South Plains Autocross Event Rules and Procedures
Updated May 28,2021
Welcome to the South Plains Autocross (S.P.A.X.). Our number one goal is for everyone to have a
great time safely exploring the limits of their vehicle. We request that you read this document
thoroughly and carefully.
A. REGISTRATION:
1. Pre-registration for S.P.A.X. events are required and you can access online through our
website, www.southplainsautocross.org. All events have a registration cap off at 40 drivers. On-line
registration for each event commences 1 month prior to the event and subsequently closes on the
Friday just prior to the event. On-site registration is NOT available at the event.
2. The entry fee for each event is $59.
3. Refunds are only granted if the event is cancelled by the organizers.
-if you cancel 1 week or more prior to the event 100% will go to the next event.
-if you cancel 7 day before the event 50% will go to the next event.
4. Signed parental consent is required for licensed minors 16 or 17 years of age in order to
participate (as driver or passenger) in the event. Minor waivers are available on site. The parent or
legal guardian must be present at the event.
5. All persons present at the event must sign a release waiver. Drivers must present a valid
driver’s license when signing the waiver. Minors (under 18) must have the waiver signed by their
parent or guardian.
B. GENERAL RULES:
1. The S.P.A.X. will not tolerate unsafe behavior at our events. We will require that anyone
violating these rules to immediately leave the premises and forfeit any registration fees.
2. No alcohol or drugs are permitted on the premises during the event. This includes course
setup and registration, run sessions, breaks, fun runs, and course breakdown.
3. S.P.A.X. autocross events occur RAIN OR SHINE. In the event that severe weather causes
the cancellation of an event (ice, tornado, etc), S.P.A.X. will make every effort to notify attendees,
generally via a posting to the S.P.A.X. web site (www.southplainsautocross.org), the S.P.A.X. Facebook
page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/southplainsautocross), and the e-mail list from the registrations. If lightning occurs in
the area during an event, all participants will be encouraged to take shelter for 15-30 minutes.
4. Fences and other site structures and property are not covered by S.P.A.X. insurance. You
must pay for any damage to the property and its structures.
5. If you are late for the Drivers Meeting, then you forfeit your AM run sessions.
C. SAFETY & TECHNICAL INSPECTION:
1. Event participants are ultimately responsible for their car being in safe operating
condition. All vehicles must complete the Technical Inspection process (tech inspection) during the
time allocated prior to the Drivers Meeting.
2. You must remove all loose or non-permanent objects from your vehicle’s interior, glove
box/storage bin, and trunk in order for the vehicle to pass tech inspection. Do not forget to check
under the seats. You must remove all hubcaps and wheel covers.
3. Each car is required to display a unique number placed on the driver’s and passenger’s
doors in order to complete tech inspection. The number must be legible from 100 feet and be at
least eight inches high with at least a one inch stroke. You must use the number that you selected
during the on-line registration process.
4. Each car must have a tech inspection sticker affixed to the upper driver-side corner of the
windshield by the tech inspector.
5. The driver and all vehicle passengers must each wear a helmet with Snell M-2007 or
SA-2007 (or newer) certification. Contact us spaxlbk@gmail.com for questions about helmets.
6. There is a 5 MPH speed limit in the paddock and grid areas. There is no tolerance for
infractions and no warnings are given. If you can see your speedometer needle moving, then you are
driving too fast.
7. All vehicle occupants must wear seat belts at all times on the course.
8. Off track excursions, striking the timing hardware, or any other actions considered
reckless will result in a mandatory meeting between the driver and the event coordinator prior to
the driver beginning any additional runs. Drivers are responsible for the replacement cost of any
timing hardware that is destroyed because of contact with their vehicle.
D. COMPETITION FORMAT
1. The event schedule is as follows:
7 AM – 8 AM Check-in and mandatory Tech Inspection.
(You must arrive in time to check in and pass tech inspection prior to 8:30 AM).
8:00 AM – 8:40 AM Course open for walking.
8:30 AM Novice Meeting (mandatory if new to autocross).
8:40 AM Drivers Meeting (mandatory for all).
9:00 AM First car out.
There will be a 30-minute break between the morning and afternoon sessions.
2. The day will be divided into four sessions where you drive in two sessions (one morning
and one afternoon) and work in two sessions (one morning and one afternoon). Each driver will
complete six timed runs per session, totaling twelve runs per event.
3. If you are not driving a session, then you must perform your work assignment. Work
assignments include timing/scoring, grid coordination, instructing, and corner working.
4. Each entrant may only compete and earn points in one class per event.
5. Time penalties:
Two seconds per each cone knocked ‘down and out’ of its chalked boundaries. A
penalty is not incurred if the cone is still standing and any part of the cone is within or
touching the chalked boundary. This includes cones that form a wall or a stop box, and it
also includes the cones before and after the timing lights. This does not include directional
cones, which are not counted towards penalties. There is no maximum number of cone
penalties per run.
