senor honda

Wednesday, 30 March 2016


Richard S. James / Images by Rupert Berrington & Dennis Wood

Wheel-to-wheel racing (otherwise known as Club Racing) with the Sports Car Club of America is your calling, you say? Well, sit back and relax, while we'll walk you through the process from start to finish.


There are a variety of classes to choose from in Club Racing, from lightly modified road cars to all-out racers that top out at 180mph. In other words, there's something for everybody. Choosing a class, and then a car and, finally, preparing for your first race can be a daunting task. Some of these things are dictated by budget. This guide can help you get the most for your money, but even within a given budget there can be many choices.
The first step, as counterintuitive as it may seem, is to go to a race. Find the nearest, soonest Club Race on the calendar – ideally a Regional/National weekend (more on that later) so you can get the full spectrum of Club Racing choices. Be prepared with lots of questions to ask racers and volunteers at the track, because despite all the information you'll find here, the knowledge you gain has a tendency to spawn more questions. At the track, you'll have no trouble finding plenty of people willing to answer all your queries.
Talk to people who are racing the classes and cars you think you might be interested in. Don't be afraid to ask them why they made that choice, and if it's still the one they'd make today. Keep these questions on the tip of your tongue: What's involved in maintaining and preparing this type of car? What's the budget to buy the car, and what is the annual budget to race? How is the competition in the class in that area of the country?
Most racers you meet will be happy to answer questions of someone who's looking to join them. Just don't ask them when they're elbow-deep in an emergency engine rebuild or they're suiting up to head out on track.
Getting Licensed
The SCCA wants to make sure you're adequately prepared to hold your own on the racetrack, so racing licenses are required. Fortunately, there are several avenues to obtaining one.
The first is an SCCA Driver's School. Often, SCCA regions conduct a double Driver's School over the course of a weekend, so in one weekend you can leave with a Club Racing Novice Permit (if the region doesn't offer a two-day Driver's School, you'll need to take two Driver's Schools). After successful completion of the schools, you will need to compete in two Regional races over the next two years – that will earn you a full Regional license.
Another way to a competition license is through professional racing schools, a list of which can be found online at www.scca.com and clicking the "I want to start racing" link under the "Road Racing" menu selection. Depending on the school and course you choose, you will have earned either a Novice Permit or a Regional competition license when you're done.
The third method is the new mentoring program, ideal when one of the other options is difficult or even impossible. This method allows you to work with your Divisional Licensing Administrator to make sure you have the necessary preparation to go racing through a variety of means.
Finally, if you have previous racing experience or hold a competition license with another racing organization, that experience may be sufficient to acquire an SCCA competition license.
Your First Weekend
So you've got the car, your personal equipment and a way to get everything to the track. You have the spares you think you'll need and hopefully by now you've convinced a friend to help you out at the track or made some connections with other competitors who can help steer you through a race weekend.
The basic template for a race weekend is usually the same. Most weekends will be a twin bill of some kind, so you'll get two races (plus practice and qualifying) out of any given weekend. The weekend starts at registration, where you make sure your entry is in order.
If your car already had an SCCA vehicle logbook (which the SCCA uses to log a racecar approved to race within the Club) with a current annual inspection, and your safety gear has already undergone its annual inspection, registration is the last step until you hit the track. If your car does not have an up-to-date annual inspection or your race gear needs inspecting, your next step will be heading to the technical inspectors. While leaving registration, grab a copy of the weekend's schedule and any other information there might be regarding this particular weekend.
At tech, the SCCA scrutineers – who are all volunteers, just like the flaggers, timers, officials and pit and paddock personnel – will check your car to make sure it's safe, inspect your race gear or both, depending on what is needed. If they find something wrong, don't take it personally. Fix the problem – the scrutineers are trying to keep everyone safe.
Next comes practice or a combined practice and qualifying session, depending on the weekend. Remember that schedule you got at registration? Keep an eye on that, as it tells you when your sessions are. Many tracks use public announcement systems, but with loud racecars around, you may miss some of the announcements.
If the first session of the day was only practice, there will be a qualifying session later in the day. Go as fast as you are comfortable – no one expects you to be amazing at your first race. If you are used to track days, keep in mind that this is real wheel-to-wheel racing – point bys are nice, but not required, and braking zones are when much of the passing will occur – so keep your eyes on your mirrors.
Most regions require you to go to impound immediately following your qualifying (and race) sessions. Failure to go to impound can result in some harsh penalties, like loss of qualifying times. Impound is usually located at tech where you had your car and equipment inspected, but this is something you should find out before heading on track.
In between each session, take time to think about the prior laps and consider where you had trouble, what you think you did right and where you might want to ask someone for advice.
You may have noticed by this point that there have been mentions of asking others for tips and suggestions. That's because the other people in the paddock have been there – they've had that first race experience, and know what it's like. Most are happy to share, happy to pass on knowledge and welcome new competitors into the fold. This isn't professional racing; no one is getting paid to race. The prize for winning is a plaque, maybe a small trophy or even a beer mug. No one is doing this for wealth or fame; it's all about the fun. And the more people there are to race with, the more fun it is. Use other competitors as a resource, whether in person or online.
Most of them will tell you that your first race is going to be about getting through it. The speed and comfort with driving in traffic will come with time. Right now, your best bet is to drive within your comfort zone and keep an eye on your mirrors. There are probably other, faster classes racing with you at the same time (SCCA almost always runs multiple classes in each race group). You will be lapped, maybe even by the leaders in your own class. Don't be embarrassed by that. Hold your line, point them by if you want and you'll have nothing to be ashamed of at the end of the day.
There are several things you'll want to do before each session, no matter how long it is. First, get to grid early. Be ready when the first call for your group comes, and you'll greatly reduce your stress. Being on the grid and ready to go well before the five-minute mark will keep you calmer and improve your driving. Second, hydrate and nourish. On a warm day – or even a cold one – your energy is going to drag by the end of the race. Staying hydrated and properly nourished – no junk food, please – will greatly reduce the possibility of an exhaustion-driven mistake.
Be prepared, have help, don't stress, seek advice and don't believe you're going to impress anyone first time out and you'll have fun and learn some incredible lessons by the end of your first race weekend.
What's Next?
Follow up your first race weekend with plenty of other races. The more experience you get, the more you'll learn and the faster and more competitive you'll become. Soon, you may even set your sights on something like a regional or divisional championship. And for those looking to really up the ante, there's the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. At the Runoffs, those who qualify through the National Points Series get to try their hand against the best road racers in the country. If you can claim an SCCA National Championship, you are the best of the best. More information on the Runoffs can be found at www.scca.com under the "Road Racing" programs tab.

This story originally appeared in SportsCar magazine, the official publication of the Sports Car Club of America. For more information on this topic or the SCCA, head to scca.com