Those looking to get on track for wheel-to-wheel competition have many options to obtain a racing license
If you’ve been autocrossing or participating in SCCA’s Track Night in America or NASA HPDEs and are looking to move to wheel-to-wheel competition, there are several options for obtaining a racing license. While both organizations have their own routes to obtain a competition license, the easiest and quickest way is usually through a third-party racing school.
SCCA and NASA generally recognize the same schools. For SCCA, there are three tiers of schools – some that will allow you to earn a full competition license, some that will earn you a novice permit and event credit, and some that will earn you credit for a school and a novice permit. Often, those schools are the same, and what you leave with depends on which course you take.
Some schools have a home-track base, and that’s where all instruction takes place. These include BIR Performance Driving School (Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota); Bob Bondurant School (Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Ariz.); Bridgestone Racing Academy (Driver Development circuit at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada); MSR Houston (Motor Speedway Resort Houston in Angleton, Texas); Pettiford’s Go 4 It Racing Schools (High Plains Raceway in Deer Trail, Colo.); Porsche Sport Driving School (Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Ala.); Simraceway Performance Driving Center (Sonoma Raceway in California); and Spring Mountain Advanced Driving School (Spring Mountain Motorsports Park near Pahrump, Nev.). Others travel around the country, visiting a variety of racetracks. AMG Driving Academy, Bertil Roos Driving School and Lucas Oil School of Racing are some that visit a variety of circuits. Chances are there’s a school that makes its home at a track near you, or a school will visit one nearby.
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