A vehicle is disqualified for a given run with a DNF (Did Not Finish) if it leaves the
course and does not re-enter the course at the same location (or prior to) where it left the
course. Significant deviation from the proscribed path can result in a DNF or, in extreme
cases, considered reckless and submitted to the safety manager. If you incur a DNF, continue
your run through the remaining course at a reasonable and prudent pace and cross the
finish line. This ensures that you do not impede drivers behind you or create a timing
mismatch.
E. EVENT SCORING SYSTEM & CAR CLASSIFICATION:
1. Every car whose driver completes all required corner work duties is eligible to
receive scoring points per the time standing in the driver’s class. A driver can receive points
in only one class and one position per event. Points will be scored as follows:
Position Points per Class:
9 points- First place
6 points- Second place
4 points- Third place
3 points- Fourth place
2 points- Fifth place
1 point – Sixth place and all other participants in class
1 additional point will be given to driver with the Fastest time of the day (FTD)
2. The club will award points during each of the autocross events with a final
championship trophy being awarded at the end of the season. Awards will be presented to
competitors who have attended at least 75% (rounded up) events in the same class. If a driver
changes classes during the season, any points accumulated in each class will remain with
that class and cannot be combined with points in any other class. In the event of a position
points tie at the end of the year in a class, each driver’s best times from all events in which
the tying competitors both competed will be added up and the lowest aggregate time will
determine the winner of that position.
3. S.P.A.X. will support the following classes:
- Rotary engine multiplies displacement by 2.0.
- Usage of forced induction multiplies displacement by 1.5. (This is in addition
to the rotary multiplier, if applicable.)
- Tires with a wear rating under 200 must use the XR class.
- Class 1 is for engines under 2.0 liters.
- Class 2 is for engines over 1.9 liters, but under 2.6 liters.
- Class 3 is for engines over 2.5 liters, but under 4.0 liters.
- Class 4 is for engines over 3.9 liters.
- Spec Class is for a certain group of cars if we have enough in
attendance (i.e. corvette, mustang clubs etc.)
- Class W is an open women's class for any engine displacement and
induction. Ladies only, please.
- Class X is an open class for any engine displacement and induction.
- Class XR is an open class for any engine displacement and induction with a
tire wear rating under 200.
4. No vehicle can be taller than the average width of the vehicle’s track. Each vehicle's
track width (average width of vehicle’s front and rear axles, tire-center to tire-center) must
be greater than the height of the tallest point of the vehicle’s main structure from the
ground.
F. PROCEDURES
1. Event Job Assignments -Some assignments will be eliminated or combined based on event
attendance and venue.
Event Master (1)
Safety (1)
Driver Check-in (1)
Tech Inspection (2)
Course setup/tear-down (3)
Corners (24-30, at least 3 per corner per heat)
Timing/Worker Check-in (4, 2 per heat, task includes timing setup/tear-down) Grid
(2, 1 per heat)
Result Label Runner (2, 1 per heat)
Helmets (2, 1 per heat)
Starter (2, 1 per heat)
2. Radio Operation and Procedures:
- Your radio should be on at all times.
- Push the button on the side to talk, and release the button to listen. Please see the event
coordinator if you need additional assistance.
- Use the radio to contact timing/control with only the necessary information...
- When a car hits a pylon, transmit, "Timing, this is corner X. Car #N hit one cone." Wait for
acknowledgment from timing (may take a few seconds...they get busy at times). If no
acknowledgment is received, call timing again.
- When a car is impeded, transmit, "Timing, this is corner X. Car #N was impeded by
Car#M." Again, wait for and insist on an acknowledgment.
- When you notice something (car smoking, loose parts, car not running, etc), transmit,
"Timing, this is corner X, Car #N _______."
3. Corner Worker Instructions:
- The first set of workers takes a flag, radio, and fire extinguisher to the work area, if not
already placed at the stations during course setup.
- Corner workers should use the yellow flag to warn a driver of a problem with their car, or if
there is danger of two cars coming to close to each other.
- When you first arrive at your work assignment, check in with timing on the radio.
- The course worker operating the radio must hold the yellow flag. This person oversees the
course station. If you are not comfortable with this responsibility, then please find a
replacement.
- Be alert! Always watch the cars.
- Try hard to safely erect or replace any cones that are knocked down by the previous driver
before the next driver passes. Unhandled cones cause reruns, which extend your work assignment.
However, if you cannot handle a cone in a safe manner prior to the next driver approaching, then by
all means, leave it as is until the driver has passed. If needed, ask control to pause the event if you
require extra time to clean up.
