View Full Version : SCCA noob help me get started
ilovecars 12-19-2008, 11:33 PM so over here in md they do scca stuff at summit point (local circuit track) and i realy want to get into this i was wondering like how old you have to be and what types of classes there are that i could go into i dont want to go modding the shit out of my car and be illegible for a class that would well suit my budget.
any info its greatly appreciated im just wondering how to get into this
thanks
stealthy1ss 12-19-2008, 11:39 PM Go to the SCCA website and look up your region. Also they have all the rules and guidelines explaining all the questions that you asked.
Omnigear 12-19-2008, 11:39 PM if you can see over the steering wheel and can push the clutch your good to go ^_^
ilovecars 12-19-2008, 11:41 PM Go to the SCCA website and look up your region. Also they have all the rules and guidelines explaining all the questions that you asked.
i was looking and there site is very confusing ill keep trying but not alot of it made sence.
if you can see over the steering wheel and can push the clutch your good to go ^_^
haha thats good to know. i know you have to take a like course to get a racing liscnse. this is gonna be so awesome i cant wait.
Jrhdpaintball 12-19-2008, 11:49 PM im from bel air, md and ive been racing at summit point raceway for about 6 years now... but go karts... me and my dad have 125cc shifter karts that we race there along with many other tracks, but our home track is summit... also new to summit is shenandoah circuit.. excellant track, quite differant from summit... both excellant tracks....
to further answer your question... look into FATT...which is Friday At The Track, it is driving school/driving experience.... my dad has a fiero he did it in about 2 or 3 years ago, and he had a blast, this upcoming year ill be doing it in my ss/sc, but as for rules for that... there is not, its all day event, you get a little seminar on the track, then for most of the day you will be out driving with the instructor... he teaches you the fastest way around the track, smart, and safely...a very good way to 'get to know' your car and get a feel for it and learn ALOT about driving
they also offer a skid coarse, you drive a old ass impala and you first get in and strap in and the instructer drives, and you do all you can to not throw up...really, then after you get in the drivers seat, learn to counter steer, how and when to react to all types of situations... but then again its all rear wheel drive stuff so really not much good for any cobalt reasons, but still a good thing to practice...
and SCCA not sure to much but i know they had very strict rules on autocross.... we autocrossed his fiero once... and they had a very strict guidlines for as what class you were in... anything more you got bumped up to a faster class and prolly were way faster than you... only were allowed cat back, air filter, few suspenstion mods, thats really it
hope that helps you a little... like i said before not really huge on SCCA at summit YET.... but i have been around that track 10000 times in a kart at well over 120mph... and summit is a very fast and challanging coarse... most love it!
let me know if theres anything else i can help you with.... maybe we can get together for a FATT event who knows lol
stealthy1ss 12-19-2008, 11:50 PM Read this page. You want to run in the Solo Program.
http://www.scca.org/contentpage.aspx?content=58
ilovecars 12-20-2008, 12:00 AM im from bel air, md and ive been racing at summit point raceway for about 6 years now... but go karts... me and my dad have 125cc shifter karts that we race there along with many other tracks, but our home track is summit... also new to summit is shenandoah circuit.. excellant track, quite differant from summit... both excellant tracks....
to further answer your question... look into FATT...which is Friday At The Track, it is driving school/driving experience.... my dad has a fiero he did it in about 2 or 3 years ago, and he had a blast, this upcoming year ill be doing it in my ss/sc, but as for rules for that... there is not, its all day event, you get a little seminar on the track, then for most of the day you will be out driving with the instructor... he teaches you the fastest way around the track, smart, and safely...a very good way to 'get to know' your car and get a feel for it and learn ALOT about driving
they also offer a skid coarse, you drive a old ass impala and you first get in and strap in and the instructer drives, and you do all you can to not throw up...really, then after you get in the drivers seat, learn to counter steer, how and when to react to all types of situations... but then again its all rear wheel drive stuff so really not much good for any cobalt reasons, but still a good thing to practice...
