SCCA competition licensing ?

So I've been racing in Champcar for 3 years now, and I'm having a blast, but we only race a few weekends a year due to everyone having real lives and obligations, so I'd like to continue racing with that team but also do more on my own. I don't love how drastically different the performance levels of the cars in Champcar are, and I'm told SCCA is good about grouping car classes with close lap times. I've been looking into how to get competition licensed, and it looks like you can either do club races and get licensed that way, or do a school.

Those of you who are licensed, is there a route you'd recommend? Do you buy a race car before you're licensed? Anything else I should know? I'm an hour from Pitt race and 2 hrs from Mid Ohio which has a racing school but doesn't mention SCCA accreditation. I'd like the most efficient route to wheel to wheel racing. For a little while I tried talking myself into just looking into time trials and/or track days, but the thrill of wheel to wheel is unmatched. I'm also trying to be realistic about how much time and money I have to devote to racing, and trying to get a good idea of what kind of commitment it takes to race about 6-8 times a year in one of the improved touring classes or something similar. (I haven't found a good source of explanation for racing classes and the SCCA website isn't the best.)

Since you have some wheel to wheel experience, you could probably just do one SCCA school weekend (it's more about being safe on track than actual racing schools).  This is a bit different than something like Skip Barber or Bertil Roos, where it's all about making you faster in their car.

I would rent a Spec Miata or Spec Racer Ford for that school, as you want a super reliable car.  There are sessions with your instructor after every track session , so not much time to work on any problems, plus, there will usually be a crew to attend to the car, depending on who you rent from.

There are plenty of SCCA Runoffs videos on YouTube where you can see all the individual classes.  Also, the General Competition Rules (GCR) .pdf on the SCCA website will have a really detailed ruleset for each category of classing.

I'd recommend contacting whichever official is in charge of licensing in your region, they may be able to help you out since you have a lot of prior experience

I raced ITA in your area for several years recently before moving. You are close enough that the most cost effective school will likely be at Waterford Hills in MI. Unless it has changed you will need to do school to get a provisional license which is required for participating in club races. No incidents for 3 race weekends and you will get that provisional upgraded to a full competition license. 

I would highly recommend buying (not building) an IT car. Plan on setting aside several grand for safety equipment (assuming you have most from Champcar), a good seat w/ new belts, fire suppression, and to get the car up to speed. (No such thing as a truly "race ready" car IMO). 6-8 races a year is definitely doable but you'll be busy messing with the car between races. Your budget for entry fees, licensing, consumables, tow vehicle, and trailer will definitely outweigh the cost of the car itself. FWIW I had a blast and was pretty competitive with a ~$3500 car. Feel free to reach out if you have questions!

Bring documentation of your previous experience to the SCCA driver's school and ask them if you can get signed off with one school. They will usually do it with enough experience. Your instructor will watch you a little closer to see if you are hitting the line, watching your mirrors and acknowledging corner workers.

They want to feel safe with you on track with them. Don't be a squirrel.

In reply to enginenerd :

I already have a tow vehicle and trailer, but I can't use anything from the car we race in Champcar as it doesn't belong to me. I will contact officials in my region and see if Waterford is the closest place to get the school part knocked out. I assume the club racing you have to do on the provisional is still reasonably fun?

I got my license last year, but I did it by getting a NASA license first and then using that to get my SCCA license.  This is partly because my car is built to a NASA class (ST4) without a close SCCA analog, but also because the recommendation I got from other local racers was that the school offered by NASA was more useful than the SCCA one.

As for what race car to get, look for what classes are popular in your area.  Racing in a class of one is pretty boring, and even if it's a class of 5 or 6 you may not get to do much actual racing if those drivers/cars are significantly faster or slower than your own.  Spec Miata or Spec Racer Ford will probably get you a huge class with people to race at any skill/prep level, but there is other baggage that often goes along with those popular classes (people call Spec Pinata for a reason...).  The Spec classes are also the best way to get a field that's close in time.

Personally I'm not a fan of buying pre-built race cars, everyone I know who's done it has spent a year+ fixing all the stuff that was wrong with it that they didn't know about.

The SCCA has been trying to get better at this than in the past.  YMMV depending on your region.  I would start here https://www.scca.com/pages/i-want-to-road-race  

Toward the bottom of the page there is this:

IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUS RACING EXPERIENCE...

