I want to go fast (first time SCCA)

[Tom]

I~ve been around a lot of auto crossers, but never had my car running well enough to race.

New to Charlotte and I am looking for more information. What is the registration process, will I need a helmet, etc.

Also, I drive a modified 91 300zx turbo and am wondering what class I will fall in. Can someone help

Will there be a meeting in Charlotte before the first race of 2008

Thank you in advance for any and all information!
-Tom

[Sisko99]

Greetings fellow Z Driver.....

Registration is easy. Each AutoX has a separate online sign up. You'll find the links here before each event and you go and put your information in. I'm told you can pay online as well...but I've not seen that yet, so I can't speak to how it works. You could also register at the event...but it will cost you a lot more and is generally frowned upon. So yeah....do it online before the event.

Helmets are required to run....however the region has loaner helmets you can use rather than buying your own. I will say that during the hotter months, those helmets do tend to get a little soggy thanks to the heat. My advice to you would be to try an event or two...and if you like it, go get yourself a helmet (Snell M rated or better. I believe it has to be M2000 or better as well).

Class: Your 91' TT will have a base class of B Stock. However, I'd be willing to bet that you've done some work to your car and that it just might not be stock legal anymore. You can compare your modifications/upgrades to the list at this link ( www.odr-scca.org/DIY-classing.htm ) and see where you belong.

[Tom]

Thanks for the info! It looks like we'll be in the same class. ASP. I didn't see anywhere in the class information about Nitrous. Is it allowed?

Also what other vehicles are in the B class?

Thanks,
Tom

[ccytrader]

Tom said:

Thanks for the info! It looks like we'll be in the same class. ASP. I didn't see anywhere in the class information about Nitrous. Is it allowed?

Also what other vehicles are in the B class?

Thanks,
Tom

Tom here is the link to get you to the SCCA site with the car classing and full 2008 rule book.

www.scca.com/contentpage.aspx?content=61

Pretty sure you will be leaving the Nitrous tank(s) at home for events with us. The breakdown of cars within each class starts somewhere around page 150 I think and before that are all the written rules as to what you can and cannot do for each class as far as mods are concerned.

[lancer360]

PLEASE LEAVE THE NITROUS AT HOME!!! Nitrous bottles (and any other flammable compressed gas) are not even allowed on site at an SCCA event regardless of whether or not it is hooked up.

Now that is out of the way, WELCOME!!! Keep an eye on the forums. It is always posted in the forums once registration opens for an event. It is very easy to register online. Please don't try to register at the event unless you just could not avoid it! You will get smacked up side the head by the people doing timing! ;D They will have to manually enter you info versus just pressing a mouse button to download your registration info straight into the timing software. Classing can be a bit confusing, but give it a go and if you have a question about the legality of a mod on your car and how it applies to the car class, just post it here. We have many knowledgeable people here that love to help out. Just use the loaner helmet or borrow one from a buddy for the first event or two. Then look at getting one. Ken with RFR attends some of our events with his truck full of racing goodies and if he is there he will have helmets for you to try on and buy.

Our socials are generally held on the last Monday of each month so there will not be another one until after the first event. The socials are posted in the forums also so just keep an eye out. If you know of a good restaurant to have a social at, post a suggestion. We all love good food!

[Sisko99]

Welcome to BSP.

Some of the guys you'll run into in BSP: Older Vetts, Any Z car, S2000s, STi's, RX-8's and your BMW M3's. It's stiff competition. (Page 170 of the SCCA hand book) We get a little shafted because a lot of those cars get displaced from AS to BSP when all the Super Stock cars get pushed into ASP. But...those are the ropes.

As the others have said...make sure you remove your nitrous bottle before you leave home. SCCA rules are very strict in regards to it.

Now that I think about it, if your car is heavily modified, you might want to take a second and look at the SM (Street Modified) category. Any sort of body mods (carbon hood, body kits, and the like) would move you there....or into a Prepared Class...and trust me you don't want to be in Prepared for a while yet.

