The 2014 Sports Car Club of America’s U.S. Majors Tour Schedule will be headlined once again by six BFGoodrich Tires Super Tour events, stretching from coast to coast.
The BFGoodrich Tires Super Tour is a partnership with the official street tire of SCCA to highlight select races on the Majors Tour calendar. The BFGoodrich Tires Super Tour will officially open the new year at Sebring International Raceway, January 3-5, in the Eastern Conference opener.
“BFGoodrich Tires has been a long-time supporter of SCCA and our competitors,”Lisa Noble, interim SCCA President and CEO, said. “Bringing back the Super Tour races as featured events in the Majors Series in 2014 highlights that relationship. The Super Tour has grown because of BFGoodrich Tires’ involvement, and we’re looking forward to a great 2014 season with them.”
As in 2013, each BFGoodrich Tires Super Tour event will feature the events core to the U.S. Majors Tour — victory laps and podium ceremonies, championship points, and media coverage on SCCA.com with notes and statistics on the Club’s play-by-play Twitter account, @SCCALive.
In addition, BFGoodrich Tires Super Tour events will feature live streaming audio from the track’s public address announcer and coverage in SportsCar Magazine. BFGoodrich Tires will randomly give away one set of tires to a driver in attendance at the Saturday night party at each of the six weekends. Five different volunteer workers in attendance at each of the six events will earn $100 as door prizes.
BFGoodrich Tires will also give away a Bell Helmet, custom painted to the winner’s design by Indocil Art, at the National Championship Runoffs. Finalists will be the drivers scoring the most points at BFGoodrich Tire Super Tour events in six Club Racing categories (Big Bore, Small Bore, Big Formula/Prototype, Small Formula, Spec Racing and Touring).
“BFGoodrich Tires is proud to again partner with the SCCA in support of the premier events on the club racing calendar, culminating with the 51st Runoffs at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,”Peter Calhoun, Motorsports Manager, BFGoodrich Tires, said. “The Super Tour events have seen growth each of the first three seasons and 2014 should be no exception with the quality of venues included on the calendar.”
The 2014 BFGoodrich Tires Super Tour schedule:
Jan. 3-5 — BFGoodrich Tires Sebring Super Tour, Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Fla.
Feb. 7-9 — BFGoodrich Tires New Orleans Super Tour, NOLA Motorsports Park, Avondale, La.
March 21-23 — BFGoodrich Tires Atlanta Super Tour, Road Atlanta, Braselton, Ga.
April 12-13 — BFGoodrich Tires Thunderhill Super Tour, Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willows, Calif.
May 30-June 1 — BFGoodrich Tires Mid-Ohio Super Tour, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio
July 4-6 — BFGoodrich Tires Watkins Glen Super Tour, Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
BFGoodrich Tires will also have an expanded presence and trackside support at the Chicago Region June Sprints and the SCCA National Championship Runoffs.
The U.S. Majors Tour is the pinnacle of amateur road racing in the United States, divided into four geographic Conferences for championship points and including the BFGoodrich Tire Super Tour events. More information can be found at http://www.SCCAMajors.com or SCCA.com/Supertour.
Like SCCA on Facebook at Facebook.com/SCCAOfficial, or follow on Twitter @SCCAOfficial.
U.S. Majors Tour
The Class:
K-Modified
The Guru:
Larry “Lefty”MacLeod- K-Modified has a reputation as a class that is always inviting people to join in the fun and Larry MacLeod is one of the guys out front spreading the Shifter Kart gospel. Larry has been a fixture in the class since 2002 and knows all the ins and outs of the 125cc world.
The Pitch:
If you like a true driver’s class, K-Mod is one of the best. Not only does KM require a faster reaction time due to the speeds, it also requires 20-30 gear changes per run. The combination makes the “magical perfect run”elusive, but it’s the challenge that keeps competitors coming back. You get B-Mod speed for less cost than ST. Used Kart packages are cheap, tires are cheap and you can tow with a Miata. Best of all, with the equality of equipment and level of driving challenge you can be assured that the best driver wins every time.
The Scoop:
Almost all of K-Mod drivers run turn-key kart packages that they purchased used. Used shifter karts can be found for under $4000 and could include a 3-5 year old chassis, a running engine, spare parts and multiple sets of wheels. Spares are a good thing to look for when shopping (gears, carb jets, bearings, brake-parts). Sometimes you can also get a roller stand, tire changing tools and other specialty tools that make karting easier.
