Does SCCA accept other licenses

[stonebridge20]

Baring calling Topeka, does SCCA recognize other club/vintage comp licenses?
I couldn't find anything on the SCCA web site.

[Zach Rivard]

From the SCCA website:

"IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUS RACING EXPERIENCE...
Depending upon your previous racing experience, some or all of your licensing requirements may be waived by the Chief Steward of your SCCA Driver School or by your Divisional Licensing Administrator.
An example: A driver who previously held an SCCA license but has not raced for a few years. Depending on this individual's previous racing record and the length of the layoff, it's possible the Divisional Licensing Administrator may waive the driver back to a Full Competition license. Or, the Administrator may require a "retread" to complete a Drivers School or a private racing school before a waiver will be considered. If you have previous racing experience and would like a waiver, document your experience and present your request to your Divisional Licensing Administrator."

From what I've heard they're generally pretty lax on licensing if previous (especially recent) wheel-to-wheel experience can be shown.

[LarryWinkelman]

For regional races, a number of other sanctioning body licenses are accepted.
GCR, Appendix C, 2.8.B.
You can find the current GCR on the SCCA website.
Most of the major clubs, including NASA, BMW CCA, PCA, HSR, SVRA and VARA, are listed, as well as many local/regional organizations.

[Garey Guzman]

But I think the point of the text in Zach's post above is that the waiver allows you to get/renew an SCCA racing license, including all the fees associated with it. I didn't get out to a race last year so I had to get a waiver to renew my SCCA license this month. A friend has decided to stick with Vintage and decided not to renew his SCCA license, just keep the Vintage license. But if he wants to do SCCA again, he would likely be able to get the waiver.

But based on Larry's post, no point on angering a potential customer for a Regional entry!

[BLS]

Call your divisions licensing rep. I think you'll be surprised.

[Rick Kirchner]

Here's the "alternative licensing program". I raced on my VARA license and a Cal Club membership when I was in North Carolina. Worked pretty good for all but Atlanta Region events. I had to call months ahead and make sure they put it in the supps. It reminds me that I need to ensure its covered for the SFR race at Laguna at the end of July.

Frankly, I think the requirement to put it in the supps is pretty BS. The purpose is to generate more entires, then they leave it up to the regions to decide. Most of the regions I've dealt with, ujnless they are adjacent to a large vintage club, have no idea the program even exists.

3.1.2. Regional and Endurance Races
The requirements for Regional and Endurance races are given below and in the referenced appendices.
Some Regional races may be designated as Division Championship points races.
A. Regional Race: All sprint races (a competition that is limited to a single driver in a car), except U.S.
Majors Tour events, are designated as Regional races.
B. Endurance Race: A competition that allows multiple drivers in the same car, is meant to test the durability
of equipment, endurance of participants, and will include a minimum of one mandatory pit stop.
C. Regional and Endurance races are ordinarily open to the following competitors:
1. Drivers holding SCCA Full Competition Licenses, SCCA Pro Licenses, SCCA Vintage Licenses,
and those holding SCCA Novice Permits (AppC.2.7.F).
2. Canadian Residents holding current ASN National Licenses, are 21 or years of age or older, and are
members of SCCA.
3. SCCA members holding competition licenses issued by SCCA-approved organizations. The event
Supplemental Regulations must list the particular organizations and licenses not eligible for a specific
race or else exclude the entire group of organizations and licenses by reference to this section. Minors
possessing competition licenses issued by SCCA approved organizations must also complete the minor
competition license requirements found in AppC.2.5. If a driver is currently listed on the SCCA Suspension
List, then they may not use any other sanctioning body’s competition license to participate in an
SCCA event.
The organizations whose licenses are currently approved by SCCA for competition in Regional events
are listed in AppC.


from C:

2.8. Full Competition License
A. A driver who has completed all Novice Permit requirements, including the acknowledgment signature of
the Race Director, Chief Steward or Chairman SOM, may follow the directions in the Permit to apply for
an upgrade to a Full Competition License. For the three consecutive weekends after he has submitted
his Full Competition License application to the National Office for processing, he may use a photocopy
of the Permit as a Full Competition License to race.
B. Licenses listed below will be accepted as equivalent to a SCCA Full Competition License at SCCA
Regional events.
1. BMW CCA Club Racing Full Competition
2. Confederation of Autosport Car Clubs (CACC) Competition
3. FIA Issued by any sanctioning body
4. Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) HSR License
5. ICSCC Area Road Racing or International Road Racing licenses
6. IMSA Issued License
7. Midwestern Council of Sports Car Clubs (MCSCC) Full and Novice permit
8. NASA Full Competition
9. Ontario Region CASC Regional
10. Porsche Club of America Full Competition
11. SCCA Pro Racing licenses (F4, FR, Trans Am, FRP)
12. SCCA Vintage
13. Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA)
14. Vintage Auto Racing Association Full Competition
15. Vintage Motorsports Council (VMC) and VMC member organiza-tions. A list of organizations can
be found here: http://the-vmc.com/.
16. Waterford Hills Road Racing Club Full and Novice permit
17. West Canada Motorsport Association Amateur
18. Eastern Motor Racing Association (EMRA) Competition License.
19. Atlantic Region Motor Sports (ARMS) Regional Competition License
20. Autobahn Country Club Level 1/Level 2
21. Indy Car Issued License