Depending upon your previous racing experience, some or all of your licensing requirements may be waived by the Chief Steward of your SCCA Driver School or by your Divisional Licensing Administrator.

In reply to IHitCones2 :

Just emailed my DLA. That would be really nice if my Champcar experience counts for something. I definitely have a good 15 hrs or so of green flag racing. 

I second buying an IT car.

I've both built and bought; if you have friends with skills or you have the skills building will be slightly cheaper..........if you don't building will be a lot more expensive.

dannyp84 said:

In reply to enginenerd :

I assume the club racing you have to do on the provisional is still reasonably fun?

Same exact race (regionals only) but you're just on a temporary trial period where the Chief Steward will hold your license and note any aggressive behavior or other unsafe driving decisions. 

Honestly getting a license in SCCA is not tough and certainly isn't a measure of driving skill. Just jump through the (sometimes confusing) hoops, race clean, and you'll have it mid way into your first season. As mentioned, your previous experience may waive some requirements but this varies widely by region. 

Generally the organization licensing you will want you to do the school. This ensures that you learn the rules, procedures and that your fellow racers who are instructing you think you are sufficiently safe and qualified to be on track with them. 
They have no idea what the rules at Champ are and don't typically recognize that as a replacement for experience with the rules and procedures of their organization. 
 

Lots of good advice above. All I would add is go to an SCCA weekend, watch and learn. Walk the paddock and talk to racers in classes that you're interested in.  You'll learn more in a weekend than in 6 months of forum/FB crawling. 

I second the idea of renting a car for race school. I brought my own race car and had to get it through tech and me through licensing in the same weekend, without support. I got it done but I don't recommend it. 

I think you'll find that the laps/dollars ratio is better with Champcar, but the racing is much more competitive with SCCA. I think of Champ as somewhere between track days and sprint racing.  With club racing you'll spend more time on things like car setup and the other guys will probably beat the brakes off of you the first season or two, but you'll learn racing skills much more quickly. 

Definitely go to an event or two and talk to racers about cars and classes you are interested in, and which ones are popular in your region. You can also look up race results to get an idea of entry numbers in recent events. Also, check out the race calendar to see how many weekends they run and when they fall during the year.

Also, be aware that Improved Touring (IT) classes are regional only. Touring is the national class that is closest to IT spec, but the cars tend to be newer and more expensive - older cars (mid 90's and older?) aren't eligible for Touring. Regional only is not bad, there are championship series' and can have great competition- that's what I raced for many years, but you can't go to the Runoffs. And note that for any national class you can always race in the regional races but also have the option to race in the national race weekends (the "Majors" and the "Hoosier Super Tour).

And here's my quick and dirty run down of production based classes (if you want the real details you should download the General Competition Rules and search for the classes below- it describes the allowed mods for each class, and has a list of all cars eligible for each class).

Touring (T2,T3,T4) - National class - Newer cars, similar prep to IT, but a few differences like no adjustable shocks allowed, and no final drive ratio changes.

Improved Touring (ITB, ITA,ITS, ITR) - Regional class, one of the least permissive for modifications with the intent of being less costly. Shocks/springs/sway bars/bushings are pretty open. Very limited engine mods - but fully built motors will take advantage of all possible things like allowable overbore, deck heads to raise compression the max of 0.5 points, fancy rings packages to reduce friction,etc. Aftermarket ECU's allowed. Must use stock transmission, can change final drive ratio, add ltd slip. All bodywork and glass must be stock, no flares or wings. small front airdam allowed. Must run stock brakes other than pads and ducting.

Super Touring (STL (Lighter mods), STU (under 2L), STO (over 2L)) - National Class. All the IT mods plus more allowances inside the motor, like custom cams. Can run lightweight flywheel. Fender flares not allowed, but can add larger front splitter, and rear wing. Some body panels like trunk lids can be replaced with lighter parts, and lexan rear windows are allowed. Can upgrade brake rotors and calipers.

Production (EP,FP, HP) - National Class - Anything from ST plus can do a lot more mods to the tub - move suspension mounting points, relocate engine, driver position, etc. Can run flares and replace most body panels with lighter parts. Lots more engine mods allowed. Engine longevity generally much less than Touring or IT. Can run race gearboxes and fancy race clutches. Can run non-DOT race tires.

