Tips for your First Sunday Event

When you arrive onsite, sign the waivers at the event entry, find a place to park, and unload any loose items from your car. Register, pay your entry fee (if you did not pay online), find out when you run and work*, and put on your numbers and class letters. Once your numbers are on, go to tech to have your car inspected (registration and tech are usually open from 7-9 am). Walk the course in the morning before the event starts. An instructed novice course walk is also available. Walk to the timing motor home for your work assignment when your work group is called. Drive your car to the grid when your run group is called. Typically, you will get 3-4 runs on the course. Loaner helmets are available just before you run (we will hold your driver’s license as security). Please return the loaner helmets promptly as we have a limited number of them. Have fun. ​ ​* You get to drive during one run group and you will have to work one run group. A typical run group can last from 30 minutes to 1½ hours depending on the number of entrants. This is an all-volunteer organization and that is how we keep the costs down and staff the events. ​ NOTE: Cal Club Autocross is a club made up of car enthusiasts. We promote responsible driving activities and improving car control skills. This is not a thrill ride/drift event and we are not in the commercial entertainment business. We hope you will have a good time, meet lots of friendly, helpful people, get involved in the organization, and come back to compete with us frequently.

Registration / Cost

Online registration for practices and events are available at solo2.motorsportreg.com.

• Saturday practice registration must be done online
• Sunday event registration is also available at the event site on the day of the event

Competition Sunday Events

Each year we schedule 10 to 14 competition events in the LA area. These are almost always on Sunday. Typically, anyone can enter an event. There are no quantity of entry limits (except possibly during short daylight winter months). Anyone that wants to participate can show up Sunday before 8 am, register, pay the entry fees, tech the car, and compete. We encourage competitors to pre-register online because it helps with event management and gives you a discount on the entry fee. These events make up our championship series where we award points based on the driver’s time. Trophies are awarded to the highest placing drivers in each class for each event. An entrant can select to get Solo Bucks (Solo$) instead of a trophy. Solo$ are typically a $10 credit. Solo$ are tracked automatically online and can be used for money off of a following event registration fee. At the end of the year, we also award trophies for the highest overall placing drivers in each class. An entrant will get 3-4 runs on the course at a competition event. A passenger is allowed during these runs. Competitors cannot be passengers unless they have already completed their runs (you will be disqualified if you're a passenger prior to running).

Test n Tune/Practice Events

We usually schedule a test n tune/practice event on the Saturday before a competition event. These events may be limited to 50 to 100 entrants per day and the fees are higher than championship events to cover the cost of lot rental with fewer entrants. These are also work/run events. You can pre-register and pay for a practice event online at solo2.motorsportreg.com. Practices are geared more for experienced competitors who want to test or tune new equipment or suspension settings. Entrants can get 12 or more runs on each practice day. If you don’t want to drive at an event right away, come out and watch, talk to participants, and maybe get a ride along on the course. Most participants are helpful and friendly. A passenger is allowed during practice events.

Split Entry at Practices

At practice events, two competitors may be able to split an entry. This gives each entrant half the number of runs. It is encouraged that each competitor take their runs in different run groups.

Number of Runs at Sunday Events

There are traditionally 3-4 runs at Sunday events. These runs are counted for the championship competition, as well as and team and team challenge points. You run in one group and work in another group (the run/work order is always posted prior to the event). NOTE: Hands and arms must be kept inside the car at all times while on course. This means don’t put your elbow on the top of the door with the window open or hold onto the window sill.

Time Only (TO) Runs

TO (time only) runs are available at all Sunday events. This is a full entry, like a competition entry, which gives you 3-4 runs, but is not counted for championship competition, or team or team challenge points. You run in one group and work in one group just like the competition entry. You can pre-register for TO entry. You will be assigned your run/work group upon checking in Sunday morning. A passenger is allowed on TO runs. You may also purchase "X" runs if you run TO.

