Competition Driving

The origin of the “Rat Pack Drag Racing Team” was started by Top Gun Ron Byas.

Ten members of Chicago Cross-Roads Corvette Club formed the Rat Pack Drag Racing Team in April of 2009. Our purpose is to focus on racing at safe venues at the local drag strips and racetracks.  We race in Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois at such tracks as US-41, Great Lakes Dragway, Route 66 Raceway and the Autobahn Country Club of Joliet.  Collectively these ten individuals had over 50 years of drag racing and racetrack experience.  As seasoned race enthusiasts we pooled our talents and resources to improve our Corvettes performance on the drag strips and tracks.

In October of 2009 the Rat Pack Drag Racing Team took first place in overall competition at the Crown Point 2nd Annual Corvette Drag Race Challenge at US-41 in Morocco, Indiana.  This was a tremendous improvement of the previous year results as Chicago Cross-Roads Corvette Club placed fifth place out of 10 Corvette clubs that participated in Crown Points Corvette Clubs Drag Race Challenge inaugural event.

In only nine months of existence the Rat Pack has tripled in size and boasts two C6 Z06 Corvettes and a twin Turbo C5 Corvette.  The club has C-7's, C-6's, C-5's, and C-4's and is made up of Hard-Core Racers and Tough Pit Crew Members.

American autocross is a form of autocross practiced in the United States of America. Events are typically held on flat, paved surfaces such as parking lots or airport tarmacs, and usually have a new course for each event, marked by traffic cones.

Autocross is one of the most accessible and affordable forms of motorsport, and autocross events are open to novices. Because autocross events use rubber traffic cones to define the course, and are typically run on paved surfaces with few obstructions, the hazards and barriers to entry are low. While speeds are generally no greater than those encountered in legal highway driving, the combination of concentration and precision maneuvering gives drivers an experience similar to that of a full road course race.

Competitors range from casual participants driving their commuter vehicles, to dedicated competitors driving purpose-built cars with special tires. There are classes accommodating varying degrees of car modification, as well as classes specifically for women and children.

Many events are open to spectators. Many local car clubs offer autocross novice driving schools to help drivers feel comfortable before a regular event.