Lower driver's age?

[speed demon 08]

I usually dont post on forums, but I've been following this thread. I've raced against two 14 year olds in the Skip barber National series, and I feel they could compete within the F2000 series. I also feel it is in the best interest of the series to attract young talent like these guys (Sage Karam and Sean Rayhall). I realize these drivers are the exceptions, but at least a case by case review should be considered before permitting any competition for a driver less than 16 years old.


I think Karam is entering the USF2000 series if the age requirement permits and Rayhall is returning to Skip Barber. I trusted racing against both of these guys and never felt and saw unsafe behavior.


I can't see warranting a rule change that makes it automatic permissible for any less than 16 year old driver to compete. It has to be done on a case by case basis with a qualified committee.

[sracing]

No doubt, there are fast over 50 year old guys. That wasn't my point. My point was that there are some 50+ that don't use any more wisdom than the 15 year olds.

BTW, I have to look in my rear view mirror to see 50.

[Rondo]

We have been allowing 14 and up in the FRCCA the past few years with good results. After racing against the "kids" in karts I was skeptical but the 2 we race with have kept themselves out of tropuble and one of them is "Damn fast!"

But as a parent myself I agree with the previous posts that the example you set for them is how they will behave, and we have been fortunate that both of them have level headed parents guiding them. We may be grass roots enough to keep away the dad's trying to buy the next World Champ!

[Daryl DeArman]

"There will be no SCCA school requirement for 15 year olds with prior racing experience."

There is no SCCA school requirement for anybody with enough prior racing experience.

I think an important part of the proposal is being missed here by many, specifically:


Applicants must submit a resume of their prior racing experience that will be evaluated by their Divisional Driver Licensing Administrator. If the Divisional Driver Licensing Administrator is satisfied with the applicant’s experience, he will schedule an interview with the applicant to complete the evaluation. It is preferred that the interview be in person, but if necessary, a telephone interview is acceptable.

[Rick Iverson]

Lest we forget, there are lethal potentials here.

If this club proceeds with this, they'll need a LOT of fourteen year olds to compensate for the 'seasoned' racers dropping the SCCA like 3rd period French.

I'm telling you, this is bad juju. It just doesn't ring.

VR

Iverson

[Matt King]

Like a lot of people, I don't think it's a great idea, but if you were registered for an event and found there was a 15yo in your run group, are you going to pull your entry for the weekend and stay home?

[Steve Demeter]

Matt,
Probably most would not.

But most would probably not have as much fun.

Just like if one gets to the track to find someone who has been a constant problem is in their group, regardless of age.

[mmi16]

Having had a son that competed in 1/4 Midgets from the time he was 9 until he was 13 and then competed in short track oval racing in full size cars from age 14 until he graduated from high school I don't have that big a problem with those 15 year old's that have a serious CV to present for getting the 15 Year Old Permit. By serious I would want to see multiple years of participation with consistent weekly competitions during those years...there is no substitute for seat time.

While I can't speak for all 15 year old participants that may be applying. My son's 1/4 Midget seasons began in the 1st week of April and he competed nearly every week from then until the end of September, the last two years he competed in 2 classes. The Short Track racing after he turned 14 was on 1/2 mile ovals, both paved and dirt, with the short track seasons running from the middle of March to the end of October.

The 15 year old's that will be partaking in this program will probably have more competitive seat time than 99% of those that attend SCCA Drivers Schools.

My fears don't go to the age of new participants, but more to the NASCAR 'if you ain't rubbing you ain't racing', use the Chrome Horn mentality that seems to have been fed to the non-racer racing public for the past 20 years. That mentality is not what SCCA racing has been built around but it is one that has to be broken in all drivers that are new to SCCA, be they 15, 30, 50 or 80.

[butch deer]

Bring on he young kids. Why should the SCCA lose them to Skip Barber,USAC,Short tracks,foriegn countries etc. As a 69 year old they are fun to beat and its fun to see them mature and go by me. The SCCA is to heavily biased with guys my age.

P.S. We need to open up the Stewards in Traing program to 14 year olds to. It's also to biased with us old farts.
Butch Deer

[jim morgan]

Agree, Age is not the issue seat time is. Covered this last time this came up. Same people that complained about Cole at 16 now have confidence in his ability. A beginner at 19 is more dangerous than an experienced 15 year old with one caveat.
Any young driver who has a delusional or over driven father eliminates the growth of driver maturity.
From the first time he took the track Cole had to deal directly with the other drivers and officials and deal with his on track actions. All the way through F2000 when you saw parents fronting the drivers results or behavior it never worked out.

