What is MSR? What are the other acronyms and phrases I hear?
MSR = MotorsportReg.com – this is the website you will use to register and pay for events.
SCCA = Sports Car Club of America.
DRSCCA = Detroit Region SCCA.
NWOR = Northwest Ohio Region SCCA, a neighboring region to the south.
SVR = Saginaw Valley Region SCCA, a neighboring region to the north.
PAX = Professional AutoX (Autocross) Index, also known as RTP (Racers Theoretical Performance). Find more info here.
Solo = Autocross. Solo is the brand name the SCCA uses for autocross, the terms are interchangeable.
GLDSS = Great Lakes Division Solo Series. The Detroit Region is part of the Great Lakes Division along with many other regions in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. Find more info here.
You can find a full glossary of common terms here.
I don’t have a helmet, will there be helmets to borrow at the event?
Yes, we have a limited number of open face helmets ranging from small to extra large for you to borrow. More specific information is provided at the event. Please see the helmet certification requirements hereif you have questions about the eligibility of your helmet – DOT motorcycle helmets are not allowed, the helmet must have a SNELL, FIA, or SFI certification.
To check if your helmet is certified, look for an SA2015, SA2020, or SA2025 sticker on the inside of the helmet. This sticker is orange and hard to miss, you may have to carefully fold padding back to see the entire sticker but part of it is usually visible if you just flip the helmet over and look inside.
A helmet with an SA or SNELL logo on the exterior but without the sticker is not certified.
Due to the limited availability of the helmets, we ask that drivers come grab a helmet just before your drive heat and return them after.
What do I do when I get to the event?
Sign the SCCA event waiver either at the entrance to the site or at driver check in. You will receive a wristband that you must display at all times.
Find an open parking space in the paddock area, please follow all posted parking signs.
Park your car, walk up to the registration table and check-in – please have your driver’s license ready to show.
Remove all loose materials from your car including floor mats.
Clearly display your car number and class letters on both sides of the car.
Slowly drive your car through the paddock to tech inspection. If you brought your own helmet, bring it to tech inspection.
Park your car once it has passed tech.
You are now free to walk the course when it is open and talk with others until the driver meeting.
What do I need to do for a tech inspection?
Make sure your wheel lug nuts are tight and that your car is in good working order.
For most people, they are driving a relatively new production car – if your car is a reliable street car, very little may be needed:
Remove all loose items from your car – this includes floor mats, accessories, and anything hanging from your rear-view mirror. Some attendees like to do this before the event and leave things at home. Others will place loose articles in their parking space at the event.
In general, if it can roll around, it needs to be removed from your car. Loose change and other small items should be removed.
Prior to taking your car to tech, have your numbers and class letters clearly displayed on both sides of your car.
You can refer to the solo handbook, section 3.3.3 if you have detailed questions about technical requirements for assembled vehicles or kit cars.
What Should I Bring To The Event?
Water / sports drinks for hydration
Lunch – most venues do not have food or vending on-site, some may not have food options locally
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Rain gear / umbrella
Hat / cap
Folding chair
Tire pressure gauge
Tools, jack, jack stands (please protect the site and use stands that don’t dig into the asphalt)
None of these items are required but are all highly recommended
What should I wear? Are there requirements for clothing?
There are no requirements for clothing other than basic guidelines – no offensive graphics or slogans, wear closed toes shoes that are secured to your feet. Crocs, slides, and other sandals are not recommended because they can shift around on your feet while trying to drive.
Unlike a track day, long pants and sleeves are not required.
Can my friends and family come and spectate?
Yes, but spectator space can vary by event venue. All attendees, regardless of whether they are driving, riding along, or spectating, must sign the SCCA event waiver and display a wristband.
What is an index and how does it differ from a regular class? Why do I need to sign up for a class when I’m in an index?
Index classes use the regular car classes to normalize times and allow drivers to compete against each other across different classes using PAX – see here and here for an explanation.
Index classes such as Pro (PRO), Novice (N), and Ladies Index (LI) allow drivers with a wide variety of cars compete against each other by normalizing times.
The index classes use your regular car class to normalize times using the PAX modifier. Because of this, you can compete in different cars across multiple events if you are in an index class.
The index classes (PRO, N, LI) count for season end awards like any other PAX class (AS, BS, CS, etc).
I am a novice, what is the Novice Index (N) and how do I register for it?
