Classic American Muscle (CAM) is now entering its 4th Year as an official SCCA Solo Category and has proven to be a runaway success in the CAM-S and CAM-C programs, with CAM-T being mostly along for the ride, but still figurehead of the class idea.
I know CAM was under heavy fire from old hardcore solo competitors when it first came to be a part of the Solo program, but CAM has proven without a doubt that it’s a popular formula. A formula that brings in and retains members who build multi-use cars and some cars that just don’t fit the standard mold for a national solo class as they exist.
No “boogeyman” has come to fruition despite constant rumors and fears. Why? Because the rule makers for CAM have pushed back with quick rule changes when the threat of a boogeyman appears. A Jeep-Vette that was being built and then had rules written to be outlawed in CAM-S before it could ever show up comes to mind. This discourages building a car to the rules. because it could be extremely expensive to build a car for CAM to have it immediately be disqualified.
The Street Touring Pony (STP) supplemental class has come and gone in the time CAM has existed probably due, in part, to the success of CAM. For 2019, STP will not be at Solo Nationals. This is the life of some supplemental classes. Sometimes they just don’t work or catch on for one reason or another and they are put out to pasture. This is most certainly NOT the case with CAM.
CAM makes a great case for itself as a regional development tool. In 2018 I put together class participation numbers for CAM in every region in the SCCA Southwest Division. Texas region had the largest CAM participation each event. But they also have the largest average event attendance in the division 9 events with 12.4 CAM & 145 Total Average event participation. The 2nd highest number of CAM competitors per event was West Texas region with 9 events, 8 CAM cars per event and 37 total average competitors per event. Over 20% of the competitors in an event being in CAM? That’s awesome and a testament to how popular the class structure is.
If CAM is to be a forever supplemental class and stay in the current configuration run by Raleigh Boreen, there’s nothing wrong with that, except it needs to be removed from Solo Nationals. Have the penultimate event of their series the weekend before Solo Nationals alongside the ProSolo Finale, but don’t continue to have it be a part of Solo Nationals, because it isn’t a class that should be there in current form.
To be clear, I want more classes like CAM. The open rules concept is great because it gets away from some of the restrictive structure that hurts SCCA in retaining members at a regional level. It’s a very inviting format and I definitely want to see similar classes for FWD, AWD and RWD cars that can’t compete in CAM. However, if more classes were to come to fruition, I would want to see them run by an Advisory Committee and not by one person making changes on the fly.
With the 2019 Solo season about to begin and Solo Nationals at the breaking point in terms of participant numbers for a 4-day event. We have a supplemental class going into its 5th year that could possibly prevent people from participating in non-supplementary National Solo Classes at SOLO NATIONALS. But above all else, we have a class at solo nationals that has exceeded the Supplemental class time-frame and will still not crown a National Champion.
If a class is not going to be run in the same form as the rest of Solo, with SEB involvement, an AC consisting of competitors, rules changes that are open for comment by the membership, and ultimately crowning a National Champion each year, it should not be a part of the Solo National Championships. I am all for creating a fun and inviting atmosphere at Solo Nationals, but ultimately the highlight of the week is the tight competition that results in crowning national champions. Either being in the battles or witnessing them in your class.
CAM needs to be a full-fledged part of the National Solo program, or it needs step aside fully to do its own thing fully separate from National Solo. I would much rather see the first, I would rather see CAM transitioned away from the national office and into the control of its competitors and the SEB. My hope is that this piece will help take that conversation and bring it to the table on a national level, so the CAM competitors might take control of their own class and define the future of CAM on their own terms.
You may or may not have seen discussion about a proposed change to dissolve Ladies classes and replace them with a “Club” Class. The primary people behind this movement are Heidi Ellison and Rachel Baker, so NAXN has invited them to detail their reasoning behind the proposal. We also invite anyone with a counter argument to reach out to us. Reasonable discourse has the ability to improve our sport for everyone involved.