I did step in once when a 40 year old threatend him (at 16)with a protest unless he changed his story to officials.

Let the kids race there aren't that many that will even try.

[sauce_racer]

Keep in mind the BOD isn't made up of drivers. My Dad and Lisa Noble are the only drivers to my knowledge.
BUT,
I'm the youngest kid out of the open wheel groups in my division. I've had one incident where I was at fault in an accident. In that accident the driver I came in contact with hit me when I spun and was rolling off the track. But he also told me when I went to apologize and help him fix his car, that he as the experienced driver should've known to be more careful around me. I was at fault and I knew it. The whole group knew it and they all were willing to help teach me what I needed to do to avoid an accident like that again.


Is that the way it should be because of younger kids on the track? Will every older,experienced driver do that during a race?


At the 40th there was one car that really got my attention. He got my attention because the car passed me and two other cars UNDER A WAVING YELLOW and drove into the back of my Dad's car pushing my Dad into someone else and screwed up both cars. Now I don't get mad about things like that even if the accident envolves my Dad or Uncle. But at the same time, when you make an idiot mistake like that after having 2 flag stations with waving yellows I get mad. Especially when I find out this guy has a national license.


With that being said, what do you think we're going to get when we mix a 15 year old kid and an experienced idiot on a high speed race track? What happens if the experienced idiot injures the 15 year old kid or vice versa? Any possible situation can turn into a law suit when you mix these two groups together in this environment.


I wouldn't be opposed to it if certain classes were restricted and if they were required to have so many hours logged before racing on track with faster cars and other factors.

Megan

[dc]

I don't feel strongly about it one way or the other, because for every 15 year old that someone will over-react about, there is a 50-year old that has no business with a National license, or being in a race car around other speeding cars.


What I do feel strongly about though, is the fact that before allowing 15 year old kids in race cars in the SCCA wheel-to-wheel events, I firmly believe that the issues previously discussed on this forum over many different threads with the SCCA Driver's School program need to be seriously addressed. The lack of Driver's Schools and the overall holes in consistency in "school" teaching and learning need to be fixed long before you throw a 15-year old without a valid driver's license into a high speed competition event.

The SCCA school schedules are barely adequate for adults who know how to drive cars, I don't see how the system can handle adding 15-year old kids to the mix and prep them for racing as much as they need to be.



First things, first.

[stonebridge20]

I engineered a FC car for the first 16 year old in SCCA. His Dad and I decided that after he and I had replaced a half dozen wings and noses, that as a deterrent from shoving people out of the way, we would make him replace his own wings and nose boxes. It worked very well because at the time, he hated to work on the car. 15 years later he only likes to rub the paint off the nose of his car on peoples gearboxes. I'm very proud of him now. Maybe some day he'll win the Runoffs when the car stays together!

[mmi16]

The SCCA school schedules are barely adequate for adults who know how to drive cars, I don't see how the system can handle adding 15-year old kids to the mix and prep them for racing as much as they need to be.



First things, first.

As I read the authorization for the 15 Year Old Permit....Those that will be applying will have had a level of demonstrated competition experience in specified forms of competition before even being considered for the Permit....that is a much higher bar than is needed for those not covered by the Permit.

How many 40 year olds are showing up at Drivers Schools (or coming direct from the pro schools to races) without ever having been in any form of car to car automotive competition in their life before the schools. A whole lot more than we would like to think of.

[Matt King]

How many 40 year olds are showing up at Drivers Schools (or coming direct from the pro schools to races) without ever having been in any form of car to car automotive competition in their life before the schools. A whole lot more than we would like to think of.

Shhhh, that's the SCCA's dirty little secret. The reality is that you can show up for an SCCA driver school without ever having driven a car on a race track. And the format of the driver's schools doesn't teach you anything about how to drive, it's about learning the flags, gridding and starting procedures, etc. I've seen some of the old hands scoff at the idea of people going through a school like Barber or Bondurant and getting a license, but having attended a Bondurant course many years ago, I can say that at least those programs teach some fundamental driving and car control techniques.

[Brad Ellingson]

the format of the driver's schools doesn't teach you anything about how to drive, it's about learning the flags, gridding and starting procedures, etc.

