Racing with SCCA

#1

My renewed SCCA license came in the mail with a surprise. I expected it to just say Flagging and Communications. But it also says Novice. So what should I go do with my new SCCA Novice Comp license, especially since there’s lots of SCCA racing down the street at Roebling Road.

#2

Ranger wrote:

Can you really squeeze more race weekends into your schedule? B)

#3

87isMan wrote:

[quote]Ranger wrote:

Can you really squeeze more race weekends into your schedule? B)[/quote]

Having Roebling so close makes it really easy. I could just tell the wife that me and the boys are going out for the day. Then she can spend the day doing whatever in god’s name women do, and me and the boys can spend the day at Roebling.

And that’s how 2 events a month become 3.

Seriously tho, I don’t know anything about racing with SCCA.

#4

just as an fyi, you dont need an scca license to run scca regional races…you just need to be a current scca member and have a license from one of the organizations they “recognize” (like nasa and bmwcca)…

as far as racing in scca goes, i’ve run the vir 13 hr the last 4 years and the summit point 12 hr this year - all have been a blast…i can’t comment on their normal/sprint race weekends though

#5

you also need a car that runs:woohoo: :woohoo:

#6

Scott,

I raced with SCCA a few times and had some fun. That was 15 years ago though. I don’t know how much it has changed and/or what your region is like. Gary Nilsen (sirgary) has run with our Central FL group last year so you may want to contact him regarding his experience.

My impression - SCCA (regional action) is much like NASA but with a more diverse range of vehicles/characters. I am trying to nicely say you are going to see a higher percentage of shit box cars vs GT3s. I remember seeing a Chevette SSC car at Mid Ohio for example. It was painful.
The good news is that a spec E30 is not the slowest car on track, you’ll have lots of fun passing people, and because many of the participants are very low budget racers, they really want to stay out of each others way to protect their …uh… investments.

Spec e30 runs as an ITS car and while you may be in the top 1/3 of the ITS field, other e30s in ITS are prepped closer to KP or GTS3 cars (Cams, headers, 225 tire, more suspension adjustments, lighter weight). Other cars in class (VTec Integras, later model RX-7s with 13b engines, 944s) are significantly faster (probably high 20s at Roebling) than us. You’ll also be out there with ITA (Older RX-7s with 12A engines, CRXs, I think older Miatas, 325eta) that are fun to race with, ITB (old Golf GTIs, Neons I think) and ITC (Focus, Fiesta, Fiat).

SCCA Nationals (which you won’t be able just “walk on” the track with novice credentials) are at another level much like the higher level NASA, BMWCCA, and PCA teams.

You’ll have fun.

Don

#7

Scott, congratulations on receiving your SCCA license, but isn’t the reason NASA was banned from Roebling because of you? :wink:

#8

donstevens wrote:

I’ve run a bunch of regional and national SCCA races in the Southeast. I wouldn’t characterize the car selection like that at all. With the exception of an ITB Pinto that runs SCCA, the Lightning group and ProIT groups have similar cars. Then again, there was an AMC in last weekend’s NASA race. :stuck_out_tongue:

SCCA is more structured and formal. You are more likely to be helped by a 72 year old at registration than a 12 year old. The drivers’ meetings are less of a comedy routine.

The biggest difference is you don’t have much DE presence at SCCA weekends. Sometimes they run DE during quiet hour, but that is mainly a worker benefit. NASA TT classes attract some high dollar equipment, but I don’t think the spendy guys in Thunder are any different from the spendy guys in GT1. There are winged cars at SCCA weekends.

But they don’t put wildly different cars (Legends, Thunder Roadsters, Sports Racers) in with the production car classes. I think that is a huge benefit. I would rather race against a Civic doing 2:00 at RA than a Legends doing 1:48 with -10 mph cornering difference.

Regional weekends are pretty relaxed. Nationals - now that Runoffs are at Road America - are pretty hotly contested.

Butch - competition director for the Atlanta SCCA region - really wanted to include SE30 as a class at the ARRC this year but it was the same weekend as IFU. I have seen a huge sea change at SCCA in the past 5 years in their attempts to be much more customer-focused. I think Jim Pantas is almost 100% responsible for that. Kudos to him for shaking up the competition.

If you run SCCA, you will be classed ITS. Your car will not be competitive. But if you gauge yourself against the ITA cars (think Honda Challenge) you will have a pretty good idea of how you are doing.

Sorry if I have interrupted the misinformation. :wink:

#9

Gasman wrote:

Sigh. No Steve. I was one of the guys that worked to fix the relationship between NASA and Roebling. I get along very well with Richard and Kay and always have. All you have to do is treat them like a retired Marine Corps Master Sergeant and his wife, and they are easy to get along with.

The three of us have laughed about the 100mph behind the tower incident several times. They know that various organizations brief drivers to go behind the tower if they need to, and they know that I was doing 9mph. Even if things did get a little confused the morning that I actually did it.

What’s next…have a little fun at my expense because I get to rebuild a motor again?

#10

Ranger wrote:

[quote]Gasman wrote:

What’s next…[/quote]
Ranger -

Didn’t you know that they little ‘winky’ emoticon erases any ill will contained in an interwebs post?

I bet you beat your wife. :wink:

#11

Steve D wrote:

[quote]Ranger wrote:

[quote]Gasman wrote:

[/quote]
Ranger -

Didn’t you know that they little ‘winky’ emoticon erases any ill will contained in an interwebs post?
[/quote]

It’s situational.

#12

I said with all due respect.

#13

Funny, I’ve been thinking about doing some of the VIR events with them also. I did look up their times and they run 2:14-2:15 at VIR and Spec E30 does 2:18 something in capable hands (not mine of course).

But, it could be fun and only 2 hours away.

#14

15 years ago, yep, you got it mostly wrong. I have raced with most everyone over the past 8 or so years: BMW, SCCA, PBOC, NASA and probably a couple I can’t remember. SCCA is the most professionally run, period. They enforce their rules…something I rarely see with other groups. The level of prep is higher with SCCA. Try them…you will gain invaluable experience with them.

Prep…you have an ITS car and remember the fast “S” cars run about 120 flat at RR. However, since “S”, “A”, and IT7 run together, you will be with someone all the race.

Oh…one other thing…I have seen much less metal to metal with SCCA than any other group. YRMV.CB

#15

cwbaader wrote:

That’s pretty damned fast. I looked up the rules. It looks like SCCA can do fancy suspension and engine management. That’s enough for an E30 to do 120 flat at Roebling?

#16

Ranger wrote:

[quote]cwbaader wrote:

That’s pretty damned fast. I looked up the rules. It looks like SCCA can do fancy suspension and engine management. That’s enough for an E30 to do 120 flat at Roebling?[/quote]

combine that with (much) better tires then maybe…was that 1:20 flat a recent ITS time or from back before they neutered the e36’s?

#17

22s and 23s last April at the Jim Stark, also at the SIC…you need to go next year. That also happens to be the ITA times. (20 was the record after they repaved the track…sorry)

DOT “R” compound tires, good shocks/bars/springs make the cars much faster. However, the addition of “R” compound tires should give you about 2 seconds a lap.

Next, look at the entries for the SIC…go to http://www.sedivracing.org/SARRC/sic_2009/results/Gp4Race.pdf and look at the “S” and “A” cars…the actual number of entries in each class…usually 15+. You can certainly run top 5 with your setup and “R” compound tires. CB