Find Race Experience events, or reach out to your Region to ask about hosting or joining an upcoming event. Full driver and vehicle eligibility details are in the Race Experience Rules document.
What Is It
Race Experience delivers the excitement of wheel-to-wheel racing without the pressure of championship-level racing. Events run in two formats — Club Racing Experience (CRE), a sprint-style race, and Endurance Experience, a longer race with driver changes and pit stops. Both are open to SCCA® members with a state drivers license, novice or experienced, and minors as young as 14 with prior racing experience.
Coaches guide participants through classroom sessions and post-session debriefs, and eligible cars run under performance caps to keep big speed differentials in check. For new drivers, Race Experience can serve as a path toward a competition race license. For everyone else, it’s a low-pressure way to test a car, gain track time, or see what racing is really like.
Overview
Race Experience is an easy access point for every experience level — including drivers with no formal racing license or wheel-to-wheel experience at all.
Race Experience is a fit for a wide range of drivers, including:
- SCCA and non-SCCA licensed drivers who want a low-pressure racing environment
- New drivers working toward a competition race license — Race Experience can be a licensing path
- Current Solo®, Track Event, or Time Trials drivers looking for another way to enjoy motorsports
- Novice drivers who want more track time
- Workers, crew, friends, and family who want to see what racing is like
- Experienced drivers considering a purchase who want to test a car before committing
To drive in a Race Experience event, you’ll need:
- Current Annual SCCA Membership
- A valid government-issued driver’s license (for drivers at or above the age of majority, varies by state)
- Self-certification that you have no disqualifying medical issues
Minors
Minor drivers (age 14 through the age of majority) may also compete, with additional requirements:
- Current Annual SCCA Membership
- A completed Annual Parental Consent, Release and Waiver of Liability, Assumption of Risk and Indemnity Agreement, plus a Minor’s Assumption of Risk Acknowledgement (forms and witnessing requirements vary by state). Both must be filed annually until the minor reaches the age of majority in their state. Need help? See our guide to completing these forms.
- A state driver’s license
If you don’t have a state driver’s license, you can still participate — you’ll just need an SCCA Road Racing Novice Permit to drive. That requires:
- Prior racing experience in karts, quarter midgets, or similar entry-level wheel-to-wheel racing
- Submit a resume of your racing experience to your Divisional Driver Licensing Administrator for evaluation.
- If your experience checks out, they’ll schedule an interview — in person when possible, by phone if needed — and, if your experience and maturity hold up, recommend to the Road Racing Office that your Novice Permit be issued.
- A completed SCCA Physician’s Evalution Form (similar to a sports physical, a doctor fills out the form)
- Proof of age: A photocopy of both sides of his State Operator’s Permit, government issued identification, passport, or birth certificate
- The fee for an SCCA Novice Permit
Race Experience vehicle eligibility is intentionally broad, with room for a wide range of modified production cars and a handful of purpose-built exceptions. At a glance, an eligible car:
- Is prepared for wheel-to-wheel racing, with a roll cage, racing seat, and racing harness at minimum
- Has four wheels — three-wheeled vehicles aren’t eligible, and neither are trucks or SUVs with a high center of gravity
- Falls within a general performance limit — cars shouldn’t be faster per lap than SCCA Sprint Road Racing’s Touring 2 class, roughly a 7:1 horsepower-to-weight ratio
- Is production-based for most classes — professional racing chassis (TCR, GT4, carbon-chassis, or big-bore tube-frame cars like Trans Am® or NASCAR builds) aren’t appropriate for this program
There are named exceptions: SCCA Spec Racer® Ford may be allowed depending on the event, along with small-bore tube-frame cars and factory production replicas. Some events also run a Formula Car and Sports Racer group, with the same restriction on the fastest chassis in that category. For full vehicle specs and the class calculator, see Rules.
Beyond a race-ready car, you’ll need the right personal safety gear — all of it required, all of it inspected before you turn a wheel on track. Here’s what to have with you:
- A driving suit that covers you from neck to wrists and ankles (one-piece is recommended), meeting current SFI or FIA fire-resistant certification
- A certified helmet (Snell, SFI, or FIA), labeled with your name — plus a face shield or goggles if you’re driving an open car
- A head and neck restraint system
- Fire-resistant gloves and socks, and shoes that cover your instep
- A balaclava if you have a beard, mustache, or hair that won’t fully tuck under your helmet
Everything gets checked at tech inspection — once your gear passes, you’ll get a dated sticker on your helmet confirming it’s good to go.
Every piece of gear has specific certification requirements — see the Rules for the full breakdown.
Race Experience Events
There are no current Race Experience events on the schedule.
Check back soon for next season’s events!
Latest News
FAQs
How do I get involved?
Can Race Experience lead to a full competition license?
Yes. Race Experience is recognized as a licensing path for drivers working toward a full competition race license, in addition to being a standalone way to enjoy wheel-to-wheel racing.
What kind of car do I need?
For Race Experience Events, cars need to be prepared for wheel-to-wheel racing — roll cage, racing seat, and harness at minimum — and stay within a general performance cap, roughly comparable to SCCA Sprint Road Racing Touring 2 or about a 7:1 horsepower-to-weight ratio. Vehicles need four wheels and a low center of gravity, and most purpose-built or professional racing chassis (TCR, GT4, carbon-chassis, big-bore tube-frame cars) aren’t eligible, though some exceptions exist for cars like Spec Racer Ford.
Who is Race Experience designed for?
It fits a wide range of drivers: SCCA and non-SCCA licensed drivers who want a lower-pressure racing environment, new drivers pursuing a competition license, current Solo, Track Event, or Time Trials drivers looking for a new challenge, novice drivers chasing more track time, and workers, crew, and family who want to see what racing is like firsthand. Experienced drivers considering a car purchase also use it to test drive in a race setting.
What makes Race Experience different from a standard Road Racing competition?
Three things set it apart: performance potential is capped to minimize speed differences between cars, a Chief Instructor runs classroom sessions and post-session debriefs similar to a driver’s school, and on-track conduct expectations are stricter and less aggressive — closer to vintage or low-buck racing than championship competition.
Feedback + Questions
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