Spec Miata  (SM)- National Class - Very locked down mods, everybody runs same suspension. Motor allowances similar to IT, but more restricted - stock ECU, and exhaust manifold. Largest car counts, but known for lots of crash damage due to very even performance between cars, so lots of close racing and need to be aggressive to make passes, etc. SM is also the most versatile if you want to double dip and race in more than one class in a weekend. You can enter in the SM race,  T4, or STL, maybe STU and conceivably be mid pack.

If you are looking or a budget option - check and see if there are any sub classes for older Spec Miata's. The NA cars from 90-96, tend to not be competitive with the NB chassis cars, but there were tons of NA cars built, so some regions have created regional classes just for the older cars. The cars tend to be much cheaper to buy than a competitive NB chassis.

Probably more than you wanted to know, lol!

In reply to sevenracer :

Some really solid advice & information here! 

As someone who went through this a few years back, all excellent advice above.  My only addition would be to check out the WDCR school at Summit Point (usally in late March).  Not sure of the cost on Waterford, but pretty sure the WDCR school is still $199 and includes a race on Sunday for your novice permit.  Very well run school with great instructors.

Racing School: Competition License — Washington D.C. Region SCCA (WDCR SCCA) (wdcr-scca.org)

If you're still considering classes, let me pitch American Sedan to you.    All the right V8 noises in old(ish) school muscle cars, multiple paths to play (full prep carb'd or limited prep fuel injection), national class (if the Runoffs are of interest), and reasonable (well, for racing) operating costs.  You'll have lots of competition in Spec Pinata (Miata), but we had 13 ground pounders firing down the front straight at Summit two weeks ago and the sound was glorious, both on-track and off.  If you're at all interested in AS, feel free to shoot me a message, or come on out to Pitt on 8/26-8/27 and see how much fun the class is first-hand!

In reply to Rotaryracer :

American Sedan is mostly Mustangs and Camaros? I always assumed those cars would be hard on consumables. My comfort zone and largest resource for support and expertise is with n/a RX-7s but I'll likely be pleased to race anything rwd. I'd gladly come to Pitt that weekend but we are racing with AER at Nelson Ledges.

Sevenracer, what class suited your car?

ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:

Lots of good advice above.  

I brought my own race car and had to get it through tech and me through licensing in the same weekend, without support. I got it done but I don't recommend it. 

Support is important. Like the OP I had some track experience and only needed one school weekend to get my SCCA regional license. I already had a car and several friends who could help so all I had to do was deal with the school and get my license.

All went smoothly until the last practice - the rear on my car broke. My instructor arranged with a couple who had their car at the track getting in some track time for me to drive it in the required race. All of them were friends, and future competition, I knew from my autoX days.

They ALL helped me get situated in the car – I’m 6ft the lady who drove it was about 5’6. Since I had never driven a FWD car she was giving me instructions through the driver’s window. My instructor was in the other window reminding me to keep calm cool etc. All while the car was being pushed to the grid with 5 minutes to go.

Since I was in a completely different car I was bumped to the back of the group. By the time I got to the grid I was waved on to the track to catch the pack. Of the 20 or so cars in the race I ended up passing a bit over half of them, without incident, and got my license. I could not have done it without those friends.

Make sure you have support.

I would definitely recommend the Waterford Hills school, that's where I got my comp license about 7 years ago. I chose it because it was extremely close to me (I'm in the Cleveland area) and it was maybe the second least expensive option. The people at Waterford are extremely nice and welcoming and the school was well run. Just something to note, you have to go to Waterford twice. There is a classroom session first and then the weekend school later on. At least that's how it was for me. 

If I remember correctly, there are two main rental options at the school - either AS Camaros or SMs. The AS Camaros are prepped by the guy who ran the school when I was there and, I think, the SMs are offered by one of their main instructors. 

It's also definitely worth the effort to go through your local region to see if you can get a waiver. Since getting my comp license, I have done a total of 1 SCCA weekend. I have, however, done a good bit of endurance and vintage racing. I want to make sure to always have the SCCA license so every year I write in asking for a waiver, detailing all of the wheel-to-wheel racing I did that previous season. In my region it costs $25 for the waiver. Totally worth the extra cost on top of the license if you ask me. 

