Autocross

First, just come to an event. At any autocross, you’ll find a large group of helpful people.  Look for the “Help Desk” near the registration trailer and you can always ask for the Novice Chief.

You’ll need a mechanically sound car, a valid driver’s license and the money for an entry fee (see Event Registration & Fees Section Below).

That’s a great question. As much as we’d like to give you a “magic formula” for this, it’s just not that simple. A great place to start is  SCCA Classification Assistant. This site will provide a range of available classes based on your vehicle manufacturer, model and year. Then reference the SCCA website on classing: https://www.scca.com/pages/cars-and-rules

You’ll need to know all of the modifications made to your vehicle including simple things like tire and wheel sizes, brakes and shocks. It is your responsibility choose the class but we can help.

If you have any trouble, just shoot us an email teamsolo@stlscca.org.

To make sure your car is properly numbered, check out the series supplemental Regulations (see the Rules, Regulations, and Documents).

Event Online Registration

at motorsportreg.com

Read below for information on entering our events.  St. Louis Region Solo uses Motorsportsreg.com for its online registration.

For your convenience, we highly recommend pre-registering online. This will save you time and make the events easier to manage.

• Event entry fee(s) is as follows: 
• A discounted price of $45 for SCCA members if pre-registered by 11:59PM on Friday of the event (for Sunday events)
• $55 for SCCA members if registered after Friday 11:59PM and before Saturday 8PM
• No walkup registration day of event allowed. Registration is closed at 8PM the night before an event.
• All entrants are required to be SCCA members to run.
  • If you are not a SCCA Member you can purchase a weekend membership for $20 at registration.
    • You can use up to 2 weekend memberships as credits (@$7.50 each=$15 max credit) towards a yearly membership.
• Please read our refund policy (on the right) before entering online.
• Please arrive plenty early to ensure you have enough time to enter, get teched and walk the course!
• To join SCCA you can visit www.scca.com to sign up.

You’ll remember your first event for a long time. The adrenaline that makes you shake at the start-line before your first run, and the even bigger surge of adrenaline you feel when you finish. That excitement is part of the sport, and it’s why we all do this.

Don’t let being a novice overwhelm you! Every driver, including the National Champions, had a first day and a novice season. Autocrossing is a skill that requires instruction and practice to see improvements. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be so competitive, or so fun. In fact, when experienced road racers come to Solo for the first time, we often put them in Novice Class. It’s not like falling off a log for them, either. The great thing about this sport, though, is that even when you’re going slowly, it’s still fun driving.

The course may seem busy at first, because it’s tighter than what you see on the street, and you’re trying to attack it faster than you could in traffic. You’ll have fun learning the sport and learning to keep the car in control as you get faster and better with more seat-time.

With that said, here are some tips to give you the right novice attitude, so you don’t become discouraged:

Your goal is to have fun! That’s why everyone is here.

Your goal for the first run is to avoid getting lost on course (see course-walking tips)

Your goal for the rest of the day is to improve your time on each run

Your goal for the second event is the same as the first.

Your goal for the rest of the season is to beat somebody (anybody!) and continue to make each run faster than the last.

At this point, you are learning a lot on each run, and you may be 10 seconds behind the class leader. That’s not unusual! You’re still doing OK.

Generally speaking, the veteran drivers like to help the novices. The magic words “I am a novice” will get you extra instruction from other competitors, who can critique your run. Just be careful not to interrupt a driver on a course walk, or while he or she is concentrating on going over the course in his or her head (See the Solo Etiquette Section).

Don’t forget, there is a Novice Chief available to answer your questions and help you get started.

Also, check out this great article at scca.com called “How Do I Autocross”!

Run Group by Class

St. Louis Region SCCA operates under the insurance and guidelines of the Sports Car Club of America.  Solo events are considered low risk events, but there are many requirements that we must follow to ensure we are safe, and to comply with our insurance.

Anyone entering ANY St. Louis SCCA Solo event site must sign an insurance release waiver.

Minors (under the age of 18): Print out the document found on the Rules & Regulations page, have it signed by both parents and/or guardians, have it notarized and on the top write “All St. Louis SCCA events” for dates write “All Dates.” Make a second copy for yourself and give us the original. You will be set for the rest of the year!

Actual event safety is governed by a Solo Safety Steward, (SSS) who is assigned for each event.  This person is responsible for the safe operation of the event in all aspects.  Please consult the SSS if you have any safety related questions at an event.

Solo is a social sport, and most drivers are happy to give you advice and critique your runs. Ask someone with a similar car if you may follow them through a course walk. Maybe they’ll even think aloud for you (don’t do too much talking yourself, or you will be making them walk again). Ask if you can ride with them on a fun-run. If you’re not sure when to line up, go ahead and ask. Ask someone to look at the chalk on your tires to see whether you need more air. Ask someone to watch your run if they have time, and tell you what needs changing. They’ll be glad to.

There are a few bad times to ask for advice, though. Here’s a quick list:

When they are walking the course. (They’re trying to memorize it.)

When they are staring into space or have their eyes closed, they’re probably going over their run or plan.

When they are in grid. They are only thinking about the course.

Sometimes events will conspire to keep a good driver from competing. It may be a broken car, it may be an injury that prevents them from being able to change tires. This is your chance! Offer that driver a ride (co-drive) in your car – make it free if you can afford to. So they use up $20 worth of tires. Not a bad price for a private instructor all day! I have gone to some of the big events, Tours, Divisionals and ProSolos and sent out an ad for a co-driver. It has been an enormous benefit to have advice from these experts all day, and be able to walk the course with them.

Try to help out. There is more work to be done than the mandatory course-work. This is an all-volunteer organization, so help is always appreciated. Luckily, this also puts you in a position to talk to other drivers, because the veterans are helping out, too. If you share the work, they’ll have more time to talk to you. Likewise, showing up early will help out the registration and tech crew, and give you more time to walk the course. Read the next section on how to help, if you’re looking for ideas to lend a hand.

Everyone stays to help clean up the course and pit areas. Keeping the sites is important to everyone, so leave your pit area cleaner than you found it.

(Edited from the “Solo II Novice Handbook” by Kate Hughes)

The Solo Advisory Committee (SAC) is tasked with running a series of Solo events for the enjoyment of members of the St. Louis Region SCCA and any other automotive enthusiasts.

If you have any questions, please contact the Solo Committee at teamsolo@stlscca.org

SCCA - What is Autocross?