and SCCA not sure to much but i know they had very strict rules on autocross.... we autocrossed his fiero once... and they had a very strict guidlines for as what class you were in... anything more you got bumped up to a faster class and prolly were way faster than you... only were allowed cat back, air filter, few suspenstion mods, thats really it
hope that helps you a little... like i said before not really huge on SCCA at summit YET.... but i have been around that track 10000 times in a kart at well over 120mph... and summit is a very fast and challanging coarse... most love it!
let me know if theres anything else i can help you with.... maybe we can get together for a FATT event who knows lol
i was looking at the rules i may have already fucked my self i beleive for the class that i could even think about placing i have to have all stock intake and stuff. :( dam it. and then if its only catalytic converter i have headers and back. but yea dude i just want to get road racing and that FATT sounds great except its always with an instructor and its not really "racing" i want to get into competition.
but yea dude hell yea thatd be awesome to get to a FATT event. when you do it lmk itd be cool to do it with another cobalt owner
Read this page. You want to run in the Solo Program.
http://www.scca.org/contentpage.aspx?content=58
are you sure thats what i want to run in? that seems like an autocross. not quite what i want to do.
Jrhdpaintball 12-20-2008, 12:04 AM defantly...it really doeant seem like a school at all... your almost like racing but just like controlled enviroment so no one does anything stupid... i mean you will have some beat ass cars there going slow... then youl think your going fast and a porche 911 will FLY by you... bottom line, everyone is there having fun.... you pass where it is safe to pass, and in order to pass you have to stick your hand out the window and wave them by... sound dumb.. but really no big deal... theres everything from hondas to porches to ferrarris anything you can think of comes...
the only problem with scca racing... BIG money is involved because the guys doing have it to spend... and they are alot more aggressive... and i gaurantee their cars are not their daily drivers.. kinda risky if your balt is a DD you know what i mean?
stealthy1ss 12-20-2008, 12:05 AM are you sure thats what i want to run in? that seems like an autocross. not quite what i want to do.
Here is the link to your SCCA Regions website. They should be able to tell you everything that you need to know.
http://www.wdcr-scca.org/
ilovecars 12-20-2008, 12:10 AM defantly...it really doeant seem like a school at all... your almost like racing but just like controlled enviroment so no one does anything stupid... i mean you will have some beat ass cars there going slow... then youl think your going fast and a porche 911 will FLY by you... bottom line, everyone is there having fun.... you pass where it is safe to pass, and in order to pass you have to stick your hand out the window and wave them by... sound dumb.. but really no big deal... theres everything from hondas to porches to ferrarris anything you can think of comes...
the only problem with scca racing... BIG money is involved because the guys doing have it to spend... and they are alot more aggressive... and i gaurantee their cars are not their daily drivers.. kinda risky if your balt is a DD you know what i mean?
yea i understand. so i guess FATT would be my best bet. ill definitly try to give that a try. unless i get another car for a DD and build my balt to race spec ...hhmmm :cool:
yea i read that rule about passing on summit points page. sounded retarded. do the people race with their windows down or something lol.
rocketpunch1221 12-20-2008, 12:15 AM so over here in md they do scca stuff at summit point (local circuit track) and i realy want to get into this i was wondering like how old you have to be and what types of classes there are that i could go into i dont want to go modding the shit out of my car and be illegible for a class that would well suit my budget.
any info its greatly appreciated im just wondering how to get into this
thanks
1) If you have a driver's license, can afford the fee and have good conduct; you can run.
2) You are definitely not in Stock. You are either in SP or ST_
Enjoy.
