Tire Rack Street Survival: Save Kids, Strengthen the Region, Build Community
By Jim Weidenbaum | SCCA Foundation BOD
Tire Rack Street Survival (TRSS) has proven to be a truly life-saving program for young drivers, yet it also serves as an outstanding way to connect SCCA to the larger community. Anyone volunteering at – let alone organizing – a TRSS event understands how many people from both the SCCA and the broader community come together to make these young driver learning events successful.
As Regions gain experience running TRSS events, they gain momentum. From the early days of hosting a TRSS event, where Regions often struggle to build awareness, sign up students, or get instructors, Regions have seen those early events building to even more successful future events. After hosting only a few TRSS events, Regions discover they need to pull together a core team to find ways to scale events to host more students, rethinking course layouts to run more efficiently, and create a buzz among all SCCA programs to recruit more instructors. The point of this: Tire Rack Street Survival is about community, it’s about “givers gain,” and it’s about paying it forward.
Many SCCA racers instruct at HPDE’s or SCCA Driver Schools. While there’s much gratification seeing an adult student gain competency behind the wheel, applying those same instructor skills with a young driver, can provide life-saving skills development. When an SCCA Region unites behind running a TRSS event, it builds connection and community among its road racers, autocrossers, and often rallycross/rally racers. TRSS events often pull in PCA and BMW CCA HPDE instructors – a great source for future SCCA members. Reaching out to high school administrators, police departments, and local news outlets demonstrates SCCA leadership within the greater community.
It is no coincidence that some of the SCCA Foundation’s most generous donors became aware of the SCCA Foundation through Street Survival or if previously aware of Foundation, they find Street Survival as a key program they can lock into as being worthy of their donation.
While it’s not necessary to pull out all the stops in advertising and organizing a TRSS event, when a Region gets momentum behind their program, the amount of community collaboration can mushroom.
For more information on SCCA Foundation and Tire Rack Street Survival, please go to: https://sccafoundation.org/teen
Donations made to the SCCA Foundation can be earmarked for general purposes or to support a specific program, such as Tire Rack Street Survival. Whether a $10 check, a Qualified Charitable Distribution from a retirement account, or a legacy gift as part of estate planning your financial support to SCCA Foundation makes a difference.
CONSIDERING HOSTING A TIRE RACK STREET SURVIVAL EVENT?
The following is list of contacts, connections, and communication points from the author when serving as a TRSS event chair:
SCCA:
Autocross/RallyCross community design driving exercises to fit paddock space
Secure Event registration/registrar from Road Racing
Make requests on Region website/newsletter for airbag donations needed for student demonstration (identify volunteers to run demo and bring sufficient wire and power for demo)
Contact soft-drink companies or race teams to arrange for tractor trailer donation used in blind spot demonstration
Lunch logistics (order/pick-up)
Course set-up and tear-down
Depending on size of the event, create method to divide students into A/B groups, with clear identification on cars for paddock purposes
Order supplies for students including certificate template; shirts for instructors
Reserve autocross/RallyCross cones, cones, and more cones … arrange for reliable individual to deliver cones to site early morning on day of event
Confirm Solo Safety Steward for event
Classroom instructor / CDI; review material and timing
Instructors from Road Racing, Autocross, RallyCross from SCCA/ Porsche Club of America/BMW Car Club of America
Tech inspectors, ideally have off-site pre-meeting
Classroom set-up and tear-down
Get wrist waiver bands, minor waiver forms, and tech stickers
Borrow pop-up tent for initial venue sign-in waivers
TV, RADIO, AND PRINT MEDIA
Written notes with phone follow-up to on-air personalities to drive public awareness
Event announcements and articles sent to local SCCA, BMW CCA, PCA Regions/chapters
Participate in on-air interviews before and following event
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Written notes to:
local and state police community affair officers
area FD community affairs officers
area high school principals
high school PTO
COMMUNICATION WITH REGISTRANTS & WAITLIST
Multiple emails to confirmed students and parents (2 pre-event; 1 post-event)
Confirm their student has been accepted into the event
Reminder of TRSS event in 3 – 4 weeks, with links to download minor waiver
Reminder of TRSS event the coming weekend, with links to download minor waivers
Emails to 10 to 30 waitlisted students and their parents
Phone calls to fill last minute cancellations
TRACK / FACILITY
Contract spring and fall event dates
Try to avoid school vacations, Road Race weekends, Divisional Autocross events, proms, and Day Light Savings Time shifts
Arrange Region checks for venue deposit and final payment
Order lunch in advance – check with venue for ability to bring in outside food and beverages
Arrange water truck (donation) or confirm availability of water outlet, fire hoses, and temporary drain blocker
Costco run for water and snacks
Pick-up and return keys to gate & classroom
Arrange / pay for security guard at track
Coordinate with HPDE/drag racers on shared gate access
Contact weekend on-site staff at track