Okay so I've been autocrossing off and on for a few years and know a bit about hustling a car around the cones, but until recently I've never really had the desire or the means to be really competitive. Well that's changed (mostly the desire part, thanks to the S2000 ) and I plan to go "all out" next season, even if I'm consistently towards the bottom.

My questions here are in 2 parts:
Firstly, can somebody break down the whole National Tour/ProSolo Tour/National Champsionship thing for me? Specifically, what sort of qualifiaction is necessary to compete in any or all of these events? I figure SCCA membership, but is there any sort of "proving" process one needs to go through? Or can anybody just show up and compete in these events? I understand the difference in format between the National and ProSolo autocrosses, but why are they split into two series? More contingency/sponsorship opportunities, or is it merely a racer's preference thing? When and where will the schedule for 2002 be available? As always, me confused.

Secondly, I have reviewed the rules for stock class (a few years old version I found on the web somewhere), but still have a few questions. The things I know to be do-able are: shocks, front sway bar, thermostat, radiator cap, wheels with stock dimensions (with a 1/4" offset variation allowed, or wheel spacers), DOT tires, air filter, cat-back exhaust, brake pads, lap belt, and alignment. Spare tire, jack, and tools can be removed but no trim pieces.
So what about "soft" things, like fluids that need to be changed? Try not to laugh too hard at my theories behind why one might use them...
Brake fluid (ATE, Motul, etc. - perhaps slight improvement in braking)
Tranny/Diff fluid (Mobil 1/Redline/Royal Purple - slight HP gain from reduced drivetrain drag)
Coolant mix (higher % of water and Redline Water Wetter - car runs cooler)
Air in the tires (nitrogen - more consistent tire pressures)

My guess is nobody will care because the sum of these things is probably pretty close to zero, but I'd like to know before I go trying any of them...

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by jzr
[B]Okay so I've been autocrossing off and on for a few years and know a bit about hustling a car around the cones, but until recently I've never really had the desire or the means to be really competitive.

 

I'm curious as to the level of competition at "National level" events. Would it be fair to say that most if not all of the people competing at this level would take 1st at any "Local level" event? In other words, if one of us were not consistently winning at local events, would we have no chance at a top-10 result at a National event? Thanks!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by vmb
[B]I'm curious as to the level of competition at "National level" events.

 

I am sure some others out there that run National Solo 2 events will chime in here...but here is my take on things.

Anyone with an SCCA membership can run at a National Tour or ProSolo. You will need a current rule book. You have to preregister. You will be given vinyl banners and decals to place in the appropriate places on your car for the event.

My 5th autocross was the Ft. Myers Prosolo in 1999 (hey it was spring break, why not spend it in FL)! So yes, anyone can show up and run at these events regardless of skill level. You do not have to be a local hot shoe to have fun at these events. With that said, there will be alot of folks there who take these events quite seriously (understandable with the amount of $ and time invested) who are trying to eek out another .01 seconds from a run.

My suggestion, (if you want to see what it is all about) find a national event local to your area and register. Also, find a local competitor who will be attending these events and ask questions etc. These events are just autocrosses with more competition and better courses. Plus you get to race for 2 days for $55, usually a free meal is thrown in as well.

Hope to see some more S2000s out next season,

Doug
"Running a MR2 in the old CS, now ES class...S2000 as a daily driver..."

Is there something wrong with owning 2 cars with 2 seats

 

First of all some clarification of the rules. You have to run the stock radiator cap ie: the mugen cap is not legal for stock.

Shocks, adjustable shocks up to doubles are legal. Triples and quads aren't legal. Any shocks can be used that use the stock springs and stock mounting points. Shocks may have external reseviours(sp?) and may not be cockpit adjustable unless available from the factory that way.

Any and every sway bar imaginable can be run only on the front. Rear cannot be changed.

About Tours and Pros. I have done 7 Tours, 1 Pro and been to Nationals twice in my four years of racing. The level of competition is higher and it all depends on how far you want to go. Some regions do not have the quality of site selection as Tours thus the quality of the course and design is generally better at a Tour. As a result not necessarily the best regional driver will do well at a National event. Good National drivers go to a lot of larger events including Divisional to get more diverse experience. I admit I became a much better regional driver after a few larger events.
A Tour or Divisional is very similar to a local event, some of the management is different but generally very close. I agree if its your first big event go with someone who has done one before.

ProSolo: Pros are just an entirely different kind of fun. Yes the courses are shorter but you get at least 12 runs. 6 chances on each course to get a good time for the entire event. So unlike a Tour if you have a bad Saturday you can back in the groove on Sunday without being completely out of the running. The Pro start is amazing. You can see that other car out of the corner of your eye and being able to rein in the adrenaline to get a good start is part of the fun. The SCCA website should have information about how a ProSolo is run.

You don't need to be anyone special to run a Pro. I finished DFL in my first. You can do one Pro per year without being licensed. If you want to do more then you must get a Pro license before your second event of the year. I'm not sure what it takes but I will find out soon enough.

You should do one National event before going to the Championships but you don't have to, you will pay a higher entry fee (the difference of the cost of a Pro/Tour entry) And yes you must have a current rule book before you can get through registration. You must pre-register (forms are on the SCCA website) and you must be a member.

If I missed anything let me know and I will clarify. I hope you at least give the bigger events a try, the competition is better, you learn a great deal more about the sport and meet more people from the Solo community(family)

FYI- Jason, Juliann, Brad and myself will be at the Ft. Meyers Pro Solo in February. We will probably be there for the entire week for practice and test-n-tunes. Hopefully we will see some of you there. Mack- You better drive man

 

If you also run the A/C it kicks on the second fan for more air flow plus keeps the driver cool. And for me if the driver is cool the car goes faster

 

Just to add to SoloVR6 commments...

a ProSolo license is meerly a fee paid to SCCA (~ $50)

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by vmb
[B]I'm curious as to the level of competition at "National level" events.

 

point well taken, I'll plan for it next year