Autotesting involves a series of tests, generally around

traffic cone Traffic cones, also called pylons, witches' hats, road cones, highway cones, safety cones, channelizing devices, construction cones, or just cones, are usually cone-shaped markers that are placed on roads or footpaths to temporarily redirect tra ...

s, to measure precision

driving Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, and bicycles. Permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met and drivers are required to fol ...

skill. The tests often include stopping with the front and rear wheels straddling a line, and always end stopping in a

garage A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...

(usually marked out with cones). Sections of each test are usually completed in reverse.

Car A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as ...

s involved can be standard road cars or ones specially built for autotest. In either case, the sport is cheap, with entries to events usually costing between £8 and £25.{{citation needed, date=June 2017 Autotests can take place on either grass or hard surface. Grass Autotests are popular for club events as they are more gentle on tires and transmissions. Many Clubs run their Grass autotests without any reversing. Championship Autotests in the UK are normally on a hard surface. Each event consists of between three and six tests, with each test completed twice with the faster of the two counting for the results. The tests are timed with a

stopwatch A stopwatch is a timepiece designed to measure the amount of time that elapses between its activation and deactivation. A large digital version of a stopwatch designed for viewing at a distance, as in a sports stadium, is called a stop clock. ...

, with penalties of 10 seconds given for each cone hit. A wrong turn in a test results in a maximum time, which is usually 30 seconds slower than the fastest time in class. The winner is the driver who completes the tests in the shortest time (including penalties). Each test usually takes around a minute to complete, and often turns into a test of memory as well as driver skill. Most of the autotest layouts are symmetrical and the drivers do get the chance to walk the course. Autotests are conducted in the UK and Ireland and are similar to

Motorkhana {{Refimprove, date=August 2008 Motorkhana is a low-cost form of motorsport, unique to Australia and New Zealand but similar to autotesting in the UK and Ireland and gymkhana in the US. It involves manoeuvring a car through tight tests as quickly as ...

in Australia and New Zealand. Cars compete one at a time and speeds are low so safety is high. Autotesting is also a little similar to

autocross Autocross (also called "Solo", "Auto-x" or "Autoslalom") is a timed competition in which drivers navigate one at a time through a defined course on either a sealed or an unsealed surface. It is a form of motorsports that emphasizes safe competitio ...

ing in the US, but the slower speeds, frequent handbrake turns and reversing are all major points of difference. Important skills to learn for autotesting include: * The

Handbrake turn The handbrake turn (also known as the bootlegger's turn) is a driving technique used to deliberately slide a car sideways, either for the purpose of quickly negotiating a very tight bend, or for turning around well within the vehicle's own turning ...

* The

J-turn A J-turn is a driving maneuver in which a reversing vehicle is spun 180 degrees and continues, facing forward, without changing direction of travel. The J-turn is also called a " moonshiner's turn" (from the evasive driving tactics used by ...

or Reverse Flick * Reversing at speed

See also