Northwest Sports Car News

Transcription

Official Membership Magazine of Northwest Region SCCA
April 2015
Northwest Sports
Car News
The official membership
magazine of Northwest Region,
Sports Car Club of America.
Editor:
Jeff Zurschmeide
[email protected]
Publisher:
Falstaff Publications
5857 Carman Drive
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
Northwest Sports Car News is published on the first day of each month by
Falstaff Publications under contract for
Northwest Region Sports Car Club of
America.
All contents copyright © 2015 by
Falstaff Publications and Northwest
Region Sports Car Club of America.
Content and Advertisements are due on
the 20th of each month.
Display ads must be submitted as
TIFF or JPG at 300dpi. Ad rates:
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Articles and photographs may be
submitted by e-mail or in any digital
format. Other formats accepted by
arrangement with the Editor.
Copyrighted materials may not be
printed without prior permission.
All materials submitted become property of Northwest Region and Falstaff
Publications. Writers and photographers retain original copyright to their
work. Materials are printed according
to the discretion of the Editor and Regional Executive.
On The Cover
Larry Vollum takes the win in F1000 at Pacific Raceways.
Photo by Doug Berger - www.dbpics.com
Northwest Region Contacts
Regional Executive
John Taylor
Asst. RE Race
Chuck Huffington
Asst. RE Solo
Dick Willy
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
John Forespring
[email protected]
Time Trials
David Conover
[email protected]
Webmaster
Joe Goeke
Street Survival
Sherri Masterson
Membership
[email protected]
[email protected]
EditorJeff Zurschmeide
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[email protected]
on the pavement reserved for racers?’
TOPEKA, Kan. (March 18, 2015) –
With an eye on bringing car enthusiasts
to the race track to drive, shine and
show, meet with car clubs or just hang
out, the SCCA’s Track Night in America
Driven by Tire Rack opens up 20 tracks
across the county once a month, on
weeknights, beginning in April.
comfort and skill level. Rookies will
get extra attention from the gate
through their on-track sessions in the
Novice Experience, ranging from help
removing loose items in the car (like
floor mats and unsecured tire jacks) to
coaching and follow the leader paced
laps during their sessions.
At its heart, Track Night in America is a
gathering place for people to share their
passion for cars with other community
members. The program features an
affordable after-work, weeknight
lapping program for street cars and
drivers ranging from track rookies to
veterans.
Intermediate and Advanced
participants can skip much of the
pre-track minutiae by going online
in advance to fill out tech sheets and
complete a drivers’ meeting that
reviews Track Night basics. Those
participants will also have access to
top-flight SCCA instructors and event
staff for additional on-site questions
and help.
“Track Night in America is, simply,
about fun with cars,” Heyward
Wagner, SCCA Director of Experiential
Programs, said. “Traditional road
courses have always been a bit of a
secret society. This program is all about
removing the mystery, eliminating
hurdles and opening the doors so
everyone can come play. Whether
you’re a driver, friend or just hanging
out, there is an experience for you at
Track Night.”
Track Night in America will run once
a month at the designated tracks,
with the schedule typically beginning
at 4 p.m. Participants will get three
20-minute sessions for a $150 entry fee.
Paced laps will be open and free to all
attendees each Track Night.
Track Night in America Driven by
Tire Rack is open to the general public
over the age of 18, with a valid driver’s
license.
The fastest way to get on track, Track
Night in America is split into three
experiences based upon a driver’s
The Track Night calendar opens in
April with Track Night: Atlanta at
Atlanta Motorsports Park (April 7),
Track Night: Palm Beach at Palm Beach
International Raceway and Track Night:
NorCal at Thunderhill Raceway Park
(April 9), Track Night: Dallas at MSR
Cresson and Track Night: Pittsburgh at
Pitt Race (April 14), and Track Night:
New Jersey at New Jersey Motorsports
Park (April 15).
“We at Tire Rack are extremely
excited,” Matt Edmonds, Tire Rack
Vice President, said. “Track Night in
America is that opportunity to take
automotive enthusiasts and ignite them,
making them true driving enthusiasts
like we are. Let them see that they can
enjoy their cars performance in a safe
environment. This is the chance get on
a track and experience their vehicle and
improve their driving skills. For years
many drivers have asked the question, ‘I
wonder what it would be like to put on
a helmet and feel the thrill of driving
“This is the answer to the question.
