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Solo car racing, adapted racing, and sports cars are very available to many people with a disability, thanks to the organization that made solo and adapted racing possible: the Sports Car Club Of America (SCCA).

SCCA was founded in 1944 and supports road races, rallies and autocross events all over the country. One of the SCCA's biggest draws is solo racing, a kind of racing where any kind of driver can compete in time-trial competition. Founded in 1968 by the SCCA, solo racing has the driver get into his or her sports car and drive through a paved course with traffic cones surrounding the area. The driver that navigates their sports car through the solo racing track the fastest is the winner.

Solo racing has several primary divisions sanctioned by the SCCA. Solo 1 features the driver racing alone against the clock. Solo 2 merely requires a helmet to race. ProSolo has competition for the top solo racing championship, in which the competitors drive in side by side identical courses, trying to finish with the fastest time. ProSolo has held SCCA national championships since 1973 and now has over 1,000 entrants each year. The SCCA National Tour features solo racing drivers testing their skills in various shows across the country.

Solo drivers can use regular cars, or cars with adaptive controls. These adapted racing cars are how people with a disability can compete in solo racing. The SCCA allows people with disabilities to use adapted racing cars with the help of the United Spinal Association. The two organizations formed a partnership in 2006 to provide drivers with spinal cord injuries and disorders a way to compete in the SCCA solo divisions with adapted race cars.

Several drivers with a disability compete nationally in SCCA solo racing. This includes Jerry Lamb, a United Spinal member who has driven adapted racing cars in professional solo races since the 80's. At the time of SCCA's partnership with United Spinal in 2006, less than a dozen drivers with a disability competed in solo races.

However, those interested can go to SCCA's Web site to find a solo car event in their area and come down to see the action for themselves. If they want to join up, they can apply to driving schools in their local regions. Doug Gill, a SCCA Solo Tech Manager, is available to ask for advice in making precise hand controls for adapted racing cars. He can be contacted at dgill@scca.com. Over 1,000 SCCA events are held each year at local and regional levels, all of which are open for those with disabilities to compete in.

Sources:
United Spinal Association- "Solo Car Racing: Adaptive Sports Just Got Faster"
SCCA Sports Car Club of America
Wikipedia- Sports Car Club of America

See Robert Dougherty's Profile on Disaboom
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