Over the weekend, the parking lot of Mt. Bachelor’s West Village was filled with the sounds of revving engines and screeching tires. Gathering at a camping and outdoors destination, drivers from around Central Oregon — manning sports cars and sedans — took part in the 2018 Mt. Bachelor Autocross. The event was hosted by the Autocross Club of Central Oregon.

Autocross is a timed race through a course lined with traffic cones, and the drivers wear helmets regardless of the make and model of their vehicle. Safety is favored over speed with these races.

Autocross racing typically runs only one car at a time, rather than pitting multiple cars against each other. According to the ACCO, the skill in autocross has less to do with horsepower and is more about the ability to handle a car and maneuver through sharp turns, curves and complicated courses. These races, the ACCO claims, also provide a “stepping stone” for those interested in more competitive forms of racing.

The Mt. Bachelor event featured a series of orange cones lined up to form the course, and within those cones a variety of vehicles and experience levels on the racetrack. Participants ranged from everyday car junkies to semicompetitive drivers.

Deane Cooper, a Terrebonne resident, drove his 1965 Corvette in the event on Saturday.

“I’m having a lot of fun today,” Cooper told Bulletin photographer Ryan Brennecke, smiling after completing a lap on the course. “This is the first time I have raced a car legally.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0307, rclarke@bendbulletin.com