Taking place around the country, at
20 dedicated tracks; not once in a
while, but once a month, for four to
five months or more during the year.
This frequency of the events will allow
you to come back and bring someone
to share this adventure with you. This
will have an exponential effect on the
growth of driving enthusiasts, making
it a wonderful opportunity for the
SCCA. From the Tire Rack family, we’re
very excited to be a part of generating
new driving enthusiasm, and anxious
to launch this program.”
The launch of Track Night in America
Driven by Tire Rack is supported
by the FIA Sport Grant Programme
and Grassroots Motorsports. Each
Track Night participant will receive a
complimentary six-month subscription
to Grassroots Motorsports magazine.
“The reception we’ve gotten from
partners to this program has been
great, and our friends at Tire Rack
answered that bell in a big way,”
Wagner said. “This partnership will
allow SCCA, Tire Rack and our
participants in the program to see a real
and tangible benefit.”
More information on the program,
including a full list of tracks
and dates, is available at www.
TrackNightInAmerica.com.
SCCA National Award Winners
Announced
As part of the festivities,
Rick Mitchell was given Club
Racing’s David Morrell Award.
This honor is given to an
active National Chief Steward
for exhibiting outstanding
performance and dedication to
the sport while upholding the
highest of principles. Morrell
was selected by the Chairman of
the Stewards and the remaining
Executive Stewards.
Danny Bender and his Mother
TOPEKA, Kan. (Feb. 20, 2015) – Eight
SCCA Club Racing, RallyCross and
Solo awards were presented to the
respective winners at three Divisional
Conventions, and two Regional
Conventions, during the month of
January. The presentation of these
awards, which have historically been
given out as part of the SCCA National
Convention, were moved to the
Regional and Divisional Conventions
to present the awards in front of each
driver’s friends and peers.
As part of the Rocky Mountain
Divisional Convention, held Jan. 25,
Rupert Berrington was given the Spark
Plug Award. This is an annual award
given to an individual, Region or
Division that has made an outstanding
effort in promoting and publicizing
RallyCross using many media
platforms.
In total three awards were given out at
the Southeast Divisional Convention,
on Jan. 31. Charles Wright, the SEDIV
RallyCross steward, accepted the
Divisional RallyCross Program of the
Year award on behalf his division. The
Tennessee Valley Region was presented
with the RallyCross Region of the Year.
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Presented the same day on
the opposite coast at the San
Francisco Region Solo Awards
Banquet, Mark Scroggs took
home Solo Rookie of the Year
honors. Scroggs earned the award
after claiming the G Street National
Championship in his first trip to the
Tire Rack Solo National Championship.
With limited competition experience,
he earned the title with a 0.4-second
margin of victory over 26 other drivers.
On Feb. 6, two awards were presented
at the Chicago Region awards dinner.
Al Varacins was awarded the Club
Racing Crew Chief of the Year, while
Daniel Bender was named the winner
of the Kimberly Cup for being the
most improved Club Racing driver
after winning a Touring 4 National
Championship.
At the Midwest Division Convention
that same night, Cliff Ira was named
the Jim Fitzgerald National Rookie of
the Year in Club Racing. Ira was the
Super Tour Lite National Champion in
2014.
Still to be given out at the SCCA
National Convention during the SCCA
Hall of Fame and Awards Banquet
presented by Mazda on Saturday, Feb.
21, are the Woolf Barnato Award,
Member of Excellence, President’s
Cup and Solo Driver of the Year. The
RallyCross Dirty Cup will be awarded
to the winner at a future time.
Below is a summary of awards and the
winner, broken down by discipline.
Club Racing Crew Chief of the Year: Al Varacins,
Chicago Region
David Morrell Award: Rick Mitchell,
Atlanta Region
Jim Fitzgerald National Rookie of the
Year: Cliff Ira, Buccaneer and Kansas
City Regions
Kimberly Cup: Daniel Bender, Chicago
Region
RallyCross Divisional RallyCross Program of the
Year: Southeast Division
RallyCross Region of the Year:
Tennessee Valley Region
Spark Plug Award: Rupert Berrington,
Colorado Region
SoloSolo Rookie of the Year: Mark Scroggs,
San Francisco Region
Additional information on each
award presented by SCCA can be
found at http://www.scca.com/
about/?cid=44418.
