I Want to Road Rally
Because SCCA RoadRally events are held on public roads and well within any laws, this form of motorsport has no more barriers to entry than the daily driving done by millions of people. The costs are as low as any form of motorsports in existence and the risks are no higher than you might encounter on your commute to work.
What You Need
A street legal car, covered by an automobile insurance policy: Your car needs to be road legal and will have to pass a basic safety inspection which includes all working lights, windshield wipers, rear-view mirror, working brakes including a parking brake, seat belts for each occupant, a working horn and tires in road-worthy condition.
In addition, each entered vehicle must be covered by a valid auto insurance policy as required by the state in which it is registered, and that the policy must be up to date throughout the event.
Helpful tip – Chances are if your vehicle is legal to drive on the road in your home state, and you have the documentation you need to show during a traffic stop you’re also going to be good to participate in a RoadRally, but we figured we would spell it out in case you were planning on driving your top fuel drag racing car in the event. (Please don’t.)
Two people: Each RoadRally team is required to have two people – a driver and a navigator. Anyone on the team planning on driving during the event must also have a valid drivers license. Teammates can be best friends, spouses, parent and son/daughter, co-workers or random people you met at other automobile events. (Like a Thursday Night Thunder PDX event at Milwaukee Mile)
Helpful tip – Team members do not have to be over 18, but if you are under 18 and planning on participating in an SCCA RoadRally – you will need your parents to sign a minor waiver for you.
Some small stuff: When we say, “Small stuff” we mean something to write with (in order to do some math or make notes on the route instructions) some paper (to do math on) and some type of device which keeps time down to the second – usually a watch or smart phone. If the RoadRally is at night (most are not), you might also need a flashlight or a working map light in your car.
Helpful tip – The truth is, you don’t actually NEED those things to do a RoadRally. In some events there will even be “seat of the pants” class where only guesswork and your cars guages are used to try to get to the checkpoints on time. But, if you do want to be more competitive; pens, paper and a second-hand on your watch are a minimum of what you will want.
How to Participate:
Find an event: Check our schedule for upcoming events.
Register: All of our events require registration on MotorsportsReg. When you find an event look for the details and a link to register.
Helpful tip – If you still have questions about which RoadRally might be right for you or questions about a specific event, contact the event organizers and ask all of your questions. SCCA RoadRally organizers love to help out and chances are you will make a new friend!
Show Up: Once you know which event you’re going to attend – get your team together and get to the event. Attend any drivers meetings, get your car double-checked by the organizers to make sure it’s safe, go over the route instructions and try to shake off the nervous anticipation.
Helpful tip – As with asking questions when you’re looking for an event, SCCA members are a helpful bunch once you get to the event as well. Tell someone this is your first time and chances are you’re going to get walked through any processes necessary for the event. As before, you’ll probably even make some new friends along the way.
Drive: This is the easy part – well, easy to do, tougher to be perfect at. Buckle up, wait for your team’s assigned start time and have fun. After all, that’s what this is all about.
Helpful tip – Since it’s probably your first time, you’re going to learn a lot about things you would do differently the next time so go into the event relaxed and with an open mind. Talk to your co-driver a lot, smile even more.
So there you have it – you know the basics of what you need and how to participate in an SCCA RoadRally.