The rule of thumb is to stick with the 3 major chassis brands: Tonykart, Birel, CRG. Doing this gives you the best chance to find spare parts, specifically brake components. Axles, bearings, seats and wheel hubs are often interchangeable across different chassis brands. But brakes components are typically unique. Other chassis brands include Energy & GP. Many of these smaller brands use common parts from the big three, making them a good option to look for when shopping.
There are a few engines eligible for KM. First is the motorcycle (moto) type, with the most popular moto being the Honda CR125 running stock ignition. For moto engines, the rules allow for different exhaust pipes, cylinder porting and headwork as long as the electrical system remains stock. However if you’re willing to take a weight penalty, a programmable ignition (PI) on your moto engine could provide a significant power boost. Also allowed is the European “ICC”125cc. These are getting cheaper in the used kart packages, but only a few solo people have tried them.
The Price Tag:
Expect to spend $4000~$5000 to buy a used kart package and get started. A brand new chassis from a top-brand costs about $6000 without an engine, radiator or tires. You’ll spend another $3500 to get a new chassis track-ready. But is $10K really faster than $4000? In the world of solo shifter karts, no. it’s true the 5-time champion runs a newer chassis than almost everyone else in the field. But he also gets the most seat time and he’s a master of chassis setup. He would win driving any chassis built in the last 10 years.
Hauling a kart can be as simple as a light truck, minivan or a 4×6 harbor freight trailer behind a Honda Civic. Most K-Mod drivers end up with 6×12 enclosed trailers for about $1600 and tow it with a light pickup or SUV. You can fit 2-3 karts in a 6×12 trailer allowing several drivers to carpool to the long distance events and cut down on costs.
Tires and engines are cheap. Budget about $220 a set for tires and plan to get 60-100 runs out of them. Single cylinder moto engines are cheap to own and operate. Top-end rebuild kits are about $200 for piston/ring/gaskets and can be serviced in about 45 minutes by any DIY’er. A full bottom end rebuild can also be done by a DIY’er or by a reputable builder for less than $500.
The Honest Truth:
A lot of people are turned off by the time spent wrenching on a kart. Like most Mod class cars, karts require significant amount of “preventative”maintenance. Brake bleeding, changing jets and greasing the open bearings are all part of the regular routine. We have to pre-mix our 110+ octane leaded race gas. At any event it’s normal to be changing gears and carb jets to set up for the conditions and course design. And when it rains, EVERYTHING gets wet and needs to be cleaned afterward.
Karts do not have a moving suspension, so events with rough surfaces are no fun. They are bruising on the body and can put added wear/tear on the equipment. If you don’t have any smooth local sites, owning a kart might be difficult. Or you’ll be traveling long distances to find good sites.
The Top Tips:
Get Seat Time, Early and Often: The learning curve is steep jumping from streetcars to karts. The dynamics are very different and the speed can’t be simulated. The top kart drivers get the most seat time. A new driver should plan to get to every event possibly (including test & tunes). Open practice days at kart tracks are a great way to get cheap seat time ($20-$50 a day).
Know Your Kart:
There are dozens of simple adjustments that can be made between runs at a solo event to make a kart faster. The successful drivers have spent the time trying each of these different variables, looking to see what each one does. Trophies at Nationals have been won because someone found the right adjustment to make between runs.
Log onto Ekartingnews.com: it’s primarily a wheel-2-wheel community, but the classifieds are filled with great deals. There is also a forum there for autocrossers. You can learn a lot about owning and tuning karts on this site and probably find your next kart on the classified.
Try Before you Buy:
Karts are addicting. They are also very inexpensive to operate. This means kart owners are typically very generous with co-drives. Many of us offer co-drives at local events and National events knowing it will expand build the class.
Spread the Love:
it’s helpful to have a core of other kart drivers in your area. Sharing, parts, setup ideas and even carpooling to long distance events will help everyone. Competitors in the Detroit and Washington DC regions have found National success this way. Once you buy your own kart, you should start offering co-drives. All you have to do is give them their first taste to start building your own local core of kart fanatics.
Many of you may not have heard about the 2014 SCCA Convention and the North American Motorsports Expo (MSX) trade show, happening simultaneously in Charlotte, March 7-9. Whether you have, or have not, you probably have two big questions: what is it, and why should I go?
Fair points. Let’s take them in order.