Like SCCA on Facebook at Facebook.
com/SCCAOfficial and follow the
Club on Twitter @SCCAOfficial.
Panel Discussion on
SCCA Future Caps
Opening Day of Club
Convention
TOPEKA, Kan. (Feb. 20, 2015) –
The SCCA 2020 panel discussion
featuring SCCA Club and partner
executives deliberating the future of the
motorsports industry and the Club’s
role within it capped off the first day of
the 2015 Sports Car Club of America
National Convention and MSX Expo
on Friday, held at the Charlotte
Convention Center Feb. 20-21.
Lisa Noble (CEO/President), Eric Prill
(COO), Robert Clarke (SCCA Pro
Racing President and SCCA VP of
Business Development) and Tire Rack
Vice President Matt Edmonds held a
conversation to tackle some of those
issues. Moderated by long-time Club
member and professional motorsports
broadcaster Greg Creamer, the talk
took on many of the toughest questions
facing those in the motorsports
industry. Much of the early discussion
was centered on how to get younger
generations involved in motorsports.
To that end, Noble made her opening
comments with an eye on getting
the general public interested in their
vehicles once again. She made the point
that the Club was not created solely for
the sake of competition, but to promote
a community of auto enthusiasts.
“Our broader goal should be to attract
those who do not yet know they are
interested in cars,” Noble said. “The
number of car owners out there is huge,
but many of those people would not
consider themselves car people. Often
times they do not realize it, but there
is an emotional connection forged
with their vehicle. The key should be to
emphasize that connection.”
Creamer’s initial question was on
the overall health and interest in
motorsports in today’s world. This
served as the stepping-off point for the
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discussion.
“What we have is a basic erosion of
interest in motorsports, and sporting
events in general,” Clarke said. “What
we have to do is understand how to
engage the younger generations in what
we are about, which is cars. There are so
many different things for our younger
generations with which they get
involved. It’s hard to compete amongst
all the background noise.”
Clarke went on to explain that neither
the vehicles nor the format featured in
motorsports competition catch the eyes
of younger generations. The challenge
not only lies in finding exactly what
attracts those younger viewers, but then
understanding how to engage those
points.
As the conversation continued, the
focused narrowed on SCCA’s role in
this over-arching process. Each panelist
agreed that SCCA is in a prime position
to lead the effort to push motorsports,
and the automobile, back into the
public’s general consciousness.
“The Club is at an interesting point in
time,” Prill said. “There are many of
us that have been members for years,
but there are also many other folks out
there who would like to get involved in
a more personal way. Our goal should
be to bring down those barriers to make
our organization more accessible.”
One of the remaining challenges
discussed was how to make nonmembers aware of what SCCA has
to offer, even if not strapped into a
racecar. The recognition and gratitude
surrounding the sheer number of
volunteer hours needed to put on a
successful event was one echoed all four
panelists.
“I want to look at the participation
in our Club from a personal aspect,”
Edmonds said. “As a major part of the
Tire Rack Street Survival program,
we have people in our organization
interested in getting more involved
all the time. We need to get as many
people out to an event as we can. It’s not
just about competing. There are some
many different aspects in which to get
people involved.”
SCCA Debuts New Bracket Enduro Racing Format
TOPEKA, Kan.
(March 16, 2015) – A
less restrictive rule
set for both drivers
and cars and a unique
scoring method to
balance the field
highlight the SCCA’s
Bracket Enduro
program, set to run on
a limited basis in 2015
and grow dramatically
in 2016.
The events will feature
4 classes. The first
will be an all out pace
event, whoever goes
the farthest the fastest
wins. However, the
other three will use a
format that balances
cars and teams
through time allowances, similar to
drag racing. Teams will have a variety
of options, including tire choice and
set up, to run within their target times.
The SCCA Bracket Enduro will debut at
Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park,
June 6-7.
“We really wanted to build a program
that made endurance racing truly
affordable, but at the same time without
limiting what people could spend,”
Heyward Wagner, SCCA Director
of Experiential Programs, said. “As
we looked across the motorsports
landscape, we found what we were
looking for in a variation of the bracket
racing model commonly used in drag
racing.”
The format is designed to also appeal
to former racers who may have found
that their race car no longer fits well
in traditional SCCA sprint racing.
