SCCA Women on Track Launches Four Initiatives in 2023

The Sports Car Club of America is more than an organization hosting autocrosses, road races, and rallies – it’s a Club built of members passionate about motorsports and getting others involved in the sport. This is the mission of the member-driven SCCA Women on Track group, which has brought forth numerous scholarships enabling increased female participation across every aspect of the sport, from driving to volunteering. Building on those successes, SCCA Women on Track has developed four new initiatives to continue to grow female participation within the Club.

The first of these initiatives, which was previously announced, involves the addition of Ladies Bump classes at select Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour events. Modeling the successful program in use during the Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Series, SCCA Women on Track is helping the SCCA Autocross department run a three-event Ladies Bump class pilot program that includes not only the opening round of the 2023 Solo National Tour in Georgia, but also the Tire Rack SCCA Las Vegas National Tour and the Tire Rack SCCA Crows Landing National Tour. This program will place Ladies classes that have fewer than five entries during a Solo National Tour into indexed Bump classes, helping build camaraderie and promote competition.

The three other new initiatives are just as exciting.

Pay it Forward Award
Kicking off this year, the top woman driver based on the Ladies Index class at Solo National Tours and the Ladies Challenge winner during ProSolo events will be awarded a free National event entry – but there’s a catch. The recipient of this award will not be able to use the free entry themselves; instead, they must present the free entry to a female driver within their SCCA Region who has never competed in National Solo competition.

Women’s Driver Development Program
The Women’s Driver Development Program will provide one randomly selected woman at each Solo National Tour and ProSolo Series event the opportunity to have a one-on-one, 30-minute virtual coaching session with a top tier driver from the sport. This level of coaching is aimed at helping drivers meet their performance driving goals. To sign up, simply check the box as part of your Motorsport Reg entry for each National event.

SCCA Women on Track Mentorship Program
While this program is not completely new – it was piloted at the 2021 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships with great success – its breadth and scope is vastly increased. The WOT Mentorship Program’s return, however, expands from a single event to include Solo National Tours and ProSolo events for 2023. This program is intended to pair experienced female drivers with new or inexperienced women at each Solo National Tour and ProSolo weekend, providing a mentorship for new drivers throughout the weekend, hopefully building long-lasting relationships that extend beyond the weekend. Those interested in participating in the Mentorship Program, either as a new driver or as a mentor, can sign up as part of your Motorsport Reg entry for each National event.

WOT on a Mission

The SCCA Women on Track team, a committee of over 10 dedicated volunteers with a passion for the WOT mission, tell us, “With these four initiatives being introduced, the SCCA Women on Track program continues to give women more opportunities to develop themselves as drivers in their own right as well as being able to connect and support other women in or joining the sport. Opening doors for women in motorsports is what WOT is all about, and having programs supported by the SCCA just opens the doors further”

For those interested in supporting WOT, you can purchase shirts and other gear. A portion of the proceeds for every WOT sale goes to the SCCA Foundation and SCCA Women on Track. You can make your purchases here.

In addition to the new initiatives detailed above, SCCA Women on Track continues with its other programs including the Wendi Allen Scholarship Fund (apply here), and Solo Nationals events and programs including the Women’s Brunch, LRK Award for Top Lady in Open Class, Top Ladies Class Index Award, and others. For the latest WOT news, follow the SCCA Women on Track Facebook page, which is open to everyone, or the women-specific SCCA Women On Track private group.