driving/racing school

[mspiegle]

Not sure if it has been mentioned yet, but Skip Barber has an advanced 3-day class that will net you an SCCA license when you complete. Once you have an SCCA license, you should be able to also get a provisional NASA license. It's pricey, but worth it depending on what you're looking for.

[TrackAddict]

Not sure if it has been mentioned yet, but Skip Barber has an advanced 3-day class that will net you an SCCA license when you complete. Once you have an SCCA license, you should be able to also get a provisional NASA license. It's pricey, but worth it depending on what you're looking for.

What's involved in getting the SCCA license? Is it taking the 3-day Skip Barber racing class, getting a medical exam, and filling out the SCCA license application? Or does it involve all of that plus a couple of SCCA race weekends? I might as well just race with the SCCA if the latter is the case.

[Elephant]

Dunno about Skippy but, previously at least, with Bondurant if you took the 4 day Road Racing course and graduated you walked away with option to get a regional provisional SCCA license. Obviously you had to make good on the other parts of the process such as forms/medical but no other track days were required. After I did the course I did not follow up to get the SCCA license, I was looking to race in BMW CR. I did get my SCCA license last year though when we ran the 24hrs at Nelson.

[markseven]

My $.02

In SoCal, BMW CCA HPDE’s cost about $550.00 per weekend (five 20-minute sessions per day).

NASA HPDE’s cost $250 per weekend (four 20-minute sessions per day).

I would like to do more CCA events, but cannot afford it. Once I started soloing, I couldn’t justify the CCA schools, as in-car instruction was no longer factored into the equation.

Prior to attending my first HPDE, I thought about the Skip Barber 3-day school. After I my first session on track, it became supremely clear just how little I knew about driving a car fast. The Skip school would have been a waste. Like others have advised, it is far more beneficial to learn the basics via HPDE’s and then go to Skip, Bondurant, Russell, etc. for fine tuning. Some people attend NASA’s race school and get their race license for something like $700 (someone correct me if I am wrong on the price).

Other than the price, NASA is cool because there are a wide variety of cars on track, not just bimmers. In addition, NASA facilitates BMW Club Racing and Porsche Club Racing, along with a slew of other classes. It’s awesome to watch CCA races between sessions and downloads.

One thing is for sure: prepare to become addicted.

[rwh11385]

markseven... DAMN.

BMW here: 325 - 375
NASA: 285

it's worth the $40 for less traffic and better instruction IMO here, but shit.

+1 on addiction. just don't get out ahead of yourself.

[markseven]

markseven... DAMN.

BMW here: 325 - 375
NASA: 285

it's worth the $40 for less traffic and better instruction IMO here, but shit.

+1 on addiction. just don't get out ahead of yourself.

You guys are getting a killer deal on the CCA events. How many cars are usually in CCA Run Group 4?

[Dave]

Heeter, if you go to a grown up track, the traffic is not a factor with NASA. :-P

The instruction with CCA in these parts is probably a little better though - I will agree with you there. But I did get a crappy one my first go up to MidOhio.

EDIT: Some of the events with CCA are even lower than that. 275 at Putnam with Buckeye IIRC?

Seems to be about 20-25 is the max in the CCA run groups. Often, they are not filled.

[Charlie]

markseven... DAMN.

BMW here: 325 - 375
NASA: 285

it's worth the $40 for less traffic and better instruction IMO here, but shit.

+1 on addiction. just don't get out ahead of yourself.

Putnam is sort of the exception to the rule. I guess because there's nothing to hit other than corn, NASA feels that 70 cars on track at once is doable. I make sure to put on my conductor hat everytime I've run Putnam. Choo-Choo!

-Charlie

[markseven]

Seems to be about 20-25 is the max in the CCA run groups. Often, they are not filled.

You boys have it made... out here its

NASA feels that 70 cars on track at once is doable.

Surely you jest. 70 cars, really?!!???

[jlevie]

What's involved in getting the SCCA license? Is it taking the 3-day Skip Barber racing class, getting a medical exam, and filling out the SCCA license application?

Have recently done this I can say what's required, as far as Skip Barber, SCCA, and NASA are concerned.

If you successfully complete Skippy's 3-day school you can, for a fee, obtain a Letter of Compliance. That letter and medical clearance is all that's required to obtain an SCCA Regional Competition License. You can then use that license as the basis for a NASA competition license. I asked about using the letter to go directly to a NASA license. The advice I was given was to obtain the SCCA license and use that as the basis for the NASA license. I'm told the same applies to BMW CCA racing.

While one could theoretically attend the school with no or very little prior experience, I rather doubt that you could successfully complete the school and qualify for a license. And I think the folly of that, even if you succeeded, would become very evident in your first race and be dangerous for you and everyone else on the track. Attending a school isn't a guaranteed grant of a license. The instructors do evaluate every student and decide whether the have the skills necessary before granting a Letter of Compliance. I know that not every one at either of the schools I attended qualified, and all had prior experience of varying degrees. In fact at the 2-day school one student dropped out at the end of the first day as he decided he was in way over his head.

Surely you jest. 70 cars, really?!!???

Whether that's too many cars or not depends on the length of the track and the experience/skill/maturity level of the drivers. I've been out with 60 other cars at Barber (a 2.3 mile track) and never had a problem with traffic. That group only had instructors and very advanced solo students in it who were very good at managing traffic and I don't remember any problems with trains. On a shorter track or with less experienced drivers half that number could be way too many cars.

[markseven]

Whether that's too many cars or not depends on the length of the track and the experience/skill/maturity level of the drivers. I've been out with 60 other cars at Barber (a 2.3 mile track) and never had a problem with traffic. That group only had instructors and very advanced solo students in it who were very good at managing traffic and I don't remember any problems with trains. On a shorter track or with less experienced drivers half that number could be way too many cars.

That makes sense, I suppose it's all relative.

[Dave]

Putnam is sort of the exception to the rule. I guess because there's nothing to hit other than corn, NASA feels that 70 cars on track at once is doable. I make sure to put on my conductor hat everytime I've run Putnam. Choo-Choo!

-Charlie

Screw that place. It has it in for me and my car. Mid-Ohio is about the same distance from my house, so I find it hard to want to go back to Putnam after the bad luck I have had there.

Back in May, I think we had 25-30 in HPDE3. I mostly stayed out of it, but there were a few trains at times. Most caused by Miatas and by this prick in an Audi TT who kept whining at every download session about "Well, when I come here with Audi club, they do . . . . " and griping about people riding his ass when he would not point them by. :-x

[markseven]

Back in May, I think we had 25-30 in HPDE3. I mostly stayed out of it, but there were a few trains at times. Most caused by Miatas and by this prick in an Audi TT who kept whining at every download session about "Well, when I come here with Audi club, they do . . . . " and griping about people riding his ass when he would not point them by. :-x

Ya, some people have an aversion to letting an E30 by. Especially some guy in a 350Z that I encountered at CalSpeedway...

[jlevie]

It isn't an aversion to letting an E30 by, it is an aversion to letting anyone by or as a result of the driver being so task saturated that he/she isn't watching their mirrors. Of course if there's an instructor in the car they are also responsible.

Assuming that there are three or more passing zones, there no reason that a train should last more than one lap. The slow car should be very aggressive in pointing cars by and try to get as many pointed by as possible in each passing zone. A common problem is when the slower car won't make it easy by shedding speed for the passes. Even in a short passing zone you can get more that one car by with a generous reduction in speed. If a lift won't get it done, use the brakes.

[rwh11385]

CHOOOO CHOOOO