Rachel smiles from under her wide brim hat and reminds me that the showcase drops off at the bottom as the clipboard guy moves out of my way and I ease out of grid. Michelle makes eye contact and throws up the “V” sign as my co driver reminds me the car feels perfect and to trust it as he turns on the camera and moves his toes out of the way. Jen turns, locks eyes with me and says, “No reason.” I lock back, “No reason.” There’s no reason I can’t compete with these guys and that I can’t drive just as fast, I think all the way to the line. A karter girl runs up fresh from her win, quickly fist bumps me and says, “you got this!” I go out feeling nervous, empowered and supported.
I’ve always been a strong person. As a girl I played sports with boys and equally embraced my femininity. Coming from another club with the highest participation of women of all the local clubs and no gender division, I did well in Open in 2014. Yet somehow it still happened. I got pressured into ladies’ class without even realizing it. “Oh, you’ll do really well in Ladies” people said, “here’s a free seat for Ladies’” and “here’s our main lady, you can totally beat her in Ladies’”. “Come drive with us because this is where you belong.” I started to feel like I couldn’t be as good as the guys. I didn’t see any female role models in Open, no one who looked like me. I got trapped in this kind of box. -Heidi
Rachel Baker running B-Street Open
Ladies class… right, that’s where I drive because I’m a female. Yes, there is an option to run open, but how was I to know that that was for me, seeing almost no women running there? Not until a few of my male mentors told me how they believed in me and told me I could run open did I actually go there. I’ve never been interested in being “one of the guys” but some of my favorite hobbies are male dominated.
Am I “too female” to autocross? I wear dresses and fancy hats. The car certainly doesn’t care what I’m wearing. If men and women were all running together I would have seen all the support available sooner and not separated myself from it. I have met some of my dearest friends at autocross and not because we ran the same class. It’s so rewarding to have people of all genders come up and wish me luck, congratulate me, tell me they believe in me, or ask for my help. We all love this sport and making everyone feel supported together is the best way to grow it. -Rachel
Women make up 15% of autocrossers. 79% of those choose to run in Ladies’ class where 4 drivers can share a car, and there is the possibility of easier contingencies and Championships. Men aren’t allowed. As we look into the system that has been in place since 1973, let’s try to examine the data as objectively as possible like autocrossers do, devoid of emotion, while recognizing that some have a personal stake. Let’s set aside any bias and keep the greater significance of women’s roles in Motorsports in mind. We respect the history of the program and recognize our different experiences and backgrounds; however, if we pool our resources and strengths together we can begin to look forward, not only for us but also for the girls and women coming into the sport. Everyone’s opinion on our classing system counts. It’s not fair for anyone to decide the worth of one woman’s view over another, nor to devalue those of men, as this issue affects us all. There is a fatal flaw in only letting women running Ladies’ classes have their voices heard, as they are direct recipients of the benefits which aren’t available to or chosen by everyone. This doesn’t mean we don’t believe in women, quite the opposite, it means we do.
Ladies’ classes don’t support all women in autocross, they only support those who opt to be separated. This separation makes the women who choose to run Open anomalies, going against the lady-grain and many are continually pressured back. It marginalizes us literally and figuratively, even if by choice. Ladies’ classes are the manifestation of accepting negative traits, projecting them onto all of us and reinforcing the falsity that we can’t drive as well, handle the pressure of competing with everyone, and that men are inherently harmful creatures. The “just leave us alone” tactic doesn’t work, not only because the “biological weaknesses” and “nurture deficiencies” excuses get projected onto all women in autocross, but because the class and its benefits (4 in a car, lower bar for Challenges, etc.) lock out the majority of members based on a driver’s license gender designation, which is being expanded from F and M in some states. This divisiveness multiplies and becomes kind of “Handmaid’s Tale-y” when you add in the narrative being officially whispered to us… “women need a gentler approach”, “husbands and bf’s please don’t scare your lady on ride alongs”, “Ladies, karters are the future-remember this is a family sport”, “Open is the men’s class”, “focus on fun not data”, “camaraderie, not driving”. It becomes this vortex where we aren’t surrounded by diverse mentors, talent, and competitors, and the issues we have in general as women get compounded and we end up limiting our potential.