[stonebridge20]

Where I'm going with this is wanting to know if someone can walk up to a SCCA road race registration desk and enter an event with a comp license from another club that recognizes a SCCA comp license.

Pretty much any other club in the US recognizes a SCCA comp license.

Does SCCA return the courtesy?

[CheckeredFlag]

Pretty much any other club in the US recognizes a SCCA comp license.
Does SCCA return the courtesy?

Larry answered this pretty well above.

Having flagged at an SVRA event and a Hoosier Super Tour event, in my humble opinion I'm gonna say that the wheel-to-wheel hard racing on an SCCA comp license would/could/should automatically apply to an SVRA event, but the opposite may not necessarily apply. The SVRA does have a Super License; that's a good one to have.

[Rick Kirchner]

Does SCCA return the courtesy?

If its one of the licenses listed above, a regional, and in the supps, yes. I found for instance that the Buccaneer region was very cool with it. The ATL region just tried their darnedest to get me to buy a license.

[Terry Hanushek]

Where I'm going with this is wanting to know if someone can walk up to a SCCA road race registration desk and enter an event with a comp license from another club that recognizes a SCCA comp license.

Pretty much any other club in the US recognizes a SCCA comp license.

Does SCCA return the courtesy?

Regionals - almost always Yes .... Majors / Super Tours - No (You must have an SCCA Full Competition License)

[stonebridge20]

Regionals - almost always Yes .... Majors / Super Tours - No (You must have an SCCA Full Competition License)

Thanks Terry.

Just thinking back a couple of years ago walking up to the registration desk at the SVRA Sebring race and telling the very nice lady there that I was there to test drive in their pre event test day in someone else's car. She asked me if I had a comp license and I gave her a VRG licence. She told me to sign the waiver, gave me a wrist band and told me to have fun. I thanked her and thought to myself, that would never happen at a SCCA event.
I think SCCA needs to stop thinking that they're the only game in town.

[Rick Kirchner]

I could see two good reforms that would help this. One, eliminate the requirement to put the alternative license program in the supps.

Since other clubs rarely have a two tiered license program (VARA has enhanced requirements for anything faster than a FF and certain big-bore cars) it seems that if vintage added some kind of license identifier for a higher level of experience, that might make it easier for the SCCA to accept other licenses for Majors.

Most racers could easily meet the requirements for a full competition license as documented in the GCR Appendix C just by looking at a logbook or providing some MyLaps printouts. For instance, it only requires one vintage race per year for a renewal.

I'm guessing this would be more about money than experience though.

[John Nesbitt]

Any pretense at a tiered licensing scheme in SCCA went away when Regional and National licenses were folded into a Full Competition license. In any case, the upgrade from Regional to National was based on entries, not results.

In today's environment, a racing body that wants to stay in business will make it as easy as possible to get licensed.

In truth. I prefer other sanctioning bodies' licenses over licenses from commercial schools. The former drivers at least have meaningful exposure to flags; the latter not so much.

[stonebridge20]

it seems that if vintage added some kind of license identifier for a higher level of experience, that might make it easier for the SCCA to accept other licenses for Majors.

I guess that I'd have to argue that there's probably a hell of a lot more race miles under the average vintage drivers belt than the average SCCA drivers belt.

[Rick Kirchner]

I just counted, 5 weekends in the FSV and 75 in the FC for me.

[stonebridge20]

I just counted, 5 weekends in the FSV and 75 in the FC for me.

Understand that quite a few people did many years in SCCA prior to going vintage racing and that's why I think the average vintage racer has more total miles under their belt than someone that's only raced in SCCA.

Why the hell should someone with a valid comp license from another club that uses SCCA standards to get a comp license in that club have to get a SCCA license to run a majors race?

I find that absolutely ridiculous.