Having taught at the last few CenDiv driver's schools, I respectfully disagree with your statement. You didn't have me as an instructor so making that blanket statement about the school is not accurate. I also have taught with other instructors at the CenDiv schools and have heard them actually teach their students how to drive in addition to the things you mentioned above.

Brad

[Daryl DeArman]

Brad,

I think he is merely pointing out the difference in philosophy and intent of the SCCA schools in general, relative to the pro schools.

Certainly the subjects covered and how much time is spent on them varies with instructor and region. But generally the SCCA schools are designed to educate about the SCCA not teach you how to be a faster racer or racecraft.

[Matt King]

Having taught at the last few CenDiv driver's schools, I respectfully disagree with your statement. You didn't have me as an instructor so making that blanket statement about the school is not accurate. I also have taught with other instructors at the CenDiv schools and have heard them actually teach their students how to drive in addition to the things you mentioned above.

Brad

I applaud you and your fellow instructors for providing that guidance, but I know for a fact that SCCA driving schools don't focus on the fundamental building blocks of car control like the pro schools do. Wet and dry skid pads? Vision exercises? Slalom driving? Heel-toe and threshold braking exercises? Never seen any of those exercises at a drivers school. When I went through Bondurant's 3-day road racing school back in 2000, it was three solid 8-hour days in the cars, plus classroom time. And we spent most of the third day going wheel-to-wheel.

[DanW]

I applaud you and your fellow instructors for providing that guidance, but I know for a fact that SCCA driving schools don't focus on the fundamental building blocks of car control like the pro schools do. Wet and dry skid pads? Vision exercises? Slalom driving? Heel-toe and threshold braking exercises? Never seen any of those exercises at a drivers school. When I went through Bondurant's 3-day road racing school back in 2000, it was three solid 8-hour days in the cars, plus classroom time. And we spent most of the third day going wheel-to-wheel.

I believe these are requirements in the drivers school syllabus.

The recent SFR region SCCA schools I attended included vision excercises, slalom driving, heel/toe, threshold braking(got the flat spots to prove it). Wet/dry skid pads would have been great, but got that in the BMW car control clinic anyway. All was helpful, including unlearning some of the in corner braking skills I developed in years of autocrossing.

Would a pro school help me? Absolutely. I am willing to learn any way I can. My fellow run group drivers have been extraordinary with their coaching and encouragement.

Regards,
Dan

[farrout]

That is the fallacy of an SCCA drivers school. Anyone can show up and do the school whether they have any actual track experience or not. A race school is overwhelming enough if you already know how to drive. The speed differentials in a group are generally more than you ever see at a Regional. Then you have to look for other cars in turns, watch your mirrors, and and catch flags waving for no apparant reason.

As an SCCA school instructor, I have seen all levels of experience in the students. Some have lots of seat time, some have never been in a race car much les on a track. I spend a lot of time teaching driving skills and/or honing those skills for some. But it is the instructor's job to only pass those who exhibit the skills necessary to be out there racing. Taking the school should NOT be a guaranteed pass. The old adage - "Do you want to be alongside this person in a race?" holds true.

SEDIV has an outstanding Time Trials program where an inexperienced driver can get plenty of track time without having to worry about the guy diving inside him in a corner. He/she can learn the lines, learn how to drive, learn their car - and ALL of the TT drivers are willing to help him/her out. We are getting 5-6 20 minute sessions per day on a flat track. Passing is allowed on the straights with a point-by. This is about as good as a Friday Test N Tune Day but at the same cost for double the track time.

[FVRacer21]

Having been an employee of SBRS and working with many car clubs, when I instruct at an SCCA school we do everything we can to help a driver go faster, safer.

In the last two schools I have done, we have had 2 students with 0 racing or high speed experience. By the end of the DAY, we had them running competitive times (for a school).

One thing I would recommend for anyone who cannot afford a professional driving school is to do either indoor karting or one of the endurance karting series. As little as 2 hours of kart time will be a big asset going into an SCCA school.

Having said that (and having started the thread), I have no doubt as to the skill level of a 15 year old who has 3 or 4 years of racing experience. Wish I had had that.

I was questioning the consequences of an accident or injury with a younger driver - how would I feel and how would it reflect on the SCCA. Right now it looks like the SCCA would take an extensive look at the qualifications, and some states or local laws may prohibit them from racing - i.e. Colin Braun at Watkins Glen a few years ago. I believe drivers as young as 12 have raced in New Zealand and in the professional school series.

