Continue my SCCA membership?

I've been an SCCA member since 1997 and my renewal is coming up. I haven't autocrossed regularly since 2018 and my last event was 1 in 2020. Sold my "race car" soon after. All the good local venues are gone and I really don't like sweating all day in a hot parking lot any more.

That said, supporting the motorsports community is still important to me and maintaining my membership feels like a way to help.

Its $80 a year and i'm looking at annual expenses to cut. Already got a cheaper internet/tv plan, ended my Motortrend on line app and canceled my last magazine subscription. Still getting GRM of course!

As an active road racer for many years, a driving instructor, and a tech scrutineer; I faced the same dilemma.  Sort of nice to say you were a member for 50 years, or whatever, but on the other hand now I get nothing for the money except being able to say how long a member.  Quit paying a few years ago.  

I'd let it go if you aren't gaining anything from it. 

Thought it pained me to let my competition license lapse I stopped renewing a couple years back. The only SCCA event nearby is solo at a small venue with a terrible surface. It has gotten to be somewhat expensive for the drive time but I will occasionally show up on just the weekend membership.

I was very involved with SCCA W2W when I lived in the Midwest but was getting tired of feeling like the SCCA was stuck in the past vs other organizations and (at the time) unwilling to adapt and address member concerns.

They give me coupons that save me more than $80 a year. So I continue to be a member.

I keep forgetting that one can get discounts on various things like hotels and rental cars and stuff.

I've been dropping & renewing my membership relative to my activity level for over a decade. If I get an itch to autox I'll renew it, but within a year or 2 I almost always end up letting it expire again. Then it'll be several more years before I get the itch & renew it again. 

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

I keep forgetting that one can get discounts on various things like hotels and rental cars and stuff.

I did get a great deal on my welder, but the rest hasn't been much help.

I'm letting my membership drop also.  I've decided to stop autocrossing due to health and safety reasons.  Also, I did not like they are ceasing publication of "Sports Car" without informing me.  Not a positive way to treat your members.

The "tarmac" rally crosses the Detroit region runs at Milan are fun, fwiw.

Pete Gossett (Forum Supporter) said:

I've been dropping & renewing my membership relative to my activity level for over a decade. If I get an itch to autox I'll renew it, but within a year or 2 I almost always end up letting it expire again. Then it'll be several more years before I get the itch & renew it again. 

Yeah, I've been on that cycle since the late 90s. Been thinking about jumping back in now that my kids have left the nest and I have more free time on weekends.

I joined 2011 and almost let it drop when I took a bit of a break in 2018-19 (then 20 of course), but the $75-80 wasn't a big deal so I kept it.  Started coming back out for AX events and might be doing RX again soon, so I'm glad I did.

Other than saving a few bucks on entries, the other benefits are crap.  And the scca as a business is going backwards imo.  Despite attendance rising and venues being lost.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

I keep forgetting that one can get discounts on various things like hotels and rental cars and stuff.

Will likely be renting a car one-way to buy back my WRX from the owner in Cleveland, time to see how much this discount thing is worth.  I keep forgetting about them as well.

If I'm reading it correctly, full SCCA membership will now be required for national level events such as Solo National Tour and Pro Solo - no more weekend membership option.

SCCA is the worst sanctioning body ever.... except for all of the others.  I don't really mind the ~$7 bucks a month.

Jerry said:

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

I keep forgetting that one can get discounts on various things like hotels and rental cars and stuff.

Will likely be renting a car one-way to buy back my WRX from the owner in Cleveland, time to see how much this discount thing is worth.  I keep forgetting about them as well.

Be prepared to be underwhelmed.

There are no decent autocross venues within 100 miles and no interest in finding one. They run one track event a year that I'd be willing to participate in but one event isn't worth the price of tires. I'm pretty much over it and playing with other toys. If my wife didn't have us on a family membership and need it for her job, I'd have let mine expire several years ago. 

I'm trying to figure out how a racing membership would be required for a job. Sounds like a cool job! 

I get why I need membership - they hold the insurance policy for the event. If you're not doing events, there is no reason to have the membership. 

We need more racing. It's wild that I can buy a log-booked rallycar (or spec miata, or spec E30) and it's the cheapest aspect of racing it. My buddy spend $3000 on a Lemons E30 and spends at least $3000 per event to race it because of how far he's gotta go to use it, and the costs involved in trailers it. 

In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :

Who runs the autocrosses at the Schoolcraft College lot in Livonia? If it's not SCCA, then let the membership go and autocross anyway.

Yeah, I should probably let mine drop, but I keep soldiering on.  15+ year member.

Because of my time spent with my own club, I haven't really entered any SCCA autocrosses in more than 5 years.  I'm hoping to start again after I retire, so I'll probably keep my membership active.

In reply to pheller :

She is the SCCA Street Survival National Coordinator. Since she works for the foundation, she should probably keep her membership current. 

If your region wants to put on a Street Survival, give her a shout at streetsurvival@scca.com and she can guide you through the process. She will even come out and help teach it. 

In reply to Duke :

I do enjoy your club.

camopaint0707 said:

In reply to Duke :

I do enjoy your club.

That's awesome; thanks!  Preregistration for our first Ripken event this season will open in early March.  DD#1 (program chair) has started early prereg for members this season.  Keep an eye on MSR.  If you come out, please come to the tent and say hi.

In reply to Toyman! :

We put on two in my area (WOR) when I was a board member.  We talked about another but as all things go when you're a volunteer org and the same volunteers keep doing everything...  I was hoping they'd do one when SWMBO's kiddo started driving.  (I sepnt my birthday helping run one of them.)

In reply to Jerry :

We try to do at least one every year. All of my kids have been through it. This past year I sponsored the program for our region to help pay for meals and rooms for the instructors and volunteers. I'll probably do it again this year if they keep it on the schedule.