Sports Car Club of America
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The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) is a club and sanctioning body supporting road racing, rally, and autocross in the United States and was formed in 1944. It runs many different programs for both amateur and professional racers.
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[edit] Types of racing
[edit] Club racing
The club racing program [1] is the road racing division where drivers race wheel-to-wheel on either dedicated race tracks or on temporary street circuits. To compete you will need a regional or national racing license. Both modified production cars (ranging from lightly-modified cars with only extra safety equipment to heavily-modified cars that retain only the basic shape of the original vehicle) and designed-from-scratch "formula" and "sports racer" cars can be used in club racing.
Most of the participants in the Club Racing program are unpaid amateurs, but some go on to professional racing careers. Formula 500 and Formula 1000 are two of the larger SCCA club-racing series. The club also is the source for race workers in all specialties, without whom racing organization and operation would not be possible.
The annual National Championship for Club Racing is called the "Runoffs" and has been historically held at Riverside International Raceway (1964, 1966, 1968), Daytona International Speedway (1965, 1967, 1969), Road Atlanta (1970-1993) and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (1994-2005). In 2006, the "Runoffs" moved to Heartland Park Topeka. Beginning in 2009 the Runoffs will be held at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The move was a decision made but the BoD due to the continued mistreatment by track ownership toward the SCCA and its competitors. The current SCCA record holder is Jerry Hansen with 27 titles. Hansen is the father of TLC and Spike TV television personality and author Courtney Hansen.
[edit] Autocross
The Solo program [2] is the autocross program. One car at a time, running a course laid out with traffic cones on a large paved surface, such as a parking lot or airport runway.
Competitions are held at the Regional, Divisional, National, and Pro levels. Each Division typically crowns a Divisional Champion in each class, awarded by winning a single event. Similarly, a National Champion in each class is awarded by winning the class at the National Championship (usually referred to as "Nationals") held in September. 2006 ushers in a new site for The Solo National Championship, replacing Forbes Field with the newly renovated Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, Kansas. Individual National-level events, called "National Tours", are held throughout the racing season.
The professional autocross series, called ProSolo, runs two cars at a time on mirror-image courses and features a drag racing style "Christmas tree" start, complete with reaction times and 60' times. Class winners and other qualifiers (based on time differential against the class winner) then compete in a handicapped elimination round called the "Challenge". Points are awarded both in class competition and in Challenge competition, and an annual champion is crowned each September at the Pro Finale event in Topeka, Kansas
[edit] Road rallying
Road rallies [3] are run on open, public roads. These are not races in the sense of speed (obviously, speed limits are to be obeyed), but of precision and navigation. The object is to drive on time, arriving at checkpoints with the proper amount of elapsed time from the previous checkpoint. Competitors do not know where the checkpoints are.
[edit] Rally racing
The SCCA ProRally is a national performance Rally series similar to the World Rally Championship. At the end of the 2004 season SCCA dropped ProRally and ClubRally. A new organization, Rally America, picked up both series starting in 2005.
[edit] Professional racing series
The SCCA also has many professional series (Pro Racing) [4] like the Trans-Am Series and the more popular SPEED World Challenge as well as the newly-formed (2006) Pro MX-5. The SCCA is also the governing body for the Formula 2000 Championship Series. [1]
[edit] Divisions and regions
The SCCA is organized into regions and local areas, each organizing events in that area to make the events more accessible to people throughout the country. There are eight large areas of the country which form divisions and which are further sub-divided into regions.