An index class means running with other cars not just in your own class (an NA Miata in ES competing with with a Porsche Cayman in SS, for example).
Each class has a different time modifier (PAX) so different cars can compete against each other – the difference comes down to the driver, not the car.
The Novice index is intended for those with less than 2 years of experience in autocross. If signed up for Novice index your times will be tracked against other novices rather than the standard open PAX class for your car.
To sign up for the novice index, select Novice as your class, and then select the class of your vehicle in the PAX dropdown.
When putting your class letters on your car, simply add “N” prior to your regular class letters:
CS > NCS
DST > NDST
CAMS > NCAMS
What is the Ladies Index (LI) and how do I register for it?
DRSCCA uses an optional Ladies Index rather than individual ladies classes like seen at regional and national events. Ladies have the option of running in the standard, open class if they wish.
To sign up for the Ladies index, select Ladies as your class, and then select the class of your vehicle in the PAX dropdown.
Add an “L” or “LI” before your class letters on your car.
What is the Pro Index (PRO) and how do I register for it?
Pro Index is tracked for points through the season and is intended to give single car classes the option of competition or allow drivers to drive a variety of cars through the season while still earning points. PRO index competes as a single run group with all drivers running together, regardless of individual car PAX class, and results are tracked against the PRO index.
As the name suggests, this index class is populated by very experienced drivers with fully prepared cars and the intent of the index is to provide a higher level of competition locally.
Add a “P” or “PRO” before your class letters on your car.
Can I run two different vehicles in different classes at the same event?
No, registered drivers may only compete in one car and class per standard points event.
Drivers can drive multiple vehicles at test and tune events.
What does co-driving a car mean? How can I co-drive a car with a friend?
Co-driving means that you and another registered attendee are sharing the same car – both drivers must register separately and pay their own registration fees.
You cannot co-drive / drive multiple vehicles in a single event. Registered drivers may only compete in one car and class per standard points event.
The same car can be co-driven within the same class, index, or across multiple indexes or classes.
The first driver should register with a number between 0-99, the second driver should register with a number that is identical to the first driver’s number plus 100 (100-199).
If driver 1 registers as #18 in CS, driver 2 registers as #118 in CS.
If driver 1 registers as #20 in Novice CS, driver 2 registers as #120 in CS (they do not need to register in the Novice Index, but they can if they qualify).
More than 2 drivers can drive a car across multiple classes and indexes:
Driver 1 is #11 PRO, driver 2 is #111 PRO, driver 3 is #11 CSM, driver 4 is #111 CSM, driver 5 is #11 LI
Following this number scheme is enforced because it allows for quick number changes and reduces timing errors
You can register to co-drive with previously registered attendees when you fill out the event registration form
Who can I talk to for help when I’m at the event?
Look for our worker chiefs in bright yellow DRSCCA shirts that state “Chief” on them. If one of these volunteers cannot directly answer your question, they can point you to the person who can.
The autocross community consists of some amazing people so don’t feel shy about asking anyone you see walking around the paddock for assistance. If they don’t know, they’ll often be able to point you to someone who does.
I want to get a full SCCA membership using my weekend membership as a discount, who do I contact to get my discount?
You will need to contact the SCCA National Office after we remit your weekend membership. Remittance usually occurs the week after an event, you will receive an email with a certificate once this occurs. From the date of receipt, you have 60 days to convert your weekend membership for a discount by contacting the SCCA National Office. You can find more detail here.
The local SCCA chapter collects the weekend membership fees on behalf of the National Office but does not handle membership issues. You can find more info about SCCA Membership here.
What is the difference between registering for the event online and checking-in at the event?
Online registration (through MSR) is where you originally sign up and pay but everyone must check-in at registration the morning of the event. It’s important that everyone come check-in at the registration table the morning of the event to (1) get an accurate headcount to generate the run-work order, (2) identify who can work critical roles during the event ahead of time, (3) ensure that your car, class, index, and number are accurate, and (4) verify that your helmet barcode functions properly. If you need to make any changes to your registration, it can be done at check-in.
Failure to check-in means you will not drive and you will receive no refund.
I’m late by only a few minutes, why can’t you just accommodate me by re-opening tech and registration?
The heat run-work order, worker assignments, and final preparation for the event happen immediately following the close of registration. There is a significant amount of work for our volunteers that has to happen the hour before the first car drives and when you are late, you are delaying the entire event for everyone so multiple worker chiefs can edit you into the event. Additionally, registration and tech workers are usually participating in the event and need to prepare their own vehicles, they have arrived 2+ hours before you and have been working instead of preparing their cars – you are robbing all of these people of their time when you ask to be accommodated after showing up late.
