Are there any Los Angeles area events?

[Chuck Fowler]

This Friday is a holiday. Steve meant the Friday (July 18th) before the Cal Club Divisional @El Toro MCAS on Sat-Sun (July 19th-20th)

So is it every friday before the race or just this one?

http://www.propartsusa.com/information.php?info_id=19 <<info for the divisional, round 3. jump in with both feet and sign up

[Cam Correa]

Ok for any of you guys that have the magical power of getting place's to let us race there.

Heres the contact info for the guy to talk to about this Big lot that was posted above.
Josh Kang 818-547-9191 New Hope Chapel.

Its apperently owned by this Koren church, Good luck.

Hey its worth a try right.

[John Fendel]

anyone want do this standard schpeil up in FAQ form to add to the noob FAQ at the top of the New forum?)

You could read the Who We Are document in the Newbie Guide box in the top right hand corner of the Solo2.com web site. It gives an overall history of our organization and answers some basic event organization questions.

The pre-registration cutoff is about 10PM the Friday evening before every regional championship event except Night of the Living Dead. Since that event is run on Saturday night, not on Sunday, pre-registration cutoff is Thursday evening.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

If you have off on Friday's the El Toro Test n Tune will have a 1-5pm Test n Tune course, some practice runs before the big show and you could probably get a couple of ride alongs or an instructor to help.

This friday?
or every friday?

I'm sorta confused?

This Friday is a holiday. Steve meant the Friday (July 18th) before the Cal Club Divisional @El Toro MCAS on Sat-Sun (July 19th-20th)

For normal regional Sunday championships, pre-registration for Cal Club points card holders closes the Friday before.

Only Divisional, National Tour and Pro Solo have any test and tune/practice starts on Fridays. The regional events, that's CSCC or San Diego, are Saturday/Sunday.

[Christine Grice]

Lets see if we can clear some of the confusion.

The are several different levels of autocrossing. At the most basic level there are Championships and Practices. We typically hold these events about once a month.

A Practice requires pre registration, usually a 2-4 weeks in advance depending on the hosting club. They are almost always held on Saturdays, but there are exceptions to that. The hosting club also determines how many people to let in (typically between 60 and 80) and how much it costs (also typically between $60 and $80) and how many runs you will get (anywhere from 12 to 16, or maybe more). The best way to get into a practice is to look for posts on this forum and as soon as they post that the flyer is up (will show up in the calander section of solo2.com) then send in your check. None of your times are recorded anywhere, so you need to keep track of your own times using the time slip they give you imediatly after you pull off course.

A Championship is typically held on Sundays (also has it's exceptions) and will have closer to 150 to 300 entrants (we have seen closer to 150 to 200 recently). At a Championship you sign up to run a specific class and you get three runs to try to get your best time, these times are officially recorded and posted online. We also allow X-runs for an additional cost and they are a set of 3 runs that you take after your class runs and just count as extra seat time. If you sign up for a points card, you get a permanent number and at the championships you can earn points in a class, working up to a year end points battle. These events are a little more serious, but since they allow walk up entries, you are almost guarenteed an entry if you show up.

Coming up in August (16th) we have a special Championship event that we hold only in the summer. It is called Night of the Living Dead (NOTLD). Because our typical racing site (Autoclub Speedway) is located in Fontana and during summer Fontana can become the same temperature as the surface of the sun, we hold one event on a Saturday night. In the past this event has been restricted to people who have at least raced at a regular championship and other times we have restricted this event to points card holders only. The reasoning behind this is that for people who have very little or no experience it is hard enough to find their way around the course in the daylight and at night the problem gets a lot worse so for saftey reasons they like to limit this event to people who have at least some experience.

The next level up from the local champ seires is called a Divisional. We are holding a California Divisional series for the first time this year. This is a series of 3 events run in San Fransico, San Diego and LA. These events are run over two days, your best time from Sat and best time from Sun are added together for an overall total and it is that total that deterimes who wins. For our divisional event here in the LA region (Aug 19th and 20th at El Toro) we have decided to make it count as two championship days. One Champ on Sat and one on Sun. In addition to the racing on Sat and Sun, everyone can arrive on friday (18th) to register, walk the course and bench race. On friday we are also holding a small test-n-tune so that people can tune their cars to that surface.(particularly helpful to people from out of town) Entrants must pre-register and if you do register, you are expected to be there on both days.

Higher up from the divisionals are National Tours and ProSolos. These events are held around the country. National Tours are run exactly like the divisionals. ProSolos add the complexity of a drag race start. The ProSolos are also a points series. But if you are just starting out, these events really should not be on your mind. And of course the top most event is the SCCA Nationals held every year in Topeka Kansas in September.

You got all that? its really confusing right now because we are in the middle of a bunch of specialized events.

SCCA Related events over the next three months:
July 11-13 - San Diego Divisional
July 18-20 - El Toro Divisional
July 26-27 - Sand Diego Local Practice and Champ
Aug 1-2 - ProSolo, Wendover, UT
Aug 16th - NOTLD, local Champ
Aug 22-24 - ProSolo, Packwood, WA
Sept 11-13 - ProSolo Finale, Topeka Kansas
Sept 16-19 -SCCA Solo National Championship
Sept 20-21 - San Diego Local Practice and Champ
Sept 27-28 - Local Practice and Championship

There are also (as stated by others already) local marquee clubs such as the BMW club and the Prosche club (PCA) that hold occasional autocrosses, but unless you own a BMW or Prosche, it is more difficult to get into those events.

