LOL @ SCCA!!!

I went to "scca.com" for the first time in years and a pop-up showed up telling me about the cool stuff I could do with my car. Sweet! So I picked the little year bar to enter the Javelin's info thinking about what kind of Vintage action I could get into, or CP autocross, or maybe they finally copied NASA's American Iron...

NO!!!

The oldest you can go is 1980.

Considering the average age of a SRF is from 1873, that's pretty damn funny, ironic, and stupid all at once. Marketing fail SCCA, and you wonder why I left you...

That's pretty old.

I'm honestly surprised. I thought their goal was to have 80 classes at an autocross with only 60 drivers, so everyone could have a trophy.

I wouldn't expect anyone to have a class made for cars made in 1873, anyways.

In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac:

You'd think that, but like I said, the average age of an SRF car is 1873. Or maybe it was the driver?

I think i'm getting confused now.

He says that old people race SRF... apparently.

There weren't cars in 1873, nor is anyone still alive from then.

And there's classes the Javelin can play in the SCCA.

I feel like i made a joke, my joke was missed, and now i've missed another joke.

Or that whom ever made the web site picked an arbitrary number...

In reply to 92CelicaHalfTrac:

Yeah, I was joking that most of the cars that race in the SCCA (on the track anyway, and used one of their oldest classes) are pre-1980. I should have used a far more obvious joke number though, like 25,000BC, so you would get it.

And I couldn't tell you what classes my car can play in, because the website only goes to 1980, which is not a joke, and frankly alienates a large portion of their own membership.

In reply to Javelin:

Well, I don't know what part of the website you're using, but I looked up what Street Prepared class my Capri would be in a few months ago. I know it was in the apendix with everything else in the rule book. My Celica wasn't classed when I first planned the project. (Well, it was, but it fell into NOC). They popped it in the book for me right where I knew it shoudl be, no worries.

I dunno, guess they could do a lot of stuff better to make things easier, but there's loads of classes for pretty much anything and it's not all that hard to find them.

He is talking about the popup when you first go to the scca website.

http://www.scca.com/tour/

Javelin wrote: And I couldn't tell you what classes my car can play in, because the website only goes to 1980, which is not a joke, and frankly alienates a large portion of their own membership.

Doubt it. Most of their members already know, or have a good idea at least, of what classes their cars go in.

Alienating a good portion of potentials? Possibly, but if they really want to play they'll go to the rulebook anyways.

mtn wrote:

Javelin wrote: And I couldn't tell you what classes my car can play in, because the website only goes to 1980, which is not a joke, and frankly alienates a large portion of their own membership.

Doubt it. Most of their members already know, or have a good idea at least, of what classes their cars go in. Alienating a good portion of potentials? Possibly, but if they really want to play they'll go to either Chumpcar or the 24 Hours of LeMons anyways.

you had a few wrong words towards the end of your post...

mtn wrote: Alienating a good portion of potentials? Possibly, but if they really want to play they'll go to the rulebook anyways.

Not if they have no idea which rulebook to even go to.

It's a stupid oversight that never should have happened. Can you imagine the GRM Reader's Rides Garage not having pre-1980 cars?!?

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: There weren't cars in 1873,

au contraire!

Years before there were so many automobiles on the road that England came up with the locomotive or autolocomotive act. Where you had to have escorts with flags and torpedos and such.

There were steam busses and other such novelties

The first American auto race was held in 1895. A few years earlier (I think) in Europe.

Meh, that's sweating the small stuff... and that's coming from a NASA guy.

Javelin wrote:

mtn wrote: Alienating a good portion of potentials? Possibly, but if they really want to play they'll go to the rulebook anyways.

Not if they have no idea *which* rulebook to even go to. It's a stupid oversight that never should have happened. Can you imagine the GRM Reader's Rides Garage not having pre-1980 cars?!?

You make a good point, but I can't imagine the Ton Of Pain it would take for an IT professional to create something that leads any query of year/make/model/modification level to the proper page of our (admittedly crazy complicated) rule book.

The popup is a reaction (concession?) to the folks screaming about SCCA not being able to interest younger people. The thing seems to work OK for getting young people into the autoX & rallyX programs, not so much for the Road Racing & TSD rally folks.

I know you're a young guy, but you're almost unique because you actually care about vintage iron. The popup is supposed to get someone who just bought something cool to come do sanctioned racing, instead of hooning around on the street. And yeah, it's supposed to drive new memberships as well.

EDIT: I should have said "to the members", instead of "to the folks". Hope that makes my comment a little more focused..

Man, that's the problem w/ the Secret Car Club (of) 'Murrica; there's all these totally crazy classes where the only cars - or only competitive cars predate the Carter administration.

Formula Vee? Sure! Let's have a cheap racing class based on 1200cc, air cooled VWs...25 years after the last time someone saw one. No, let's race formula cars based on Ford Kent motors! At Summit we have a thriving bunch of GT Pintos. Hell, the group I'm in has formula Ford, Continental, Fit, Atlantic, Enterprises, Mazda, B (continental w/ 1 liter bike engines) S (doesn't fit in any other class, doesn't have fenders) plus C and D sports racers. Not one of these can run w/ NASA.

3 words for you: "H Production Sprites!"

All of this said though, I love running a CSR w/ DC Region SCCA. They're great, great people, and you get to run in a bunch of guys you can trust while going really berkeleying fast.

And I'm sure there's someplace for the mighty Havalina w/ SCCA. The rule book is 900 pages - it's in there.

In reply to mguar:

You should know, you were there!!

You ever pay Noah for your fare for the Arc? (I kid, I kid)

friedgreencorrado wrote: The popup is a reaction (concession?) to the folks screaming about SCCA not being able to interest younger people. The thing seems to work OK for getting young people into the autoX & rallyX programs, not so much for the Road Racing & TSD rally folks. I know you're a young guy, but you're almost unique because you actually care about vintage iron. The popup is supposed to get someone who just bought something cool to come do sanctioned racing, instead of hooning around on the street. And yeah, it's supposed to drive new memberships as well.

This is basically the way I am looking at it. That pop up is most likely for the guy that just bought a 2010 Honda Civic that heard about autocrossing from their friend and trying to see what they can do with their car. Not necessarily for someone that just bought a Formula Ford trying to make sure his car is eligible.

Info on racing a vintage car like the Javelin can be found here (scroll down to vintage): http://www.scca.com/clubracing/content.cfm?cid=44472 http://scca.cdn.racersites.com/prod/assets/UpdatedVintageGCRRuleBook.pdf

No 2012 in there either.

Don't feel bad, I went into a AutovanceRileys to get an air filter. Their book stopped at 1990.

Toyman01 wrote: Don't feel bad, I went into a AutovanceRileys to get an air filter. Their book stopped at 1990.

they had a book?