Sports Car - April 2013

FIVE TIPS TO LIVE BY

There are a lot of things someone new to the SCCA and competition needs to learn: how to drive, for starters – not to mention how to prepare and repair a car. You can learn to drive at one of SCCA’s Drivers Schools, and there are a million books on racecar preparation; but there are things that the schools won’t teach you and aren’t printed in the books.

1. You will get beat Nobody cares how good you think you are; you’re going to lose your first race. And your second. And a few more beyond that. Get over it. Chances are the drivers you’re competing against have been at it for years.

global view of the Club is for you, you can even run for a position on the BoD.

ON YOUR MARKS... Ready to jump into your membership? A few pages deeper into this special issue of SportsCar is a decision tree, helping you choose which part of the Club is right for you. From there, we take you step by step through the details of each type of competition. By the time you’re finished with this issue, you’ll know all there is to know about how to get involved in the SCCA. Well, almost. But if you’re ever in any doubt, ask someone – we’re a friendly bunch of motorsport enthusiasts.

T WO KINDS CCA has t wo kinds of rally: RallyCross (MAIN) and Road Rally (BELOW). While very different, many members compete in both.

Rupert Berrington

Philip Royle

2. Ask the people who beat you for advice The beautiful thing about the SCCA is you can ask your competitors for advice – and actually get it. Chances are pretty good that you’ll find an experienced competitor who’s more than willing to help you out.

3. Respect the rules The rules may not make sense now, but after you’ve been around a while, they will (at least most of them). Spend some time finding out why the rules are what they are, why they’re written in that confusing language and then, if you still think it’s necessary, start questioning them.

4. Don’t try to save money on safety Safety is not the area in which to save money. In the beginning, skip buying that trick part or the hottest gadget and, instead, spend the money on the best safety equipment you can buy.

5. Improve the driver, not the car Practice and training will make you quicker, faster, than any trick parts on the market. In the beginning, money spent on driver coaching will yield a much better return on investment than an expensive set of shocks.