While we all wait with breathless anticipation for the 2020 competition season to resume, many of us have days filled to the brim with, well, nothing to do but daydream about racing. Instead of just musing about getting back out there to have #funwithcars, why not put some thought into ways to be better prepared for this and other racing seasons to come?
How do you do that? We suggest perusing some of the helpful articles that have graced the pages of SportsCar Magazine. Haven’t saved all your issues? Don’t worry, we’ve provided links below to a bunch of stories you might find beneficial in one way or another. Enjoy!
Towing 101: Tie-Down Gear
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“It’s not the equipment that lets you down,” states SportsCar writer Paul Brown, “it’s the way you use it. To that end, let’s look at how to strap your car to a trailer.” It’s probably safe to say a lot of us have “trailering” stories, but we learn as we grow. If you want to “flatten” the learning curve when it comes to trailering a car, this article is for you. |
Clutch Work: Finding the Right Replacement Clutch
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“Many SCCA competition classes allow for the use of aftermarket clutches, either in the form of an OE-style replacement or a multi-plate racing unit – or something in between,” states author Jason Isley in this SportsCar piece. “Luckily, selecting the right clutch package is simple; it comes down to what you are going to use it for and how much power you intend to make.” If it were simple, would we need an article on the subject? Check out this piece to be on the safe side. |
Club Racing: Finding the Right Brake Pad
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SportsCar author Jason Isley adds to his “Finding the Right …” series with a look at brake pads. “Be it your daily driver, tow rig, or racecar, upgrading brake pads is arguably the easiest way to improve braking for any vehicle. Simply swapping out your road-going pads for something designed for the task at hand is a surefire way to improve braking performance. But sometimes that simple task isn’t so simple after all.” With that warning, we’ve got this article for you on brake pads. |
Going Solo: Managing Tire Temps
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Tire management is a black art for a lot of people. But you can remove some of the mystique with this SportsCar article that claims, “the difference between winning and losing a Solo National Championship may be just a few degrees.” |
What's the Diff?
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We certainly don’t want RallyCross competitors left out when it comes to prep for the rest of the season. So, we’ve got two articles for you that address differentials. Is the information applicable to other SCCA competition activities? You’ll have to find out for yourself in these two articles penned by Matt Wolfe. |
Game Time: Sim Training to Win
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“Computer-simulated racing is the fastest growing segment of the motorsports world and, for the most part, it’s catching traditional racers by surprise,” was the statement made in 2019 by SportsCar writer Jeff Zurschmeide. That growth, not surprisingly, has continued in 2020 thanks to a pandemic. This SportsCar article will help get you up to speed on “virtual” competition. |
Can Driving Schools Help Experienced Racers? Yes!
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The headline to this SportsCar article kind of gives everything away. But as we look toward racing again in 2020, it may be a good idea to think about ways to clear the cobwebs and knock off the rust when it comes to driving technique. |
RallyCross: Cross-Training
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Did you know RallyCross is SCCA’s most widespread and readily accessible form of extreme dirt motorsport? It’s a scaled-down version of a rally stage laid out on a non-paved plot of land where the course is delineated by traffic cones instead of trees or rocks. Did you know there’s an instructional driving school for that? Check out this article to learn a lot more. |
For the Fun of It: Taking to the Track with a Daily Driver
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Thanks to the popularity of online racing, perhaps we all know some sim drivers who have become even more enamored with having some real-world #funwithcars on actual racetracks. To pilfer a quote from comedian John Oliver, the SCCA says, “Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!” You don’t need a race car to get involved, as this SportsCar story points out. And if you know somebody who has always wondered how to get started in racing, how to become a race car driver or how to get into motorsports, share this article with them, too. |
Refreshing Your Helmet is a Snap
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No, this 2019 SportsCar article isn’t addressing the matter of smelly helmets. For sure, malodorous helmets are an issue for many participants across nearly all motorsports activities. Helmets shared amongst friends at autocross or Track Night in America events, loaner helmets, lids of Runoffs racers who have been on track for 40 minutes … stinky, stinky, stinky. But we digress. This SportsCar piece gives you something to think about when it comes to selecting a helmet and ensuring its performance. |
As the official publication of Sports Car Club of America®, SportsCar® magazine has been in circulation since 1944, then known as Sport Wagon. Since 1984, one company has published every issue, and that is Racer Media & Marketing, Inc., based in Irvine, California. Each month, SCCA members get a colorful, informative issue of SportsCar mailed directly to them. SCCA members can also view a full, digital version of SportsCar online by logging into their account at SCCA.com, going to the “My Account” tab and scrolling all the way down to click on the “SportsCar Magazine” link. Check that out for even more great SportsCar content to fill up your unscheduled offseason.
