The SCCA has set up separate classes for different cars based upon their abilities and modifications. As a general rule of thumb, the more modifications you do to your car, the higher up into the list of classes it will go. This guide is designed to help you determine where your car might be classed, but does not contain additional allowances and restrictions mentioned within the Official SCCA Solo Rule Book. If you know what has been done to your car, chances are that one of our members can help you determine where your car belongs.
There is also a "Category Allowance "Cheat" Sheet" on the SCCA Solo Rules page which could be a handy quick guide for classifying one's car.
Special Classes
These are classes that may or may not be unique to the SRRSCCA region.
Novice – If you haven't attended an Autocross event, or if you haven't attended an event with our region we highly recommend you sign up for this class! The Novice class is designed to cater to new drivers looking to get their feet wet. There’s a special guided walk around the course with an experienced club member, who will give you tips/pointers, and let you know what you need to do. Participants in the Novice class help the event organizers identify who may need some additional attention. Novice class Participants are assigned a Novice Coach who will be available to help you throughout the day, give you pointers, and can even hop in and ride along with you to guide you along the way if you need help. This class is designated with the letter “N’.
Open – Open class rules. (Drafted by Eric Stoltz, August 13th 2018)
Definition: "Open" refers to the designation given to SCCA National classes that are Open to both men and women competing in their appropriately classed cars.
Class Philosophy: The Open class is designed to replicate the format and challenges of a Championship Tour and/or the Solo National Championships. This allows competitors to experience the challenge of a best-of-three run format within the local level autocross environment. It is meant to be an extra level of challenge and competition. This may include those who plan to compete at the National level, for those who may compete nationally someday, or for those who may never travel to national events but would like an extra element of challenge. It is not meant to be exclusive to anyone, nor does it require any previous qualifications to enter.
Cars & Competitors: Cars will be expected to be legal and complaint with the current year's SCCA Solo rule book for their given class and category. Competitors will use the current year PAX/RTP multiplier for their given vehicle. Competitors are not limited to one class or category for the season. Each event is scored based on your finishing position in PAX relative to your competitors. It is at the driver's discretion to choose what class/vehicle they would like to run at any pointed event. Open class entrants will designate their car with an "O" in front of their class letters. When registering for an event, Open competitors will need to make clear the class they are signing up for and designate to the registration personnel they are entering the Open class. Example: John Smith, Open Class, A Street, car #9.
Competition Rules: Drivers will be scored on their first 3 runs of the day to determine their placing in the Open class results. All subsequent runs will count toward overall RAW/PAX for the event, but will not count for Open.
-All Open competitors must be placed in the same run group.
-Open competitors are not allowed to ride along with any other cars on course until all 3 of their Open class runs are completed.
-Open competitors may also volunteer to be course designers. This implies there will be an extra familiarity with the course for the designer(s), but for the purpose of our class we will follow the precedent set by national solo events, where courses are designed by competitors. Course designers will be expected to not pre-run the course in their competition car at speed. Safety & quality checks of the course are allowed within reason, and should only be run in a non-competition vehicle or at non-competition pace.
-Open class competitors may have a codriver. Limit 2 drivers per car for the Open class heat. Drivers will be expected to alternate each run to mimic National competition run format.
-Reruns during the first 3 runs will be handled as they would typically be, as outlined in the SCCA Solo rulebook. A minimum of 5 cars or 5 minutes must pass before the rerun takes place.
-All other event and competition rules outlined in the current SCCA Solo rule book will apply.
Standard Classes
These are the most basic “layers” of classes that are found within the SCCA solo rule book. Each of these are further split into separate classes with a different letter designation, to help level the playing field, based on a car’s natural performance ability. Please note, all/most cars are already classified within the rule book, but their level of modification changes their placing within the groups found below.
Street – Many street class cars serve double-duty as weekend racers, while still remaining weekday commuters. With competitors having theoretically equivalent equipment, the main variable becomes the driver. Vehicles must remain near stock condition except for a few basic modifications
Street Touring – The street touring classes are intended to allow common affordable modification, while keeping the cars much more “streetable” than a flat-out “Street Prepared” car would be. All of the rules and allowances of the Stock classes apply, with additional allowances.
Street Prepared – The street prepared classes offer a few more modifications than the street touring classes, in particular, slick tires (r-compounds) are allowed. All of the rules and allowances of stock and street touring above apply with more aero, tuning, engine modification, and update/backdate allowances.
Street Modified – The street modified classes are intended to be the ultimate street-legal racing machines. All of the rules and allowances of stock, street touring, and street prepared apply, with the addition of items like NA to Turbo conversions, full engine swaps, aftermarket hood/trunks, removal of rear interior, addition of wings, and requiring minimum weights.
Prepared – The prepared classes move beyond the realm of “street” cars, and into the realm of pure racing vehicles. Extensive modifications are allowed. There are also additional restrictions on a per-class basis.
Modified – The modified classes contain the fastest vehicles. These are often one-off, custom built machines with the sole purpose of completing a solo course as quickly as possible. In modified, the rule set varies based upon the class, mainly depending upon weight, vehicle type, and engine size.
National Supplemental Classes
Supplemental classes are provided to help give regions other class options for members at their events. Initially aimed at drivers who have already made extensive modifications to their cars without the intent of building to a certain class’s specifications. These classes have some less restrictive rules, mainly: minimum weight requirements, Aero limitations, a finished looking interior, and 200tw street tires.
Classic American Muscle: Traditional (CAM-T) – Traditional Muscle cars, vintage automobiles, and trucks manufactured in North America.
Classic American Muscle: Contemporary (CAM-C) – Newer domestic car and truck body styles, plus CAM-T cars meeting CAM-C Minimum weight
Classic American Muscle: Sport (CAM-S) – Domestic high performance 2 seaters
Xtreme Street A (XA) – Import and domestic sports sedans and coupes.
Xtreme Street B (XB) – Lightweight import and domestic sports cars.
Xtreme Street Unlimited (XU) – High performance vehicles with minimal restrictions.
(Any vehicle eligible to compete in any CAM class is excluded from XA/XB.)
*XA/XB/XU have replaced the Region Special Class - Street Unlimited (SU) when they were introduced to the SCCA National Supplemental Class rules in 2020.
Electrical Vehicle Experimental (EVX) – The purpose of EVX is to provide an alternative class specifically target towards production electric powered vehicles. The ruleset draws from Street and Street Touring with the intention of choosing common-sense allowances to balance streetability and autocross preparation.
Club Spec (Mustang/Miata) – See detailed rules here: https://www.scca.com/clubspec
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