Northern California Racing Club

What paperwork do I need?: Here's our Registration page - we'd like you to register online if at all possible. It'll show you the payment process too, either by check, credit card, or PayPal. You'll need to fill that out to get registered for the event. Once at the track, you'll be asked to sign an insurance waiver, and then you're set to go. If for some reason the online form isn't working and you want to mail in the form with a check, just print out the registration page and fill it out by hand.

Here's our Tech Form, you'll be responsible for tech on your car. Check all the items on this list, and ensure your car is in good working order before coming to a track event. Bring the completed and signed sheet to the track with you. We may do a minor tech at the track, but you (or your mechanic) are responsible for the major tech. If you are a long-standing NCRC member, you may do an Annual Tech, allowing you to avoid bringing in a tech form for each event.
What's the difference between NCRC and ARC?: NCRC is the name under which we run Open Track events. This is where everyone from a complete novice, to very experienced drivers typically drive their street cars on the track. ARC is our Race Series, where licensed racers with full race-equipped cars, race wheel to wheel. ARC races happen during one run group at an NCRC event, so if you're signed up for weekend NCRC events you'll periodically see a race!
How do I join NCRC or renew my membership?: Annual club membership is $40 (good for a year from when you pay it), whether you're an open tracker or a racer. Membership entitles you to register for all events the club holds. You can chose whether to become a club member or pay an extra $10 per day when you register for each event - it doesn't matter to us. Use the online Event Registration page to join the club or renew your membership as you register for an event.

Once you're registered, you'll receive periodic club information via email and periodically US Mail. If for some reason you think you haven't been receiving any notices, please send Dave a note and he'll check it out. Non-members are welcome to add their name to our mailing list for new events (at the bottom of the events page), though we open them to members a bit earlier than the general public.

To renew your club membership, or simply update your records with us, click here.
What are the different activities NCRC puts on?: Descriptions of the types of activities, car groupings are available here.
What is your Driving School?: The NCRC Driving School is intended for a complete novice driver with zero track days. The focus of the school is on safety and learning the driving protocols more than driving technique. There are five track sessions for the school, the same as for the other Open Track groups.

The school consists of three classroom sessions with three corresponding track exercises, followed by two additional open track sessions. The exercises are: 1) driving the line, 2) passing, and 3) flags. There are no instructors in student cars, though instructors are on track in their own cars helping with the exercises. We talk about driving techniques in the classroom sessions, but do not have specific on track exercises on braking, apexes, shifting, etc.
What kind of car do I need?: Any car in good working order will function well on the track. We do require that cars be in good visual condition as well, and do not allow "project cars" with missing body panels, body damage, primer, etc. We do not allow SUV's or other vehicles that will not handle safely on a track, but certainly a well-maintained street car is acceptable.
What's the "Broomstick Test"?: The Broomstick Test is used to see if your convertible's rollover protection has any chance of working. It's easy to check at home, and you should be prepared to be checked by the stewards at the track:

- Put your helmet on and sit in the driver's seat of your car
- Lay one end of a stick on top of the windshield, and the other on top of the roll hoop or bar behind your seat
- The top of your helmet should not be higher than the stick
What does it cost?: NCRC/ARC membership is $40, renewed annually. We do have slightly higher non-member pricing for events as well. Event prices range from $99-$199 per day, depending on the track, date, etc. Actual prices for each event are listed on the Events page.
Will my car insurance cover track days?: As a general rule, no.

Back in '01 we spoke with two underwriters in great detail (State Farm and Allstate) about insurance coverage. They said the bottom line is coverage exists until the event gets competitive (usually defined as "timed"). So, going to a NCRC event your insurance covered you, but the minute *you participate* in any competitive exercise (including our own Time Trial events), your coverage was waived - at least with Allstate and State Farm.

Since mid '02 there have been a growing number of examples where claims, even from driver education events, were not covered at all. We've been seeing that insurance policies have changed their wording from "at a timed event" to "on a racing surface", meaning that any activity on a track is excluded.

The best advice is to read your policy carefully, and check with your insurance company for specific information as necessary. The above is just what NCRC was told in '01/02, which may not correspond to your policy. We also suggest looking into "umbrella" insurance policies to cover you from a broad set of potential situations you might run into with your car, not just an on-track collision.
What about "Track Day Insurance" carriers?: There are two that we are aware of. WSIB Motorsports Insurance will cover non-race drivers (i.e. in our school or open track groups) at NCRC events. Contact them directly for a quote. The other carrier is Lockton Affinity's with their HPDE insurance program. Unfortunately Lockton will not cover NCRC events as they don't allow timing or racing at the event, even if the driver is not participating in those activities.
Can I share a ride, or bring two cars?: Two drivers may of course use the same car and register independently for two different sessions. Equally, one driver may bring multiple cars, and run them in the same run group for different sessions.

NCRC discourages sharing a car in one event, and does not support two drivers sharing a session simply to split the cost and sessions two ways.

It is allowable under these specific circumstances. If the driver's spouse is interested in "trying out" open track driving, or "testing" the new car, it is acceptable to run a session or two instead of the primary driver. Alternatively, the driver's mechanic may run a session or two, for purposes of evaluating the car, again as a replacement for the primary driver's session. We call this "test-driving" (we used to call it "co-driving" but that wasn't descriptive of the intent). In both cases, the primary and alternate driver must run in the same run group, so please designate the run group level of the least experienced driver. Any alternate driver must be an NCRC member and sign the appropriate track and NCRC registration/waiver forms. Please send a note to Dave to confirm a test-drive request during registration. There will be a small fee to cover administration.
Can I have a passenger?: You may have a passenger for one or two track sessions, assuming you're not in the Driving School, a "Green" group (we sometimes have a Solo group with green wristbands for folks with very few track days) or in the Race group. Come to the registration desk to get a passenger wristband. Anyone on track must be 16 years or older, and wear a helmet. From 16 to 18 years of age, the passenger must have a parent or guardian at the track and sign a special release. If your passenger is an instructor, he may ride all day.
How do you handle cancelation and refunds?: From the time we receive your event payment until 7 days before the start of the event (when the gates open), a cancelation will cost you a $49 administration fee and the remainder of the event fee will be refunded. If you cancel within 7 days (168 hours) of the event, you will not receive any refund, and no credits are given. NCRC reserves the right to cancel an event due to other events beyond our control (driver cancelations, weather, safety issues, track related issues).

On weekend events, the cancelation deadline is the preceding Saturday at 6:30am, regardless of which day(s) you registered for.

Up to 72 hours before the event, your event fee is transferable to another driver, so if you do need to cancel, and have a friend that would like to take your spot (assuming we have room in his run-group), then you may transfer your registration fee to him, and a $15 administrative fee will be charged. Please let us know of this change before the event.
Can I camp at the track?: It depends on the track:
- At Thunderhill, we typically do not pay the extra fee to rent the paddock, but campers may use the area just outside the gates
- At Laguna Seca you should contact the track, they do provide camping but not in the paddock
- At Buttonwillow you can typically camp inside the paddock
- Check with Sears Point directly on their policy
Are there sound limits at the track?: Buttonwillow has no sound limit, Thunderhill is 103db, Infineon is 103db, and Laguna Seca is 92db.
How does your wait list work?: Our events do tend to fill up quite early, especially in the Driving School and Solo groups. We maintain a wait list for folks that register after a group is full, and put people in the event on a first-come-first-serve basis if we get a cancellation from the group.

We require registration and payment in advance to be placed on the wait list. You may cancel from this wait list at any time and receive full refund; simply send us an email request. But if we get you in to the event, and then you cancel after that, you will be subject to the same $49 administrative fee as described in our cancellation policy.
How do you define your run groups?: Unfortunately there is no consensus on group names across clubs, and even if you did match up the group names, there can be a big difference between an "advanced driver" in one club versus another. Our Open group has a reputation for being harder to get in to, and faster than many other club's advanced groups, for example. Our nomenclature is described at this link.
How do I move up to the next run group?: Once you're a member in a certain group (Solo or Point-By), you may request to be moved up a group only at an event. To do this, you should find an instructor at the event, and ask him for a ride-along to check you out for the next group. This ride-along should be done in the group you want to move up into. The instructor will approve the move, if it makes sense. Please understand we try to tightly control group memberships to avoid having anyone over-extend himself. The instructor has the final say in this decision.
How much does it cost to rent a track?: We often get asked what it costs to put on a track event. Well, here's the answer - it's not cheap!

