Devens National Tour
- How does this work exactly?
- This is not your usual Sunday autocross. National Tour events are designed to simulate the National Championship event. You get three runs on each day (Sunday's course is different than Saturday), and your best run of each day add together for your final time. This event typically draws the most competitive drivers in a 600 mile (and farther) radius, so the times in most classes can be very close. You need to be an SCCA member to participate in a National Tour event. (The tour is a points event for NER participants.)
- Do I have to be there for registration and tech on Friday night?
- Yes. Registration and Tech are done on Friday night due to the large number of participants. There is no way it could be done for all participants on the Saturday morning of the event. Also, the Saturday course is set up, so people can walk it on Friday night. Gates open at 5:00 p.m.
- Do I have to mount my race tires on Friday night for Tech?
- No. You can just trailer them up to the tech line or leave them in the car.
- What if I really can’t make it on Fri. night?
- Limited time is reserved for a few who really can’t make it on Friday, but Saturday morning isn’t an equally weighted alternative. You will be rushed and have minimal time for course walkthrough, if at all.
- Does having a 2008 NER Annual Tech (solo) mean I don't have to undergo inspection at the tour event? I recall an inspector last year looking at my sticker and telling me I was done.
- You still have to go through tech for the decal check and to receive a National Tour Tech sticker.
- What’s that you guys just mentioned? Anything else I need to know about the SCCA rules?
- Read the event supplemental rules and the Decal Guide that spell out the badging required on the car to pass tech. The decals will be available at tech. You may want to have some magnetic sheets, so you can magnetize the badging Friday night, except for the windshield banner graphic. Otherwise, you'll have to stick them on the car directly.
- What do I do after my runs each day? or... What is Impound
- After you complete your runs, return to your grid space and hang out for a bit. The Impound process is the time for competitors to make sure any complaints and protests are heard. You'll have an opportunity to inspect everyone's cars if necessary, and as part of that, you should open your hood and trunk so that others can inspect yours. Eventually, after timing has completed its reviews, the results will be brought to each class for all the drivers to approve or disapprove. Once done with that, you can return to the paddock and go on with your day.
- Do I really have to own a copy of the SCCA Solo Rulebook?
- Yes. And have it with you to show at Registration.
- Do people claim paddock space on Friday night for the entire weekend? When not trailering in, what's the usual "flag" for claiming a spot? Boston winter rules, ie a folding chair?
- Yup. Leave your gear. Most leave their tires (the site is locked at night) or other stuff (in a lidded plastic container). BTW, no stabbing tires with an ice pick if someone takes your spot. Everyone should be prepared to get really friendly with their neighbors. If you’re in the same class as a friend, parking your cars two deep (one behind the other) is a great way to save space.
- I noticed that there’s no Novice class listed. Should NER novices skip this event?
- Not necessarily. Novices are welcome, but be prepared for a cranked-up intensity level. To compensate for nerves and to avoid feeling disoriented, get there early on Fri. and spend as much time as possible getting a sense of the size / composition of the field and walking the course.
- Any other differences a novice needs to be aware of?
- Your worker duties will be increased and more closely delineated (with each cone numbered and more detailed recordskeeping), so it’s a good idea to pick up your assignments on Friday night. There’s usually a BBQ or hospitality event on Saturday night. We’re hosts, so every NER participant so every NER participant contributes (one way or another) to the impression of how well NER runs a National Tour event.
- Any other tips?
- Have the schedule printed and memorized or read frequently; the deadlines are not flexible! Usually a course map is available, but it’s no substitute for course walking, and it may not be 100% accurate.
- I heard a rumor that the Sunday course will be the same as Sat. but in the opposite direction.
- Actually, the past few years we’ve been running the same direction both days because National wants the tent by the start on both days.
- When do I find out about run order?
- Run order will be posted on the National SCCA.com event listing on the Wednesday prior to the event.
- What about gridding? Will it be done differently from a regular event?
- There will be assigned grid spots. They'll be posted at the event. Check the posting to see what number grid spot you should use and park back in that spot after every run.
- What are the times the gates open and for walking the course on Saturday and Sunday?
- Gates open at 6:30 a.m.. The course will be open shortly after but is usually closed to walking around 8:15 because of the 8:30 drivers' meeting on Saturday and the first car run at 8:30 on Sunday! The course is opened for walking [before afternoon runs] between heats two and three, so that those running in the second half of the day get an opportunity for a refresher.
- Does the National Tour tech include weight for those classes that have a minimum?
- Yes. You do not have to weigh before your runs, but you do have to weigh after your runs at impound's direction (usually after the third run, during impound). Most prepared and mod drivers want to know what their car will weigh [on the scales being used] before they run. That way they can make minor adjustments, so they come in legal after they run. We'll have scales set up at impound Friday evening and again Saturday morning for those folks. However, weighing can be done at impound, anytime, as long as impound is not actively weighing cars after runs -- and providing impound allows you (it's at their discretion after the event starts).
Solo Pictures
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