Thanks for all the help so far  everyone, it doesn't seem like SCCA racing is talked about too much on this forum so I assumed not many of you were involved, I'm glad to be mistaken.

dannyp84 said:

In reply to Rotaryracer :

American Sedan is mostly Mustangs and Camaros? I always assumed those cars would be hard on consumables. My comfort zone and largest resource for support and expertise is with n/a RX-7s but I'll likely be pleased to race anything rwd. I'd gladly come to Pitt that weekend but we are racing with AER at Nelson Ledges.

Sevenracer, what class suited your car?

Ok, so you're a rotary guy, alright!

I really like rotaries for racing. They love to rev, and they have a really long service life if you don't overheat them. And you generally don't hurt them if you money shift them like you can a piston motor.

For years I ran IT7, which is a regional class just for ITA 12A RX7's. Similar to the regional classes for the NA spec Miata's I mentioned above, IT7 was created because RX7's became non competitive in ITA with newer cars coming in, but there were tons of ITA RX7's built, so they had critical mass to create IT7. It was a great class, one of the most affordable, and had really good competition. But when Mazda stopped making 12A motor parts and the used parts got scarce, IT7 car counts dwindled over time. 

So, I think you know my IT7 is for sale. If I wanted to take that car to a new class, the cheapest, easiest option would just be to switch back to ITA - running Hoosier R7's, it should be a mid pack ITA car. Or it could be converted to STL. With a ported 12A at I think 2100 lbs min wt, or a 13B at 2500 lbs. Or a Renesis at 2700lbs. The good thing about STL is that you are allowed to upgrade the brakes - which is the weakest part of the first gen chassis. Of the 3 motor options, the 13B is the sweetspot. You'll have a much better power to weight ratio than with a ported 12A, Renesis motors don't make much more power, and they have a weight penalty. But it will be an underdog in STL. The NC Miata's with built motors are crazy fast, and so are the frisbee's and Honda's.

Last year, I jumped to a second gen RX7 that was originally built for ITS, but converted to STL. I looked at various options for my next car, but decided to stick with a rotary platform, largely based on cost. Money no object, I would have gone with a Spec Racer Ford (purpose built race car) or maybe a T4 NC Miata.

In reply to sevenracer :

There are two FCs set of for racing currently for sale on this forum, and I admit I've been eyeing them. I have lots more experience driving my FB though. Is there an additional weight penalty for a ported 13b? The one in my car is a half bridge and should land anywhere between 180 and 200 whp.

Let me just comment that you don't NEED support. Myself and many others have attended the school by ourselves. It is helpful for sure but not needed. 

Some rental places offer a licensing school special at a lower rate since the school is easier on equipment than a typical race weekend. You don't need sticker tires for example. Tires with a few heat cycles are fine. 

An FB with a BP can potentially run ITE in my region but it probably won't be competitive 

FBs run in ITA and STL in my region. Also occasionally you see one in ITE. A good driver can win ITA in an FB in my region. Ymmv 

FC is also a great platform 

dannyp84 said:

In reply to sevenracer :

There are two FCs set of for racing currently for sale on this forum, and I admit I've been eyeing them. I have lots more experience driving my FB though. Is there an additional weight penalty for a ported 13b? The one in my car is a half bridge and should land anywhere between 180 and 200 whp.

STL does not allow any ported 13B option. Street port 12A is allowed, but 13B and Renesis must be stock ports.

You can run street ports in EP, but not bridge or peripheral ports.

I think your engine would bump you into ITE, which is a catchall class. Hard to know how competitive you will be without learning who's running what in ITE in your region. 

amg_rx7 (Forum Supporter) said:

Let me just comment that you don't NEED support. Myself and many others have attended the school by ourselves. It is helpful for sure but not needed.

Just want to second this point. I showed up to school and just about every race weekend alone and did just fine doing setup, tire pressures, getting to grid, etc. Fellow competitors in these classes are very friendly and happy to find more racing buddies. I had no trouble getting an extra hand, borrowing a tool when needed, or getting advice on setup. 

Another thing to chew on: Pretty much any used race car will have some issues to sort out and you'll want some seat time. Often, the Friday before the race weekend there is a open track day or even an option to do test laps if you are licensed. It was a great way to get some relatively cheap hours on track even if I wasn't competing that weekend.