RACE EXPERIENCE - classing
Philosophy and Background
SCCA Race Experience is primarily about the experience of wheel-to-wheel racing. Whether you're racing for 1st or 21st, getting to come back to the paddock and high-five, laugh, smile, and having an awesome answer to the question, "what did you do this weekend" when you get back to work on Monday is what this is about.
Because of that focus, classing is secondary (at best) to this program. Creating perfect classes with exceptional balance of performance and the paperwork and processes that go with it can get in the way of what this program is about: the experience. The goal is that teams can do almost anything to their production-based car and nearly every vehicle within the performance window will have a spot to participate.
Suggested National Classes
But - we do recognize classes and class competition does have some importance, and we have built a set of suggested classes for Race Experience. The rules were built to be easy to figure out, and not have "invasive" tech inspections. (Meaning there are not any tear-downs or long hours after the event to determine if a vehicle is, "not legal.") Regions may or may not run these classes, so look at the Event Information (sometimes known as "Supplemental Regulations") to see the specific classes being run at an event.
If regions are running these classes we have four suggested National classes plus an "exhibition" class.
Exhibition is open to any vehicle that meets safety requirements and is within the performance limits, and E1-E4 have a maximum tire size (200 treadwear minimum), fuel capacity and adjusted displacement limit.
The class, or classes, in which a car will be eligible to compete is based on the base displacement of the engine in the vehicle, with adjustments to that displacement based on performance modifications to the drivetrain, suspension and/or aerodynamics. This “adjusted” displacement then determines the lowest class eligible. The team can run in that class or any (faster) class above it based on the desired tire size and fuel capacity.
Because this set of classes was developed around endurance racing, you can build pretty big horsepower with these rules and that was OK, because, when you're racing for hours at a time, more horsepower means more pit stops and typically less reliability. Teams who chase horsepower are typically self-solving problems well before the end of a 8+ hour race. If the Race Experience is a short "sprint" race and not an Endurance Experience - our recommendation is to take the class the class calculator puts you in, and add one class. If your car ends up in "Experience 3" in this calculator, then it goes to Experience 2 in a sprint race. If you end up in "Experience 1" then you go to Exhibition Class (EX).
Classing Spreadsheet Calculator
Click on the Class Calculator to determine the class for your car:
