You have to trust the car
My first SCCA SOLO event: a borrowed trailer, four cars, and my son's advice that I was driving too timidly. A full day of motorsports for sixty dollars.
What happened
Marc lent us a trailer from Adam Bomb Racing and we headed out for my first SCCA SOLO event. That single detail — a trailer from a friend — is what made the day possible.
I drove the 1994 SVT Cobra. My son drove his 1991 Nissan 300ZX, Johnny drove his Civic, and another one of the boys ran a BMW E46 rental car from Adam Bomb Racing.
I was the slowest of the group. My son's diagnosis came straight away: 'You got to trust the car.' I was driving too timidly.
The event staff were welcoming and accommodating, right down to helmets you can borrow if you do not have your own. All of it came to $60 with an SCCA membership — a genuinely cheap day of motorsports.
What I learned
- —Timid driving is its own limit. My son's 'trust the car' was the whole lesson of the day.
- —SOLO is one of the most accessible doors into motorsports: $60 with an SCCA membership, borrowed helmets, and staff who make a first-timer welcome.
- —Being the slowest is information, not embarrassment. The cone course tells you exactly where you hesitated.
- —A friend's trailer and a rental car made a day possible for the four of us.
The car
I ran the 1994 SVT Cobra — the same street car I was still learning on — while the crew ran a 1991 Nissan 300ZX, a Civic, and an Adam Bomb Racing BMW E46 rental. Four very different cars at the same event made the contrast easy to feel.
The people
Marc Freire lent the trailer that got us there. My son drove his own 300ZX and handed me the quote of the day. Johnny brought his Civic, another one of the boys drove an Adam Bomb Racing BMW E46 rental, and the event staff made the whole thing welcoming.
From the day
Videos from the day
Next improvement
Stop driving timidly. Commit to the cone course, trust the car, and keep using SOLO as an affordable place to build that confidence.