Many types of people autocross. Men, women, young and old are all found at events. Some may not own a racecar so they bring out their daily driver and some hard-core members will bring out vehicles set up specifically for autocross. There will be novices wanting that first experience and veteran road racers keeping their skills sharp. Family and friends compete together. Whoever it is that comes to events they all share a love for motorsports and most of all, the desire to have FUN!
What is it
It seems simple: use traffic cones to make a mini-road course in a parking lot or airport and see who is quickest. In reality, despite the seemingly low overall speeds attained during competition, autocross is one of the most intense, rapid-fire forms of motorsport around.
The barriers to entry are low enough that many drivers are able to be quite competitive without a large investment. Participants range from casual entrants using their daily driver, to hard-core competitors who have a dedicated competition vehicle. Between the extremes, there are levels and classes for every degree of car modification. There are also options for women to compete against other women, making it one of the most accessible and family-friendly motorsports.
Solo® is the brand name for SCCA®’s Autocross program. No one in the country offers more events, at more venues than SCCA. We are the leaders in autocross — from event safety, to operations and accessibility, we are the standard that everyone follows.
Whatever your driving level or car, there is a place for you in SCCA Solo.
Overview
SCCA Solo uses rubber traffic cones to build a course in large parking lots or on inactive airstrips, where cars compete one at a time against the clock. Because of the large runoff areas and single car format, hazards are minimal and barriers to entry are low, making autocross one of the easiest, safest, and least expensive ways to compete in a motorsport event.
Speeds are generally no greater than those encountered in highway driving. Yet when combined with intense concentration and precision car control, many drivers leave with their heart racing and hands trembling from the adrenaline rush.
There are many ways to autocross, with the effort being as easy or as intense as you want.
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For most classes, you’ll only need a current driver’s license, an SCCA membership, and a helmet to enter an SCCA Solo event. If you don’t have an SCCA membership, the people at the registration table can set you up with a weekend membership, and sometimes you can even borrow a helmet from the host Region. In other words, come join the fun!
Minors must have a license or permit and meet all of the state’s requirements for the permit. They must also complete the needed minor waiver forms.
Let’s Get Specific:
- Helmets: Snell SA-, M-, and K-rated helmets are the most common types of helmets, and as long as they were made in the last 15 years and are in good condition, they’re probably valid for competition. SCCA also allows certain SFI and FIA helmets. Loaner helmets are often on hand.
- Apparel: Shoes must attach firmly to the foot and not obstruct with the operation of the pedals. Outside of that, we ask that you dress appropriately for the day’s activities.
- Vehicle Safety: Suspension parts must not be loose or overly worn, and the car’s battery must be securely held in place. Tires must have no cords showing, and a vehicle should have no large fluid leaks. All loose items must be removed from the vehicle’s interior, including the trunk.
- Personal Wellbeing: This is a big one! Bring water, sunscreen, and maybe even an umbrella for sun protection. Staying hydrated and out of the sun is key to avoiding an autocross hangover.
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This is your basic step-by-step guide to a Solo event. Quick hint: SCCA members are a helpful bunch. If you arrive early and tell someone that this is your first time, chances are you just made a friend who will help you through the day.
Step 1: Register
Some SCCA Regions require registration in advance, others allow you to show up the same day. Registration costs usually run $25-$60.
Step 2: Show Up
Pay attention to the schedule, arrive on-time (or early), sign the waiver, and note when tech inspection and the driver’s meeting are going to happen. Note: Solo runs in all weather. With few exceptions, lightning is the only thing that stops the show.
Step 3: Tech Inspection
“Tech” is where all the safety items get checked to make sure you and your car are good to go. Come with the car empty, bring your helmet (if you have one), and if you need help putting numbers on, we can probably assist with that.
Step 4: Course Walk(s)
Since each course is unique, walking the course before the event is where you learn how to drive it. The more times you walk it, the better prepared you’ll be. Many Regions even offer a novice course walk before the competition begins.
Step 5: Help Out
Autocross is an all-hands-work-together event. The person who registered you, is probably also driving. The folks in tech? They’re also driving. The person at the gate who had you sign that waiver? Another driver! Everyone who drives also takes a turn working. In fact, this is how we keep the entry fees so low. Don’t worry, most jobs are as simple as picking up tipped over cones on the course. The person at registration will ensure you know your work assignment.
Step 6: Drive
This is what you came for! Look for the “grid,” which is where you’ll line up and wait between your turns driving the course. Then have fun! And remember, everyone is slow their first time.
Step 7: Make Friends
When in grid, working, or during downtime between your run group, get to know your fellow drivers. Autocrossers come for the cars, but we stay for the people.
Videos
Cars and vehicles are classed in Solo according to modifications and potential. Each category has a set of allowed modifications, and then the cars are divided into classes by ability. After all, it wouldn’t be fair to have an Italian exotic compete against an economy car.
Street Category
The most restrictive rules, allowing only a few modifications beyond what you find on the showroom floor. This is also one of the most competitive and fun categories.
Street Touring® Category
The next level up from the Street category. A number of bolt-on modifications are allowed to make the cars handle better and get through the course quicker. This is a fast, fun category where the cars are still drivable on the street.
Street Prepared Category
Now things are getting serious! Allowed car modifications are a step beyond Street Touring, making some Street Prepared vehicles no longer legal for use on public roads. Tires must be DOT-approved, but sticky racing-style competition tires (R-comps) are allowed.