Also see this thread for more info: http://www.cobaltss.net/forums/showthread.php?t=146601
Jrhdpaintball 12-20-2008, 12:15 AM yea, no big deal....really, i thought it was dumb myself... but really a safe way of passing... and right after turn 10 ( last turn before strait) after than its just wide open as fast as you can... but when you get to the end... its about a 1 mile strait... its a immediate 180 degree turn... one of the hardest turns to brake and get right... turn 5 is the send turn to brake... you come out of a off camber turn (very fun) and go strait down a pretty steep hill into a set of small turns..... then immediately into a 90 degree sharp left turn... fun fun track... the more i think about it the more i cant wait for our kart season to start again lol
ilovecars 12-20-2008, 12:18 AM yea, no big deal....really, i thought it was dumb myself... but really a safe way of passing... and right after turn 10 ( last turn before strait) after than its just wide open as fast as you can... but when you get to the end... its about a 1 mile strait... its a immediate 180 degree turn... one of the hardest turns to brake and get right... turn 5 is the send turn to brake... you come out of a off camber turn (very fun) and go strait down a pretty steep hill into a set of small turns..... then immediately into a 90 degree sharp left turn... fun fun track... the more i think about it the more i cant wait for our kart season to start again lol
haha just makes me want to do it even more i cant wait till i actualy can.
and ill have to come up for one of those kart races my friends dad did it seems pretty cool
Jrhdpaintball 12-20-2008, 12:19 AM if it helps any.... heres a video of a lap around summit... in a 125cc shifter... its not me driving... im accually there on the start up... but it will give you an idea of the track layout
goto the middle video... 125cc lap around summit
http://www.woodbridgekartclub.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=67&Itemid=85
rocketpunch1221 12-20-2008, 12:22 AM defantly...it really doeant seem like a school at all... your almost like racing but just like controlled enviroment so no one does anything stupid... i mean you will have some beat ass cars there going slow... then youl think your going fast and a porche 911 will FLY by you... bottom line, everyone is there having fun.... you pass where it is safe to pass, and in order to pass you have to stick your hand out the window and wave them by... sound dumb.. but really no big deal... theres everything from hondas to porches to ferrarris anything you can think of comes...
the only problem with scca racing... BIG money is involved because the guys doing have it to spend... and they are alot more aggressive... and i gaurantee their cars are not their daily drivers.. kinda risky if your balt is a DD you know what i mean?
Depends on class. Stock class is cheap all you need to be competitive equipmentwise are R tires, shocks and alignment within factory range.
Autocross is a cheap and great way to learn car control, and most importantly a way to understand vehicle dynamics.
Jrhdpaintball 12-20-2008, 12:24 AM Depends on class. Stock class is cheap all you need to be competitive equipmentwise are R tires, shocks and alignment within factory range.
Autocross is a cheap and great way to learn car control, and most importantly a way to understand vehicle dynamics.
defantly agree. another great way to learn control of your car...
Maven 12-20-2008, 12:28 AM Solo IS autocross.
Its what you need to try before you go raod racing. Youll be in the STS class in Solo probably. This is where youre relaistically gonna end up racing this season.
SCCA Club Racing, what you really want to do.....requires significantly more commitment/expense then I think youre aware of.
First thing you need to do is go to SCCA and download and print out and READ the Club Racing GCR, its about 500 pages, this is your first test. If you wont do this, youre not ready. Sorry.
First youre old enough, but youll need your parents consent and youll have to aplly to the national office to get a novice license(for Solo you just show up at a race with your parents, you cant do that for road racing)
Once you apply to the National ofice, youll get a permit, now youll have to go to a MINIMUM of 2 SCCA drivers schools and pass them, and get a minimum of 6hrs of seat time. Once you do this, youll actually be able to raod race.
Okay so now youre officially legal to race as far as YOU are concerned, the problem now becomes your car.......YOU NEED A ROLL CAGE. period. It must be a full cage to the specs listed in the GCR( I wont even begin to list them here, look at the GCR) and it has to be checked and certified by an SCCA tech inspector before youll ever be allowed to roll your car onto the track in any SCCA event. Call Race LAbz or Phoenix Performance (both in PA) or call Universal Race Cars in MD, and see what they want to install an SCCA legal cage, and how long it wil take. Or start looking for a used racecar.....you can probably find a raceready SS/SC for like $15k if you search, maybe a Civic or Miata for under $8k.
I hope that you still want to race, and if you can somehow swing a Club racing setup, AWESOME, if you cant.....like most of us, just go out and start racing Solo. youll still get a big smile.
ilovecars 12-20-2008, 12:29 AM cool man cool.ill definitly be in contact with you. u seem very knowledge able about summitpoint.
