| 1. |
General Rules |
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1.1. |
In the case of questions regarding safety, protests, or any issue regarding general rules, the THSCC President, Autocross VPs, and Event Chairs will be involved in the decision. They may ask for input from anyone else not involved in the question. If one of them is involved in the issue, they will remove themselves from the discussion. Involved parties will be allowed to offer their input. |
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1.2. |
If, for some reason, disciplinary action must be taken, all club officers present at the time of the incident will decide upon the correct action. While no fines may be levied, the officers may ask the offending party(ies) (whether a competitor or spectator) to leave the present event, may ban the offending party(ies) from a number of events, or may request that the offending party(ies) never participate/be onsite again. Except in the first situation above, a special meeting will be called to more fully discuss the later options. All club officers should attend. Any club officer involved or related to the individual(s) involved will excuse him/herself from the meetings. If it is decided that a person should be banned from all future events, a letter drafted by the club President will be sent to that person. The letter will contain details of why this decision was reached. The banned person may ask that this decision be reviewed annually. |
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1.3. |
Event Chairs will be responsible for making any decisions or clarifications regarding the running of their specific event. Event Chairs, after consulting with the Autocross VP's and club President, will determine the number of runs for the particular event. They will also determine if fun runs will be done after the event. At the discretion of the Event Chairs, in consultation with the Autocross VPs, the number of runs announced at the Drivers' Meeting may be raised or lowered during the course of the day. Announcement of the change should be made over the P.A., spread as widely among competitors are possible, and the Starter should also be asked to relate the announcement to drivers at the start line. Competitors should also help spread the word among themselves. |
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1.4. |
On event setup days, only Event Chairs, or drivers selected by Event Chairs, may run the course. It is desirable that the driver performing the safety preruns be someone who is not going to compete in the autocross. For NCAC events, the driver peforming the safety check should not be competing in the series. |
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1.5. |
No alcohol, drugs, or any controlled substances may be consumed anywhere on the site during the event. An event starts when registration opens and ends when the last run is made and the course is picked up. |
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1.6. |
All people who are on the site must sign the insurance waiver. This includes all participants, spectators, and crew. Participants are responsible for having their family members, crew, or friends sign the waiver and wear a wristband issued for that event, which indicates such. An announcement will be made by the Event Chairs at the Drivers' Meeting pointing out this rule. It is the responsibility of all participants to prevent anyone without a wristband from entering the course area. |
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1.7. |
The course may be (and should be) walked as many times as desired before the Drivers' Meeting. Only walking is allowed. This rule is intended to keep people from riding bikes, skateboards, scooters, or any other type of wheeled apparatus during the walk through. |
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| 2. |
Eligibility of Participants |
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2.1. |
Participants must have a valid driver's license at the time of the event and must be prepared to present such license during registration. Learner's permits are not acceptable. |
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2.2. |
All participants must be 18 years of age, OR if under age 18, must have a THSCC Minor Release Form signed by a parent or legal guardian. Such form is to be presented and signed off by the club President, Sr. Vice President, or an Autocross VP, then turned into the Registrar. A valid driver's license is still required. (Minor Release Forms must be kept on file with insurance waiver forms). |
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2.3. |
THSCC reserves the right to refuse to allow anyone to participate if it is not possible to verify the above qualifications. |
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2.4. |
Passengers under 12 years of age are not permitted in any runs on course, including fun runs. Any exceptions must be specifically approved by the club President, or in his/her absence, the highest ranking club officer present at the event. |
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2.5. |
Experienced drivers may take along any other registered participant on timed runs. Novice drivers may take along any experienced registered participant on timed runs; novices may not take other novices on timed runs. A novice is considered to be anyone having participated in 3 or fewer autocrosses OR still running in Novice Class. Any exceptions to these rules must be specifically approved by the President, or in his/her absence, the highest ranking club officer present at the event. |
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| 3. |
Safety and Car Preparation |
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3.1. |
It is the responsibility of the driver to ensure that his/her vehicle is properly prepared and safe for competition. |
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3.2. |
Speed through the pits will be no more than 10MPH. No tire warming, brake warming, or other high speed maneuvers will be allowed anywhere on the event sight! Pits are defined as starting at the first cone for the course and ending 20' beyond the last car, or its trailer/tow vehicle, entered in the event. Violation of these rules will be grounds for asking a competitor to leave the sight. |
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3.3. |
All cars that have not received an annual THSCC tech inspection must pass a minimal tech inspection at each event. The inspection is to be performed by one of the THSCC Tech Inspection Crew. If the car has a THSCC Annual Tech sticker, it does not need to be teched again at the event by a THSCC Tech Inspector, as the car owner has already stated that he/she will be responsible for doing his/her own tech inspection prior to each event. In addition to THSCC annual autocross techs, Car Guys and THSCC Time Trial annual techs are acceptable. If the car needs to be teched, inspection will only be done after the driver(s) have registered. Once tech inspection closes (typically 15 minutes before the Drivers' Meeting) cars will be teched as time permits. However, each driver will get the same number of runs as other competitors in class. |
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3.4. |
Sunroofs must be securely attached to the car or completely removed from the car. |
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3.5. |
All loose objects must be removed from the car and trunk. Spare tires may be left in if secured. |
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3.6. |
Helmets and seat belts must be worn on every run by every person in the car. This includes fun runs and runs during setup days. |
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3.7. |
At a minimum, the driver's window must be all the way down. Both sides is preferable. Exceptions may be made for runs made during heavy rain.