I am still trying to get my head around this issue. Will we only have a few drivers, so I am overreacting? Or will we open up a flood of immature drivers?

I wish we had the time at the races to have a 15 - 18 only race with something like spec Legends cars. If not I might put certain classes off limit for their first 12 months.
ChrisZ

[Marshall Mauney]

I believe these are requirements in the drivers school syllabus.

That would be news to me.

I went through a total of 4 SCCA school days before I actually ran a race (my decision - I was signed off after 2). One day at Hallett, a double at Roebling, and a school/regional at St Louis. Several years later, I did a "re-entry" school at Portland, so I've spent a total of 5 days in SCCA schools.

I was never shown any vision exercises.
I was never shown a slalom (though I had done plenty in Solo II prior to going wheel-to-wheel).
We discussed heel-toe, but there were no exercises or real effort expended on it (again, I knew about this from Solo II).
No work on threshhold braking, beyond what I already knew.

What I did get was talk about lines, turn-in points, proper apex selection, driver etiquette, and some racecraft. I remember watching an in-car view of Roebling for 20 minutes or so the first morning - no better way to learn the turn-in points. All in all, i learned an awful lot about being safe and avoiding doing something stupid that will tear up a car or cause contact.

What I didn't get in most of those schools (though not all) was the sort of information I needed to go fast. When you're driving a FF and the instructor is a FV pilot, you're not going to find out what gearing or braking point to use, so a newbie won't be able to reference themselves to the "ultimate" performance levels.

Bottom line: I learned a lot about SCCA racing in the SCCA schools, but not much about how to get the most out of the car.

That said, if a 15-yr-old kid has proven he can handle a shifter kart or TaG at the limit in a pack, he/she probably already has that part down. The only real trouble here (IMO) is identifying which kids "get it" and which ones don't. We have that same issue with "adults", though....and that is unlikely to change anytime soon.

[DanW]

Marshall,

Does it appear there are inconsistencies in the curricula of SCCA region schools? It appears there is.

We depend on volunteer instructors who may be very good drivers, but may not be the best at communicating instruction to the student about the things that really matter.

I have struggled with coming up to speed in CF here in SF Region. I certainly can't blame the instruction or coaching I have had. I would still be spectating otherwise.

The biggest issue has been a combination of seat time and learning how hard I could push the car on slicks. Perhaps I would benefit most from a pro school instead of floundering around at the back of the pack.

My apologies for straying off topic.

I would support younger drivers coming in. What matters most is their experience and emotional intelligence on track. The younger drivers we have had here in SFR have overall been very good. 2008 FF champ Chris Keller was one.

[Charles Warner]

There are obviously inconsistencies in the Club training programs. This is inevitable with such a widespread system that has little national control. And, no, for the most part these techniques are not taught at a Club school - not when I went to schools back in the 1970's and not when I was the Chief Instructor in the 1980's & 90's. The NOVICE PERMIT is a license to learn.

The system, as designed, revolved around a progression - a learning curve, with plateaus where skills could be developed and worked on. These were called Regional races. Now there is little difference between regionals and nationals. There used to be vast differences in the cars, drivers' levels, and commitments. It was rare that a national driver would drive in a regional. Now the differences are muddied.

Schools do not teach racing techniques. Nor should they. They should not worry about lap times (competitive or not), threshhold braking, vision excercises, extreme car control, suspension adjustments, race craft, etc. They are there to (1) see if the potential racer really enjoys what he thinks racing is like (there are many that decide to drop out after the first school. Number 1 reason to rent a car or go to a pro school.), (2) learn a bit about being on track and the sensations and environment, (3) drive around with other cars on the track. Anything more adds too much to the learning experience and becomes self-defeating. You are not teaching drivers to be racers. (It's called a Driver's School.) You are exposing them to the racing system in a controlled manner so they may continue at a reduced level (I.e. Novice) and develop these skills at their own pace. The number one lesson a driver should take from his final school is "You will be slow. Take time to develop. Don't try to win: try to finish. You are not Ayrton Senna. Use the regional races to improve. You now have a license to learn safely. Speed will come."

Due to a combination of societal, economic, & cultural factors best discussed elsewhere, we have confused the Club racing atmosphere with the Pro racing atmosphere. It is supposed to be fun.

[D.T. Benner]

You described my feelings on the subject completely.