Jrhdpaintball 12-20-2008, 12:32 AM ^^^spec miata HUUUGEEE class now... its really blown up... alot of guys that race go karts with us have left and went to miatas... huge classess now... really all you need is a miata... gut the interior of everything you can... put in a role cage... you must have a hard top... get a nice suspention set up... and a few other bolt ons and your good.... they allow more bolt ons for the older years miatas....they are heavier and less HP....alotta bumping and pushing tho...
ilovecars 12-20-2008, 12:35 AM Solo IS autocross.
Its what you need to try before you go raod racing. Youll be in the STS class in Solo probably. This is where youre relaistically gonna end up racing this season.
SCCA Club Racing, what you really want to do.....requires significantly more commitment/expense then I think youre aware of.
First thing you need to do is go to SCCA and download and print out and READ the Club Racing GCR, its about 500 pages, this is your first test. If you wont do this, youre not ready. Sorry.
First youre old enough, but youll need your parents consent and youll have to aplly to the national office to get a novice license(for Solo you just show up at a race with your parents, you cant do that for road racing)
Once you apply to the National ofice, youll get a permit, now youll have to go to a MINIMUM of 2 SCCA drivers schools and pass them, and get a minimum of 6hrs of seat time. Once you do this, youll actually be able to raod race.
Okay so now youre officially legal to race as far as YOU are concerned, the problem now becomes your car.......YOU NEED A ROLL CAGE. period. It must be a full cage to the specs listed in the GCR( I wont even begin to list them here, look at the GCR) and it has to be checked and certified by an SCCA tech inspector before youll ever be allowed to roll your car onto the track in any SCCA event. Call Race LAbz or Phoenix Performance (both in PA) or call Universal Race Cars in MD, and see what they want to install an SCCA legal cage, and how long it wil take. Or start looking for a used racecar.....you can probably find a raceready SS/SC for like $15k if you search, maybe a Civic or Miata for under $8k.
I hope that you still want to race, and if you can somehow swing a Club racing setup, AWESOME, if you cant.....like most of us, just go out and start racing Solo. youll still get a big smile.
i DEFINITLY still want to race. its pretty much my dream/biggest intrest, as well as cars
so for now i should look at solo? because it requires less money/ commiment?
Jrhdpaintball 12-20-2008, 12:35 AM cool man cool.ill definitly be in contact with you. u seem very knowledge able about summitpoint.
another track to keep an eye out for.... if your up to a small road tip... lighting raceway.....just opened up this year...located in Millville NJ.....suuppper nice track one of my favorites... they have 2 tracks there, both are very fast, and alootta blind corners...ive been around both in my kart and are very fun.... not sure if they have any kinda track days tho.... i know they are very busy, they have alotta world class races there now....SCCA uses it alot on TV
ilovecars 12-20-2008, 12:36 AM ^^^spec miata HUUUGEEE class now... its really blown up... alot of guys that race go karts with us have left and went to miatas... huge classess now... really all you need is a miata... gut the interior of everything you can... put in a role cage... you must have a hard top... get a nice suspention set up... and a few other bolt ons and your good.... they allow more bolt ons for the older years miatas....they are heavier and less HP....alotta bumping and pushing tho...
i think i watched a spec miata race before alot of "bump drafting" and the cars were all pretty much the same. that would be pretty cool. might be able to get ahold of a miata for not too much money
Maven 12-20-2008, 12:46 AM i DEFINITLY still want to race. its pretty much my dream/biggest intrest, as well as cars
so for now i should look at solo? because it requires less money/ commiment?
Yes Solo is definitely the way to go for you right now, UNLESS youve got $10,000 minimum to spend in 2009 racing season......It requires MUCH less effort, and way less money. yu wont have to permanently modify your car, theres almost zero chance of hitting another car, or being involved in any kind of accident at 100+mph, plus you can do it yourself, you wont basically need a pit crew, you wont need multiple sets of spare wheels, it goes on and on.