What is the SCCA Convention, and what is MSX?
First things first, these are two different things. They’re happening at the same time, in the same place, but separate them for just a second. That sounds confusing right now, but it will make it easier on you in just a minute.
The SCCA National Convention happens every year. For the last several years, it was in Las Vegas. This year, it’s in Charlotte. It includes the annual meeting, which is the business meeting of the SCCA, and required by our by-laws. It also includes training seminars, information sessions, and round table discussions on just about every aspect of the Club. it’s a valuable tool for those who are involved in SCCA’s leadership, event planning, and organization.
MSX is a brand new trade show, running this year for the first time. It is not the typical racing industry trade show–it is OUR industry’s trade show. it’s geared to amateur racers, soloists, rallycross participants. While other shows seem to focus on the roundy round tracks, this show is targeting vendors specific to our SCCA activities. There are exhibits from vendors that you’ll be interested in, and they’re currently lining up speakers ranging from Randy Pobst and Andy Pilgrim to seminars on chassis, shocks, set up, data collection and more. In other words, everything you do, and want to do better, all in one place.
Why Should I Attend?
Didn’t you read what we said above? Because it’s going to be fun, informative, and helpful, all at once! Bonus points if you’re within driving distance from Charlotte, of course, but no matter what, the schedule is set up so that you can arrive on Friday morning and be home Sunday night. That’s a new twist this year.
But really, which should you attend? The SCCA Convention is great if you hold an elected Region position, if you regularly help plan Solo events, or if you just want to be more involved. It costs $295, and among the Solo specific sessions are Town Halls, Best Practices exercises for Regions to share ideas, a Tool Box session for Regions to learn the items available to them, and a session on Growing Your Program. That cost also includes Saturday night’s SCCA Hall of Fame Induction Banquet Presented by Mazda.
If that seems like it’s above your level of participation, the MSX show is probably for you. The trade show floor — free. No cost. Zero. You can look, shop and ask questions to your heart’s content.
But, here’s where the MSX show gets really valuable. For $95, you can attend the MSX seminars. These are geared to drivers, and have some real value. Basic and advances sessions on set-up, shocks, tires, towing, data collection, tax law, and testing are all on the agenda. Sound like anything you do as a Soloist?
Bottom line? You can find something helpful at each of these sessions. If the Convention (http://www.SCCA.com/Convention) isn’t for you, head on over to MSXExpo.com and see what the new show offers. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Knowing all the rules, the ins and out of a series is helpful, but it doesn’t always tell the whole story and it rarely answers everyone’s primary question- “how does this work?”To answer that question about Match Tour we have put together a quick reference, a FAQ and a timeline all in one and created the Users Guide to Match Tour.
Pre Event:
Match Tour is a part of the Tire Rack SCCA National Solo Series. Event information can be found at SCCA.com and registration is handled via MotorsportsReg. Don’t forget, Match Tour events do offer contingency prizes, which you must register for with SCCA to be eligible. 2014 programs are not listed at this time, but when they are you can register by logging into SCCA.com and selecting the programs you are eligible for.
Friday:
With the exception of events on restricted sites, Match Tours will kick things off on Friday with a practice course, an Evolution Advantage School, check-in and tech. There are many advantages to being onsite on Friday if you are able. Things begin with the Evo Advantage School, designed to get you up to competition speed and ready for the weekend. Afterwards the practice course opens to all with tickets to run being sold. This is an excellent opportunity to get comfortable on the surface, tune your car and get some seat time before official runs begin. The other advantage to being on site Friday is early tech and check-in. By taking advantage of this you can focus your Saturday morning on course walking and preparing for the event. Speaking of walking, expect the Match Tour course to be available to walk on Friday evening as well. Oh, and By the way, the same course is used on Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday Class Competition:
Of course, not everyone will be able to be on site on Friday, so Tech and Check-in will be open Saturday morning. Once wheels start turning, Saturday is a standard autocross. All National Classes will be offered including all Ladies’ Classes, as well as local classes if they have been requested by the host Region. There are no bump or index classes. Events will be broken into 4 Heats and all drivers will get 4 runs. Saturday will culminate with a party where trophies will be awarded. Top finishers will also be eligible for contingency prizes from Saturday’s competition.
