sound of squealing tires cuts through the [he driver skillfully maneuvers through the turns [gates. And in seconds, it's over. |lo, this is not the Indy 500 — it is the Texas A&M ts Car Club autocross. [he autocross takes place at the A&M Riverside hpus where the old College Station airport used le. Pere, drivers maneuver around a course with var- ! curves, gates and slalom style obstacles. Kilton Wilson, a marketing graduate student, jhe races cars as a form of release. Jesaid the autocross allows him to get his frus- ions out and gives him the opportunity to speed in a controlled environment. “It helps me keep my license,” Wilson said. Mike McLure, Class of '95 and an instructor for TAMSCC, drives from Houston regularly to partici pate in autocross events. He said the TAMSCC autocrosses help drivers pre pare for real-life situations. “Driving the autocross makes you one-hundred times more aware of what you and your car can do in an emergency situation,” McLure said, “and al lows the driver to react accordingly.” Josh Hilts, a freshman mechanical engineering major who attended his first autocross on Sept. 27, said for him, the attraction was simple. “I like to go fast,” Hilts said. “I’ve never au- tocrossed, but it looks like a lot of fun, [and it’s] go ing to take a lot of practice and new tires.” After autocrossing for the first time. Hilts said he was hooked. “It took a lot of concentration. I was nervous the first time, but was able to relax my second time around,” Hilts said. The TAMSCC is not just a male-dominated orga nization. Many women also enjoy participating in the autocross. Jody Burks, TAMSCC treasurer and a senior bio medical science major, said she has been involved with the organization for a year. “It is a whole lot of fun. I got a brand new car, and I like driving fast,” Burks said. “It is also an in teresting way to learn about cars.” Whitney Van Tassel, a TAMSCC member, has been autocross driving for 10 years. She said it is fun and a good opportunity to learn how to drive in a controlled environment. The autocross has apparently paid off for the TAMSCC. They have attended the National Autocross in Topeka, Kan., for five years and have drivers place in the event regularly . Todd Farris, Class of ’98, said the club’s success comes from practice and not from relying on state- of-the-art equipment. He said other competitors spend money improv ing their vehicles, but the sports club is forced to im prove their driving by default. “As students, we do not have a lot of money,” Far ris said. “So that forces us to focus on skills.” The next event for the TAMSCC is the second Night Rally. The Night Rally is a race where contestants are given a map and checkpoints throughout urban lo cations. Racers work in pairs — a driver and a nav igator. They then are scored on their times of meet ing the checkpoints. To prevent reckless driving, the speed is set five miles below the legal speed limit. Teams also are giv en an emergency packet containing their drivers li censes and a map to the final location in a sealed envelope. The package is turned in at the end of the race, and if the package has been opened, either be cause the team was stopped by the police or it got lost, the team is disqualified. Bobby Wilson, public relations director for TAM SCC, said the organization is not restricted to expe rienced drivers or even car owners. “We are a very close-knit organization,” Wilson said. “It is not uncommon for our members to share their cars.” The next autocross is scheduled for Oct. 25 at the Riverside Campus. Anyone interested in attending can contact Wilson at 268-1482. tlic. iclude issue zes on a . “Some lu ;ome we wornty ” the next ei '90s Worl with issti' and drug! ’ Jenkins ice andf< opics for ■ up wii id theai ■xss anil ortunityic u. ed thefb >d to goto w h3S3n4 i to run ifj - the seconj 1111 Otart Your 3 NGINES JAKE SCHRICKLING/Thi: Hatiauon Octobel -raternM pha Lan^ nt a weekf ions onrs*J ck Male’ 1 -e inform^ 5 will L a.m. atl -ir location] 5-1515®] i will d®? o.m. for loca® 1515 f° r( V. .%■? "'Pip}*-'." W' -1- • • LAW TALK from STCL Join Professor of Law Helen Jenkins and a panel of attorneys taking live call-in questions Tonight Friday, October 9,1998 at 8:00 p.m. on KAMU - TCA Channel 4 ich show in this monthly series will locus on a diffeient topic, iiisFriday, the program will deal with landloid/tenant issues. (^righton yNDflflGS Brighton handbags, belts, watches, bracelets, key chains College Station • 1400 Harvey Road Near Post Oak Mall • 409/696-8800 Open Monday - Saturday 9am - 9pm; Sunday Noon - 6pm CAVENDER'S iOOT CITY l» ri a -• rj? SjsP s c Jo$ & Net rtunities the opportunity to surpass your friends on Wall Street, indulge your entrepreneurial cravings. travel the world, be challenged, be inspired, be rewarded, stand out. VERSlV ing EdiM' lewsEdito' 3 to EdiW r Product Editor jitor •soWf, 45-264?' ■ idoise^! F°ro |as5 5 :e it top'll $60 P^J during cept< Collet (cDona 1 ® Kaplan: The difference between having dreams and fulfilling them. Classes are starting soon in Aggieiand! MCAT classes begin October 17th LSAT classes begin October 22nd GMAT classes begin November 2nd D AT and OAT classes begin November 8th 1 -800-KAP-TEST www.kaplan.com •To*l nam«» nro reqlRloiori tmdflmfirfca of tholr rospocllvo ownoio. Call or check out our web site to study anywhere In the U.S. WWW JKUb Md jg y 'y jig y# tfr** unfis&rsity Dri\r& TICKETS GO ON SALE MONDAY 3PM wvww. agtgf&c&rt trat. com MON Oct 12 TUES Oct 13 WED Oct 14 THUR Oct 15 CHEsM ioi , ewi 5 5,0 :ch ; 6.7 f - CH a PRAQ : ' PHYS 218 6-8 PM Part l Part li Part ill PRAC TEST CHEM 107 8-10 PM CH 6 CH 7 CH 8 PRAC TEST CHEM IOI 10PM- 12AM CH 5,6 CH 6,7 CH 8 PRAC TEST PHYS 208 S>-ff RM Part i Part li Part III Part IV SUN Oct 11 MON Oct 12 rues Oct 13 WED Oct 14 THUR Oct 15 CHEM 102 8-10 PM Ch. 17 44 PM Cti.17.18 4-6 PM Ch. 18 4-6 PM Ch. 18 4-8PM PRAC TEST MON Oct 12 rues Oct 13 WED Oct 14 MON Oct FINC 341 6-9 PM Part I Part il Part III PRAC TEST PITT-DES MOINES, INC. Pitt-Des Moines, Inc., a world leader in engineering, fabrication and construction of storage tanks and related systems will be on-campus on October 22, 1998 to interview December ‘98 and May ‘99 Civil Mechanical Engineering and Construction Engineering graduates for General Management Trainee positions for its domestic and international operations. Successful candidates will spend two years in the GMT program to become familiar with various career opportunities at PDM in Engineering, Fabrication, Construction, Project Management and Sales. To learn more about PDM and how it can provide a rewarding career for you, plan to attend the group presentation on Wednesday, October 21, 1998 at 6:30 p.m. at 704 Rudder. Contact the TAMU Career Center to submit a resume and schedule an interview with PDM.
