Overview

 The SL-C can be a formidable track-day weapon, or an incredibly capable race car.  But track days and racing are very different. This page explains some of the places where you can take your SL-C to the track, and what is necessary to do so, along with a deeper understanding of the differences between a track day car and a race car. The SL-C is made to tear up road courses.  Drag strips, not so much.  So this page is about road racing venues, sanctioning bodies and tracks

Here is a sub-page which discusses some of the racing done with some of the early SL-Cs:   Superlite Racing ...

Track Day Events

Track day cars are not normally required to have the extensive safety gear as true wheel-to-wheel race cars.  That means that your SL-C, with just the standard 6-point "roof structure" (the lawyers at Superlite cars don't want to call it a roll cage) is eligible for track day events at lots of different sanctioning bodies.  Most track day cars will want to add bolt-in side bars, which can be purchased from the factory.  By contrast, race cars have to meet a stringent set of rules relating to safety, and often to performance modifications to be eligible for specific classes.  In any case, you'll need to read the rules for whatever sanctioning body you choose to run with, in order to be assured that your car is indeed able to get out on the track.

Track day events are characterized by the lack of wheel-to-wheel racing (meaning that passing a car means nothing, so there is no incentive to do so in a risky way), and a focus on driver improvement, and improving lap times.  Most track day groups separate the drivers into groups, with beginners in small groups that may not allow passing at all, or only with a point-by by the driver being overtaken.  This minimizes surprises, and leads to a much lower risk of car damage.  As drivers improve, they move up to groups with more experience on track, and with relaxed passing rules.

The general idea of track days is to have fun, drive your car on track in a safe, fast manner, and to improve your driving skills.  NASA even refers to its track-day events as "High Performance Driving Events" (HPDEs) and conducts classroom sessions before novice drivers are allowed on track.  The combination of classroom training and on-track experience has been shown to improve skill take-up at these events.

In general, you will be able to run your SL-C at most track day events, without making any modifications to your car beyond making sure you have the basic safety items like tires, belts, etc covered.

3-point belts are usually accepted, but you should strongly consider using a competition belt setup on your car.  If you do, don't use a 4-point belt, as these are generally prohibited in track day events, as well as racing.  They aren't generally safe in any case, as the SL-C, because of its laydown driving position, tends to encourage submarining, the effect that a 5 or 6 point harness is designed to correct.

Every sanctioning body will examine your wheels, tire, brakes and other basic safety items before you are allowed to go out on the track.  You don't have to have racing tires, or brakes, but the tires you do have need to have good tread, and even wear patterns to meet most groups rules.  Brakes need to be in good shape as well, and it is a good idea to bleed them before every event.  Wheels with cracks, obvious bends or other defects are usually prohibited, but you don't want to drive on those anyway. :)

NASA has several Time Trial classes, and the SL-C (and the LeMans) make a great car for this kind of event.  Time Trial events are competitive, in that times are taken and tracked, but track position is irrelevant, so passing is usually much safer.  

The SL-C is an aero car (meaning that the car generates aerodynamic downforce, which increases cornering speeds over what can be obtained purely by mechanical grip alone), so getting confidence in the aerodynamics of the car takes time, especially in fast bends, but the SL-C is very well-balanced if setup properly, and is generally much faster than, say, a Porsche 997 Cup car, even when the SL-C has less power.

Racing

The SL-C is eligible to race in several classes in NASA national competition, and a couple of regional classes in SCCA.

In NASA, the most interesting class is their most unrestricted and usually fastest class, Super Unlimited, or SU.  As it's name implies. the class is a no-holds-barred, anything goes class.  In effect, it takes cars that are too fast or too weird, or both, to run in other production classes, and lets them run in this catchall class.  In this class, the SL-C is legal with the correct cage and fuel cell and other safety-related items.  Chassis and body overall weight, construction, brakes, tires, wheel sizes, engine capacity, etc are all open, and can be anything the driver wants it to be.  Cars running in this class can expect to find themselves racing against Ferrari 430 Challenge cars, ex-IMSA or ALMS Porsches, modified specials, and other prototypes.  At least one driver is running an ex-Grand-Am Daytona Prototype.  The factory built it's first race SL-C and won the 2011 NASA Super Unlimited National Championship with it, almost lapping the entire class in the championship 45-minute race at Mid-Ohio that year.

NASA also has a series of power-to-weight classes, and the SL-C is permitted in those classes. Originally hit with a higher initial weight penalty than any other car in the class (presumably due to the overdog status it achieved while winning the National Championship), all "non-production" like the SL-C cars now share the same penalty. The Super Touring or ST classes are divided into ST1 which has a nominal power to weight ratio of5.5 lbs per HP, and ST2 with has a similar adjusted weight to power of 8.7 lbs per HP.  These are adjusted numbers, and are affected by modifications, and other factors, including a base car penalty that may apply to any car (as in the case of the SL-C, which begins with a penalty of 0.4, like all non-production cars).   Essentially these classes set a series of weight brackets, and allow any engine type or modification, so long as the power from the car does not exceed the limit of the desired power-to-weight.  The racing tends to be more even in these classes, since the cars tend to be better balanced.  Engine power and weight must be declared before a car enters competition, and the car must be weighed and dyno-tested at an approved dyno shop, with the power and weight affixed to a sticker on the car.  This makes it easy to check during normal post-race checking, or under a protest.

The complete rules for SU and ST1 and ST2 are available at the NASA web site here. Read them carefully, and in context with the other referenced applicable rules.

In SCCA, the racing is more limited, with the SL-C being legal mostly in regional-only classes, like the ITE class that the North Carolina region manages.  It's best to talk to local racers, or the local SCCA reps in your area to determine where your car might be eligible to run in the SCCA.  Some regions allow it to run in the SPO class as well, a sort of SU class for the SCCA, but this too is a regional class, not a National one.

NARRA allows the SL-C to compete in their Prototype classes.  See their rulebook for more details.

The factory 01 SL-C that won the NASA Super Unlimited National Championship in 2011 has a logbook from NASA, and from the SCCA, so the cars can be made to be legal.  Since the SL-C has an aluminum chassis, the rules are a little more murky, so use the already-approved chassis design (you'll need to order this at the time of order with the factory- it isn't a bolt-on) if possible.  Otherwise, you will be plowing new ground again, as the rules tend to be written for other kinds of chassis designs and materials, and there is some room for interpretation.  Always be sure your car is legal before showing up at an event to avoid disappointment.

Before building your car, be sure you have read and understand the rules that apply to your car.  Don't make the rookie mistake of building a car that has no class to race competitively- this is done all the time, usually by car builders (not normally SL-C builders) who are more focused on the car than than understanding classes and being competitive in them..
Land Speed Racing

The SL-C can also be raced in top speed events, like those run in Loring ME, or now in Ohio with the East Coast Timing Association.  For the west coast, check out the Bonneville web page for runs that relate to running there.  In most cases, the really fast classes (above 135 MPH) will require that the cars be built to very specific rules, making most SL-Cs, except all-out race cars ineligible.  If you are planning to run these events, talk to the factory before you order the car so they can quote a custom cage that meets the unique requirements of these sanctioning bodies- they tend to be different than the FIA, SCCA or NASA.

Other events like the Texas Mile are more lenient; check the rules for what is needed. The SL-C can also run in the Silver State Classic open road races, held near Las Vegas.