The Southeast Conference of the U.S. Majors Tour moves along to Sebring International Raceway this weekend for the second half of back-to-back action in Florida. Here are some storylines to help you through the weekend.
Sunshine State Driving Tour: For the third consecutive year, Florida plays host to the opening two weekends of U.S. Majors Tour action. The two-stop state tour began a week ago at Homestead-Miami Speedway and continues this weekend at historic Sebring International Raceway.Many of the 323 drivers on the Sebring entry list made the trip in to escape the snow and cold to run both events.
Champion Drivers Through The Field: Throughout the field of drivers at Sebring are champion drivers from across the Club. Darren Seltzer is a Tire Rack Solo National Champion beginning his second season in B-Spec, while Brian Schofield has long been the benchmark for Spec Racer Ford, and now the Gen 3 car, in the Southeast. Jim Drago is the only repeat National Champion in Spec Miata, and Andrew Aquilante (entered in both American Sedan and GT-2) has been one of the hottest drivers in the Club the past two seasons. Johnpaul Ciancimino is the defending Prototype 1 National Champion, and multi-time champion Don Knowles appears in Touring 4. Robert Allaer, in Formula Continental, is a champion in Group 7 this weekend. While others dot the list, this rundown shows how hot the competition is in each class.
Worker Bees: Though the coverage and conversation often revolves around the drivers on the track, more than 130 volunteers are in Sebring this weekend to put on the event. SCCA Club members make up the entirety of the worker core as volunteers during Majors event, ranging from registration to pit and grid to flagging and communications to, of course, the officials in charge of monitoring the on-track activity and rules enforcement. These volunteers are a core part of SCCA events.
Get more information throughout the weekend including results, news, and live updates at scca.com/sebringmajors.
So you got a taste of driving your everyday car fast in 2015 for cheap on real racetracks during a couple visits to SCCA Track Night in America Driven by Tire Rack. You liked it, learned a thing or two about performance driving, and you had fun with your trusty steed.
But then it happened … You started wondering about lap times. How fast were you going? Could you be faster? Where could you be quicker? Are you faster than that other driver in a similar car?
Ah, your competitive spirit bubbled up! Nothin’ wrong with that. Heck, we here at the Sports Car Club of America know those feelings very, VERY well. And while Track Night isn’t the appropriate venue for competition, we’ve got another, friendly program where you and your everyday car can dip a toe into competition for cheap.
The Tire Rack SCCA Starting Line School gives automotive enthusiasts a professional, all-inclusive entry into the world of performance driving. The full-day school introduces key concepts applicable to all forms of motorsports and allows you to develop skills while working with professional performance driving instructors certified by the Evolution Performance Driving School. If you are looking for motorsports competition or just a great way to enjoy the capabilities of your car, the Tire Rack SCCA Starting Line is your complete motorsports starter kit.
Open parking lots are where Tire Rack SCCA Starting Line School events are held, and orange traffic cones define the “track.” There is no wheel-to-wheel peril here, just you perfecting performance driving techniques. Plus, your Tire Rack SCCA Starting Line experience includes registration for an SCCA Regional autocross event the following day where your instructors will be on hand to get you started and guide you through the fun experience.
The Tire Rack SCCA Starting Line School is a lot of fun. But be warned, these events usually make only one visit to a region each year — and the program fills up QUICK! Check out the Tire Rack SCCA Starting Line School website to stay abreast of upcoming 2016 dates.
A piece of SCCA history is up for auction at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale later this month. The Purple People Eater Mk III, named for a 1958 pop song, is a 1959 Corvette previously owned by Nickey Chevrolet of Chicago, Ill. and driven by Jim Jeffords. During the 58 and 59 SCCA National Racing seasons, Jeffords started 42 races in the Purple People Eater Corvettes, winning 29 of them, including back-to-back national point championships (Champions wouldn’t be determined with winner-take-all races until 1965.)
The car was sold several times until being bought in 1985 by Chip Miller and Ken Heckert for $800. The new owners, noticing the racing modifications that had been made, decided to do some research and discovered the heritage of the car. They had it restored to its former glory and in 2003, Corvette specialist Kevin Mackay refurbished the entire chassis. Since, the car has been featured at concours events and historic races.
More information on the car is available at Barrett-Jackson.com.