[DanW]

Charles,

Thank you very much. Very helpful.

[stonebridge20]

Charles, As the ex chief instructor for RCCA. Thank you. You hit the nail on the head!

[Matt King]

Schools do not teach racing techniques. Nor should they. They should not worry about lap times (competitive or not), threshhold braking, vision excercises, extreme car control, suspension adjustments, race craft, etc.

I agree with you, but where are these basic driving skills supposed to be learned? I don't think the answer is AFTER the person has been given a racing license. What I'm really trying to say is that I don't think the SCCA has a very robust driver development program in place, like several other groups do that hold combined track day/driver instruction sessions in conjunction with their racing classes, i.e., BMWCCA, PCA, NASA, etc. Some regions hold PDX events, but the ones I'm familiar with around here are pretty few and far between, which doesn't help someone new to track driving accumulate enough track time in the course of a season. Also, people who enter the sport through these marque clubs tend to stay loyal to them, so the more people the SCCA brings up under its own umbrella, the better for future growth. The biggest obstacle is the lack of enough track time in a weekend to run both programs concurrently, mainly because there are too many racing run groups to fit all the sessions into a day. Some class/run group consolidation could help that, but I won't go there.

We did have an race this Oct. at Blackhawk where there were a couple PDX sessions on Sunday. That was a good idea and should be expanded. There should be more events like that.

[farrout]

I agree with you, but where are these basic driving skills supposed to be learned? I don't think the answer is AFTER the person has been given a racing license. What I'm really trying to say is that I don't think the SCCA has a very robust driver development program in place, like several other groups do that hold combined track day/driver instruction sessions in conjunction with their racing classes, i.e., BMWCCA, PCA, NASA, etc. .

At the risk of repetition, SEDIV has a very robust TT Level 3 program where a driver can go to learn driver skills in a safe environment to other drivers. Many of the TT guys are former racers who have plenty of experience to share. Many are current racers who do both. It is a very cost effective way to get track time.

There are also a number of Hill Climbs but that takes a different skill set entirely.

[Matt King]

That's exactly what I'm talking about, but wondering why that kind of thing isn't more widespread around other regions.

[Noisy Tractor]

I haven't read all the posts in this thread, tripped over it a little while back, but here in New Zealand there are a fair number of Formula First ( Vee) drivers who start at 13 years old. Generally they have already had a solid karting background starting as low as 6 years old. Over the weekend it was reported that a driver in our national FF championship was making his debut at 12 years old, and supposedly that is a first.

This has been instrumental in an increasing number of NZ drivers succeeding around the world, the most well known would be Scott Dixon who seems to have done okay.

[Kartracer33]

To everyone saying they will stop racing if 15 year old's start should probably quit. Because they are the ones that ruin this sport. There are race car drivers and people who drive race cars. Most guys at regional's are people that just do it to get way for the weekend from work or do it to get there feet wet in racing. Ive seen a handful of guys that should not be out on track. Ive also seen guys that are really fast.

I think a lot of 15 year old's that have a couple years in karts are capable of moving up to cars. The competition at some of these kart tracks are 10x better than whats at an SCCA regional. And most 15 year old's that race karts have a good reaction time, good vision, and some kick ass car control. I see nothing wrong with letting them race.

Ive been racing karts for a couple years and ive tested spec miatas and i was pretty quick. And i'm only gonna get quicker with more seat time. And i am really looking forward to moving up to cars. I feel that i am just as good as some guys that race cars. I am well aware of my surroundings during a race and im smooth and aggresive while still being safe and not endangering any of my fellow racers while doing it. Which i see some guys that race not having that capability. So i don't see the difference between racing at 15 or racing at 20. It seems the same to me.

Let me know what you think.

[stonebridge20]

To everyone saying they will stop racing if 15 year old's start should probably quit. Because they are the ones that ruin this sport. There are race car drivers and people who drive race cars. Most guys at regional's are people that just do it to get way for the weekend from work or do it to get there feet wet in racing. Ive seen a handful of guys that should not be out on track. Ive also seen guys that are really fast.

I think a lot of 15 year old's that have a couple years in karts are capable of moving up to cars. The competition at some of these kart tracks are 10x better than whats at an SCCA regional. And most 15 year old's that race karts have a good reaction time, good vision, and some kick ass car control. I see nothing wrong with letting them race.

