FAQ

What is the SCCA?
The Sports Car Club of America, Inc., founded in 1944, is a 67,000-member motorsports organization that incorporates all facets of autocross, rally and road racing at both club and professional levels. With headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, the SCCA annually sanctions over 2,000 events through its 115 Regions and professional subsidiary. To learn more, please visit www.scca.com.

What affiliation does OVR have with the SCCA?
The OHIO VALLEY REGION is one of the many (over 100) local groups affiliated with the national organization. OVR’s general geographic region is central Ohio. There are other Regions in the state of Ohio and there are members of OVR who do not live in Ohio. Membership of local group is the choice of the member who must designate “their region of record.” Sometimes persons will become members of more than one region. Many times awards or publication of results and/or awards depend on the member’s “region of record.”

What events does OVR coordinate?
As of 2016, OVR operates road racing events on special-built facilities at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course; PDX events (Performance Driving eXperience) on special built facilities at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course; autocross (solo) events usually on parking lots or other borrowed paved areas; Rallycross events which are similar to Autocross events but are held on unpaved (usually grass covered) areas. There are also regular social meetings which may or may not feature some theme or other function. Occasionally, special events such as car shows, having drivers visit Children’s Hospitals, helping with Street Survivor (teen driving advanced training.), conducting toy drives for Children’s Hospitals. Sometimes, a member will bring a special event to the attention of the Board of Directors and ask for participation.

Can I participate in events if I am not a driver?
YES! YES! YES! A thousand times yes. Road racing events provide opportunities for non-drivers to crew for one of the race cars as well as many functions necessary for the operation of the event. Some of the volunteer functions needed to operate a race include: registration, tech inspection, pit workers, grid work, flagging and communication, starters, driver information crew, timing and scoring, medical crew, safety crew and lots of administrative jobs that may vary according to the track and/or the event. There are even computer related functions that must be accomplished before the event. There is an opportunity for photographers and writers. The PDX events need some of the same functions. The Autocross and Rallycross events need course designers, set up crew, tear down crew, corner station workers to help chase down runaway pylons, spotters to work with photographers, timing and scoring, registration, starters.

Do I need to provide my own vehicle for competitions?
Sort of. There are some groups who rent cars to be used in road racing. You might be able to rent a rce prepared car from an individual. You might be able to borrow a car to use at a Autocross or Rallycross if the owner is also participating. Neither SCCA nor OVR provides vehicles to be used in competitions.

Do I need a special license or training to participate in events?
It depends on the event – road racing events require a special license that reflects training or experience. There are several sanctioning bodies whose licenses are acceptable at SCCA road racing events. PDX, Autocross and Rallycross require state issued driver’s licenses except there are provisions for learner’s permits and for the go-kart classes which are not licensed for street use.

Are there standards that my vehicle must meet in order to compete in an event?
Yes, every event has a rule book that includes the standards that a vehicle must meet. The most important of them are related to safety. The largest volume of rules is written in classify the vehicles into competition categories. The rule books for road racing are different from the books for autocrossing (solo) and from the books for rallycrossing and from the books for the PDX. In addition to the descriptions of the standards for the vehicles, the rule books also list the standards for the conduct of the event. There are also books of standards for the SCCA events that OVR does not operate. (Rallies, Track Nights, Hillclimbs, etc.)