Street Modified Category
Street Mod can be wild, encouraging major modifications to the drivetrain, suspension, and body, as well as sophisticated aerodynamic components. Like to fabricate? Street Mod is for you! And like Street Prepared, R-compounds are allowed.
Prepared Category
Think Street Modified, but more. Prepared cars are still based on production vehicles, but they’re purpose-built for competition. There is zero expectation that these cars are street legal. As such, Prepared allows true racing slicks (non-DOT tires).
Modified Category
The highest set of allowances. These classes have a place for cars built specifically for autocross, production-based cars with the most extreme modifications, along with formula cars and sports racers.
CAM®, Xtreme Street, Club Spec, SSC, Kart, and More
There are some classes that don’t fit the previous rulesets, but play an important part of the automotive and competition enthusiasts lifestyle. SCCA has classes for Classic American Muscle (CAM), spec classes like Solo Spec Coupe and Club Spec, vintage cars, karts, college-engineering Formula SAE, and more.
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Events & Series
This is a one-day autocross and performance-driving school designed for beginners and newer autocross drivers. Through a combination of in-car coaching and hands-on exercises focused on performance driving techniques, you’ll learn:
- Vehicle dynamics
- Where to look while on course
- Braking and throttle control
- Steering techniques
- Finding the proper line through an autocross course
- Autocross-specific skills such as slaloms, offsets, and corner combinations
If you’re looking to get into motorsports competition or want to refine your skills, the Tire Rack Starting Line School is your complete motorsports starter kit.
Starting Line Events
There are no current Starting Line events on the schedule.
Check back soon for next season’s events!
Your local Region is the best place to start. Regional autocross events are hosted by the SCCA® Regions in your area, which means competitive, timed runs on a cone-marked course close to home and a community of drivers who are happy to welcome you.
Bring your own car, chase a faster time, and see how you stack up against the people you’ll get to know all season. You don’t need to be an SCCA member to participate, though a weekend membership is required.
Regional Events
The Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour is a set of events that create conditions similar to those seen at the season-ending Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships. Solo National Tours attract some of the highest-level National competitors plus local drivers interested in seeing how their driving stacks up.
Unlike one-day Regional events, Solo National Tours are two-day events with two courses, one each day. The fastest combined times from both courses then determine the weekend’s class winners.
National Tour Events
There are no current National Tour events on the schedule.
Check back soon for next season’s events!
The Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo® Series is like drag racing, but with turns. A lot of turns. This is head-to-head competition at its best.
Two drivers start side-by-side, running on mirror-image courses against each other. When that run’s done, drivers swap left to right and repeat, with the final results combining the fastest times from both courses.
Then come the elimination rounds for the Challenges.
Want to take it one step further? ProSolo is also a nationwide points series that culminates at the annual ProSolo Finale. Winning a ProSolo Championship is truly one of the highest achievements in the sport.
PRoSolo Events
There are no current ProSolo events on the schedule.
Check back soon for next season’s events!
The Tire Rack SCCA Shootout combines traditional autocross competition with the heart-pounding thrill of bracket competition. Shootout Challenges feature elimination competition, but rather than simply comparing final times on a results sheet, drivers are seeded into a bracket and compete directly against one another, until one reigns supreme.
Shootout Series Classes:
Any car that would be eligible to run within the following SCCA Solo classes is invited to run at a Shootout event:
- Classic American Muscle (CAM)
- Xtreme Street
- Club Spec Classes, including SSC
Index Classes:
Any car that would be eligible to run within these SCCA Solo classes compete in Index classes:
- Street Tire Index: All Street and Street Touring category cars run together in this spirited face-off.
- Race Tire Index: All race tire cars are indexed to find out who’s the fastest in this Prepared and Modified showdown.
- Ladies Index: All Ladies classes run together in this lively battle of skills.
Shootout Events
There are no current Shootout events on the schedule.
Check back soon for next season’s events!
The Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships is the largest amateur motorsports competition in the world. More than 1,200 autocrossers descend on Lincoln, NE, each year for a competition so big, it takes nearly one week to complete. The winner-take-all battles come down to thousandths of a second, making the title of SCCA National Champion one of the most prestigious honors in all of amateur motorsports.
The event also includes the Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Finale and the Tire Rack Invitational Shootout, making this a veritable autocross festival. Combined with national award recognitions, parties in the paddock, and more, Solo Nationals is an event you don’t want to miss.
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FAQs
Who autocrosses?
Can I share a car with someone else?
Absolutely! A car can have as many as two people running it in a class and it can run in other classes that are running in separate heats. This is a great way to save money, get to drive well prepared cars and compare yourself directly with other drivers.
Will autocrossing damage my car?
Autocrossing can have an effect on how your car wears standard consumable items such as tires and brake pads, however it is extremely unlikely that it will threaten the structural integrity of your car. Tires are the most notable consumable, and many competitors choose to have a separate set of wheels for autocross tires for this reason.
How much does autocrossing cost?
Prices for entry fees vary across the United States but most regional events will cost between $25 and $60 to enter. Costs are generally related to the cost of the site, and also cover event operations and insurance. National Series events cost between $100 and $150, depending on the event format.
Why should I autocross?
First and foremost, autocrossing is fun. It is also an inexpensive way to get involved in motorsports and can be an activity for the whole family. It can also make you a better and safer driver. By discovering the limits of your car in a safe, controlled environment, autocrossing will help improve your driving skills on the road as well as on a track.
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