While to be eligible, performance
potential must not exceed GT-3/
Touring 3/E-Production, ITR, one of
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the founding principles of the program
is that there are no illegal cars. If
it passes safety inspection, and is
deemed eligible, it is legal regardless of
configuration or modification.
additional three classes will be set by
a delta lap time. If a car runs quicker
than its target lap, the time is multiplied
by 1.5 and put into a bank. Bank time is
paid back in pit lane.
“We want to encourage creativity, in
preparation and strategy,” Wagner said.
“This should be viewed as really fun
challenge. And with the team element,
it becomes something that families
and friends can do together without
breaking the bank. I think that is a winwin.”
Class Two and Class Three will be
based on SCCA ITR and ITB lap times.
Class Four will be set three to five
seconds slower than ITC. The variation
in classes will allow for fast cars and
drivers to still go as fast as they can,
while also allowing less prepared cars
or those on street tires to have a place
to play.
The Structure
The SCCA Bracket Enduro is designed
to create a fun, fair and affordable
way for racers to experience team
endurance racing, allowing a wide
range of preparation, investment and
performance to compete on a level
playing field.
Each event will have four classes, with
the first an “open” race class. The
Races are expected to typically run at
least seven hours, with a 24-hour race
on the horizon.
Car Eligibility
The SCCA Bracket Enduro will use
an essentially open rule set, with the
exception of safety equipment and
performance limitations to an SCCA
Club Racing GT-3/IT-R/Touring 3/E
Production level set by the existing
Club Racing Experience rule set. Tires
can be racing slicks or street legal.
“We would love for this program to
appeal to competitors in other budget
minded endurance racing programs,
but we also want to reach out to current
and past Club Racers,” Wagner said.
“There are a lot of parked race cars
out there. Some may have become
uncompetitive, others may have become
too expensive to campaign. This
program fixes both of those problems.
Bracket Enduro will not be required to
hold SCCA competition licenses.
Scoring
The scoring for the SCCA Bracket
Enduro has two distinct methods.
The first class is open – simply, like
traditional rules, the car going the
furthest prior to the checkered flag is
the winner.
Driver Eligibility
The additional three classes are based
on a delta time for each lap. Each lap
that falls under the target time (times
1.5 as a penalty) will go into a bank
that must be served in addition to the
minimum pit stop length. Teams may
continue to work on the car during the
banked time payback.
Drivers participating in the SCCA
Banked time will be kept electronically
“An older prod, GT or IT car can run
street tires, with a modern, reliable
stock motor and good brakes . not only
will it be legal, it can win.”
M
REALTY
and automatically through the race
app, available to all competitors and
spectators.
For example, if the delta time is one
minute, and a driver runs a lap of 59
seconds 10 times, the team would need
to pay back 15 seconds of time (10 total
seconds, times 1.5) before the end of the
race.
Each team will choose the class to
compete in when they register, but may
change their classification after the test
and tune session.
More information, and a complete
rule set, on the SCCA Bracket Enduro
series can be found at SCCA.com. A
list of Club Racing Experience rules is
available for download at http://www.
scca.com/assets/CRE-Rules.pdf.
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Site of RallyCross Nationals Will Move to Iowa
TOPEKA, Kan. (Feb. 27, 2015) –
The Sports Car Club of America
announced that Indianola, Iowa, will
be the location of the 2015 SCCA
RallyCross National Championships.
The competition site itself is a patch of
land owned by the National Balloon
Classic that is used as a parking lot for
the annual festival. The balloon festival
with tens of thousands of spectators
will be the week before the RallyCross
Nationals, which is scheduled for Aug.
7-9.
Both the venue and date changes came
as a result of member concerns that
arose from the 2014 event. This will
be the third site in as many years that
will host the year-end event. The choice
to move from the I-80 Speedway, in
Greenwood, Neb., which hosted last
year’s event, was the result of some
unanticipated weather circumstances
that made the facility less than ideal for
a National Championship meet.
The Iowa site that will host this year’s
Championship was found as a result
of an exhaustive country-wide search.
The Des Moines Valley Region has
experience with the administration of
a RallyCross event at this very location.
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Aside from the local region having
utilized the site in the past, the fact that
the tract of land is used for parking tens
of thousands of festival goers suggests
that the ground will be well-packed.
The move in date also hopes to be
beneficial for the meet. As the event
will be held in early August, weather
conditions should be much warmer
and drier than those experienced in
October.