Our current class structure leads to a tiny fraction of top female drivers vying in Open at Tours, where they often can’t make class numbers in ladies, and then “cleaning up” in Pro L classes. Some justify this by saying it’s “to support their team” and while we understand racing is expensive, it’s expensive for everyone. Using gender as a qualifier leads to car owners trying to fill their Open seats with only men and asking women to take the easier chances at contingencies in Ladies’, and persistent pressure from other women to help fill classes so they can win. This dynamic creates an imbalance and contributes to an unspoken hierarchy where women have been referred to as “golden gooses” and make us “less valued” for Open seats. We support all women wherever they choose to drive, however the issue is with the unfairness and the negative effects of that system, especially on women. Many say Ladies’ classes helped them when they started, but that was the only system in place. The number of participants running Ladies’ classes are on a downward trend and women in Open on the rise. Mazda is leading the support and encouraging this trend with a new contingency in 2018 for women running Open. Women don’t need separate Ladies’ classes to start autocrossing, they just need to see women.
Picture a new landscape where we all compete alongside each other but still have choices. Women in autocross are still a minority and we want to preserve the positive aspects of ladies class, but in the form of support, not exclusion-ism, a tactic often used against us. We should begin to set up a viable transition away from this antiquated system. Let’s build strong, encouraging women’s groups that focus on us as drivers with data sharing and course walks, as well as camaraderie. We need to develop mentoring programs, replace lady-contingencies with need-based lady scholarships, develop recruitment programs that focus not only on wives and girlfriends on the sidelines, but reach women likely to have an interest and aptitude such as in engineering schools, car clubs, IT and automotive programs. Let’s get women into visible positions in our clubs as instructors, novice chiefs, safety stewards, board members, and role models competing together and not off in the margins. We can recognize our differences while focusing on our strengths. Women tend to be better listeners, have better memories, lower body weight, think in a web (watch the tree, contemplate course layout, driving plan), multitask better, be less ego-driven, connect both sides of our brains better, have more acute senses in sight, sound and touch (which helps to read in-car data), and are more flexible in learning. These attributes enable us to train in the strengths we lack. We appreciate that the old system was relevant in the 1970’s, but it doesn’t mean we need to hold on to it forever. Let’s align in practice with the new Welcoming Environment Statement and work towards a class system defined by car parts not body parts, and we ask that you support this ideology as we work the details out together. Sometimes you have to think outside of your box and make a change.
Every member’s voice matters. If you want to work towards a non-gender classing system please submit a letter to https://www.crbscca.com (Solo Events Board, EO, Title: Support for Non-gender Based Classing).
Rachel Baker & Heidi K. Ellison #DrivingForwardTogether
This past weekend Lake Superior SCCA hosted a seemingly innocuous regional event. The region hosted a two-day event at one of their usual sites, Sawyer International Airport, a former Strategic Air Command B-52 base similar to Lincoln Air Park. The courses used are drawing some attention. Thanks to the SCCA releasing the Nationals course maps early this year, the region was able to run the West Course on Saturday and the East Course on Sunday. Comparing the video to the published map shows they did a good job creating their clone courses.
Obviously, this opens up questions of competitive advantage. Six attendees of the event are also registered for Solo Nationals next week.
Solo Rule Book reads:
4.9 CONFLICT OF INTEREST
No person may compete who has pre-run through all or any part of the course, in or on any wheeled vehicle, except a competitor with a physical disability that impairs his/her ability to walk may, with the approval of the Chief Steward, use a wheelchair or similar aid traveling at normal walking speed to accomplish the requirements of Section 6.3. All event officials, whether competing in the event or not, must use caution to avoid individual conflict of interest situations during the event.
This certainly falls in a gray area. In my opinion, it is not within the spirit of the sport. However, I do not feel the competitors should be punished. As much as we talk about and enjoy the social side of the autocross community, this is still motorsport and competitors will seek out every advantage available to them. Ultimately, the SCCA enabled this behavior by releasing the course maps early, and the Lake Superior Region further aided by deciding to actually using the courses prior to Nationals. I would hope nothing like this happens again.
The recent discussion about the course design at the Colorado Champ Tour got me thinking about safety and how we handle post-incident information.
I have been autocrossing for close to 12 years, and for most that time I must admit that safety has not been something that concerned me. That is not to say that I want things unsafe or I disliked the rules in place, but I started autocrossing because it was a “safe” motorsport. Other than working the occasional poorly placed corner station (during which I chose to reposition myself), I have never personally felt unsafe while at an SCCA event.