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3.8. |
During runs, drivers and passengers, if any, must keep arms and hands inside the car. |
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3.9. |
Car class and numbers (of the size and type specified on this website at Car Class Letter and Number Specifications) must be displayed on both sides of the car. If a car has more than one driver, all drivers are responsible for reporting to the Starter the correct class and number. The THSCC Scoring Team will not be responsible for correcting errors that occur in scoring due to mismarked cars or unreadable class/numbers. |
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3.10. |
Effective January 1, 2002, helmets must have a rating of M90 or higher, or SA90 or higher. |
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3.11. |
Effective November 10, 2004, THSCC will have and enforce a 100 dB sound limit at all of our autocross and rallycross events. For some sites, this limit may be reduced to 95 dB, which will be indicated in the event information. All cars are subject to being tested at any place on course, and measurements will be made at approximately 50 feet from the course. Any car which is found to be in excess of the sound limit will not be allowed to start any subsequent runs. This rule is necessary to preserve our relationship with our sites. |
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| 4. |
Preregistration |
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4.1. |
If at all possible, licensed drivers wishing to participate should preregister and pay for an event via the Preregistration page on this website! This helps keep our events running on schedule.
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4.2. |
You can pay for an event:
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by purchasing a season-long pass from one of the THSCC Registrars. Season Pass holders will be preregistered online for every event by the THSCC Registrar. OR |
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via the PayPal button appearing on the page confirming your preregistration, OR |
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at a THSCC meeting prior to the event by printing a copy of your online preregistration and handing the copy and your payment to one of the THSCC Registrar's, OR |
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by mailing a copy of your online preregistration with your payment to one of the THSCC Registrar's; mailed payments must reach the THSCC Registrar by the same cutoff date as online preregistration. |
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4.3. |
Online preregistration usually closes at 8:00pm on the Thursday prior to each event. Occasionally, extenuating circumstances require preregistration be closed earlier. Announcements via the club meeting, club forums, club email list, and/or club website will be made as soon as possible if there is to be a change to the usual preregistration deadline. |
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4.4. |
If you preregister for an event and later discover you will not be able to attend the event, please unpreregister yourself prior to the cutoff date! There is often a waiting list for the event and your unpreregistration will allow the first name on the waiting list to automatically move into the event. Unpreregistration by the participant also applies to holders of Season Passes.
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4.5. |
Refund/Cancellation Policy for preregistrants:
Your preregistration and payment assumes you are committed to attending the event. Renting event facilities and securing insurance coverage for a competitive event entails a major financial commitment for THSCC.
Any preregistrant canceling prior to the event will receive a refund, less a $1 processing fee, IF your spot can be filled with sufficient prior notification to the Registrar. You must email registrar@thscc.com and request a refund BEFORE the event. Refunds are NOT automatic; you must send an email to the Registrar to receive a refund. Events do run rain or shine.