Solo is like crack. its super addictive. You really should download/print/READ the Solo GCR if youre truly interested in racing this season.
NJMP(lightning) doesnt have "open track" days during the season......Once the schedule comes out you can look and see what groups are going to be using the tracks and you can sign up for an HPDE through one of them........Ive driven both tracks(in my Balt) and its an absolute riot(one lap at anything over 45mph will give you permagrin for like a week)
Jrhdpaintball 12-20-2008, 01:00 AM Yes Solo is definitely the way to go for you right now, UNLESS youve got $10,000 minimum to spend in 2009 racing season......It requires MUCH less effort, and way less money. yu wont have to permanently modify your car, theres almost zero chance of hitting another car, or being involved in any kind of accident at 100+mph, plus you can do it yourself, you wont basically need a pit crew, you wont need multiple sets of spare wheels, it goes on and on.
Solo is like crack. its super addictive. You really should download/print/READ the Solo GCR if youre truly interested in racing this season.
NJMP(lightning) doesnt have "open track" days during the season......Once the schedule comes out you can look and see what groups are going to be using the tracks and you can sign up for an HPDE through one of them........Ive driven both tracks(in my Balt) and its an absolute riot(one lap at anything over 45mph will give you permagrin for like a week)
njmp is one of my favorite by far tracks... nice set up... never went around in my balt...yet.... but in my kart... i can hit just under 110 on the strait... the bowl is INSANE in a little kart...and those SHARP left handers right after the bridge... INSANE lol this is lighting i mean... thunderbolt... is still an excellant track.. alot more open corners and less hard braking IMO...love the track... will be back up there on the friday-sunday of may 23 then again later in the year for the other track...
Maven 12-20-2008, 01:17 AM Yeah I loved NJMP, Turn1 on lightning is a blast and sets the mood for the whol track, fast/blind uphill flat-to-off camber right, with an immediate charge downhill hill, lotsa fun, and of course the 90 left after the bridge, the 180/bowl carousel whatever is fun even in a Balt. Tbolt is more of the same, blind uphill flat turns, and the east end(2nd half) of the track with its r,r,r,r,l,r,s is sick if you get it right.
rocketpunch1221 12-23-2008, 11:43 AM You guy should really try Calabogie, if you ever get the urge to venture that far up north. I've heard nothing but great things about that circuit.
Maven 12-23-2008, 01:25 PM You guy should really try Calabogie, if you ever get the urge to venture that far up north. I've heard nothing but great things about that circuit.
Never heard of that, where it at?
There WILL be a South Jersey winter Solo series, six races starting middle/end of January, running at NJMP and Citizens Bank Park in Philly! SO youve got less than 4 weeks to get your car ready for the first solo at NJMP
ilovecars 12-23-2008, 01:28 PM Never heard of that, where it at?
There WILL be a South Jersey winter Solo series, six races starting middle/end of January, running at NJMP and Citizens Bank Park in Philly! SO youve got less than 4 weeks to get your car ready for the first solo at NJMP
i cant do that! ive never even driven my car hard. let alone i have no grip in my tires and i wouldn't know the first thing about soloing. are you going to go?
Maven 12-23-2008, 01:53 PM i cant do that! ive never even driven my car hard. let alone i have no grip in my tires and i wouldn't know the first thing about soloing. are you going to go?
A: It wasnt meant just for you.
B: you bet youre ass I am going
3: The whole point of Solo is you can drive whatever youve got
Delta: You dont know the first thing about road racing either but your chomping at the bit to do that. This is how you learn man.....would you rather run over cones, or other cars/gaurdrails/people/etc....
rocketpunch1221 12-23-2008, 02:24 PM Never heard of that, where it at?
There WILL be a South Jersey winter Solo series, six races starting middle/end of January, running at NJMP and Citizens Bank Park in Philly! SO youve got less than 4 weeks to get your car ready for the first solo at NJMP
It's a relatively new circuit up in Ottawa, Canada. http://www.calabogiemotorsports.com
http://www.rennsport.ca/images/calabogie_track.jpg
3D map with elevation: http://www.calabogiemotorsports.com/content/view/24/42/lang,en/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHGW5Wm7mI
ilovecars 12-23-2008, 02:37 PM A: It wasnt meant just for you.