The system in place seems to work well both regionally and nationally. Many people have taken an interest in being a Solo Safety Steward (SSS), and I hope to join them in the future. The events I have attended have always had a SSS featured prominently, and their duty is clear.
Incidents do happen. I’ve seen mechanical failures at speed, fires, cars that tipped over, you name it. This leads to the issue at hand. How do we learn for these accidents, incidents, or observations?
After the dust has settled on an incident, while the SSS is off filling out paperwork, the general response to the competitors is “Don’t share this on social media. Keep this quiet.” That motivation has merit, we don’t need photos of a burned-up car circulating the internet and skewing the perception of what is an extremely safe sport. There are insurance companies, sponsors, site owners, etc. that must be considered when releasing these events out into the world. However, we must not be afraid to disseminate information from these incidents to the members of the community and, in particular, the SSSs around the country that can prevent the next occurrence.
In a previous life, I was a professional pilot, and accident review was an essential part of continuous education. Accidents were studied and the error chains were analyzed. That study made me a better pilot; and as a whole, the aviation industry became safer because it adopted this practice. There is room for similar action in autocross.
A while back, I won’t get too specific, a car came of course after a run and pulled into grid. As it slowed, you could hear people shouting “Fire!”. The driver exited the vehicle safely and someone was already running with the grid fire extinguisher to help put out the fire. As more people arrived with fire extinguishers to assist, the fire continued to burn in the engine compartment. Probably ten fire extinguishers were exhausted on the hood, the wheel well and under the car, before someone had the good sense to smash a hole in the hood with a sledgehammer. Once there was access to engine compartment the fire was out in seconds.
Someone with safety training for road racing would have known what to do immediately. But for a bunch of autocrossers whose typical emergency is their sprayer ran out of water, it was foreign territory. I’m guessing most people haven’t even used a fire extinguisher. In my opinion, a detailed account of this incident should have gone out via email to every SSS in the county within a week so they could educate themselves and their region’s members.
This brings us back to the Colorado Tour. I was not at the event but I have run at the site in the past, and like many sites in the country it has some contours that can upset the car. This year both the Day 1 and Day 2 courses went over a large bump at speeds over 60 miles per hour. Many cars sustained damage and competitors were ultimately concerned about safety as their cars were potentially uncontrollable as they left the ground and came back down. It does not serve to cast blame, but I think organizers, course designers, safety stewards, and competitors in Colorado and around the country can learn from this issue, provided that the details are disseminated to the different regions. I will let someone else get into the specifics of what was done vs what should have been done. Hopefully the final details can be spread and help establish a precedent for similar situations in the future.
The information sharing of incidents that occur at the regional and national level can only help our sport and its safety. Perhaps a discussion group of Solo Safety Stewards during Nationals can be a start. Until then, be safe out there.
Classic American Muscle (CAM) is now entering its 4th Year as an official SCCA Solo Category and has proven to be a runaway success in the CAM-S and CAM-C programs, with CAM-T being mostly along for the ride, but still figurehead of the class idea.
No “boogeyman” has come to fruition despite constant rumors and fears. Why? Because the rule makers for CAM have pushed back with quick rule changes when the threat of a boogeyman appears. A Jeep-Vette that was being built and then had rules written to be outlawed in CAM-S before it could ever show up comes to mind. This discourages building a car to the rules. because it could be extremely expensive to build a car for CAM to have it immediately be disqualified.
If CAM is to be a forever supplemental class and stay in the current configuration run by Raleigh Boreen, there’s nothing wrong with that, except it needs to be removed from Solo Nationals. Have the penultimate event of their series the weekend before Solo Nationals alongside the ProSolo Finale, but don’t continue to have it be a part of Solo Nationals, because it isn’t a class that should be there in current form.
If a class is not going to be run in the same form as the rest of Solo, with SEB involvement, an AC consisting of competitors, rules changes that are open for comment by the membership, and ultimately crowning a National Champion each year, it should not be a part of the Solo National Championships. I am all for creating a fun and inviting atmosphere at Solo Nationals, but ultimately the highlight of the week is the tight competition that results in crowning national champions. Either being in the battles or witnessing them in your class.
