There are a surprising amount of options out there if you want to dive into competitive racing. SCCA and NASA, the two largest motorsports organizations in the US of A, offer us two unique classes to look at, and help you decide which is right for the aspiring racing driver inside all of us.

Spec Altima – NASA

The NASA’s Board of Unanimous Track Tribulations (BUTT) have been searching for the past year to introduce a new class. They had narrowed the search down to three finalists that would fit their vision for a budget touring car class. A series around the Honda Accord, VW Jetta, and Mazda 3 had all been on the table.

After narrowing down their search to three finalists, the board has decided on none, and have chosen the Nissan Altima.

“I was driving home from our meeting, when I watched a Nissan Altima draft me, go for a slingshot maneuver, and then proceed to weave around 5 cars on i95l”, said the head of the BUTT Board, Richard Longh.

“The car demonstrated such poise and composure as it was pushed near its mechanical limits, it seems obvious that Nissans sporting pedigree has trickled down into an otherwise *fades into background* commuter car.”.

Richard was so impressed by the Altima, that he used his executive power to overrule the board and introduce “Spec Altima”.

The cars can either be coupes or sedans, 2.5 with basic bolt ones or the 3.5 with an exhaust, with the stipulation that the cars must use the CVT. It was also decided that a range of 2000 to current model year is acceptable, since there is no noticeable gain in performance to be found.

There have been some criticism to the series, which is now in its 3rd year of existence. According to anonymous veteran racers, it has introduced too many inexperienced racers, some who don’t even know they’re racing and simply think they’re in early morning traffic. However, if fast and chaotic racing is what you’re after, Spec Altima might be for you!

Spec Land Yacht – SCCA

Spec Land Yacht began as a joke class in the popular LeMons racing series. However, competition soon exploded out of the organizers’ control. In a desperate bid to rid themselves of the problem they’ve created, the rights to the class was sold to SCCA for 1500 oranges, who have continued to carry the mantle of this bonkers class.

The premise is simple, take a “land yacht” from the 70’s and race it.

The regulations have expanded to include that the cars must be at least 20ft long, have two doors, be powered by a v8, weigh a minimum of 5000 pounds, and be from the years of 1960 to 1980. Minimal power train modifications are allowed outside of safety, the same goes for weight reduction.

Brakes are the only major modification permitted, with each team now being required to run the same spec wheel hub assemblies to fit the massive AP racing rotors and calipers used by NASCAR cup teams for road corse events (This rule came after an entire field DNF’d due to brake failures).

The completion is fierce, with fields of 15 cars (about the limit for how many can fit on most tracks before worrying about fracturing the pavement) driving wheel to wheel at speeds of almost 100mph!

So Which is Best?

Overall, it’s up to your style. Spec Altima is catered towards the go-fast teams who want to clock in fast lap times or perform dangerous overtakes. Spec Land Yacht creates much closer racing, albeit slower. It also allows for more contact, more of a demo derby on a set course. No matter what you decide, us at MSIMA hope to see you on the track (if you let us drive)!