scca License

[03 tibby]

how many people here have theirs?? whats the best way to go about getting one??:confused:

[roadRacer]

Well... deep question. SCCA has many different licenses.. I guess which one are you asking about?

SCCA worker license... everyone that is an SCCA member has one
SCCA SOLOII license... costs $15 or so and is worthless
SCCA ProSolo license... Need if you compete for points in Pro Solo
SCCA Competition license... Expensive, and needed to road race with SCCA.

There are more...

[lightningd]

competition, yeah! yeah! vrrroooom!

[roadRacer]

Originally posted by lightningd
competition, yeah! yeah! vrrroooom!
Competition license typically you have to have a reace prepped car or else rent one. Go to two SCCA road race driving schools and pass them successfully then you can run two races as a novice with novice permit. You have to complete those two races with what is considered passing grades, then you can race in regional races. You have to complete a number of regional races (forget how many, but about 6) then you get your National Competition license. This lets you race in any SCCA club road race. You have to run a minimum of 4 (I think) races each year to keep your license current.

Expenses:
Car: ~$5,000-$200,000
Personal equipment ~$1000
(driving suit, physical, etc)
School entry fee: ~$400
School expensees: ~$500

6 Regional races entry: ~$800
6 Regional race expense: ~$1500

Those are ball park minimums.

[phooka]

And don't forget the medical exam.. if you are color blind like me and calvin you have to cheat, or convince them you can tell the flags apart anyway :)

dale

[lightningd]

thanx for the info. that's cheaper than i thought it would be. if i were to race like that, i dunno if it would be an accord, i definitely know not mine street car, heh. but for now while i'm in school, i'm trying to get as much seat time as possible, then once i get out, i might get a project car for just the track. but those are goals, well see. if i progress, i'll be sure to ask y'all questions along the way.

[Eric16v]

best thing to do is buy a car that is already built for a certain class. If you look in the back of Sports Car there are always cars forsale. Another place to look is http://www.improvedtouring.com

[roadRacer]

Originally posted by lightningd
thanx for the info. that's cheaper than i thought it would be. if i were to race like that, i dunno if it would be an accord, i definitely know not mine street car, heh. but for now while i'm in school, i'm trying to get as much seat time as possible, then once i get out, i might get a project car for just the track. but those are goals, well see. if i progress, i'll be sure to ask y'all questions along the way.
I understand all of that completely, and times have changed somewhat, but I have basically still "been there, done that". Only differance is if life permitted I would be there doing that every weekend. (damned real world)

If you are thinking about SCCA (or NASA) wheel to wheel racing, for your first car, buy a used ready to race car. Don't build your own.... There are so many little bugs that get "worked out" as a car is raced that it is hard to explain. A ready to race car has those bugs worked out. You don't want to be learing how to race at the same time you are sorting out how the window net needs to be held in place.

If you buy a $2500-5000 IT Civic, or Spec RX7 or whatever, after you race it for a year and decide you can build a better car, or want something faster, you can still sell it for $2500-5000 and your only costs will have been the maintenance.

Trust me when I say, if you spend a year or two going around looking at other race cars, and say "I can build a better one cheaper", you can't. You probably will have good ideas that you will incorporate, but you are just just going to miss some things that will make the teething problems of the first year of racing a pain.

These days if you want to race eventually, go to some of the HPDE type events with your street car and learn how to drive the tracks you are going run. When you go for a competition license you will be way ahead of the game. You can learn how to race other cars as opposed to learning everything.

Autocrossing is still the best place to start IMHO.

[lightningd]

Originally posted by roadRacer
I understand all of that completely, and times have changed somewhat, but I have basically still "been there, done that". Only differance is if life permitted I would be there doing that every weekend. (damned real world)

If you are thinking about SCCA (or NASA) wheel to wheel racing, for your first car, buy a used ready to race car. Don't build your own.... There are so many little bugs that get "worked out" as a car is raced that it is hard to explain. A ready to race car has those bugs worked out. You don't want to be learing how to race at the same time you are sorting out how the window net needs to be held in place.