[edit] Northern Pacific Division
The Northern Pacific Division consists of Alaska, Northern California, Idaho, Western Montana, Northern Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. It is broken into two major areas, Area 9 covering California and Nevada, and Area 11 covering the rest of the division. Notable events operated by this region include the Rose Cup Races, an annual SCCA National event held at Portland International Raceway. The SCCA regions within the Northern Pacific Division are as follows, with some of the main SCCA raceways listed:
- Region 27 (Northwest)
- Region 33 (San Francisco)
- Region 38 (Big Sky)
- Region 67 (Arctic Alaska)
- Region 96 (Oregon)
- Region 101 (Reno)
- Region 105 (Montana)
- Region 106 (Snake River)
[edit] Southern Pacific Division
The Southern Pacific Division consists of Arizona, Southern California, Hawaii, and Nevada. It is entirely within Area 11 (which is shared with the Northern Pacific Division). The SCCA regions within the Southern Pacific Division are as follows, with some of the main SCCA raceways listed:
- Region 2 (Arizona)
- Firebird International Raceway Park, Chandler, Arizona
- Phoenix International Raceway, Phoenix, Arizona
- Region 19 (California Sports Car Club)
- Region 46 (Hawaii)
- Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii (Oahu) (Trial basis)
- Maui Raceway Park, Puunene, Hawaii (Maui)
- Region 57 (San Diego)
- Region 72 (Las Vegas)
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Spring Mountain Motorsports Park, Pahrump, Nevada
- Region 88 (Arizona Border)
[edit] Rocky Mountain Division
The Rocky Mountain Division consists of Colorado, Eastern Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, and is entirely within Area 8. The SCCA regions within the Rocky Mountain Division are as follows, with some of the main SCCA raceways listed:
- Region 8 (Colorado)
- Continental Divide Raceway (closed in late 2005), Mead, Colorado
- Second Creek Raceway (closed in late 2005), Commerce City, Colorado
- Region 50 (Utah)
- Region 52 (Southwest Montana)
- Region 53 (Rio Grande)
- Region 81 (Pan American)
- Arroyo Seco Motorplex, Deming, New Mexico
- Region 108 (Yellowstone)
- Region 109 (Continental Divide)
- La Junta Raceway, La Junta, Colorado
- Pueblo Motorsports Park, Pueblo, Colorado
[edit] Southwest Division
The Southwest Division consists of Louisiana and Texas, and is entirely within Area 7. The SCCA regions within the Southwest Division are as follows, with some of the main SCCA raceways listed:
- Region 9 (Delta)
- Region 32 (Houston)
- Region 41 (Texas)
- Region 44 (Southwest Louisiana)
- Region 60 (Central Louisiana)
- Region 69 (South Texas Border)
- Cabaniss Air Force Base, Corpus Christi, Texas
- Region 78 (Red River)
- Region 87 (West Texas)
- Region 98 (Lone Star)
[edit] Midwest Division
The Midwest Division consists of Arkansas, Southern Illinois, Western Iowa, Kansas, Northern Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Western Tennessee, and is entirely within Area 6. The SCCA regions within the Midwest Division are as follows, with some of the main SCCA raceways listed:
- Region 15 (Kansas)
- Region 16 (Kansas City)
- Region 21 (St. Louis)
- Region 30 (Oklahoma)
- Region 48 (Nebraska)
- MidAmerica Motorplex
- Region 54 (Northeast Oklahoma)
- Region 58 (Southern Illinois)
- Region 66 (Mid South)
- Region 73 (Mississippi)
- Mississippi Region[2]
- Region 76 (Des Moines)
- Region 77 (Arkansas)
- Region 90 (Wichita)
- Region 107 (Ozark Mountain)
- Region 110 (Salina)
[edit] Central Division
The Central Division consists of Kentucky, Ohio, Northern Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Eastern Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Southern West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Geographically the largest SCCA division, it is divided into two Areas, with Area 4 covering Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia, and Area 5 covering the remaining regions. The SCCA regions within the Central Division are as follows, with some of the main SCCA raceways listed:
