As MattAX has stated, shifting gears during a pylon AX only slows times down.. and disrupts the flow of the race course. Regardless manual or automatic, shifting slows down the times... and the automatic is always faster to shift... again, just add a shift kit (TransGo, other).

Mopar Mitch "Road racers and autocrossers go in deeper and come out harder!"... and rain never stops us from having fun with our cars... in fact, it makes us better drivers! Check out MOPAR ACTION MAGAZINE, August 2006 issue for feature article and specs on my autocross T/A!