Five ways to get involved in SCCA competition

You know what the Sports Car Club of America is, and you know you want to start competing in amateur motorsport. But now comes the difficult part: Choosing what is right for you. The SCCA has five primary ways to get involved. There's Club Racing, Solo, RallyCross, RoadRally and volunteering. Each of these is achievable for anyone who wants to try – but what do these branded terms mean?

Let's start with Club Racing. This is wheel-to-wheel road racing just like you see on TV, but you don't have to be a pro with a million-dollar budget to go Club Racing. SCCA's Club Racing has racing classes for a multitude of cars, from tubeframe, purpose-built racecars to open-wheel formula cars to near-stock sedans, all of which can be raced on nearly any budget. If you want to race on a road course, inches from your fellow competitors, Club Racing is for you.

Coming under the Club Racing banner are two other forms of motorsport: Time Trials and Hillclimbs. Time Trials allow you to run your street car or racecar on the same circuits as the Club Racing racecars, but Time Trials does so without going wheel to wheel, eliminating much of the danger that is intrinsic to Club Racing. Hillclimbs are exciting and very unique. A Hillclimb puts racecars on a closed street (usually a mountain road), with each competitor challenging the clock for the fastest time to the finish line.

Solo is SCCA's term for autocross. Solo pits competitors against the clock on a closed course. Here, Club members navigate a closed course – which is most often a parking lot or inactive airstrip, marked by a series of traffic cones – as fast as they can. Whether it's a Chevrolet Corvette, a Mini Cooper, a formula car or even a shifter kart, Solo has a class for you, and a level of competition you won't believe.

Like Solo, RallyCross sees competitors battle the clock on a closed circuit, but RallyCross takes place in fields and dirt lots, not on asphalt or concrete. RallyCross lets competitors get their cars dirty in a controlled environment with the goal of completing the course in the least amount of time possible – as you would expect, car control is the key to winning.

RoadRally is SCCA's only competition held on public streets. While Club Racing, Solo and RallyCross challenge your car control skills, RoadRally challenges your mind more than anything. In RoadRally, it's you against the clock or, in some cases, your mind against the rallymaster's mind. If you've got a street-legal car and a friend, you have no excuse not to go on one of SCCA's many RoadRallies.

There is one more, very important way to get involved with the Club: volunteering. SCCA volunteers make events happen. SCCA volunteers stand on the corners of racetracks, they put themselves in harms way should a driver need assistance, they are first responders, they ensure everyone is racing on a level playing field, they make sure everyone is registered and in the right place come the competition. They also keep track of the lap times that are essential to motorsports.

Volunteering is often called "the best seat in the house," and for good reason – you

can’t buy tickets at a motorsport event that will get you closer to the action than what an SCCA volunteer has at a Club race.

Still confused about what is what in the SCCA? Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know?

Solo

It’s you against the clock on a course made of traffic cones in a parking lot or airfield. The competition is fierce, and a hundredth of a second often determines who goes home the victor. Here, you can compete in anything from your daily driver to a fully built racecar.

• Top speed: 60+mph

• You’ll need: a racecar or street car

• Other things to know: don’t expect to win immediately – Solo is a lot of fun, but also very challenging

Club Racing

This is wheel-to-wheel racing, just like the pros do – but you don’t have to be a pro to go Club Racing. It’s you against the competition on the best race circuits in America, and the first to the finish line wins. And the best part: anyone can do it!

• Top speed: 100+mph

• You’ll need: a racecar, helmet, fire suit, head and neck restraint and more

• Other things to know: before you can compete, you’ll need a Club Racing Novice Permit or competition license

Time Trials

Take your street or racecar onto the same tracks professionals and Club racers compete on, and do so under the safe eye of SCCA’s track day experts, with PDX, Club Trials and Track Trials. This is fun to do as a hobby, to better your car control skills or to even decide if you want to make the jump to Club Racing.

• Top speed: 100+mph

• You’ll need: a street car or racecar, plus a helmet

• Other things to know: if you progress through the Time Trials ranks, you may eventually need other safety gear

Hillclimbs

Race against the clock on paved mountain roads. Here, a closed section of road becomes your playground, and the stopwatch – and your nerves – determines the winner. Blasting down a mountain road is one of the ultimate adrenaline rushes.

• Top speed: as fast as you can go

• You’ll need: a racecar and helmet

• Other things to know: depending on the car you’re competing in, additional safety equipment may be required

RoadRally

Bring a sharp mind. Taking place on public roads, this competition tests your math skills, patience, wits and driving prowess – often at the exact same time. These are mentally draining competitions that will keep you coming back for more.

• Top Speed: no faster than the posted speed limit

• You’ll Need: a street car

• Other things to know: you’ll also need a navigator and/or a driver if you want to run a RoadRally. If you can’t find one, contact the event organizer and that person might be able to match you up with someone

RallyCross

Tons of dirt, plenty of sliding and lots of fun. This is the ultimate in car control as you battle the clock for the fastest time around courses marked with traffic cones in a field or dirt lot. Does it get more fun than this?

• Top Speed: 60+mph

• You’ll need: a street car or a racecar, plus a helmet

• Other things to know: there’s no way around it – you will have a very dirty car after a RallyCross. A trip to a carwash after an event is often a must

Volunteering

The best seat in the house. You’re as close to the road racing action as you can get without being in the car. You are the one who organizes the event. You are the first responder. You are the one keeping the drivers safe on the racetrack.

• Top speed: how fast does adrenaline pump?

• You’ll need: the desire to make races happen

• Other things to know: prepare for the unexpected, and ultimately to make the best friends you’ve ever known

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