The path to doing wheel-to-wheel racing in SCCA is easier than ever, thanks to SCCA Race Experience. The program is open to, “Anybody,” says Jon Krolewicz, SCCA Senior Management of Program Development. “The target audience is someone who says, ‘I want to try or start my wheel-to-wheel journey. Maybe that’s the person who is going to get their racing license. Or it’s the person who says, ‘This is on my bucket list. I can rent a car and not worry about getting medical or ton of paperwork done.’”
The program offers experiences in both sprint and endurance formats. Jon says SCCA Race Experience provides a low barrier to entry to tasting wheel-to-wheel racing, just like many popular entry-level endurance racing series. Drivers must bring a car that will pass SCCA safety tech and full driver gear, and self-certify their medical situation.
Unlike other entry-level endurance racing series, though, SCCA places a heavy focus on instruction, but not to the extent of a dedicated drivers’ school. That’s because times have changed.
Jon says SCCA had 60 schools during the 1970s. In the 1990s, it dropped to about 25. This past year? They had seven. Yet, with track time more accessible than ever, including with such programs like SCCA Track Night in America, drivers’ educational needs have changed.
“With most people, by the time they go wheel to wheel, they pretty much know how to get around a race track,” Jon concedes. “They understand things like apexes and braking points. So, when you want to go race, you don’t have to learn how to drive … we can just teach you how to race.”
Photo by Amy Brown.
The day starts with a short classroom session. Then the instructors go out with their students on track to put them in situations they need to learn to navigate. Examples include double-file restarts and navigating traffic through turns. Instructors customize the experience based on the backgrounds of the drivers. After each session, they debrief with the students to discuss how they handled what was thrown at them.
“I’m a big believer in that you give a person a set of tasks to practice and then come in after observing them and talk to them about it,” says Jon. “It works a lot like an SCCA regional drivers’ school.”
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