Car Classifications and Groups

The following are racing categories and classes that compete in SCCA Road Racing’s Hoosier Racing Tire Super Tour, U.S. Majors Tour and the National Championship Runoffs. Many of America’s best race car drivers today, such as J.R. Hildebrand, Scott Sharp, Graham Rahal, Kyle Kirkwood and more participated in SCCA’s Road Racing programs.

Super Touring

Super Touring® was designed to allow late-model production-based cars (like in Touring) more extensive modifications, including wings, splitters and engine swaps. Super Touring Under (STU) is where you’ll find cars like the Lotus Elise and Exige, Mazda Protege and 6, Acura RSX and TSX, and Audi A4, with some sporting forced induction. Super Touring Lite (STL) predominantly features cars with naturally-aspirated motors of two liters or less.

Spec Miata & Spec MX-5

Making its debut in 2006, the Spec Miata (SM) class is intended to provide the opportunity to compete in low cost, production-based cars with limited modifications, suitable for racing competition. Rules were intentionally designed to be more open than the then-Showroom Stock class but more restricted than the Improved Touring class that runs on SCCA’s Regional level. Five generations of Mazda Miatas are approved for competition, including those built from 1990-’93, 1994-’97, 1999-’00, and 2001-’05, each model with its own set of restrictions. Spec MX-5 (SMX) is the SCCA’s newest National Championship-eligible road racing class, offering a path for entry-level and experienced club racers to compete as either a destination SCCA class, or as a step on the ladder to professional racing. The Spec MX-5 race car is based on the NC-generation (2006-2015) Mazda MX-5. Restrictions on modifications make this class a tightly-controlled spec series that allows relatively low-cost cars to be built and run. 

B-Spec

A segment of race cars called B-Spec targets the sub-compact market. Manufacturers have a keen interest in expanding the popularity of this segment by introducing more clients to driving smaller cars that are fun to drive, fuel efficient with and handle well. The aim of the class is to provide (relatively) cheap access to racing, with the intention of the sanctioning bodies to maintain a single “spec” for the cars so that they can compete in any series with minimal changes.

Production Category

Series produced cars which are allowed a range of performance modifications while retaining their original design, structure and drive layout. There is no age limit, so Production includes cars as old as 50 years and as new as current body styles. The three performance potential based classes include: E Production (EP), F Production (FP) and H Production (HP). EP is the fastest of the Production classes with HP running the slowest in the category. Several cars in the Production classes can be run in more than one class by changing the engine between races. Cars included in Production classes come from a diverse group ranging from the Datsun 510, MGs, Fiat X1/9, Lotus Super 7 and Austin Healey Sprite, to the BMW 325, Mazda Miata, RX-7 and RX-8, Honda Prelude and Toyota MR-2, plus many more.

American Sedan

American Sedan® (AS), comprised of Chevrolet Camaros, Pontiac Firebirds and GTOs, and Ford Mustangs, are production-based chassis with modified suspension and brakes. Engines are traditionally carbureted 302 and 305 CID V-8s that have been balanced and blueprinted, but fuel injection is also permitted.

GT Category

GT cars are purpose-built, highly-modified “silhouette” replicas of series-produced sports sedans. Performance of the permitted tube-frame chassis is equalized by allowing smaller engine cars to compete at lighter weights. GT-1 cars are the fastest of the category, and many have run in the SCCA Pro Racing-sanctioned Trans Am® series. GT-2 and GT-3U cars get progressively lighter and less powerful. Cars include Chevrolet Corvettes, Ford Mustangs, Toyota Celicas, Mazda RX-7s, Nissan 200SXs, Honda CRXs and Austin Mini Coopers, just to name a few.

Formula Category

The formula classes are all single-seat, open-wheel race cars built to detailed specifications for weight, size and engine displacement. The classes are: Formula Atlantic® (FA), Formula Continental® (FC), Formula F (FF), Formula 600 (F600), Formula Vee® (FV), and Formula Enterprises 2 (FE2). Many of the winged FA and FC cars, along with several of the non-winged FF cars, are produced by companies such as Lola, Van Diemen, Reynard and Ligier. FA cars have engines that generate as much as 240hp. The FC runs a 2-liter engine with about 150hp while the FF motors make around 120hp. The FE2 cars use sealed Mazda motors. FV includes many home-built cars, as well as cars built by proven manufacturers, and is one of the most competitive and popular classes in SCCA. FV entries all run 1,200cc VW engines. F600s run small displacement, two-stroke engines or 600cc four-stroke motorcycle engines, and are one of the least expensive classes to run in SCCA. 

Prototype Category

There are two classes of purpose-built road racing cars with full composite bodies. Underneath, these cars are pure racing machines. The power plants in these cars vary from home-built “pieces and parts” engines and motorcycle engines to sealed identical motors. Prototype 1 (P1) and Prototype 2 (P2) evolved from SCCA’s past C Sports Racing, D Sports Racing and S2000 classes. The P1 and P2 classes feature a variety of chassis including home-built, innovative designs and manufacturer-produced cars. P1 cars are faster, with more aerodynamic aids allowed, while P2 cars are flat-bottom machines.

Spec Racer Ford

Spec Racer Ford Gen3 (SRF3) is a one-design, single seat car utilizing a sealed Ford engine. Produced by SCCA Enterprises, SRF3 is one of SCCA’s largest racing classes and continues to provide cost-effective racing for hundreds of competitors. By limiting the modifications and preparation costs, this class emphasizes driver ability over spending