“We are very excited to be able use
the parking area for the National
Balloon Classic (http://www.
nationalballoonclassic.com/) for
this year’s RallyCross National
Championship and to work with the
community of Indianola,” Sr. Director
of Solo and RallyCross Howard Duncan
said. “This new site will provide
participants with all the elements to
have an exceptional championship
event; great courses on a superb surface,
warm weather, plenty of paddock space,
on-site buildings for social functions,
and proximity to a metropolitan area.
We look for the 2015 RX Nationals to
be the best yet!”
In addition to the date and location
change, a National Championship
committee was formed. They will work
with the RallyCross Board and national
office staff to help organize all aspects
of the event. The overall goal is to help
foster a more social feel to the meet. The
new committee has been challenged
to make this year’s event the most fun
RallyCross Nationals in the program’s
history.
Further information on the National
RallyCross program can be found
at SCCA.com/RallyCross. Details
regarding this National Championship
event will be made available as they are
determined at http://www.scca.com/
events/index.cfm?eid=8972.
New 2015 GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado!
By Jeff Zurschmeide,
NWSCN Editor
market. And they just might succeed.
Behold the phenomenon of the midsize truck. Mid-size pickups were
invented to bridge the gap between the
traditional full-size V8-powered halfton or better trucks and the imported
mini-trucks that had been around since
the 1960s. The first real mid-size was
the 1987 Dodge Dakota, and its success
led other automakers to respond
by bringing out their own mid-size
offerings or growing their mini-trucks
to mid-size proportions. Eventually the
compact truck and even the Dakota
simply died out, but that’s not the end
of the story.
For 2015, the only surviving mid-size
trucks on the American market are
the Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma,
and the twins from the General: the
Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.
Neither the Frontier nor the Tacoma
have had a serious refresh in nearly 10
years, which makes this fall’s complete
redesign of the Colorado and Canyon
all the more significant.
Start with the heart - the most basic of
the new trucks offers a 200-horsepower,
191-pound-foot, 2.5-liter 4-cylinder
engine. The engine is DOHC, with
variable valve timing and direct
injection, but it’s still naturally
aspirated. This aluminum beauty
bears no relation to the old “Iron
Duke” 2.5-liter boat anchors in GM’s
past - it’s a brand new player with
substantial room for the aftermarket
to boost power. There’s plenty of space
in the truck’s cavernous engine bay to
fit that engine with whatever may be
developed.
The other engine is an aluminum
3.6-liter V6, also with DOHC, VVT,
and direct injection. This one comes in
at 305 horsepower and 269 pound-feet
of torque. This is the engine you want
for towing, performance, and to be
honest - unless you really like diesel or
you want to turbocharge that 4-banger
- this is the engine you want. As you’ll
see later, it doesn’t really cost any more
Proven Engines
The new
Coloranyonado
is built to take
advantage of the fact
that the last major
work done in this
segment happened
before anyone had
even heard of smart
phones. GM has
brought everything
in their catalog
to these trucks in
order to squash
the competition
and dominate this
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than the 4-cylinder by the time they
hand you the keys.
Both these engines have seen prior
duty in other vehicles, but have been
retuned for the specific needs of the
truck market. That’s apparent when
you see that even the 4-cylinder models
have a basic tow rating of 3,500 pounds.
When you add the tow package and the
V6, that jumps to an impressive 7,000
pounds.
The more interesting engine is coming
down the road to us next year, in the
form of a 2.8-liter Duramax 4-cylinder
turbo-diesel. This DOHC 16-valve
common-rail engine is already in use in
other parts of the world, where it makes
180 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of
torque.
Flexible Transmission and Driveline
Options
can get leather, heated seats, and the
whole luxury deal.
Regardless of the engine you choose,
expect it to be backed up by GM’s
capable Hydra-Matic 6L50 6-speed
automatic transmission. Yes, you can
get a 6-speed manual, but only in the
most basic WT trim level with the
4-cylinder engine.
The new Colorado or Canyon comes
with a 4G/LTE receiver and three
months of service to hook you so you’ll
sign up your truck for its own data
plan. You can use that 4G to broadcast
a wi-fi signal around the truck for your
use. That’s a nifty luxury for families,
but could be a critical benefit for work
purposes as well.
