Solo
About Reno Solo
“Solo®” is the brand name for SCCA® Autocross and on paper it seems very simple – use traffic cones to make a mini-roadcourse in a parking lot or airport and see who can get the lowest time without hitting any cones or going off course.
Despite the low overall speeds attained during competition, it’s one of the most intense, rapid-fire forms of motorsports you can enter, with barriers to entry low enough that many drivers are able to be quite competitive at it.
Competitors range from the casual participant who may use the same car that they drive daily to work to the hard-core driver who has a dedicated competition car, special tires, and uses lots of vacation days to squeak out every last fraction of a second. In between the extremes, there are levels and classes for different degrees of car modification. There are even classes for ladies.
Whatever your level or car – there is a place for you in SCCA Solo.
Helpful Links
SCCA Solo Autocross General Information
Reno SCCA - 2024 Supplemental Regulations
Pricing
Entry Fee - $40
Weekend Membership (if not an active SCCA member) - $20
All drivers at Solo events are required to be SCCA members. We have weekend memberships available for newcomers and those without an SCCA membership.
Event Flow
Standard Schedule - Two Run Groups
7:30AM - Event registration check-in opens. Course open for walking.
8:45AM - Registration check-in closes. Tech inspection closes shortly after.
9:00AM - Driver's meeting - General event and safety overview.
First car is on course no earlier than 9:15AM.
Run Group Switch - 15 to 20 minute break after first run group finishes.
Event End - Before 3:00PM
Our events are always on weekends and are almost always both days, scored independently. In a two-run-group format, half the drivers go to their cars to get ready and the other half goes to the work assignments. In autocross, drivers also assist with the event, such as course workers, grid, and starter. Each group runs for roughly two hours, which is about three to five runs. We always aim for five runs, but high attendance and course design may limit runs to three or four.
Here in Reno, we primarily race at the Regional Public Safety Training Center. Even though it is a small site we can do courses upwards of 45 seconds and have sections with speeds upwards of 50 mph, more or less depending on the car. We generally race six to eight weekends per year between April and October, rain or shine. We usually have around 70 drivers, with a large variety of cars.
Newcomers
For first-timers and novices, please note the following items for your first event:
Helmet - We recommend you bring your helmet if it meets the minimum rating set by SCCA.
Car - Your car will go through a basic safety tech inspection. For a list of items we check for, check our Annual Tech Inspection form (the form is not required to be filled out).
Car Numbers and Letters - Whether car magnets, masking tape, or numbers provided at registration, they must be large enough and contrast against the paint of the car. Both the car numbers and class must be visible on the left and right sides of the car.
Snacks, water, sunscreen, etc. - We will be outside for several hours, usually in summer temperatures. Be prepared!
Competition Info
The rules are pretty simple. Go slow in the grid area, go fast on the course. The goal is the lowest time, cones count for one second each so stay clear of those. We score every event. There is an overall PAX championship and group championships. What is PAX? It is sort of like a handicap, each car fits into a "class" depending on the model as well as modifications done. Each "class" has a specific handicap number, or PAX factor, that is multiplied to your raw time to get an indexed time. There are a couple of local classes, novice and vintage, that do not have a PAX factor but other than that every class has one. Winning the PAX championship is highest achievement and gives the most bragging rights. The group championships also use the index time but instead of competing against everyone you only compete against your group and several others that we think give the best competition. The group composition changes every year; we are trying to make sure every group has enough competitive people to keep things fun. Both championships are scored out of 1000 points. 1st place gets the full 1000 points, everyone gets points based on the percentage off 1st. That means if we have a course where 1st place gets 30.000 seconds, and 2nd gets 30.100 seconds, this means 1st gets 1000 points, and 2nd gets 997 points. This scoring method keeps the championship interesting throughout the season. For more details about our competition setup, see the Reno SCCA Supplemental Regulations.