If you buy a $2500-5000 IT Civic, or Spec RX7 or whatever, after you race it for a year and decide you can build a better car, or want something faster, you can still sell it for $2500-5000 and your only costs will have been the maintenance.

Trust me when I say, if you spend a year or two going around looking at other race cars, and say "I can build a better one cheaper", you can't. You probably will have good ideas that you will incorporate, but you are just just going to miss some things that will make the teething problems of the first year of racing a pain.

i understand. thanx for the tips. only thing i would be concered w/ though is if everything in the premade car was done correctly. to this day (3 years after i got my car) i'm still dealing w/ problems that the previous owner didn't do correctly, or just screwed up making it a pain for me. if, more hopefully, when i get into it, i'd probably do that then, get a preprepped car. focus on one step at a time (racing, wheel to wheel track time) rather than multiple steps all at once. that's seems like it would be stressful anyways.



Originally posted by roadRacer
These days if you want to race eventually, go to some of the HPDE type events with your street car and learn how to drive the tracks you are going run. When you go for a competition license you will be way ahead of the game. You can learn how to race other cars as opposed to learning everything.

Autocrossing is still the best place to start IMHO.

once i get the 5spd in the car, i'll try to save up to hit some track events. i'll probably have to wait till i'm out of school still, and have a good job. money is just sooo tight right now. but we'll see. i'm so freakin' eager to do it it gives me headaches.

[Eric16v]

i understand. thanx for the tips. only thing i would be concered w/ though is if everything in the premade car was done correctly. to this day (3 years after i got my car) i'm still dealing w/ problems that the previous owner didn't do correctly, or just screwed up making it a pain for me.

If the car has been raced before, then it should be to the rules.

[lightningd]

Originally posted by Eric16v
If the car has been raced before, then it should be to the rules.

true, rules wise, but i was referring to like modifications that were stupid on there part, bad for the motor, car, etc. so you'd have to spend time fixing them. either way, buying a prepped car sounds like the better deal to begin with.

[roadRacer]

Originally posted by lightningd
true, rules wise, but i was referring to like modifications that were stupid on there part, bad for the motor, car, etc. so you'd have to spend time fixing them. either way, buying a prepped car sounds like the better deal to begin with.
I guess the best thing is to talk to others that have seen the car race, or better yet spend a few months going to races. Look for a car that runs clean, in the pack and finishes. Look the car over and ask others. Any car you buy there is going to be something you don't like about it. Before you re-do everything, though, race it like it was (unless it is a safety item you just can't live with). Maybe there was a reason you didn't understand that the previous owner did something.

Finishing record of a car is important. Reliability should be the most important feature of your first "race car".

[lightningd]

aaaaahhhh! all this talk is getting me exciting. it's like getting butterflies for christmas.....next years, heh.

[roadRacer]

Beno Rubin did it properly with the NASA car be just bought. It was a car that apparently had a good reputaion (finishing and finishing well). He shopped around and found a good buy on that car.

For you FWD guys out there, the NASA Honda Challenge cars seem to be available inexpenively and the prep levels appear to be very nice. For the others, the SRX7's are such a good deal it is hard to refuse. $3500 seems to get a good SRX7 with spares, ready to race. There are cheaper ones and more expensive ones, but the ARRC champion for a year or two ago was for sale for $6500. That is hard to complain about in the real of race cars. Granted with the SRX7 you have to learn about the ideosyncrancies of the rotary, but there is pleanty of support for that.

[lightningd]

who is Beno Rubin, that sounds familiar.

for now, it just autoxing cuz that's all i can afford. sooner or later though, i should hopefully start moving up the chain.

[roadRacer]

Beno is the guy that autocrosses the fairly fast CSP civic. I have a pic of his new car somewhere.

[lightningd]

the black one? that's carbuerated? like an 87 or something.

[Eric16v]

yep, looks like a go kart on the track

[Bandit]

yeah thats him. his students built the car in his school (he's a tech teacher). that car's come a long way from the daily driver that got him here with all his stuff when he moved....

[roadRacer]

Yeah, you are taling about the right guy. But he bought a different car that almost looks the same for a car to give road racing a try.