The new truck is available with 2WD
or 4WD, and it’s a fully automated
shift-on-the-fly design. One of the great
things that comes along with ordering
the Colorado Z71 or Canyon SLT off
road trim levels is that you get an
automatically locking rear diff.
Luxury Interior and Technology
Showpiece
The inside of the Colorado or Canyon
shows how far the pickup truck market
has come from the days of metal
dashboards and flat bench seats. The
interior treatments are the same that
you’d expect to find in an upscale
SUV. This is where the Canyon departs
from the Colorado. As you’d expect in
a GMC, the luxury touches are a cut
above Chevy, with soft-touch surfaces
and a generally nicer presentation. You
Everything is controlled through an
8-inch color touch screen. You can play
your tunes, get your OnStar navigation
and services, and watch your bumper
while you’re backing up with the
standard tailgate-mounted backup
camera. Pair up your iPhone and the
screen will give you text message alerts
and Siri eyes-free services. You also get
4 standard USB ports on all the trim
levels except the base model.
Bottom Line: What’s it Going to Cost?
The literature will tell you that the basic
Colorado or Canyon starts at $20,995,
plus the usual destination charge. That’s
a true statement, but it’s not really real.
That truck is only a 4-cylinder, only
manual transmission, and has none of
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the great stuff you really want. Change
anything in the configuration - V6,
Automatic, Crew Cab - and your price
jumps up to the $28,000 range. Add
several of those features and you’re
already up to $35,000 before you can
say “tow package.” Then ponder the fact
that the top of the line models are about
$40,000. That’s with the leather and the
whole option book dumped in. Chevy
and GMC have structured the pricing
to get you up the option ladder quickly
and efficiently, so if you’re going to do
it, you might as well go big or go home.
The bottom line on the 2015 Chevrolet
Colorado and GMC Canyon is this they drive like a nice SUV, have plenty
of power, and the future looks bright
for the aftermarket. If you’re looking
for something smaller than a full-size
but with a fully modern feature set and
design, one of these two options is your
truck. There is simply nothing (yet) on
the market to touch them.
SCCA Convention Ends with Awards and Hall of Fame Ceremony
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb. 21, 2015)
– The Sports Car Club of America
Awards and Hall of Fame Induction
Presented by Mazda closed out the 2015
SCCA National Convention and MSX
Expo held at the Charlotte Convention
Center Feb. 20-21. The banquet saw
the presentation of four of the Club’s
highest awards, in addition to the
induction of the 2015 Hall of Fame
class.
To start off the awards, the Member of
Excellence was given to JD King. King
was selected by the Board of Directors
for his extensive contributions to
the Club. He is most known in the
Solo community, but he has plenty of
experience in wheel-to-wheel racing. In
1997, King was involved in an industrial
accident that caused him the loss of his
left arm. However, that did not deter
King from following his passion for the
Club and is even an active competitor
and Club Racing administrator to this
day.
Andrew Pallotta took home the Solo
Driver of the Year award following
a performance in which he captured
the National Solo Championship
in Super Touring Xtreme, beating a
field of over 60 drivers by more than
0.5-second. Pallotta was selected by
the members of the Solo Events Board
for his noteworthy performance at the
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Championship meet.
“I am so surprised by this that I don’t
know what to say,” Pallotta said. “Nick
[Barbato] and Darren [Seltzer] are
amazing drivers, in their own right.
I can’t believe that I was chosen for
this award over them. I have to thank
everyone who has helped me along the
way. There are too many to name, but
without you this wouldn’t have been
possible.”
Next up on the docket was the
President’s Cup, which was given to
Andrew Longe. Longe was announced
as the award winner by threetime President’s Cup winner and
motorsports legend Roger Penske in
a video recorded message. This award
is presented to the driver who showed
the most ability, competitiveness and
success at the National Championship
Runoffs as selected by the Stewards of
the Meet and the Chief Steward of the
event. Longe’s 20-lap battle with Kyle
Kelley for the Touring 2 title more than
qualified as the finish was decided by
just 0.047-second, the second-closest
Runoffs finish of the transponder era.
The final award of the night was the
Woolf Barnato award, presented by
last year’s winner Bob Dowie. Current
SCCA VP of Solo/Rally Howard
Duncan was revealed as the winner,
as selected by the previous three
winners for his outstanding long-term
contribution to the Club. A pleasantly
surprised Duncan accepted the award.