Best advice we can give you is hang tight, regular noob friendly events are coming, but you might have to wait until the end of September (unless you want to drive down to San Diego) Plan on your first event being a local practice or championship.

[Kurt Rahn]

Good job, Christine. That sounds like FAQ material to me. :gpower:

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

This Friday is a holiday. Steve meant the Friday (July 18th) before the Cal Club Divisional @El Toro MCAS on Sat-Sun (July 19th-20th)

So is it every friday before the race or just this one?

Also "Test-n-Tunes" only happen (if available) for "Divisionals, National Tours, Pro Solos" and of course Championships. Not for local region champ events.

[Aaron Goldsmith]

FAQ updated.
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=17&p=93#p93" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bob Beamesderfer]

This Friday is a holiday. Steve meant the Friday (July 18th) before the Cal Club Divisional @El Toro MCAS on Sat-Sun (July 19th-20th)

So is it every friday before the race or just this one?

Also "Test-n-Tunes" only happen (if available) for "Divisionals, National Tours, Pro Solos" and of course Championships. Not for local region champ events.

Hey! That's what I said! Stop copying me! Sheesh, next thing you know Gio will get a Miata.

Nice job, Christine! :gpower: A little bored at work? ;)

[Jayson Woodruff]

I just noticed this turned into some discussions about the Div.

This only applies to the Jul 18-20 Div
Friday's T&T would be a great place to get your feet wet. It's open to non-registrants, but you do need to get your car teched before taking any laps.

We do allow 'Day Of' reg on Friday night only. It's more money and less perks than pre-reg, but you could run the T&T then determine if you want to drop $100 (day of price) for the weekend that night.

We also allow some 'one-day' registrations again for a little more $ and less perks, but this is uncommon and its highly encuraged you run both days if you can.

Jay W

[Cam Correa]

This only applies to the Jul 18-20 Div
Friday's T&T would be a great place to get your feet wet. It's open to non-registrants, but you do need to get your car teched before taking any laps.

Ok, that being said.
What the basic minimum things I need to do to my car before showing up?

Take out lose flying stuff
Remove spare tire etc.
Do I need a battery tie down?

there must be a list some where of the basic minimum stuff for a 1st time visitor to make sure is done.
I mean, I'd hate to show up & be rejected because I never thought about this or that one thing.

[KJ Christopher]

there must be a list some where of the basic minimum stuff for a 1st time visitor to make sure is done.
I mean, I'd hate to show up & be rejected because I never thought about this or that one thing.

I thought somebody had already posted this, but that may have been a different thread. http://solo2.com/FAQ.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jeff Shyu]

off the top of my head:

1. check fluids (brake fluid is good to have).
2. check brake pads, i'm not sure what scca's rule says, but make sure you're not on the last leg of your pads.
3. pull on the top of each wheel and make sure your bearings are in good shape.

i haven't looked at the rule book in a lot of years though, but those are basically minimums that you should do regardless.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Battery must be securely tied down.

[Christine Grice]

What is a tech inspection?
A mandatory pre-race safety inspection of your car.

What can I expect at a tech inspection?
Cars are checked for safety at each event before your first run. Generally, this task falls to an experienced autocross driver and the inspection is friendly. Your car must have a working seat belt, a good return spring on your throttle linkage, working brakes, a securely fastened battery, tight lug nuts, well-packed bearings, no excessive play in your suspension, and an interior free of loose articles. Street tires must have measurable tread depth and no cord showing. Any street car in reasonably good condition should pass this quick inspection without any trouble.



(stolen from San Fransico Region's Site: http://www.sfrscca.com/solo2/faq/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)

[Christine Grice]

And Race Day Check Lists can be found here:
viewtopic.php?f=22&t=147" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and Here:
http://www.sfrscca.com/solo2/faq/chek.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not everything on these checklists are mandatory, but a lot are good to have.


Following also stolen from San Fransico's site:
How should I prepare my car for a race?
Your car should be well maintained at the very least. Keep up with oil/fluid changes, brake inspections, valve adjustments, etc. One particularly important part is the timing belt. Make sure it has been changed within the recommended service period. The high revs your engine will experience in a run are likely more than an old belt can take. Check your fluid levels.

Clean out your car. Remove everything that you won't need, and take out everything you brought with you before you race. As part of the tech inspection, officials will make sure there won't be anything flying around your cabin while you're on the course. You also might want to wash your car and the engine compartment if you haven't done so in months. Embarassing!

Just before you get to the autocross site, stop at a service station and pump up your tires to 42 psi or so. It sounds high, but you will need extra air in those tires to prevent them from rolling over onto the sidewalls during hard cornering. When you get to the site, as a novice you might ask someone who looks like (s)he knows what (s)he is doing how much air you'll probably need. Then let out the air until you've achieved that pressure. It's easier to let air out than to pump it in! (Some events provide air via a compressor or air tank/bubble.)

[Cam Correa]

Thanks everyone!

You guys have me pumped up about this & I'll probably be there on Friday ( if work allows. )

[Bob Beamesderfer]

It's a lot of fun for not much coin. The best feeling is coming off a run shaking from the intensity. If I haven't done that, I haven't gone fast enough.