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4.6. |
Generally, online preregistration opens to THSCC members up to 60 days prior to the event. |
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4.7. |
Unless otherwise specified, a password delivered to THSCC members via the club newsletter is required to preregister online up until 2 weeks prior to the event. Occasionally, THSCC holds members-only events; otherwise, at 2 weeks prior to the event, the password is no longer required and the event opens for preregistration to non-THSCC members. |
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4.8. |
Unless otherwise specified, the entry limit for THSCC events is 120 participants. THSCC is committed to giving each participant at least 4 runs per event; entry limit is assessed per event on factors e.g. site size, site layout, and amount of daylight. |
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| 5. |
Event Day Registration |
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5.1. |
All competitors must check in at the registration desk (usually in the bus) before registration closes, even if pre-registered. After registration closes, usually 9:30AM, a $10 fee will be charged. |
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5.2. |
Competitors must be prepared to show a valid drivers license at registration. |
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5.3. |
During registration, each driver must designate in which one class he/she is running for points. A driver may register for a second set of runs, subject to the following limitations:
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Competitor must receive Event Chair or Autocross VP approval for second entry. |
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Second entry may only be registered during the last 30 minutes of on-site registration. |
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Second entry must be made with a distinct class/number combination. |
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Total number of registrations must be below event limit. |
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An entry fee must be paid for EACH class. |
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One work assignment must be completed for each entry. |
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Only the first half of runs made (e.g. 1,2,3,4) are eligible to have a score recorded. |
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The competitor MUST inform the Starter to score a "DNF" for any runs while driving for the second entry, AND for all of his/her second set of runs (e.g. 5,6,7,8). |
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5.4. |
SCCA®-compliant size and color car numbers and class letters are required at all events. See THSCC Car Classing and Numbering for more details. |
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5.5. |
Registration will be refused to anyone who has not signed the waiver and who is not wearing a wristband. |
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| 6. |
Worker Assignments |
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6.1. |
Each driver must work during the event. Any driver who cannot physically work the course should check with the Worker Coordinator prior to the start of the event to see if there is a non-course worker position available. If not, he/she may be able to arrange with the Worker Coordinator to have someone work the course for him/her. Any participant who does not work will receive a DNW (Did Not Work) instead of times in the results, will not receive THSCC (and, if applicable, NCAC) points for the event, and will be required to work prior to running at the next THSCC event attended. Multiple offense will result in the competitor being banned from future THSCC events. Read more about working here. |
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6.2. |
Only competitors entered in the event will be allowed out in the course area. Exceptions may only be made by Event Chairs, Autocross VPs, Sr. VP, or the President. |
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6.3. |
THSCC does worker changes "on the fly". This means that is no stoppage of the event to make worker changes. For this reason, competitors who are to work the heat following his/her runs should grid his/her car in Grid Group A. See THSCC Run Groups and Gridding for details. |
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| 7. |
Event Scoring and Classing |
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7.1. |
A car may only be entered in its appropriate stock, street prepared, prepared, or modified class. For example, a B stock car may run in its street prepared class but not in A stock. |
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7.2. |
Car classifications and bumping order will follow the SCCA® rulebook for the appropriate year. |
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7.3. |
Points are only awarded to a participant that completes at least one run. DNFs do not count as completed runs. |
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7.4. |
Five cars or five minutes minimum must exist between a competitor's runs. If a competitor is awarded a rerun, these same guidelines will also be followed. For reruns, a competitor may choose to go to the end of the line or may ask another competitor to be allowed to break into line -- as long as the 5-car/5-minute rule is followed. |
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7.5. |
Time penalties:
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Any standing cone that is no longer standing upright will count as a 2 second penalty. This includes cones after the finish line. |
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Any standing cone that is standing upright but no longer has ANY part of its base within the marked area will count as a 2 second penalty. This includes cones after the finish line. |
Did you know that very few people actually read all of these rules?
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Any standing cone that is knocked down by a cone being dragged by a car and released during a run will count as a 2 second penalty (i.e. the trapped cone flying clear of the car and knocking down another cone). |
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ANY CONTACT with any of the large start or finish cones is a DNF. This rule is particularly harsh to protect our timing equipment. |
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Pointer cones (i.e. cones already lying on their side) do NOT count asa 2 second penalty if struck/moved/dragged away. |
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Courses often have sections that are used more than once for a single run. If a cone is downed by a driver on the first pass of such a section and the samed downed cone is hit again on the second pass, only one 2 second penalty is assessed. |
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Generally, 2 wheels off of the pavement during a run is a DNF even. This rule may be varied depending on the conditions of the site (or any other safety factors as determined by the club President, Autocross VPs, and/or Event Chairs). Any change to this rule will be announced at the Drivers' Meeting. |
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| 8. |
Classes Supported |
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8.1. |
THSCC will support the classes as defined in the current SCCA® Solo II® Rules unless otherwise published here or for a specific event. |