“I can’t believe I am up here receiving
this award,” Duncan said. “I figured
I was going to be able to take it easy
tonight since I knew I didn’t have
to worry about speaking. I was just
planning on standing up here to direct
traffic. However, this is a huge honor
and I thank everyone here for this
opportunity.”
To finish the evening’s festivities was
the induction of the newest class to
the SCCA Hall of Fame. Each new
member was nominated by the general
membership and hand-picked by the
selection committee based on both onand off-track contributions to the Club.
Included in the class were Dr. George
Snively, Ron Sharp, Bob Tullius, Roger
Johnson and Oscar Kovaleski.
Accepting on behalf of Snively was
Dr. Dan Thomas, the President of
the Snell Memorial Foundation.
Snively’s research into head trauma
was sparked by the death of William
“Pete” Snell at an auto race in 1956.
It was determined that Snell died
because of inadequate head protection.
Snively decided to further research the
problem and presented his findings to
the San Francisco Region SCCA. As
his research gathered momentum, it
eventually led to the founding of what
we now know as the Snell Foundation.
The organization is responsible
for certifying helmets for many
applications and pushes to increase the
effectiveness of those safety devices.
Ron Sharp was the next inductee. He
made a name for himself more as an
event organizer, but also spent plenty
of time at the controls of a racecar.
Among his accomplishments were
the successful move of the Runoffs
from Road Atlanta to Mid-Ohio and
the successful production of the Des
Moines Grand Prix.
“When the Des Moines Valley Region
found out, in 1988, that Trans Am
was planning on having a street
race, our region looked at is as a
real opportunity,” Sharp said. “Not
many regions get the opportunity to
participate in something like this. As
a show of support, our membership
exploded from about 130 to over 400.
We were able to work with many of the
chiefs from the Central and Mid-West
Divisions to make the event a success.
We all knew that street races have their
own personality, and set of problems,
but with hard work from the team we
were able to make the event happen.”
Bob Tullius etched his name into SCCA
history with many successful years
behind the wheel of various cars. His
Group 44 race team became one of the
most fearsome organizations in SCCA
Club Racing, at a time when there
were not many full-fledged amateur
race teams. Tullius also proved to
have success in the professional ranks
scoring numerous Trans Am and other
professional wins.
“I thought sitting on the grid for at the
Runoffs was nerve-wracking, but not to
worry this is much worse,” Tullius said.
“My friends and supporters, many of
whom are here tonight, are extremely
important to not only my racing
success, but my life in general. The life
of a racer is a mixture of high highs and
12
very low lows. Without good support,
it makes dealing with those cycles very
difficult.”
Roger Johnson was the penultimate
inductee during the evening. Johnson
made his mark in the Solo community,
most prominently as a course designer.
While that is part of his legacy, Johnson
also produced the materials by which
new course designers learn the craft.
Aside from that, Johnson has also
introduced an international flair to the
SCCA Solo program. For the past two
seasons, in connection with former
F1 and IndyCar driver Eliseo Salazar,
Johnson has brought a contingent of
Chilean drivers to Lincoln, Nebraska,
to compete at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo
National Championships.
Closing out the ceremony was the
formal induction of Oscar Kovaleski
to the SCCA Hall of Fame. Kovaleski
joined the club in 1950, scoring his first
win a year later. He went on to race in
the Can-Am series and also took part in
the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours
of Sebring. He also has an A Sports
Racing National Championship title to
his credit.
Additional information on the SCCA
Hall of Fame, including past year’s
inductees, can be found at http://www.
scca.com/about/?cid=44406.
Come race with us!
Spec Racer Ford
Racing School
Race Rentals
Arrive & Drive
Tracks at which the Pro Drive Racing Team has raced:
Road America – Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca – Circuit of the Americas – Watkins Glen
Portland International Raceway – Sonoma Raceway – Auto Club Speedway
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Phoenix International Raceway – Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Heartland Park Topeka – Pacific Raceway – Inde Motorsports Ranch
Thunderhill Raceway Park – Willow Springs Raceway – The Ridge Motorsports Park – Road Atlanta
www.prodrive.net • 503.285.4449
Vintage MG Midget
Jim Sterling’s blue and white #27
Midget is for sale. Very reliable well
sorted Vintage race car.