B: you bet youre ass I am going
3: The whole point of Solo is you can drive whatever youve got
Delta: You dont know the first thing about road racing either but your chomping at the bit to do that. This is how you learn man.....would you rather run over cones, or other cars/gaurdrails/people/etc....
lol alpha beta gamma delta.
but if your going im definitely gonna try to get up there itd be awesome to see it. ill attend one before i actually participate. just so i can see what its like in person.
It's a relatively new circuit up in Ottawa, Canada. http://www.calabogiemotorsports.com
http://www.rennsport.ca/images/calabogie_track.jpg
3D map with elevation: http://www.calabogiemotorsports.com/content/view/24/42/lang,en/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHGW5Wm7mI
dam that looks cool as hell. see its outside the US its gotta be good.
Maven 12-23-2008, 04:07 PM It's a relatively new circuit up in Ottawa, Canada.
OTTAWA! :wtf:
alleycat58 12-23-2008, 04:13 PM Before committing to club racing, do what others have suggested and go to an open track day and get some seat time in with an instructor. Auto-x isn't a bad stepping stone either because it's a good, controlled environment to learn the limits of the car in and what the physics of the car feel like when its driven at its limits.
It's a relatively new circuit up in Ottawa, Canada. http://www.calabogiemotorsports.com
http://www.rennsport.ca/images/calabogie_track.jpg
3D map with elevation: http://www.calabogiemotorsports.com/content/view/24/42/lang,en/
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHGW5Wm7mI
Fuck yes! Alan Wilson rocks. He designed the local track here as well. AWESOME designer.
Maven 12-23-2008, 08:23 PM Before committing to club racing, do what others have suggested and go to an open track day and get some seat time in with an instructor. Auto-x isn't a bad stepping stone either because it's a good, controlled environment to learn the limits of the car in and what the physics of the car feel like when its driven at its limits.
Fuck yes! Alan Wilson rocks. He designed the local track here as well. AWESOME designer.
Alan Wilson designed all 3 circuits at NJMP(Tbolt, Lightn, Kart) and they are a blast to drive, but both of the NJMP tracks and the Calabogie track all suffer from his propensity for pitting out right into the racing line, oalmost always on a corner.
Jrhdpaintball 12-23-2008, 10:08 PM Alan Wilson designed all 3 circuits at NJMP(Tbolt, Lightn, Kart) and they are a blast to drive, but both of the NJMP tracks and the Calabogie track all suffer from his propensity for pitting out right into the racing line, oalmost always on a corner.
tell me about it... lightings blind turn after the strait, right where the pit dumps out is a death trap sometimes... especially when your eyes are about 6 inches off the ground like in some of our karts
alleycat58 12-24-2008, 08:19 AM Alan Wilson designed all 3 circuits at NJMP(Tbolt, Lightn, Kart) and they are a blast to drive, but both of the NJMP tracks and the Calabogie track all suffer from his propensity for pitting out right into the racing line, oalmost always on a corner.
Yep. BeaveRun has the same issue:
http://www.beaverun.com/images/map2_crop.png
Luckily they have a light to indicate traffic and great corner workers that are on top of things, so there aren't many issues.
Acidangel_5.0 12-24-2008, 08:44 AM SCCA is a fun circuit but like stated it is alot of time and dedication, we had to travel out of state about once every other week for races., and if you were a no show, you were pretty much dropped from the circuit, granted this was about 8 years ago... the rules maybe more relaxed now.... when i was 18 me and a few buddies started in the class V section and worked our way up... the rules are very strict but for good reason.. they only intend for people that have the aspiration on a serious note to race in this circuit... when we stopped we were leaving the FR5 class (think thats right if i can remember correctly)
Maven 12-24-2008, 09:37 AM lol alpha beta gamma delta.
Actually: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, is what I was using.
ilovecars 12-24-2008, 09:40 AM Actually: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta, is what I was using.
DOH! sofb.....
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