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Todd, the easiest way down here is to do Alfa Club's school. It's both good and cheap, and their license is recognized by pretty much everybody else.
You can put a toe in the water even easier, though. I can probably get you into the exhibition race with ARC at Sears next week. As a rookie, you'll start at the back of the pack. But it's a good 'free sample' kind of experience for a couple of reasons. It has no points at stake in the ARC series, so no one has a reason to get rough with you. Plus, they don't tolerate contact -- especially in an exhibition race. And starting at the back, you'll get to practice some passing.
I woudn't recommend it for everyone. School first is the best way to go, by far. But you've got a lot of seat time, and a level head. And the exhbition race is not a 'real' race. The real ones are the following weekend at Thunderhill.
You'll need a window net or arm restraints and a fire extinguisher to run the exhibition race. To do any real racing, you're going to need a cage. But you can get a waiver for that with the exhibition race, probably.
ARC's a great group to race with, in that the fields are not NASA-crowded, and their rule book makes the POC or PCA rule guys look like freakish ninnies by comparison. After running with ARC for a while (or completing the Alfa school) you can get a provisional SCCA license with a letter. And then the W-2-W world is wide open.
Also: With NASA and SCCA, you need to be prepared for more friendly car-to-car contact than with ARC or Alfa Club. At least, according to what I've heard. Maybe some racers will correct me if I'm wrong about this.
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