$15,000
20Ft Pace enclosed trailer available
Call for details - Jim Sterling
360-430-2906
Classified Marketplace
Race Photos Needed
Race Cars For Rent
Hey friends of Garth and Fred at
Trackside Motorsports We are looking for some fresh race
photos for ads in several racing
publications. If you are a customer
and have some cool photos please
send them to: Ed LaPlante, signs@
magneticsignpdx.com
http://www.pro3-racing.com/
1991 BMW 325i in Pro3 Trim
Full Cage, Fire system, 5 point Harness, adjustable shocks, swaybars, all
bushings delron Engine has had a fresh
rebuild (rings/hone/bearings/head and
valve job/decked block...) 2 sets of tires,
trailer available if needed. Can run in
PRo3 class and or EIP class.
Mark Estes
503-734-7355 (leave message or text)
Photo credit given if needed
No guarantees we will use your
photo but if it’s a great photo and
fits our format we’d love to see it.
Thanks Garth & Fred
VINTAGE FORMULA FORD
1982 Royale RP31 – SN37
Ivey engine – very crisp and fresh
3 sets of wheels – one wheel needs some straightening. Three
weekends on American Racer slicks, older Rains on second set of
rims.
New rear uprights, new rear wheel bearings in 2013. New five-point
belts in 2011. Halon Extinguisher system (engine bay and cockpit
nozzles). New Odyssey battery in 2011 (sealed lead-acid motorcycle
style). Full set of Hewland gears in carrying case.
Nice set of specialty parts, including extra nose and assorted ballend bushings. Suspension is very well sorted and tested. Complete
car history with SCCA logbooks, record of owners.
Privately-built trailer – a usable “work in progress” enclosed trailer
Converted from a light boat trailer – single axle w/14” Chevrolet
rims
Long trough-style wheel channels, over-tire retaining straps. Steeltube frame 90% complete, two-doors at rear (framed). Electric
winch ready for attachment
Authorized Dealer for
Spec Racer Ford
Asking $16,000 – car located in Corvallis – shown by appointment
only. Call Bill Gellatly (503) 867-6514 for additional details
503-970-9871
13
[email protected]
Classified Marketplace
Driver’s Suits
R.J.S. Racing Equipment SFI-5, brand
new, never used extra- large sized for
5’-9” 240 lb driver. Originally paid
$470.00, will sell for $250.00.
R.J.S. Racing Equipment SFI-1, slightly
used, large sized, single layer (requires
Nomex long johns), will sell for $150.00.
Design 500 RaceWear SFI-5, mediumsized, worn only a couple of times, will
sell for $150.00.
All suits have been dry-cleaned, and are
spotless.
Call Richard at (541) 278-1150 or
Want to keep your racing skills up
year round?
Install a complete race simulator complete with large screen, g force creation,
surround sound, and custom software
as well as a library of publicly available
software.
Virtually all familiar tracks and race
cars are available. There are 2 simulators available, so you can race head to
head with friends. Great for training
new drivers for the track, or for slick
street conditions. These are moving
seat systems designed and built by
Keith Maher, of Portland.
The original cost was $5,100 per system
plus a projector and big screen display
costing $1,400.
Will sell a system without display for
$3,500.
You can use a big screen TV instead of
the projector. The ideal size is about 50
inches. Offering system complete with
projector and screen for $4,200 each.
Contact Johnny Humphries - johnny-
[email protected]
14
Estate Sales & Appraisals
Life changes frequently require valuation and liquidation of
personal property. My twenty-plus
years of experience can help you with
full estate sales, downsizing, moves and
appraisals for estates, dissolution and
insurance purposes.
All services are personalized and confidential. Free consultations.
Shirley Sanders, 503-762-1272
[email protected]
For Sale: 1995 Neon ACR, ex SSB.
Three sets of wheels, factory shop
manuals, good assortment of useful
spare parts. $2500.
Contact Austin Smith - asmith73@
hotmail.com or 541 593-2495
[email protected]
Seven time SCCA Divisional GT1
champion with Trans-Am History
Holds or has held lap record at every
track on the west coast.
A proven winner.
Offered less
engine. Two
engines available
not included in
price.
Sixteen wheels
with fifteen
mounted tires
included.
Hewland, 3 way
Penskes, Ford 9
inch, Mustang
rack, latest Derhaag body, data.
Seattle area.
Mike Rockett - 425-308-2660

Northwest Sports Car News

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