Extra (X) Runs

At most Sunday events, “X” run entries are available. This is an additional full entry after your competition or TO entry and it gives you 3-4 more runs. The fee for an “X” run entry is $25 per person. You don’t have to work an additional group if you purchase an “X” run entry, you just work your normal work group. “X” entries may be limited per run group at the discretion of the event master. You must take your “X” runs after your competition or TO runs. Sometimes, you will be allowed to take your "X" in the same group as your normal runs. If this is the case, you must use the two-driver lane. You may pre-register for “X” runs. A passenger is allowed on X runs.

Fun Runs

If time allows at the end of the championship event, “fun runs” may be available. These are additional runs on the course for registered entrants. The Event Master determines if there is enough daylight left and enough interest to allow fun runs. He/she will ask the interested entrants to form up in two equal lanes. One lane will give their driver’s licenses to the Event Master and get in their cars to run first. The entrants in the other lane will work first. After half an hour or so of runs, the two groups of entrants will switch, with the first group working and the second group running. The driver’s licenses are returned after all the fun runs are finished. A passenger is allowed on fun runs. Fun run participants must help pack up the motorhome once the event concludes.

Permanent Numbers

A permanent number is selected by competitors when they purchase a points card. That number will also be reserved for the competitor for the next year. Permanent numbers must be in the range from 1 to 599 or 700 to 999. Numbers using leading 0’s or number and letter combinations are NOT allowed. Numbers are necessary on the cars for event administration and record keeping. They are used to track cone penalties for the cars on course which are reported to timing and add penalty time to a competitors track time. Numbers 1 to 199 are highly desirable and are typically reserved for very active members of the region.

Temporary Numbers

Temporary numbers are assigned to visiting competitors at registration on a first come, first served basis. These numbers are reused/reassigned at each event. Temporary numbers must be in the range from 600 to 699 or above 1000. Numbers using leading 0’s or number and letter combinations are NOT allowed. Temporary numbers cannot be used for pre-registration.

Passengers

Passengers are allowed in our region. If you are competing at our Sunday events, you cannot be a passenger prior to taking any of your runs, or else you will be disqualified. Passengers are allowed at Saturday practices.

Novices

A novice is any competitor that has never competed in, or has minimal experience in, autocross events. A novice is currently defined as someone who has participated in three or less events/practices/schools per year during each of the last three years.

What Class Should a Newcomer Compete In?

The novice class! This class is a place for newcomers to compete against other new drivers at our Sunday events, without the extreme competition of more experienced drivers. It is an indexed class to compare times, and trophies are given for each event. The novice competes in the same run group as the class his or her car is classed in, but the raw lap times are indexed and grouped together with the other novices and posted together in the results. Points will be earned toward a season-long trophy given for this class. At the end of the season if a novice competitor has won a trophy in this class at an event, he or she must then compete in the regular class the next season. Lifetime points are not earned in the novice class.

Novice Instructors

A novice instructor is a competitor with a specified minimum amount of experience and time with the Cal Club Autocross organization. The novice instructors are approved by a vote of the E-Board or the member clubs. Instructors are available for novices during Sunday events.

Instructor Runs

A novice instructor can, if desired by the novice competitor, drive the novice’s car, with the novice as a passenger, for one run during a Sunday event. Typically you will get 3-4 competition runs at a championship event. The instructor's run does not count against your competition runs. The instructor can also ride with the novice during their competition runs. The instructor's role is to offer guidance on driving, course strategy, and car setup. An instructor cannot instruct, i.e. drive or ride, prior to completing all their competition runs.

PAX Index

In some classes, the cars that are competing together have different performance capabilities. To even out the competition, a PAX index is applied to the times for each car. The PAX indexes are numbers that are updated each year based on the times compiled from classes at a number of national level events around the country, including the National Championships. Class A-Modified is considered the fastest class and has a PAX of 1. All the other classes have a PAX number less than 1. The PAX index is used by other organizations across the country to compare the times of competitors in different classes.

PAX/L Class

PAX and PAX Ladies classes are open to drivers who may not have a competitive class to compete in at each event. Since the cars competing together have difference performance capabilities, competition is evened out with the PAX index applied to the times for each car.

