In an ongoing effort to keep members apprised of Club pursuits, Sports Car Club of America® President and CEO Mike Cobb hosted a virtual address Thursday, April 27, to review 2023 activities so far, and offered a glimpse at what’s ahead in the coming months.
Members who missed the videoconference can get fully up to speed at their leisure by reviewing the hourlong presentation online here. Or log into your Member Account Portal (MAP) at my.scca.com and click My Learning > Member Content > Annual Meetings and Updates.
Top-Tier Points
The shared commitment and mission of SCCA and its 115 Regions remains to fuel a safe, fun, and exciting motorsports adventure for enthusiasts while delivering the best customer experience for drivers and volunteers alike.
Thanks to everyone’s efforts, SCCA now has more than 50,000 full-time members. This number will always have an ebb and flow, but Cobb noted the high mark wouldn’t be possible without others “inviting people in, and engaging people. This is how we build a team. This is how we build our SCCA family,” he said.
On the participation front, weather, economy, and scheduling have played a role in a slight decrease. Still, SCCA pushes along with support from those who enjoy having #funwithcars. “It’s not the news I’d like to share, but it is what it is,” Cobb noted. “But I think we’ll make up some of the lost ground as we roll into the second quarter.”
Continuing on, SCCA Academy’s online Solo Safety Steward Training module is now complete. The coursework will become available to SCCA members sometime during the first week of May. An additional module addressing Corner Marshal/Flagging and Communication Training is also being tested at this time. Check back to SCCA.com soon for additional information on these developments.
“Our hope is that with the support of IMSA, we might be able to create a ladder series of F&C licensing…and develop an IMSA chapter in the training soon,” Cobb added.
Also on the education front, Cobb noted that the 2024 SCCA National Convention will again take place in January and be a virtual event, conducted online just like the last few years. Skyrocketing costs make it imprudent to hold an in-person convention on a national scale. Similar to 2023, a heavy emphasis will be put on having SCCA Staff attend various Divisional meetings.
News to Know
Get ready for something big on the RallyCross front as SCCA now has an agreement with the American Rally Association (ARA). The partnership will provide SCCA RallyCross drivers with more value for their membership dollars. For instance, an SCCA membership now comes with the benefit of $50 off a single ARA RallySprint or ARA Rally entry. Stay tuned for more information on this development at SCCA.com.
“We hope to be working across the second half of 2023 and into 2024…to create some mash-up events potentially with the ARA and SCCA,” Cobb said. “Potentially, you could have a Regional Stage Rally, you could have a RallySprint, and you could have an SCCA RallyCross all at one venue.”
In other RallyCross news, Cobb noted that Steve Hyatt has been added as an independent contractor focused on the RallyCross program. Hyatt was previously a member of the RallyCross Board and was presented with the RallyCross Dirty Cup in 2021.
And finally, a quick mention of some neat news: Thanks to the Kentucky governor’s office, April 22 is now officially “SCCA Motorsport Day” in that state, which is pretty cool.
Other Program Updates
The Enduro Racing Board has developed an SCCA Team Enduro program structure that includes a robust ruleset for organizers and drivers alike, ensuring that SCCA’s Enduro Program continues to grow. That ruleset will be utilized during Neohio Region’s upcoming Shortest Night of Nelson Ledges Enduro in Garrettsville, OH, during the June 23-25, 2023, weekend. Battling around the famous two-mile circuit, racers will attempt to survive 14 hours of track time, taking on teams in up to six classes.
In this SCCA Team Enduro event, lap times will decide the classes. This flexible system enables anyone with a safe race car that is not a tube-frame or formula car to enter the event, with drivers who compete in other endurance series encouraged to register and take part.
In ProSolo, the new Challenge Board scoring system is a big hit. The technology provides real-time updates that allow drivers to know exactly where they stand in the competition. “This will be a component at every ProSolo stop in 2023,” Cobb said. “And thanks to the Timing and Scoring team that continues to do yeoman’s work to make a complex Timing and Scoring system work with great agility and accuracy for the SCCA ProSolo series.”
The mash-up concept being deployed this year at Time Trials National Tour events has been well received. These events include multiple experiences going on at the same time at the same venue. That may mean there’s a Time Trials event on one portion of the track, a road race on another portion, an autocross in the paddock, and a car show in the parking lot.
“The bottom line is we are trying to meet the enthusiast where they are in terms of providing an experience of their choosing,” Cobb said. “This is just another tool to help facilitate that.”
Cobb also hinted that SCCA Foundation has an amazing fundraising raffle on the horizon. It’s a NASCAR weekend and experience that can’t be matched. Look to SCCA.com shortly for more information on that development.
Much more was addressed during the video presentation. To learn everything, SCCA members should watch the full video accessible through their SCCA Member Access Portal.
