that is the beauty of an autocross course, power does not equal the win. At the Geneva event I beat Viveks' 02 LS1 Camaro that has heads, exhaust and suspension, Kevins' Corvette, and a few others.
Competitive driving can bring out the best in all of us.
In a few weeks I am heading up to the SCCA Solo Nationals, not to compete, but to look at the competitive EP Civics. Last year they took down an Evo in the Street Mod class by nearly a second - if my memory serves me correctly. I am dying to see those engine setups.
Horsepower can come into play but how you handle it is the big factor.
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if you can only race me in a straight line then whats the point 
...91 SMF SCCA
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8341770@N07/5601083432/http://www.flickr.com/photos/8341770@N07/5601083432/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/8341770@N07/, on Flickr
I see people out there spending money on the car to improve it … If you spend half that effort just working on your driving skills, making you and the car work together as a team, then you’ll go faster – period. To make the car go a second faster on the track takes a lot more energy and money than making yourself drive it one second faster.
– the late Tom Thrash SCCA Solo E Production