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8.2. |
Karts are not permitted in any class or allowed to run the course. |
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8.3. |
Classes supported by THSCC and which are scored using the current RTP/PAX index include the following:
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Street Tire Class (TIR)
- A class where a vehicle complying with SCCA®
Solo II®
vehicle class rules may compete on street tires
which have a treadwear rating of 140 or
greater. Exceptions may be granted
for vehicles equipped with OEM tires with ratings
less than 140, but the competitor is required to
show documentation to the Autocross VPs of such
OEM equipment. |
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Note: This does not apply to Street Touring classes. |
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Novice Class (NOV)
- If you are new to autocross, you may compete
in our Novice Class. In Novice Class you will be competing only
against other drivers with the same amount of autocross experience
that you have. You will be eligible for a period of five
(5) events, or until you win a trophy twice
in the top 3 positions (i.e. 1st, 2nd, or 3rd), whichever
comes first. Please note that this is a change from the 2005
policy. You are not required to run in Novice Class even if
you are eligible. |
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Ladies Class (LAD)
- THSCC has diverged from the SCCA®
Solo II®
multiple ladies classes and is now running a single
indexed ladies class. All ladies are eligible to
run Ladies Class, but no lady is required to run
Ladies Class. If a lady prefers, she may run any
open class or other indexed class that THSCC supports
instead of Ladies Class. |
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X Class - X Class is established for competitors that seek the next level of competitiveness and often compete in regional and national events. Any non-novice competitor who wishes to do so may choose to run in X Class. |
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| 9. |
Handling Aborted Runs and DNFs |
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9.1. |
A car that starts its run but does not or is unable to complete the entire course will be scored a DNF for that run. Once a car crosses the start line, the run is officially started. In other words, a car that is in the start box, starts to move forward when given the OK by the Starter but breaks before crossing the start line has not officially started a run and will not be given a DNF. Once the car crosses the finish line the run is over. (This last part seems obvious but it is intended to clarify any situation where it is possible to hit the finish line before finishing the course. For instance, miss a turn and wind up unintentionally in the finish box.). Chances are that a novice will ask you something you don't know the answer to unless you read all of the rules. |
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9.2. |
If, during a run, a participant sees a cone out of place, he/she must bring the car safely to a stop on course and point out the cone or cones. After this is done and the course worker acknowledges this, the participant will drive to the finish line as specified in the rerun rule. The participant will be issued a rerun. This rule does not apply to a cone moved by that driver during an earlier part of his/her same run (i.e. on sections of the course that a driver must cover twice during a single run). |
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9.3. |
If a cone is knocked down by a driver on the first pass of a section of the course that is used second time on the same run, and the cone has not been reset by a course worker because of insufficient time between the two passings of the same car, no rerun will be issued. In this case, the competitor will drive the line that was originally marked by the cone. No extra cone penalty will be given if the downed cone is hit because it is in the line. The reason for this rule is to keep a competitor from gaining an advantage because of a knocked down cone and to protect the course workers. |
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9.4. |
For a timer malfunction or other situation resulting in a rerun, the car on course should be red flagged as soon as is safe and possible. The car should proceed at reduced (but not creeping) speed in as direct a manner as possible to the finish line without following the course. |
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9.5. |
A car that is red flagged for a safety issue will be given a rerun. Safety should always be the primary consideration by all course workers. If a competitor's car develops a mechanical problem that may cause a safety problem, even if the car is capable of finishing the run, the driver should be red flagged. Because the red flag was for a safety problem and NOT the mechanical problem, the competitor will get the rerun. |
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9.6. |
Anyone damaging the timing equipment or hitting the large cones by the timing equipment will be given a DNF for that run and will be responsible for the costs of replacing/repairing the equipment. |
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| 10. |
Season Points and Trophies |
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10.1. |
Typically, THSCC will schedule 8 "for points" autocrosses each year. For year-end trophies, only 6 will be counted for each competitor. Unless otherwise instructed, the lowest point finish will be dropped. |
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10.2. |
To earn a year-end trophy, the competitor must be a member of THSCC. For Tarheel Sports Car Club year-end trophies, a competitor must enter and run at least one more than half the number of club events. If a competitor has run in a number of different classes, the class for year-end trophies will be given for the class in which the majority of events was run. If an equal number of events was run in multiple classes, the competitor will designate the class. Owners of late model green Miatas may be disqualified at the THSCC President's discretion. |
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10.3. |
Season points and credit for events run will not begin to accrue until a participant has become a THSCC member or has renewed his/her membership for the year. |
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10.4. |
To break a tie for year-end points, the winner will be determined by looking at: Most number of 1st place finishes. If still tied, most number of 2nd place finishes. If still tied most number of 3rd place finishes. If still tied, then a tie will be declared. Only events counted towards year-end points will be considered (this means that, for THSCC, we will consider only 6 of eight events). |
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10.5. |
Trophies will be given out only after the course is picked up and all equipment is packed into the bus. Now, did you really read all of this or did you merely skip to the end? If you skipped right to the end, do yourself a favor and go back and read everything. Trust us; there's actually some useful information here and it'll help make your total event experience with THSCC go much more smoothly. |
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10.6. |
You must have a great time! If you do not have fun, you will not be allowed to come back. |
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