Ive been racing karts for a couple years and ive tested spec miatas and i was pretty quick. And i'm only gonna get quicker with more seat time. And i am really looking forward to moving up to cars. I feel that i am just as good as some guys that race cars. I am well aware of my surroundings during a race and im smooth and aggresive while still being safe and not endangering any of my fellow racers while doing it. Which i see some guys that race not having that capability. So i don't see the difference between racing at 15 or racing at 20. It seems the same to me.

Let me know what you think.

Just try to remember one thing. There are a lot of guys that have worked thier a$$'s off to get themselves to a position in life to be able to go drive race cars for fun. These people have paid their "dues" in life and the idea of a 15 year old "jumping in" and racing on Mom and Dad's money may not sit too well with them. It's something you may not understand for another 20 years or so. This sport is all about respect. Respect for the car, the track, the conditions, other competitors and your own personal abilitys. Respect is not handed out. You earn respect. My advice to you is, watch everything, listen to everybody, ask questions and remember the answers, keep your nose clean and you'll get respect. Oh,....stay in school as long as possible. You'll get to race in faster classes that way.

$.02 from the "nice" Mike

[kea]

I've mentioned my thoughts, one on one before about younger racers, so I'll post it here for others to see.
Why can't SCCA just follow NHRA's lead and create a road racing version of Junior Dragster, with all the same restrictions. A formula with a restricted motor (Honda if they want), but an open formula like we have for Formula Ford (different chassis, wheels, etc.) They would only race against each other and once they turned 16, they are no longer allowed to run in that class. The car is not sold for adult use. This provides some amount of available used cars every year, for new kids to get started in and gets the "old pro's" out, thus somebody new can start winning. If NHRA has figured out the insurance and other issues, why can't SCCA.
SCCA still thinks they can wait until the latest young racers (from Karts or what ever) turn 16, to introduce them to sports car racing, as if by that time they don't have other options. If they can get them under their banner years before that time, they will already know the system and would have a better chance of keeping them involved.

[James Hill]

The key here seems to be racing experience. If I wanted to start racing FB at 45, I don't think I would be very competative vs a 15 year old with 5 years of Karting.

[Tom Valet]

Keith,

The problem with your idea is it makes too much sense, therefore it will never happen.

Honestly, that might be the best idea I have seen posted about how to improve SCCA racing on every level.

Take care.

Tom

[Wren]

Keith,

The problem with your idea is it makes too much sense, therefore it will never happen.

Honestly, that might be the best idea I have seen posted about how to improve SCCA racing on every level.

Take care.

Tom

Wouldn't Keith's idea basically require devoting a run group to nothing but a few kids in open wheel cars?

[flat tappet]

IMHO, I think SCCA should lower the driving age to 10 years old for drivers so they can expand their customer base further. They could also issue them professional racing licenses after a weekend of racing school so they could run ALMS........LOL.

Seriously, can any of us think back till when we were 15 and how we would handle racing in a regional race? I'm just coming into my own on the track at the young age of 64.

Just as 21 seems to be a decent age to start drinking legally, perhaps we shouldn't rock the boat by lowering the racing age. I think one of the reasons that some us may be careful on the track is that we know how expensive it will be to repair our race cars if we make a stupid mistake! If Daddy is going to pay for new sheet metal, why not throw caution to the wind?

[Daryl DeArman]

Besides needing another run group...the SCCA would have to compete with the IKF and WKA to attract these young kids and their parents' money. What could the SCCA offer that would be more attractive than what the IKF and WKA already provide?

The "Mom and Dad's money = extra risk" doesn't hold much water with me. That's a parenting thing, not an age thing. It's also a financial means thing.

I've raced against people my own age in cars that represented a weeks' earnings. Don't think that didn't change the mindset of many of those involved.

[Tom Valet]

What Keith proposed is exactly what is missing from SCCA and is exactly what the organization needs in order to attract young racers. Does it fit into the current SCCA organization of their race day? Of course not, because the current structure is designed to accommodate older people with lots of money. And we wonder why the average age of SCCA racers is somewhere north of 40 and growing older every day while fields keep getting smaller and smaller.

A low cost car designed specifically to introduce new, young racers to racing on a full size track would offer lots of things that karting cant offer. But we dont have time in the day to accommodate another class. SCCA already has 101 classes of 4-5 cars each so it goes without saying that we could never find time to create a novice class in order to attract new members. Which is why I said it makes too much sense so it will never happen.