Also, you should count on running in the Novice category. You can run it for 1 entire season and it puts you up against drivers with similar experience levels. I will warn you that having a BSP car in Novice will hinder you in terms of where you place....but it's a good place to start out.

[Tom]

That is a tough class.

I would have thought some of those cars got pushed to ASP. (Esp. M3's, late model Vette's. Those Vette's were in production for so long there is a lot of interpretation of the rules that could benefit them. ie. Side pipe exhausts.)

I've put on an aftermarket front bumper but everything else on the exterior of the body is still OEM. When I purchased the car it also came with a set of 17" x 8" rims.

I'd love to find a another and lighter set of rims as my caliper clearance on the front of the car is tight.

Stock engine internals, turbos, wastegates, and blow off valves also, so I think I'm ok with BSP.

[Sisko99]

The aftermarket front bumper pushes you out of BSP. You'll have to run SM or a Prepared class.

[lancer360]

Sisko is right, but if the front bumper is the only think that pushes you out of BSP, most likely nobody will say anything if you run BSP. If you run novice, which is a pax class, you will get slaughtered running a SM pax if you aren't prepped to SM rules. As a novice the last thing we want is for you to get frustrated and quit because when you look at pax times you are so far off the mark that you think you are a horrible driver.

At the regional level, things are a little more relaxed IF the change is not really a performance enhancement. If you go changing you boost controller, waste gate, etc. then you will get questioned, but a front bumper, no one should really care. Our at least they won't care until you start beating them! ;D

[ccytrader]

SM pax vs BSP pax isnt too bad of a difference. But if its just that front bumper I would imagine not too many people will worry at a local level for sure. Worst case scenario is someone notices and gets bent out of shape because you took advantage of a .002 difference. Best bet is to come out, get your car through tech, meet some people and have fun.

[Tom]

I think my brakes and solid subframe bushings are going to put me into SM2.

[Tom]

I was looking online for the registration forms and couldn't find them.

Can someone help me out here?

Thanks,
Tom

[lancer360]

Registration hasn't been started yet for our event. You will see it posted in the solo section of the forum generally about 2 weeks before the event. I suspect it will be up in the next couple of days.

[C4Shane]

Should be very soon. Now a few words about coming to the event - Go to our "Novice Tips - look here" Thread in this same forum. There is an excellent reference by Kate Hughes on prepping yourself and the car for an autocross. Also, look at what to bring to the site - lawn chair, 12V air compressor, etc. We have a couple of other items there that are very helpful.

We also hold a novice school in March and quite honestly it is probably the best thing we do all year as far as bringing in new autocrossers. Great chance to learn tricks and driving tips.

I think you have had a lot of good advice above regarding car classing - just remember you are kind of on an honor system as not everything is visible and we all trust each other to play nice and fair....So, I can't shove an old SHO motor in my Fiesta and claim it should stay in E-Prepared....

Welcome to the looney bin!

[nitroc5]

Tom said:

I was looking online for the registration forms and couldn't find them.

Can someone help me out here?

Thanks,
Tom

Tom, I don't know if you will read this or not...however I was the guy that you were running against in SM2. It was good meeting you at the race and you did IMHO very well for a Novice. I hope you continue to come out and participate as I would like the competition in the SM2 class.

Rick

[bearcat94]

Also a (hopeful) First Timer. I've posted a question about classing in an open thread on the subject. I've also seen the posts on Loaner Helmets.

My remaining question is numbering.

If I can't number my window (shoe polish method), how do I do it? I thought I saw in the recent event pics (Knights Stadium) numbers with Tape. Is this acceptable?

[ccytrader]

bearcat94 said:

Also a (hopeful) First Timer. I've posted a question about classing in an open thread on the subject. I've also seen the posts on Loaner Helmets.

My remaining question is numbering.

If I can't number my window (shoe polish method), how do I do it? I thought I saw in the recent event pics (Knights Stadium) numbers with Tape. Is this acceptable?

As long as you dont do this it shouldnt be a problem

[bearcat94]

So I guess "One Hundred Fourteen Novice Street Touring X" is a non-starter?

I suppose I can live with "114 NSTX". ;D