10 rules for the new SCCA member

There are a lot of things someone new to the Sports Car Club of America and amateur racing needs to learn: how to drive, for starters – not to mention how to prepare and repair a car. You can learn to drive at one of SCCA's Driver's Schools, and there are a million books on racecar preparation; but there are things that the schools won't teach you and that aren't printed in the books. Here are 10 essential bits of knowledge gained from hard experience.

1. You will get beat

Nobody cares how good you think you are, you're going to lose your first race. And your second. And a few more beyond that. Get over it. Chances are the drivers you're competing against have been at it for years. Besides, what fun would it be if you won the first time out and had nothing else to aspire to?

2. Ask the people who beat you for advice

The beautiful thing about the SCCA is you can ask your competitors for advice – and actually get it. Chances are pretty good that you'll find an experienced competitor who's more than willing to help you out. And remember that just because someone is a fierce competitor on the track doesn't mean they can't be good friends once the racing is done.

3. Consider all advice carefully

Ninety-five percent of the people you ask for advice will give you correct information – or at least information they believe to be correct. Consider each piece of advice carefully, and see if it makes sense.

4. Respect the rules

SCCA's rules may not make sense now, but after you've been around a while, they will (at least most of them). Spend some time to find out why the rules are what they are, why they're written in that confusing language and then, if you still think it's necessary, start questioning them.

5. Be patient

Suffer your defeats graciously, learn everything you can and practice, practice, practice. Someday, you won't be new to the competition – you'll be the one beating the rookie and giving him or her advice.

6. Don't try to save money on safety

Safety is not the area in which to save money. In the beginning, skip buying that trick part or the hottest tire – you'll probably be too slow to get the most out of it right now anyway. Spend the money on the best safety equipment you can buy – the best cage, the best seat, the best helmet and a good head and neck restraint. Not buying a piece of safety equipment because it "costs as much as a set of tires" is the silliest excuse in the world.

7. Improve the driver, not the car

Practice and training will make you quicker, faster, than any trick parts on the market. In the beginning, money spent on driver coaching will yield a much better return on investment than an expensive set of shocks.

8. Let someone else do the work

If you're going to start competing in a class that requires a built racecar, instead of turning a street car into a racecar yourself, buy one that someone else has built and worked the bugs out of. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, but the price of all the parts is usually more than the assembled whole. Building racecars is a sure-fire way to lose a lot of money, and since you'll assuredly tread down this path later in your racing career, it's best to start out by profiting on the losses of others.

9. This will cost more than you think

That doesn't mean that you need a huge budget to go racing. It can still be done inexpensively. However, there will be unexpected expenses, so be prepared and have some money in reserve.

10. Have fun

If we need to explain this, you're hopeless.

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