Club Racing Experience
What is the New England Region Club Racing Experience?
The Club Racing Experience (CRE) in New England Region SCCA is back for 2024. Every year we have drivers of all ages gain experience racing in wheel-to-wheel sports car competition, learn about race craft, accumulate track the time and race starts needed to earn their competition license, and just have fun!
We invite you to join us at the race track in 2024 to experience wheel-to-wheel racing. There are four CRE weekend events scheduled at three different tracks:
- May 11-12 in Palmer, Massachusetts
- July 6 in Thompson, Connecticut
- July 27-28 in Loudon, New Hampshire
- September 7-8 in Palmer, Massachusetts
Who can race in the CRE events?
Participation is open to any SCCA regular or weekend member. No special doctor’s physical examination or competition license are required. Everyone 18 years or older with a valid driver’s license or young members between ages of 14-17 years old who hold a valid SCCA Novice Permit are eligible. Participating members must attest to their good health, sign both track and club waivers, have a race car that passes tech inspection, and wear all the required driver’s safety gear.
Members who have previously enjoyed the Club Racing Experience include:
- Drivers having experience in various high performance driver education events (HPDE) who want to “test the waters” in competitive wheel-to-wheel racing,
- Novice racing drivers simply trying to gain more track time and experience doing race starts,
- Experienced racers who competed in other sanctioning body events, including stock car, vintage/historic, and endurance road racing, but have not yet tried SCCA,
- Experienced drivers testing or considering the purchase of a new or different race car,
- Autocross, Road Rally, Rally Cross, and Time Trial drivers looking for the next step up, and
- Lucky family members, car sponsors, and crew/team members who receive their CRE participation as a gift or reward from licensed competition drivers.
What do I need for a car?
Vehicles are intended to be production-based automobiles with a performance level equal to or less than that of cars in the Road Racing classes Improved Touring R, Grand Touring 3, Touring 3, E Production, B Spec, and Spec Racer Fords. Race cars must satisfy the SCCA sports car racing safety standards, although they do not need to be legal for any particular class. The cars do not need a SCCA logbook, but are required to pass inspection to verify they meet minimum safety requirements. Most track day cars with a six-point competition roll cage can be used when equipped with appropriate in-car safety gear.
What do I need for personal safety gear?
The helmet, driver’s suit, and other personal safety gear requirements are the same as for regular road racing. Often everything you need to participate in this event can be borrowed or rented.
What makes this different from a traditional club racing event?
There is less aggressive racing in the CRE group, much more in line with vintage or low-buck racing series which have much more strict guidelines and expectations when it comes to on-track behavior. The “rules of the road” used are what are commonly called 13/13 in some organizations. Passing is allowed anywhere on the track without a point by, but if drivers go off-track during a session, they may be directed to stop in pit lane to chat with an instructor just to make sure everything is okay. If a driver has an “at fault” incident, s/he will be counseled on how to be more careful. If a driver has a second incident, s/he will likely be asked to park the car. The entire idea is to have fun, avoid injury to participants or damage to their cars, all while experiencing this very exciting sport from the driver’s seat! Participants must attend training sessions before and after their on-track driving experiences. They are also responsible for recording their participation in an SCCA Racing Experience Logbook. Logbooks will be issued by SCCA Stewards or Registrars at the event.
The SCCA rules document for CRE can be found here.
How much does this cost and what do I get for it?
The cost of 2024 CRE is $300-350 for most weekends. Participants get two exciting days of on-and-off track enjoyment. The CRE rotates as a separate run group on these club racing weekends, and depending on the weekend circumstances participants should be on track 4 times during the event. The first session is a practice session and the remaining sessions will usually be timed races. The July Thompson event is a one day and will have three sessions and cost less. That event is NER’s annual night race, but all CRE session will be in daylight.
Okay I want to do this, what do I do next?
Beg, borrow, rent or buy a race car and other personal safety gear (helmet, race driver’s fire suit, gloves, shoes, etc.), then sign up for the next CRE event on MotorsportReg. Keep in mind registration normally opens about three weeks before the scheduled event. All of the paperwork you’ll need to sign, including regular or weekend memberships, will be available when you get to the track. Don’t forget to check out the Road Racing Schedule and Supplementary Regulations, and tell your friends what you’ll be up to on social media!
