What is SSC? Solo Spec Coupe

Solo Spec Coupe. SSC. The next big thing in SCCA Autocross.

What is SSC? In September 2017, the Sports Car Club of America announced the creation of a new breed of autocross competition, a Spec class. Why does SCCA need a Spec class in Autocross? I say why not! Who doesn’t want to take “car selection” out of the mix in autocross? If you can successfully do that, you open up the idea of a true driver’s class, a real skill competition pitting driver against driver.

What cars are part of SSC?

For now the class is built around the 2013-2016 Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ, otherwise known as the Twins. These two cars were built in a partnership with Toyota and Subaru. They share a platform, similar looks, and the same 2.0 liter Subaru boxer engine. The cars are equipped similarly, with the Subaru having slightly more “up-scale” refinements.

What modifications are legal in SSC?

The SPEC portion of the class means you can run only the specific parts, and anything outside of these are not legal in the class. The published parts here are from the SCCA’s SSC page.

• Koni® Sport (Yellow) struts/shocks w/ tamper-proof seal
• Eibach® PRO-PLUS Performance Handling Package (springs and adjustable anti-roll bars)
• SPC Performance® Adjustable Alignment Kit (camber bolts, adjustable lower control arms, and toe arms)
• Tires: Falken Azenis RT615K+ (225/45R17).
• Wheels: 17”x8”, 17 pounds minimum, wheel offset +40 (40ET) or greater.

In addition to the publish parts, you can also read all of the Class Rules. Unlike most other classes in SCCA Autocross, this class doesn’t “build” on anything other than the ruleset here. You can’t take an STX build and add these parts to make it an SSC car, you need to remove any modifications not listed in the rules in order to be legal for the class.

Spec in this case also means the tires. The Falken Azenis RT615K+ (size 225/45R17) is the required tire for the class, any other tire, more performant, or less performant, would be outside of the rules of the class.

Which car is the best to have for the SSC class?

The whole idea of the class is that there isn’t one car that is best, ideally any choice of FR-S or BRZ, and any year, should ideally work. Will it play out that way? We will see. The class is brand new, there has been one SCCA National event so far this year. The Dixie Champ Tour is coming up, and currently has 11 cars registered, so we will see what happens as the year progresses.

One thing to keep in mind in terms of car selection is Contingency money. Toyota has stepped up to offer a contingency for SSC at ProSolo events with $200 for the class win, and $1,000 for a year end class win, plus an additional $1,000 for a year end challenge win. I don’t believe Subaru has any contingency program available for 2018 at least at this point in time (March 2018).

Is the class a Supplemental class?

This is a common question, and the reason it is asked is because the supplemental tag in National autocross means that the class doesn’t qualify for a National Championship. Typically supplemental classes are trials, new classes, that need some testing to see if they will work out. This is exactly what SSC is right now, supplemental, a test. That being said, in the Town Hall event that the SCCA held at the end of February 2018, the question was asked if it will continue to be a supplemental class. The response was, yes, it currently is, but there’s a chance that will change. So there is hope that SSC will qualify for a National Championship in 2018.