Motor Sports 🇺🇸United States21st century

Autocross

Officially Autocross / Solo (SCCA — Sports Car Club of America)

GRASSROOTS MOTORSPORT where drivers race their PASSENGER CARS solo (one at a time) through a TIGHT CONE-MARKED COURSE on a LARGE PARKING LOT — timed to 0.001 sec. Signature format is 30-90 sec runs; TIME PENALTIES for hitting cones. SCCA Solo National Championship (USA) since 1973 has 1000+ competitors annually. Ultra-accessible entry-level motorsport: uses street-legal cars, no roll cage required, cheap event fees ($30-50). Broad classes accommodate everything from FIAT 500 to CORVETTE Z06.

📐LARGE FLAT PAVED SURFACE (mall parking lot, stadium lot, airport apron, closed racetrack pit lane)⏱~60 min🌤outdoor

Quick facts

How it works

Objective

Complete tight cone-marked course in FASTEST TIME (with penalty seconds for cones hit).

Rules

Basic rules

TIGHT COURSE: 700-1500 m long, marked by 100+ cones — sharp turns, chicanes, slaloms, offset gates
Signature tight cone course.
SOLO RUNS: one car at a time; timed to 0.001 sec via electronic beam
Signature solo timed format.
PENALTIES: 2-SEC per cone hit; DNF for missed section
Signature 2-sec cone penalty.
CLASSES: 30+ SCCA classes based on CAR + MODIFICATIONS: Stock (S1-STR), Street Touring (STC-STU), Prepared, Modified — creates level playing field
Signature 30+ class system.
RUN OFFS: several class-winners compete for OVERALL FASTEST
Signature multi-class run-off.
COURSE WORKERS: participants take turns as course workers (marking cone hits) — encourages community
Signature community-worker rotation.
FUN RUNS: additional non-scored runs after competitive rounds
Signature fun runs.
ACCESSIBLE ENTRY: novice + junior programs; women's + youth categories
Signature novice program.

Scoring

Fastest run (of 3-4) in class; overall by class-normalized score at Nationals.

Win condition · Fastest total time in class.

Playing area

Called

LARGE FLAT PAVED SURFACE (mall parking lot, stadium lot, airport apron, closed racetrack pit lane)

Dimensions

Course 700-1500 m long marked by 100-300 orange traffic cones

Equipment

STREET-LEGAL CAR (any make/model — Miata, Corvette, Civic, WRX popular)
Signature street-car eligibility.
HELMET (SA-rated Snell approved)
Standard SCCA helmet requirement.
SEATBELT (car OEM) + optional HANS device for higher classes
Standard belt + HANS.
GRIPPY TIRES (200 treadwear or better) recommended
Signature good tires.
NO ROLL CAGE REQUIRED (accessible entry-level)
Signature no-roll-cage exception.

Terminology

Solo: SCCA's name for autocross events.
Cone: Orange traffic cone marking course; hit = 2-sec penalty.
Course worker: Volunteer who monitors + resets cones; participants rotate through role.
STR / STU / SS / etc.: SCCA class codes for car categories.
Fun run: Extra non-scored practice runs post-competition.
ProSolo: Professional-tour drag-race-format autocross.
DNF: Did Not Finish — off course, missed section, etc.

Major competitions

SCCA Solo National Championship (Lincoln Airpark, NE)
annual (Sept) · USA · since 1973
SCCA ProSolo Series
seasonal · USA · since 1987
UK Autotest Championship (MSA)
annual · United Kingdom · since 1979
SCCA Solo Divisional Championships
annual · USA (5+ regions) · since 1975

Where it is played

Governing bodies

SCCA — Sports Car Club of America
Founded 1944 · Topeka, KS, USA
MSA — Motorsports Association (UK Autotest)
Founded 1928 · Colnbrook, UK
FIA — Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (international recognition)
Founded 1904 · Paris, France

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

Randy Pobst (US, 8× SCCA National Champion)
Chase Wooten (US, Solo National Champ multi-year)
Steve Kepler (US, multi-decade champion)

Sources & provenance

Wikipedia — Autocross— Wikipedia
SCCA Solo official— SCCA

Last verified 2026-08-28.verified