Become a Driver

Become a Race Car Driver!

So you want to become a race car driver! Here are the steps to becoming a new driver with CVAR where you will not only experience safe wheel-to-wheel racing but enjoy the camaraderie unique to vintage racers. We accept VMC Member and SCCA licenses. Drivers with vintage cars from other venues must meet the requirements listed in Visiting Vintage Drivers regardless of their previous licensing.

Please contact the CVAR Chief instructor EO Barron for additional information.

1. Become a CVAR member

You must be a CVAR member to participate in the CVAR Driving School. Register to become a CVAR member.

2. Register for the Driver’s School

There are two driver’s schools scheduled each year in the spring and fall. Links will be located when online registration becomes open.

Note: You must bring a recent physical examination with you to participate in the CVAR Driver’s School. Novices must keep their Physical Examination up to date according to the same requirements as Competition license holders.

Note: You must register for the school at least 10 days before the school and will not be accepted after the 10 day out cut off. 

3. Study Your Student Packet

Once you have registered for the CVAR Driver’s School, you will receive a race schedule and other information, as well as a student packet through email. This packet contains important information and should be reviewed and studied thoroughly before you arrive for the driving school. All school material can be found at the bottom of the page in section 10.

Be sure to:

4. Arrive at the Track

Arrive the Thursday evening of the race weekend for tech inspections with a clean, “race ready” car (Does my car qualify?) as you will not have time to do major work on the car during the driving school weekend. Your race car must be equipped with a transponder.

5. Get Your Car Inspected

Your car is required to complete a tech inspection prior to being on the track. This involves a safety inspection at the track. In the entry packet there is a tech form that you fill out and hand in at the inspection. If you have your Novice Log book bring that too, else you will get one in the school.

Be sure to bring your car, driver suit, gloves, shoes, and other gear including:

  • Helmet with Snell SA2015 label, or newer, inside the helmet.
  • Seatbelts not more than 5 years old.

6.  Attend the Morning Meeting and Classroom Sessions

School starts with a meeting, place to be announced, but usually in the drivers’ lounge. Be sure to bring your physical form to this meeting.

You will have been assigned an instructor who has a car similar to yours. For the first track tour session you will go out with your instructor in a street car to learn the course layout.  He/She will give you more information at this time.

7. Know What to Expect Throughout the Weekend

Expect to be busy the entire school weekend, especially Friday.  This is why your car has to be ready, including gassed up. (Gas is sold at the track. Food and drinks are also sold there, but bring a cooler if you want as you will find yourself drinking lots of water). You will be either out on the track or in the classroom almost all day Friday.

Although you will get lots of track time, don’t worry – it starts out slow.

At first you will be following your instructor around at a controlled pace, no passing but just track touring as you learn the course and your car. Emphasis is on safety, not speed, as you learn. We are here to have fun driving our cars quick, but we want to protect our beautiful cars and each other.

As the weekend progresses, you will learn more about driving technique, proper lines and braking points around the track, being aware of your surrounding drivers and the signals the corner workers are giving you. Eventually you will be learning safe passing techniques, starting techniques and what it is like to race next to your new friends at speed!

Get to know the tracks by viewing the track maps, watching videos of CVAR racers and joining user groups.

8. Have Your Novice Log Signed By the Chief Steward

At the end of the Drivers School weekend be sure to have your instructor and the Chief Steward sign your Novice Log. After each of your next three race weekends be sure to have the Chief Steward sign your Novice Log.

9. Apply For Your License

After the school weekend you will run as a novice in subsequent weekends on a Novice Log driver permit.

To qualify for a CVAR Competition license you must complete our Three Day School, then:

  1. Successfully finish three additional race weekends without incident, and
  2. Work a day as a corner worker. Find out about being a corner worker. The corner work day can be during one of your race weekends, but not on a Friday – i.e. enter the car to race one day, while you work the other day.  Notify the corner workers contact to do this.
  3. After successfully completing the 3 novice weekends and one day of corner work, complete the required forms, application, Novice Permit and then send the entire packet to the CVAR rep. Paperwork including a photo can be sent by mail or email and that payment can be made by check or on-line.
    Linda J. Cardenas
    9326 Alta Mira Drive
    Dallas, TX 75218
    [email protected]
  4. Items to be submitted for licensing:
    1. Vintage Racing License Medical Form
    2. CVAR National Competition License Application Form
    3. Physical Examination
    4. Completed Novice Log
    5. Two passport photos
    6. Check made out to CVAR for $100.

10. School Materials

For more information on joining CVAR, contact Herb Hilton.