Co-Driver Q's
Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:05 pm
My girlfriend has decided she wants to co-drive with me (instead of double driving on her own) and this puts us in a strange situation that I was hoping you all might be able to help us with.
After reading through the Rally America rulebook, it looks like I can update my STI to RA specs and get a logbook fairly easily. Going this route requires us to both get RA licenses, which would be a Novice license. However, a Novice license restricts me to driving only Open Light, B-Spec, and Group 2 cars so it looks like I cannot drive my STI.
The SCCNH hillclimb site has a link to Rally Car Hillclimb Rules (http://www.sccnh.org/SCCNH%20Rally%20Ca ... 0Rules.pdf) that also requires us to have a competition license, so the Novice license would be a deal-breaker for us using my STI for future hillclimb events (as driver and co-driver that is). However, the above SCCNH rally car hillclimb rules only use NA and Turbo class for NEHA events.
Question #1: Do the restrictions of an RA Novice license apply to the NEHA rally classes since Open Light, B-Spec, and Group 2 do not exist? We do not plan to ever enter any stage rallies, only NEHA events. Admittedly though, none of those three RA classes allows a driver with Novice license to compete in a turbocharged car…
Question #2: I can apply for an unrestricted license based on “significant previous automobile experience”, but has anyone here ever done this before? I have driven in 8 NEHA events (including Mt. Washington) over four years, but I have no idea what the criteria for "significant" experience might be.
Question #3: Does RA still recognize the NEHA events? Just wondering if the RA-NEHA agreement still exists since no NEHA event has been posted on the RA Eastern Region schedule since Mt. Philo in 2012.
I have also read through all the NEHA rules and the only rule that speaks to the number of people in a competing car is “one entry per car, per driver” which would appear to still be true if she was co-driving.
Question #4: If she uses the same safety equipment that I am required to as a driver, is there a rule that I am missing that prohibits her from driving with me as a hillclimb-class car? I understand that nobody does this and it would most likely be frowned upon, but I ask the question simply because it saves us from the rally license issue discussed above, as well as having to make changes to the STI. I don’t mean to sound like I’m trying to skirt the rules at all, just looking for you guys’/gals’ input.
The last option would be to sell/trade the STI and get a 2WD rally car. This is obviously not what I would like to do, but if it comes down to being able to participate with her vs not supporting my crazy habit, I’ll take the former any day! The things we do for women haha…
If you’ve made it this far, well, you must be really bored at work! All kidding aside, I appreciate any comments and insight that you may have. See you at the hill soon!
-Lincoln
After reading through the Rally America rulebook, it looks like I can update my STI to RA specs and get a logbook fairly easily. Going this route requires us to both get RA licenses, which would be a Novice license. However, a Novice license restricts me to driving only Open Light, B-Spec, and Group 2 cars so it looks like I cannot drive my STI.
The SCCNH hillclimb site has a link to Rally Car Hillclimb Rules (http://www.sccnh.org/SCCNH%20Rally%20Ca ... 0Rules.pdf) that also requires us to have a competition license, so the Novice license would be a deal-breaker for us using my STI for future hillclimb events (as driver and co-driver that is). However, the above SCCNH rally car hillclimb rules only use NA and Turbo class for NEHA events.
Question #1: Do the restrictions of an RA Novice license apply to the NEHA rally classes since Open Light, B-Spec, and Group 2 do not exist? We do not plan to ever enter any stage rallies, only NEHA events. Admittedly though, none of those three RA classes allows a driver with Novice license to compete in a turbocharged car…
Question #2: I can apply for an unrestricted license based on “significant previous automobile experience”, but has anyone here ever done this before? I have driven in 8 NEHA events (including Mt. Washington) over four years, but I have no idea what the criteria for "significant" experience might be.
Question #3: Does RA still recognize the NEHA events? Just wondering if the RA-NEHA agreement still exists since no NEHA event has been posted on the RA Eastern Region schedule since Mt. Philo in 2012.
I have also read through all the NEHA rules and the only rule that speaks to the number of people in a competing car is “one entry per car, per driver” which would appear to still be true if she was co-driving.
Question #4: If she uses the same safety equipment that I am required to as a driver, is there a rule that I am missing that prohibits her from driving with me as a hillclimb-class car? I understand that nobody does this and it would most likely be frowned upon, but I ask the question simply because it saves us from the rally license issue discussed above, as well as having to make changes to the STI. I don’t mean to sound like I’m trying to skirt the rules at all, just looking for you guys’/gals’ input.
The last option would be to sell/trade the STI and get a 2WD rally car. This is obviously not what I would like to do, but if it comes down to being able to participate with her vs not supporting my crazy habit, I’ll take the former any day! The things we do for women haha…
If you’ve made it this far, well, you must be really bored at work! All kidding aside, I appreciate any comments and insight that you may have. See you at the hill soon!
-Lincoln