GCR is the common abbreviation for the
General Competition Rules of the
Sports Car Club of America, or
SCCA. The GCR is the
bible of
road racing in the
United States, and is used by
sanctioning bodies besides the SCCA, such as
NASA.
Updated annually, GCR contains all regulations necessary to conduct a motorsports event, including worker licensing, minimum staffing and insurance requirements and other boring but necessary items.
Much of the book is dedicated to safety, with requirements for helmets, firesuits, fuel cells, roll cages and more specified. Specific parts and designs may be specified. The GCR also defines all the classes included in SCCA Club Racing, including complete rules for race car preparation and inspection.
For anyone who races or is involved at the administrative level of a worker specialty, such as Flagging and Communications, Grid, Course, etc. it is mandatory that you have and read the latest GCR. They can be purchased from your local SCCA Region for around $25, and include a CD-ROM with the entire text in a searchable, read only format for Adobe Acrobat. The book is constantly updated, though the print edition is changed only annually. Updated rules are published in the Fastrak section of Sports Car, the magazine of the SCCA, making it wise to read that section carefully.
The GCR is a copyrighted property of the SCCA. Which doesn't keep other people from using it. Noders wishing more info should contact their local region or the SCCA itself through its website http:/www.scca.org