- Region 4 (Central Illinois)
- Region 6 (Western Michigan)
- Gingerman Raceway, South Haven, Michigan
- Grattan Raceway, Belding, Michigan
- Region 7 (Chicago)
- Region 10 (Detroit)
- Region 13 (Indianapolis)
- Region 14 (Iowa)
- Region 17 (Kentucky)
- Region 18 (Land O'Lakes)
- Region 20 (Milwaukee)
- Region 24 (Neohio)
- Nelson-Ledges Road Course, Warren, Ohio
- Region 28 (Northwestern Ohio)
- Region 29 (Ohio Valley)
- Region 35 (South Bend)
- Region 36 (Southern Indiana)
- Region 47 (Southern West Virginia)
- Region 51 (River Cities)
- Region 56 (Lake Superior)
- Region 64 (Columbus Sports Car Club)
- Region 70 (Cincinnati)
- Region 74 (Central Kentucky)
- Region 75 (Indiana Northwest)
- Region 82 (Blackhawk Valley)
- Region 85 (Fort Wayne)
- Region 86 (Western Ohio)
- Region 89 (Northern Ohio Valley)
- Region 99 (Great River)
- Region 100 (Saginaw Valley)
- Region 102 (Badlands)
[edit] Southeast Division
The Southeast Division consists of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Eastern Tennessee, and Southern Virginia. The division is split into two areas, with Area 3 covering the Gulf Coast regions, and Area 12 covering the remainder of the division. The SCCA regions within the Southeast Division are as follows, with some of the main SCCA raceways listed:
- Region 1 (Alabama)
- Region 3 (Atlanta)
- Region 11 (Florida)
- Homestead Motorsports Park, Homestead, Florida
- Moroso Motorsports Park, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
- Region 12 (Gulf Coast)
- Region 34 (Buccaneer)
- Region 40 (Tennessee)
- Region 45 (Wiregrass)
- Region 55 (North Carolina)
- Region 61 (Central Carolinas)
- Carolina Motorsports Park, Kershaw, South Carolina
- Lowe's Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
- Region N/A (Coastal Carolina)
- Region 63 (Old Dominion)
- Region 68 (Eastern Tennessee)
- Region 79 (South Carolina)
- Region 83 (Central Florida)
- Region 91 (Middle Georgia)
- Region 93 (Tennessee Valley)
- Region 94 (Chattanooga)
- Region 95 (Divie)
- Region 103 (Blue Ridge)
[edit] Northeast Division
The Northeast Division consists of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Northern Virginia. The division is split into three areas: Area 1 covering New England and the New York City urban area, Area 10 covering Upstate New York, and Area 2 covering the remainder of the division. The SCCA regions within the Northeast Division are as follows, with some of the main SCCA raceways listed:
- Region 5 (Central New York)
- Adirondack International Speedway, New Bremen, New York
- Region 22 (New England)
- Region 23 (New York)
- Region 25 (Northeastern Pennsylvania)
- Region 26 (Northern New Jersey)[3]
- Region 31 (Philadelphia)
- Region 37 (Southern New York)
- Region 39 (Steel Cities)
- Region 42 (Washington D.C.)
- Region 43 (Western New York)
- Region 59 (Central Pennsylvania)
- Region 62 (Finger Lakes)
- Region 65 (Mohawk-Hudson)[4]
- Region 71 (Glen)
- Region 80 (Mahoning Valley)
- BeaveRun Motorsports Complex, Wampum, Pennsylvania
- Region 84 (South Jersey)
- Region 92 (Susquehanna)
- Region 97 (Blue Mountain)
- Region 104 (Misery Bay)
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- Until the 1960s, John Bishop was an SCCA staff member who also illustrated magazine covers for the club. He resigned over disputes about professional racing and formed IMSA.
- Air Force General Curtis LeMay was a renowned enthusiast of sports car racing. As the "SAC era" approached its end, LeMay loaned out facilities of SAC bases for the SCCA's use. He was awarded the Woolf Barnato Award, the highest award for contributions to SCCA, in 1954, and was inducted into the SCCA Hall of Fame in 2007.
[edit] References
- ^ SCCA - Sports Car Club of America
- ^ SCCA - Sports Car Club of America
- ^ SCCA - Sports Car Club of America
- ^ SCCA - Sports Car Club of America