Course Design

Every course is laid out differently. Each person who designs our courses has their own style of linking different elements together. Courses are a mix of constant, increasing, and decreasing radius turns, square corners, off-set boxes, option cones, one pylon turns, etc. It is the competitor’s task to figure out the fastest way thru the different elements. Some elements will have to be run slower so that others can be run faster. The lowest total time through all the elements wins. Hitting course marker cones adds two seconds each to your time.

Course Walks

In the morning before the Sunday event starts, competitors are allowed to walk on the course. Do this!! This is very helpful to figure out what the driving line should be for your car and where you should be on course to smoothly and quickly connect the various elements. You can’t go as fast as possibly if you don’t know where the course is going.

Beginner's Course Walk

In the morning before the Sunday event starts, an experienced competitor will take any interested novice drivers for a walk around the course. He or she will explain the different types of corners and elements on the course and recommend a fast line thru each one. The novice course walk is extremely valuable to newcomers!

Points Card

A point’s card is purchased by competitors that want to compete in the Cal Club Autocross annual series of events. Points are awarded to each competitor according to their time in relation to the first place finishing time in each class. These points are accumulated at each event in the yearly series and a year-end award is given to the competitor in each class with the most points. The point’s card also allows the competitor to select a permanent number with Cal Club Autocross to place on your car and guaranteed entry in your clubs practice event. Buy a Points Card

Individual, Team, Team Challenge, Overall, and Lifetime Points

There are several ways that points are tracked within Cal Club Autocross. Individual points are tracked for each points card holder for each event to determine the year-end championship for each class. The five best team members finishes, according to PAX index time, are added together to determine the team winner at each event and year end. Five members are also selected by each team to be on their Team Challenge team for each event and are also tracked for year-end results. Overall PAX points are also summed at the end of the year to determine an individual overall champion for the region. Lifetime points are also tracked at the end of each year for how a competitor finishes in his/her class (except for Novice and Junior Kart). ​ ​From 1959 until 2006, only points card holders times were used when calculating points. If a non-points card holder won the class, he/she would get the first place trophy, but first place points (100) would go to the highest placing points card holder. Beginning in 2007, if a non-points card holder wins the class or overall, his time is used as the fastest time for points calculation, but only points card holders earn points. Junior kart times can also be used for team, team challenge, and overall points. ​ ​The points formula used from 1959 until 1992 was: Points = ((1000 * Fastest Time) / Drivers Time) - 900 From 1993 until 2005 the points formula was: Points = ((500 * Fastest Time) / Drivers Time) – 400 The points formula from 2006 to now is: Points = 100 – 400 * ((Drivers Time - Fastest Time) / Fastest Time)​

Minors / Minor Release Form

Competitors under 18 years old MUST have a waiver signed by BOTH parents; waiver forms are available online here:

• SCCA Official Witness Signature Required Version (an SCCA Official can act as witness to BOTH parents signatures...can be completed with both parents present at gate)
• CA Notary Required (A CA Notary's signature is required and both parents are not required to attend the event)

Schools

Cal Club Autocross tries to put on a Ladies Only school, which accommodates female students and female instructors, and a Novice Only school, which is open to all beginnner's. The list of active schools will be posted at solo2.motorsportreg.com.

What is a Full Weekend at Autocross?

A full weekend at Cal Club Autocross consists of two separate "events": a test n tune (or "practice" day) on Saturday and a competition event on Sunday. Both occur independently from the other, and you can choose to attend one or both. Saturday practices usually fill up on a first-come, first-serve basis; require online pre-registration; and are usually limited to approximately 100 participants. Sunday events have no entry limit and allow walk-up registration the day of the event. Spectators and passengers are allowed at both events for no cost.

Does it Cost to be a Spectator?

No, there is absolutely no cost to come watch either Saturday practices or Sunday championship events.

Can My Child Compete?

Children ages 5-16 compete in three Junior classes: Junior A (ages 12-16), Junior B (ages 8-11), and Junior C (ages 5-8). Kids can sign up for both Saturday practices and Sunday championship events. Please note that competitors under 18 years old MUST have a waiver signed by BOTH parents; waiver forms are available here.