When the dominate statement at a racetrack is “This is fun,” how can you question it? Bill Poehler of the Statesman Journal, in Portland, Oregon, discovered the fun that is Track Night in America. Not everybody has a racecar. With Track Night, you don’t need one in order to experience racing.
“We subscribe to a radical concept that the best way to get people on the race track is to let people get on the race track,” said Heyward Wagner, the SCCA Director of Experiential Programs.
Shockingly, people really like driving, and they love being able to play with their cars in a controlled environment within the law. Bring $150, a helmet and a street car. That’s all you need to get a full hour of track time, plus instruction for novices.
“We want an Amazon level of customer ease,” Wagner said. “We don’t want any level of competition to come into this. You’re learning about it in a strictly recreational environment.”
The barriers are gone. There’s nothing stopping you from the fun, except yourself.
Read the full story from Poehler at the Statesman Journal.
Registration for the 2015 Tire Rack Solo National Championships Presented by Garmin VIRB, scheduled for September 8-11, in Lincoln, Nebraska, has gone live. As classes are filling for the year-end event, details regarding contingency prizes for top finishers across all classes have been made public.
As with many forms of motorsports, manufacturer support is an important component to SCCA Tire Rack Solo competition. A number of auto makers have decided to financially support their customers who score top finishes at the Tire Rack Solo National Championships.
Mazda, the Official Vehicle of SCCA, will bestow a $1,000 prize on all eligible National Champions. The remaining podium positions will also receive $600 and $300, respectively. Eligible drivers who also take home the Solo Triad Award will get a $1,200 bonus.
Honda Performance Development will also be offering prizes to top-three finishers in Lincoln. Eligible drivers will earn a payout of $500, $300 and $100 for a podium finish, in that order. The Solo Triad Award is worth an additional $500.
MINI USA will be awarding eligible drivers $1,000 for a class Championship. Second place is worth $500 and third will get $250.
Nissan Motorsports will also offer cash awards to current car models, including the GT-R, 370Z, Sentra, Versa sedan and Note, worth $1,000. Winners in non-current models can claim $500.
Scion Racing and Toyota/TRD are offering eligible winners a $1,000 prize for a class win. Subaru of America rounds out the manufacturer support with a program that awards $1,000 to eligible class winners, with second earning $750 and third taking home $500.
Like the auto manufacturers, tire makers have thrown their support behind many classes at the SCCA Tire Rack Solo National Championships.
BFGoodrich Tires will offer a complete set of four tires to eligible class winners. Second-place finishers will be able to get their hands on two tires, while third place is worth one free tire.
Bridgestone will be offering cash prizes to eligible drivers in select classes. A National Championship title is worth $500, with the remaining podium positions able to claim $300 and $100, respectively.
Falken Tire has also pledged their support for the National Championships by offering cash to eligible top three finishers. First place is worth $1,000, while second can take home $500, followed by $300 for third.
Hankook Tire will also offer cash to top finishers at the Tire Rack Solo National Championships. An eligible driver finishing first can receive a $1,000 payday, while second and third can take $800 and $500, respectively. Additionally, Hankook will also be awarding $1,000 to eligible Solo Triad Award winners.
GT Radial and Hoosier Tire are offering identical programs for eligible drivers at Nationals. Both companies will award eligible drivers with a set of four tires if they can claim a National title, while second place is worth two tires.
Kumho Tires will also offer product to eligible drivers at the event. First place in a Street or Street Touring class is worth eight tires, while a win in all other classes is worth four. Second place in Street or Street Touring can claim four tires, while eligible drivers in all other classes can receive two tires. Last, but not least, the final podium position in Street or Street Touring classes can take home two tires, while third in all other classes is worth one tire.
Toyo Tires has pledged their support, as well. The company will offer eligible drivers a $1,000 prize for winning their class. Second place will be worth $750, while third can claim $500. An eligible Solo Triad winner can also score a $1,000 bonus.
It takes more than just a car and tires to make a racecar go. That’s why a couple companies outside of those two realms have thrown their support behind this National Championship event.
Garmin VIRB, the Official Camera of SCCA and the presenting sponsor of the Tire Rack Solo National Championships, has offered up the awards for top finishers. A prize of $200 cash, or a $300 product certificate, awaits eligible winners. Second place, in class, is worth a $100 product certificate.
Mobil 1, the Official Oil of SCCA, is also offering prizes for the Solo National Championship event. An eligible class winner is able to claim $100 cash and a $50 product certificate. Second place is worth a $50 product certificate.
Many of these programs require pre-registration before the event. Be sure to read all details regarding each specific program by clicking here. It is the responsibility of each competitor to make sure they are in compliance with each program for which they would like to enroll.
Here it comes, the second of the back to back Packwood events. The best bang for your buck event format put on by the National staff, the Packwood Prosolo. With support of the North West Region and Event Chair Geoff Clark, this will be a fun and beautiful event to be at. The course designer position is still open for this event, although it sounds like first time ProSolo course designer Mike Brausen might be designing course. If you’re still not convinced to go, here are some other reasons you should be there.
This is your last chance on the West coast to get points for the ProSolo season before the Finale in September. The only other remaining event is in Toledo Ohio two weeks after. For someone in California that is a 2300 mile drive. Starting to look pretty appealing, right? Because Packwood often has a lower entry count, this is your chance to pad your points before going to the big show in Nebraska. Points don’t come easy at the Finale, time to make sure you go in stacked.
If you’re coming out for both event and need something to do in the week between them, look no further than Portland Oregon. Just 2.5 hours South West of Packwood, it’s an easy trip after the Tour for some time to relax. A regular on the list of Top-5 beer destinations in the world, Portland boasts 58 active breweries within the city limits, and over 70 in the surrounding area. If you can’t find something you like in this city, you should probably be drinking water.
If putting on mileage between events doesn’t seem ideal to you, you need not travel far for some fresh air and beautiful outdoors. Mount Rainier National Park offers fantastic hiking through fields, beautiful pastures and up the various mountain ranges. Campgrounds are open for the season for your enjoyment. If the rustic life isn’t for you, Paradise Inn is near the base of the Cascade range and offers views of the white capped mountains from the front door.So many options to enjoy the beautiful outdoors in your time before or after the event.
6 minutes of autocross isn’t the only reason we come out, the evening festivities are sure to be worth the trip alone. In the North West, it stays light out until 10pm so expect an evening of fun on site with a great group of people. Word has it that the party will likely migrate into town to a local bar where Ron Bauer and Karl Coleman will perform some of your 80’s favorites, and Pearl Jam’s greatest hits. Come with an sing along with everyone in what will be an amazing time.
If you’re like me, this might be your one chance to see one of the most different and fantastic areas of our country. You could easily spend weeks out here trying to see everything. My advice is to find a few key things, and spend plenty of time at them.At the chance you might not be back, make it a trip that counts and join us for what will surely be a great event that you can check off your bucket list.
