Tom O’Gorman: three easy ways to become a faster autocrosser | Articles | Grassroots Motorsports
How’s your year going? Did it go according to plan? And did you even have one?
Don’t feel bad: Tom O’Gorman, championship driver in autocross, road racing and One Lap of America, entered 2025 without one as well.
“I actually took the first six months of this season off from motorsports,” he tells us. “I couldn’t decide what I was excited …
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1) On your course walk, identify the inside cone that defines the exit of the corner. Use the time on the approach to the corner to identify it and constantly reference it on your course walk. This will help you always keep in mind where the car is going to end up, and also usually boils a course down to five to 10 key visual references. If you identify and constantly reference them on your course walks, they’ll be in your mind while you drive, whether you find them visually or not when behind the wheel.
2) A slightly under-driven, mistake-free first run that emphasizes looking ahead sets you up for success. Easier said than done, I know.
But if you build that framework, future runs–whether you get three at Solo Nationals or eight-plus at your local–will have you spending less time fixing mistakes and more time chasing low-hanging fruit. When I shifted my approach from my first runs to be fast to having them be intentional regardless of how slow, I got faster, cleaner and more consistent with my results.
3) If in doubt, cut distance. Autocross speeds and spaces are relative slow and small, making it nearly impossible to add distance and add speed to go faster.
Traveling the shortest distance will almost always be faster on the timer, even if the lines are odd or the car travels slower. Especially as you get better at #1, learning the inside cone that defines your exit, ask the question: Can I cut distance to get there? If you can, do it.
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