We've posted a page here showing typical track costs in California, and encourage everyone to make intelligent judgments as to the cost of events versus the services rendered. We think NCRC has picked the "sweet spot" in this department.
Do you rent helmets or cars?: NCRC does not rent helmets. We may have a spare helmet at the track, so feel free to ask us, but you don't want to count on it. Thunderhill and Buttonwillow do have helmets for rent, but you should try to borrow one from a friend and bring it yourself if possible. Helmets must be SA-00 or SA M-00 or newer, and be full face helmets (no "shortie" motorcycle helmets allowed).

We do not rent cars either, but there are companies that do rent cars and have them available at the track for you. Some of them are listed on our Friends of NCRC page.
What books will help me get started or learn more about autocross or road racing?: First, go through our own track logistics pages. We've spent considerable time trying to get everything in one place that you'll need to know.

Here are some online resources:

The Navigator, by Dave Farnsworth, good reading on how to avoid that track "incident".

BMW CCA Golden Gate Chapter, Driving School presentation, by Jim Grinstead.

Nor Cal Shelby Club Open Track Handbooks, wonderful write-ups of all the turns, lines and tricks to our local tracks.

Spend some time reading over the flag descriptions. You'll definitely need to know these.

Here are some books you might find useful:

Secrets of Solo 1 and Solo 2, Henry Watts. Great intro to autox'ing and driving big tracks. Basic concepts covered, etiquette, and gives checklists for car prep and stuff you'll need at the track. A good read for beginners, and you can purchase it directly off our site.

Porsche High-Performance Driving Handbook, Vic Elford. One of the greatest Porsche drivers ever and gives insight into how to drive these cars (911->914->928->917), some atypical concepts are discussed (like off road driving, how to handle pot-holes, etc). Competition driving, braking, cornering, acceleration, etc are covered. Each chapter begins with one of his racing stories, which flows into the lesson. An intermediate driving book... unfortunately it's very Porsche centric and might not carry over well into other types of cars. Most of the book centers on 911/read-engine type cars, though other types are discussed.

Chassis Engineering, Herb Adams. If you're thinking about tweaking your suspension, this book is a must. Covers drag racing to road course setups. Introduces all types of chassis and suspension types, terms like sprung/unsprung weight, aerodynamic effects, even shows how to calculate performance improvements based on lightening the car. Written by an engineer.

How To Make Your Car Handle, Fred Puhn. Right there with Chassis Engineering in terms of quality. Lots of formulas and advice on how to setup your car for whatever purpose you have in mind (oval, drags, off-road, road course, etc). Great for tips and tricks for us 'non professional' types. Can get kind of technical. Read this when Chassis Engineering isn't quite enough.

High Performance Driving, Bob Bondurant with John Blakemore. Good stuff on how to drive a track. Acceleration, braking, late/early apex, shifting, etc. Nothing radically different in this book that other driving books. An easy read, good pictures, and conveys the point. I'd say it's the basic level of driving/racing training.

Drive to Win - The Essential Guide to Race Driving, Carroll Smith. One of Smith's series of good books, he writes with an easy style, and has great knowledge. This book could easily be named "Zen and the Art of Race Driving" - there's a fair bit on the "people" side of racing, as well as the technical stuff.

Going Faster, the Skip Barber Racing School. A very comprehensive book covering all aspects of racing and driving, from car control to finding the line to car setup to driving in competition. Its theory and physics are explained in a very readable and entertaining format. Interspersed within the text are various anecdotes from several successful drivers. "I've read a lot of the classics also mentioned above on this web page ("How to Make Your Car Handle", the " ____ to Win" Carroll Smith series, etc...), and if I only had one book on driving this would be it." Amazon.com has several sample pages online.
Who do I contact with questions or issues about NCRC or ARC?: Luc Noel and Dave Mills run NCRC. You can contact either of us, at luc@ncracing.org or dave@ncracing.org, or during office hours you can call Dave at (916) 983-2653, or Luc at (805) 238-1093.

What do I do if my question wasn't in this FAQ?

Sorry about that. You can enter the question below, include your email address, and we'll answer it.