Times are clearly communicated in advance on every event registration page, Google Maps and other GPS tools make it trivial to plan ahead – no accommodation will be given for those who show up late, no refunds will be given.
I need to cancel, what should I do?
The cancellation policy is displayed when you register for an event – read it carefully and understand that if you do not follow it, you may receive no refund at all. All attendees are required to read and acknowledge the policy when registering in MSR; claiming ignorance of the policy is not a valid excuse.
Always email the registrar for the event with your request for a refund after cancelling your registration in MSR.
The registrar can assist you with cancelling if you cannot do this on your own.
You can go to your attendee dashboard in MSR, select the event, and “Cancel registration” to cancel.
Why doesn’t Live Timing show my correct time?
Live Timing is purely for reference and we do our best to make sure it is accurate, if there is an issue with your time in Live Timing our team 100% knows and is still manually correcting times.
Any errors you see in reporting are likely known, kindly find a volunteer who can relay your concern to the timing chief if you feel there is a serious issue.
If you desire the best feedback possible between runs, you should invest in video equipment to record and play back your run while waiting in grid.
Because timing is constantly being audited, it is not unusual for your times to change, DNFs to be added, or cone calls to be added, sometimes much later.
If you feel a serious issue occurred, please provide your in-car video evidence to dispute DNFs and cone calls.
I don’t want to put numbers and class letters on my car’s paint, why can’t I put them on my windows?
Numbers and letters cannot be displayed clearly or large enough on windows for timing and course workers to see when you are moving at speed. This can cause timing delays to the event and confusion for course workers. Additionally, it is a safety concern to obstruct the driver’s visibility out of side windows. If you are concerned about the paint on your car, a wash and wax (and/or ceramic coating) ahead of time will protect your paint from painters tape or magnet / vinyl numbers.
Please refer to the SCCA Solo Rule Book here for clarification.
I’m waitlisted for the event, should I even bother showing up?
Please register ahead of time and remain on the waitlist, at the event you can come to check-in and let registration workers know you are in attendance. There usually are no-shows and because you have already registered, it may be possible to accommodate you closer to check-in closing time as it becomes clear how many attendees have actually checked-in. If you are concerned about this, you can email the event registrar or event chair.
Note that for specific events, we may contact you through email about your waitlist status as a site cannot accommodate too many drivers – please check your email for important updates.
You can check your waitlist status by checking your MSR attendee dashboard.
Are Junior Kart classes available at SCCA Solo events?
Junior Kart classes are currently not available at any SCCA event.
Why does it ask me to opt in to text messages on the event sign up page?
The DRSCCA utilizes text messages to keep participants updated on event progress. At a site like Schoolcraft, it is fairly easy for attendees to hear announcements over the PA but at larger sites like MIS (Michigan International Speedway) and for attendees who cannot hear the PA, the texts keep everyone up to date on which heat is running and when the next heat participants should start getting ready to work or run.
What is the $2, non-refundable fee when I register?
Starting in 2023, MotorsportReg (MSR) charges this $2 booking service fee to all event registrants, this is not a DRSCCA fee and we cannot refund it for that reason.
MSR offers event insurance that will give you a refund if you cannot attend an event, this is not a refund from DRSCCA and you will have to choose for yourself if you purchase this option and work with MSR to receive any refund requested through this method. DRSCCA does not offer refunds once event registration has closed, cancelling your registration prior to event registration closing requires you to email the event registrar or chair asking for a refund, you will not be refunded the $2 MSR fee.
What are season points?
While you may find many local clubs that host autocross style events, the SCCA tracks results across multiple events in a season, similar to how other motorsport governing bodies track driver standings.
Season points are earned by drivers based on where they finish in an event and are tracked across the entire season. At the end of the season, the driver in a class with the most points wins that class.
A season is one calendar year.
Class winners are awarded special trophies at the Detroit Region year-end banquet.
You must be a full-time SCCA member to qualify for points and season end awards.
If you are an SCCA member, you must drive a minimum number of events in each season to qualify for a class trophy, usually this is >50% of events in a season.
What are Nationals, ProSolo, and other events I hear people talk about?
You can find an explanation of the autocross competition levels here.
