The first question every new autocrosser asks is, “What class am I in?” This is an important question, because cars are classed based on performance potential, and what modifications have been done to it, so that driver skill can be more directly compared. You’ll need to determine your car’s class before you can register.
Tidewater Sports Car Club uses SCCA classing. This structure divides cars up first by preparation level, and then by individual makes/models of cars. Only cars that meet all allowances for a given class are permitted to run in that class. To determine your class, first make a list of all the modifications that have been done to your car, and go through the list to find the lowest-prepped class with those allowances. Even a single mod may bump you to a higher class.
Note we have a few TSCC-Specific supplemental classes, explanations of those classes and how they differ from SCCA rules can be seen HERE.
When registering for your first event, feel free to sign up as RTE and we will figure out where your car belongs either ahead of time or on the morning of the event at registration. The rulebook can be overwhelming to a newcomer.
Every car eligible for SCCA competition is listed in Appendix A of the SCCA Rulebook. Competitors are encouraged to review the actual classing rules, especially if a lot of work has been done to the car. If you have a question about classing, please contact operations@tidewatersportscarclub.com and we’ll help find the class most appropriate for your car. If in doubt, it’s better to err high; virtually all cars are eligible to compete for X-Prepared (XP), for example, even if they would more appropriately be in Street Touring or Street Prepared. A link to the 2024 PAX/RTP multipliers can be found HERE.
TSCC Novice class is an aggregated “indexed class” based on a handicap factor called “PAX/RTP” that is applied to each competitors time. When you get your timeslip after a run, you’ll see two times: your raw time and your pax time. The pax time is what counts for championship purposes. So, you could very well see a skilled driver in a Prius beat another driver in an open wheeled formula car, even though the formula car may have a much faster raw time.