What is a National Tour?
A national tour is a two-day autocross hosted by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), usually located at a large, high-grip site that utilizes bigger, faster autocross courses. Everyone is welcome at National events, from first-timers to experienced veterans.
Registration and information from SCCA about national tour events can be found here: https://www.scca.com/pages/championship-tour
Why Attend a National Tour?
More fun! National events offer autocross courses with higher speeds, more grip, and more seat time per run compared to our regular Spokes events. They also offer a chance to meet and race against autocrossers from all over the country. For most folks, the best part is enjoying the camaraderie of being with like-minded racers for a full weekend. Whether you want fiercer competition, more racing, or just more time spent with other auto enthusiasts, national events are a great opportunity to experience autocross at a higher level.
What to Bring With You?
While this is not an exhaustive list, here are some of the essentials and nice to haves…
Essentials
- Helmet (there are no loaner helmets at national events)
- Magnetic/vinyl numbers and letters (no tape numbers allowed)
- Hat
- Sun screen
- Tire sprayer
- Tire pressure gauge
- Driver’s license
- SCCA membership card
- Tech inspection sheet (see the link below)
- Beer 🙂 (or whatever you like to drink)
Nice to Haves
- Hydraulic jack
- Basic tools (to swap wheels, adjust sway bars, etc)
- Umbrella
How Does a National Tour Work?
Friday
National events take place over a full weekend, with the site opening on Friday morning. We recommend arriving Friday afternoon or evening in order to have ample time to check in, go through tech, do some “Test N Tune” runs, and walk the course.
Drivers are allowed to arrive and check-in/tech on Saturday morning if they cannot get there on Friday, but it’s generally better to do this on Friday due to limited time on Saturday.
We recommend booking a hotel near the event site a few weeks in advance to ensure room availability. It is possible to camp on site at some events. Please check the event information to verify if camping on site is allowed.
Tech and Check-In
The Tech procedure for national events is a self-tech process. Drivers are responsible for inspecting their own car and filling out the SCCA tech sheet before arriving at the Tech tent. Please try to print and fill out this form before arriving on site:
SCCA Solo Tech Sheet (PDF)
Please note that taped numbers and letters are not allowed at national events. You will need your own set of magnetic or vinyl numbers and letters. Make sure the numbers and letters are big, easy to read and meet the minimum requirements of the SCCA (at least 8″ tall numbers, and at least 4″ tall letters).
You will also be given several stickers to place on your vehicle during Tech. They will include:
- The Tire Rack windshield banner
- (2) SCCA Tour stickers for the side of your car
- (1) SCCA sticker for the front of your car
If you are running a CAM, Street Modified, Prepared or Mod car, it is your responsibility to know the legal minimum weight for your car. Your car will be weighed later in the event after competition runs.
In general, you will be checked-in for the event at the same time you are going through Tech. Make sure you are given a helmet sticker with a QR code and place it on the left side of your helmet. Loaner helmets are not available at national events.
When you check-in you will be told the run/work order and be given your work assignment. Pay attention to which heat you are running and working in.
Test N Tune
Some, though not all national tour events, offer a Test N Tune session on Friday. They set up a smaller practice course, and you can purchase runs on that test course. It’s a great opportunity to get a feel for the grip level at the site, and make any last minute tuning adjustments.
Friday Course Walk
The course that you will drive on Saturday opens for walking on Friday evening around 5-6pm. The course will often be 2-3 times longer than what we see at Spokes events! So we recommend walking it several times; some by yourself, some with more experienced drivers to get their input/advice. Even though you will have time to walk the course Saturday morning, walking the course the day before gives you time to think about the course that evening.
The Biergarten
The “Biergarten” is what we call the Spokes paddock area. This becomes the “home base”, where Spokesters gather to bench race, talk-smack, drink, and just hang out. Feel free to bring a folding chair and hang out with us after the competition runs!
And that’s it for Friday! Walk the course, have some beer(s), talk with your fellow racers and get ready for the competition on Saturday!
Saturday
Arrive on site early in the morning to walk the course at least one more time, and of course, go through check-in and tech inspection if you have not already done so.
The day officially starts with a driver’s meeting, followed immediately by the competition! First heat drivers will get lined up in their assigned grid spots, and workers will check-in with the chief of work.
Unlike at local events where you can line up in any grid row, at national events, each driver is assigned a specific grid spot, which is posted online. Make sure to find your spot and park in the correct area when it is time to line up for your competition runs. There are usually 3-4 heats at a National event. Be sure to check the information packet you are given when checking-in to look up your assigned heats for working and driving.
Competition Runs
National Tour events are just another autocross at the end of the day. While the courses are typically longer and faster, the basic fundamentals are the same. That being said, there are a couple notable differences at a National Tour:
- You have only three runs per day. While it might not seem significantly different from the typical four or five runs allowed at a local event, the reduced number means fewer opportunities to achieve that “perfect” run. Keeping this in mind, it’s important to approach your first run with some assertiveness.
- National Tours include two days of competition. Your final position will be calculated by combining your best time on Saturday with your best time on Sunday. Therefore, it’s very important to not end up coning all of your runs on each day. A common strategy is to put down a somewhat aggressive first run, and then focus on achieving a clean and solid time on your second run. Once you have a clean run recorded, you’ll have the freedom to push your limits and go all out on your third run.
Impound
Following your final run, return to your assigned grid spot. If you drive a Prepared or Modified car, you must drive to the scales after your last run for weighing before returning to your designated grid spot.
After competition runs have finished for the heat, the grid becomes “Impound”. Once in impound, all participants must open their hoods and trunks, providing an opportunity for fellow competitors to inspect their cars for compliance with regulations. Use this time to check out your competitors’ cars, talk to them, etc.
During impound, the heat times are audited, and preliminary results are generated. Once these preliminary results are ready, an impound worker will present them to each class. It is essential to review the results to ensure your times are accurate and any penalties, such as cones or Did Not Finish (DNFs), are correctly documented. Once all members of your class have had the chance to scrutinize and discuss the results, the impound worker will grant permission to leave impound. Only at this point are you free to retrieve your car from impound and return it to your paddock spot.
Course Redesign
After all the heats have finished running on Saturday, the course will be re-designed for Sunday. Sometimes this involves making some modifications to run the course in the opposite direction on day two, or sometimes it is an entirely new course. Make sure to walk the new course on Saturday evening.
Sunday
There is no drivers’ meeting on Sunday, so competition usually starts about an hour earlier. Be sure to arrive on site on time to do any final course walks and prepare for your runs. These are the final runs of the event, so make them count! The format for Sunday’s heats will be the same as Saturday’s, with drivers running in the same heat and working the same positions as the day before.
After all of Sunday’s heats are completed, the competition is over. Trophies will be presented for each class following the final heat.
Hopefully this guide has been helpful and answered all of your questions about attending your first National event. Please feel free to ask questions and reach out to other experienced autocrossers for help, as we were all first-timers at some point. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