Pro ShootOut Qualification:
Saturday competition will also serve as the qualification method for the Pro Shootout. Each of the day’s Heats will be scored on index. From these indexed results, the top 8 drivers will be pulled, have their tires marked and placed in the Pro ShootOut, scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Everyone else will continue their event on Sunday, beginning with Knock-Out Rounds.
Pro ShootOut Random Draw:
At the Saturday Night Party all the drivers in the Pro Shootout, except the one with the top index time for the day, will have their names entered into a hat. The top Index driver will pull a name out of the hat, and that is who they will compete against in the first round. The person who was drawn will then pull another name and that will be the top of the next pairing. This process will continue until the bracket is filled and is expected to produce more than a few quotables for the announcers to use during the ShootOut.
Knock-Out Rounds:
Sunday begins with a series of Knock-Out Rounds. These rounds will be run in the same Heats as Saturday, but without the drivers pulled for the Pro ShootOut. At the beginning of the Heat, each driver will get a warm up run and then take a single run that will be scored on index. After every driver has taken their scored run, a cut will be made with those faster than the cut moving on and those slower being eliminated. Where that cut is placed will depend upon the number of drivers in the event and will be announced prior to the Knock-Out Rounds beginning. This process will continue, with the field of drivers getting smaller and smaller, until only 4 remain. The 4 drivers from each of the 4 Heats will then move on to make up the field of 16 in the Super ShootOut.
Ladies ShootOut Qualification:
Ladies class competitors can qualify for either the ProShootOut or the Super ShootOut by finishing in the top 8 in their heat on Saturday or by advancing to the final 4 of their heat in Sunday’s Knock-Out Rounds. The remaining Ladies Class drivers will be eligible for the Ladies ShootOut. Drivers will be selected for this by performance in the Knock-Out Rounds. The 8 ladies who advance through the farthest will qualify, with tie being broken by margin. In effect, this means that, should 9 Ladies all be eliminated in their 3rd rounds, the 8 who ran times the closest to the top in the round will make the ShootOut.
The Pro ShootOut:
The Pro ShootOut is a single elimination tournament featuring the top 32 drivers, 8 from each Heat, from Saturday’s competition. Drivers will compete on dial-ins, based upon their class winner’s time. This means that, should a second, third or forth place finisher from a class make it into the ShootOut, they will be competing based upon the time that won their class. In each round, the driver who has the highest margin to their dial-in (Dial-in – Time = Margin) will advance.
The Super ShootOut:
The Super Shootout is a single elimination tournament featuring the top 16 drivers, 4 from each Heat, from the Knock-Out Rounds. Drivers will compete on dial-ins based upon their own best time recorded thus far in the event, be it from Class Competition or from the Knock-Out Rounds. In each round, the driver who has the highest margin to their dial-in (Dial-in – Time = Margin) will advance.
The Ladies ShootOut:
The Ladies Shootout is a single elimination tournament featuring the top 8 drivers, based upon performance in the Knock-Out Rounds. Drivers will compete on dial-ins based upon their own best time recorded thus far in the event, be it from Class Competition or from the Knock-Out Rounds. In each round, the driver who has the highest margin to their dial-in (Dial-in – Time = Margin) will advance.
A bit more about Dial-ins:
A Dial-In, in effect, is a performance delta. It is how fast you are believed to be able to go. In the Pro ShootOut the class winner’s time is used to set the Dial-in to put a premium on winning your class. If you win and qualify for the Pro ShootOut, you get to run on your own Dial-in. If you finish second, you are in effect running a Dial-in that is a little quicker than you ran and thus, the class winners have an advantage. In the Super and Ladies ShootOuts everyone runs on their own Dial-ins, so those ShootOuts have a more even footing.
And a little bit on Sandbagging:
The concern with Dial-ins is that people will “sandbag.”This means that you don’t run as fast as you can in hopes of getting an easier dial-in. The honest truth about sandbagging is that it is impossible to prevent, all you can do is make it harder to do. The reality of Match Tour is, to make a ShootOut, you have to go pretty fast. The Pro ShootOut requires you to be in the top 8 in your Heat and the Ladies and Super ShootOuts require you to advance through a number of Knock-Out Rounds. If you can do that, without going as fast as you can go, you will carry “sand”into a ShootOut. Keep in mind, the only way to do this, is to be faster than everyone else and once you are in the ShootOut, your Dial-in will reset every time you go faster than your Dial-in. So yes, it is possible to sandbag, and yes, it may help you get a little farther but to win, at some point, you are going to have to go as fast as you can.