- You cannot sit or kneel while working on the course while the course is hot.
- Course workers are not allowed to bring mobile phones or cameras with them to their
work station.
- No vehicles are allowed at course workstations.
- If a vehicle stalls on the course and cannot immediately restart, push the vehicle off the
course, if possible.
- Safety order:
1. Protect yourself
2. Protect your partner(s)
3. Protect the driver(s)
4. Protect the car
5. Protect the equipment
4. Grid/Starter Operation:
- Each driver will perform 6 runs in the AM session and 6 runs in the PM session. Drivers do
not return to the grind between each run, but instead proceed back to the starter queue.
- Two driver vehicles must grid together in a designated area in order to include the initial
drivers in the first group of vehicles out on the course. The second drivers will make their runs in
later groups.
- The grid coordinator will break the drivers up into groups within the grid. The group size
will vary with venue and course. Each group will complete their 6 runs for the session prior to the
next group beginning their runs. As vehicles finish their 6th run, the grid coordinator will begin to
cycle in vehicles from the next group in order to maintain a steady flow of vehicles to the starter
queue.
- The starter will instruct vehicles to stage where the front of their car is even with the
starting line.
- The number of cars to be waiting in queue at the starting line and driving concurrently on
the course will be decided by the Safety Manager on an event basis.
- When the grid is empty, it is closed.
5. Driver Instruction:
- Instructors are available. If you want to ride along with an instructor or have an instructor
ride along with you, then alert the grid coordinator after gridding your car and before the session
begins.
- While in grid, stay in or near your vehicle until instructed to proceed to the queue at the
staring line.
- The starter will direct you to the starting line. Wait at the starting line until you are told to
start your run. Your time does not start until you cross the timing lights, so you do not need to
immediately begin your run when instructed to start, but you do not want to wait long enough to
cause a delay in the event.
- If you are a novice and feel you might need more time on the course, then alert the starter
so they can allow a longer interval between you and the next vehicle behind you. Conversely, if you
feel that you are catching up to the car in front of you during previous runs, then alert the starter so
they can compensate.
- When you begin your run, concentrate on your driving. Drive as fast as you can within the
boundaries of the course and its components. Try to look ahead as you drive and plan your reactions
and drive line before reaching the corner or component. Most importantly, be safe and have fun!
- Driving sideways (drifting), while fun, is not the fastest way around the course and it is
considered unsafe when excessive. In general, the fastest line is the shortest line. You want to hear a
slight rrrrrrrr from your tires as you round corners, but not a loud screech.
- If you hit a cone, forget about it and keep going as if nothing happened. If you feel a cone
dragging under your car, ignore it and keep going as if nothing happened. The course workers are
there to pick up the cones and handle any damage to the course, so do not worry about it. Besides, a
little running will do them good.
- If you notice a down or out of place cone while driving on the course, then alert the corner
workers by stopping. If the cone was misplaced, then you will get a rerun. If the cone was not
misplaced, then you do not get a rerun. Finish the rest of the run at ¾ speed in order to not impede
the person behind you.
- If you spin-out during your run, try to recover and continue as quickly as you can in order
to avoid causing a red flag.
- If your vehicle stalls on the course and fails to restart, stay in your vehicle, but alert the
closest corner worker. They can suspend the event until your vehicle is safely off the course.
- If you get lost on the course, stop and look for a course worker. They will point you in the
right direction. Try to continue as quickly as you can (within your abilities) in order to avoid causing
a red flag.
- Corner workers will wave a yellow flag at cars on the course if something has occurred on
the course that requires an immediate and temporary halt to the event. If you are on course and you
see a red flag, then come to an immediate, controlled stop (do not panic brake), stay in your car, and
await further instruction from the corner worker. When the corner worker instructs you to
continue, drive the remaining course at about ¾ speed until you cross the finish line. This ensures
that you do not impede drivers behind you (who might not have received a red flag) or create a
timing mismatch. You will get a rerun if you were not the cause of the yellow flag.
- When you cross the finish line, immediately apply your brakes and decrease your speed to
about 5 MPH while still in the braking zone. Do not carry extra speed outside of the braking zone.
Alert the grid coordinator if you determine that the braking zone is inadequate for you.
- You get 6 runs per session, so after exiting the course, return to the starter queue and
begin preparing for your next run. Do not return to grid. If you completed your last run for the
session, then you can go straight to the paddock, but you might want to first verify with the grid
coordinator that you have not been granted a rerun.
- Please pull into the designated vehicle maintenance area if you need to “water” your tires
or perform any vehicle adjustments.
- Alert the grid coordinator if you have any questions or concerns about your run and they
will assist you. Do not approach the timing area as they are busy running the event.