Some clubs/Regions are more "touchy" about passengers than others. The reason is, if the passenger is also a driver, it provides for a look at the course at speed. So, it can lead to an unfair advantage.

On the other hand, part of local Region's job is driver development and recruitment. If your friends meet the passenger requirements (age, signed waiver, helmet, etc.) and aren't competing, I see no problem with them riding. Then again, that's up to the respective Region.

An alternative, especially since you're new to the sport, might be to try and arrange a ride-along, or even a co-drive, for both YOU and your friend(s) with an experienced driver. That way, you get some free coaching and your friends still get to ride.

I'd contact your local Region and explain your particulars. Good Luck!

he rode with me at the last one, but I guess that was okay because he has the course perfectly memorized (actually, for all I know he might have designed it and set it up too)

I know one of them can't drive (he only has a permit, and can't drive stick), but if there are any free runs the other may drive, does he need to be registered for that or just have the waiver taken car of if he is driving my car?

I know the SCCA rules, are, well, a never ending bible of very strict guidelines, but I hope there can be a little flexibility at the local level.

I'm trying to hang on for dear life and help you guys drive, no time to study the course

I meant they have never seen an autocross course before, and for me this will really be my first "normal" autocross course

lol, Is that what you were doing in that Mini cooper on the driving school day at Carlisle

So from what I understand there is no way they can be with me during a comp run, even if they are not signed up for driving / don't bring their own cars?

btw, do you think there will be time for non-comp on the 29th?

No different than the Carlisle Autocross. That was a normal autocross course too.

Yeah I thought he was going to kill me. He was not listening to one thing I was teaching him. I think he was just there to show off or thought he knew how to drive.

I kind of thought of the carlisle one as sort of an abnormal one, personally I thought it was easier to keep track of that course than the HACC one because it was actually paved out, and seemed like a relatively simple layout to memorize, plus I was there the day before memorizing the course from above. (although that none of that helps when you try to heel - toe and hit the wrong pedal, causing you to brake late and run off the course in your first lap, which was pretty embarasing)

lol, it takes a lot of guts to just jump in and ride with someone you don't know. (especially a convertible) I have to admit that the first time you took my civic around the skidpad it was kind of freaky, I was really surprised with how close you were and how quickly you were going, especially in an unfamiliar car with a strange front end design (I still have trouble parking this thing sometimes)

Okay, even in non-comp runs they are not driving w/o registering, but even if they are not driving in any way they still can't be passengers in comp runs, correct?

What heat / session should I sign up for in order to have the greatest chance of being there for a non-comp run?

btw, I think autocross messes with your mind, I seriously can only drive close to the curb when doing 20 or over, if I'm going slowly I lose all sense of where the right side of my car is. This makes curb parking very interesting.