The Sports Car Club of America™ can be a launching pad in many ways, with SCCA® giving its members the opportunity to get closer to the racing action than they ever dreamed possible.
We all know that drivers looking to excel in a motorsports career can begin their journey through SCCA and end up in the pro ranks – the same is true for flagging. Over the last several years, SCCA has been working closely with IMSA to build a clear pathway for those looking to volunteer on corners during races like the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Motul Petit Le Mans, and more. This cross-sanctioning-body partnership has resulted in a series of free online, on-demand classes that certify SCCA flaggers for IMSA events, opening the corners to those with pro flagging aspirations.
“It all begins at Regional SCCA events,” explains SCCA’s Senior Manager of Road Racing Sydney Davis Yagel. “Anyone can volunteer to flag local SCCA Road Racing events with no formal training – they’ll be partnered with an experienced flagger, and on-the-job training begins instantly through hands-on experiences. That said, we encourage anyone who wants to flag at an SCCA road race to take the SCCA Flagging & Communications certification course, as it will prepare them for what’s required when working corners.”
The Club’s Learning Management System (LMS) contains numerous online certification programs, with the Flagging & Communications (F&C) course being available to any member looking to get trackside and flag.
The “Flagging & Communications Training for New Corner Marshals” certification course takes less than 90 minutes and includes six chapter quizzes with one final exam – the course can be taken in one sitting or split up over however many days the member needs to finish the course.
When the online course is completed, the member will receive a Certified Regional F&C license, with the option to upgrade the license. This licensing procedure allows the member to flag at a variety of SCCA Road Racing events, from Regional events to U.S. Majors Tours®, Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tours, and the SCCA National Championship Runoffs.
Once the SCCA Flagging & Communications course has been completed, the “IMSA F&C Differences” certification course becomes available in the LMS – this is where members can make the leap to working professional racing events.
“Sanctioning bodies like SCCA and IMSA utilize flags in different ways, making for some fundamental distinctions flaggers need to be aware of,” says Yagel. “The IMSA F&C Differences course educates flaggers on those distinctions, and upon completion of the course, the SCCA volunteer will then meet IMSA’s certification requirements to work IMSA professional racing events.”
From its launch in April 2023 through early May 2026, 2,514 SCCA members have registered for the SCCA F&C certification program, with 2,157 completing the course. The IMSA Differences certification course was launched in September 2024, with 563 registrations for that course taking place, and 445 completions.
“SCCA’s Flagging & Communications certification keeps the Club at the forefront of motorsports safety in the United States, while also making those trackside dreams easy to achieve,” says Yagel. “If you’ve ever wanted to get as close to the action as flaggers get, these free flagging certification programs are for you.”
To start your trackside adventure, check out scca.com/trackside.
Photo by Jay Bonvouloir
