Watkins Glen International spent the winter months completely resurfacing the entire 3.4-mile, 11-turn course. The new surface features a porous top layer that drains to a solid layer below. New drains were added to create an optimally-draining track, said to go from soaked to nearly dry within minutes. This weekend’s ninth and tenth rounds of the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour mark SCCA’s first visit to the course since the resurface was completed.
The majority of SCCA drivers present are experiencing the new surface for the first time and have taken the day to get a feel for the changes. The overwhelming comment is “smooth.” It doesn’t matter what car you’re driving, from Spec Miata to Formula Atlantic, a new smooth surface is making the track much easier to navigate.
Otherwise, the drivers are still getting a feel for the surface. The grip seems to be different, although it is not quite clear if there is less of it. Additionally, a few competitors say the rumble strips are taller than before, preventing drivers from using them as they had previously. This slight difference could play a role in the rest of the weekend as racers adjust to a different line in some categories.
The first of two qualifying sessions for seven race groups were completed Friday. A second qualifying session Saturday morning will set the grid for the afternoon’s 25-minute races. Results from today’s qualifying and results throughout the rest of the weekend are available at scca.com/wgimajors. Live timing for this weekend’s event is available at scca.com/live. More information on the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour can be found at scca.com/majors.
This article first appeared in the June, 2016 edition of SportsCar Magazine. SCCA members can read the current and past editions of SportCar digitally here after logging into their account; To become an SCCA member and get SportsCar mailed to your home address monthly in addition to the digital editions, click here.
Eric Prill
SCCA Vice President and COO
Kansas Region
SCCA Member since 1985
“It’s difficult to pinpoint when my SCCA life began. My parents, Paul and Pat, were members, avid autocrossers, workers, racers, and Region leaders before I was even born. I took my first victory lap at Waterford Hills in utero, in the Lotus that would later become ‘mine.’ My toddler years were spent in the Waterford Hills sandbox, just like fellow Eric(k)s Foss and Skirmants.
Spending my formative years in northeast Ohio, most of my friends were into boats, and weekends were spent on Lake Erie. For me, it was the family racecar and the racetracks of the Central Division. My dad was in motorsports brand advertising, which helped fuel his passion and exposed the family to all aspects of the sport. I served as his apprentice in the garage, learning every nut and bolt on that Lotus, which I really considered a sibling.
For the Prills, SCCA has always been an extended family. My sister Tracey and I learned Timing and Scoring from ‘Auntie Connie’ at Nelson Ledges, and I received a National T&S license when I was 12. Many of those relationships from my childhood carry through to today.
When SCCA created a new PR position back in 1996, I made the pilgrimage to SCCA mecca in Denver. While working in Pro Racing, I met fellow staffer Robin Mackay, and together, we made the move to Kansas in 2002. We were engaged during a World Challenge weekend in 2003, and married on an off weekend in 2004, by the World Challenge Chaplain.
Our son, Maxton, became a member Feb. 14, 2011 — about three hours after he was born.
For me, SCCA is not just a job. It’s not just a place to race. It’s not just friends and family. It’s all of those things, and more.”
From a 2011 SoloMatters article entitled “Why We Go.”
The piece was a series of autocrossers answering the question, “Why do you go to Solo Nationals?” This was Tom O’Gorman’s answer:
“Six thousand and ninety two. That is the number of miles I traveled last year across 13 states to compete in SCCA National Tour and ProSolo events. Now, let me be the first to tell you that 6092 miles is enough to stretch a college student’s budget pretty thin, and every single one of those miles was traveled to prepare myself for Solo Nationals. Nationals represents a gateway into a future of motorsports for me, so in the weeks preceding, my mind is spinning with the possibilities of glory and failure. But, oddly, when I arrive on site, all of those thoughts of heated competition and the grandeur of victory evaporate. Not because I lose hope in the competition or because I realize I’m stuck on this slab of concrete in the middle of a cornfield for the next 10 days with the hot sun or pouring rain beating down on me. It’s because I show up and literally hundreds of people are there to greet me and share the same passion for this sport that I have. it’s often the only time in a year that I will see many of these people, some of them who I consider my closest friends, and somehow that takes over everything else that may have been in my mind. So I tell myself, ‘I traveled 6092 miles last year so that I was ready to show up Nationals and be a contender,’ but I think the community is real reason any of us make the pilgrimage to concrete Mecca.”
For me, it made two impressions. The first was that, then 20 year old Tom, had an advanced understanding of what Nationals meant to so many of us. The second was concern that the phrase, “Nationals represents a gateway into a future of motorsports” was a bit naive as there are not a lot of pro-team talent scouts at Nationals. Turns out, Tom had the talent to not need the scout, or the pro-team.
Congrats Tom, on what we all believe is just your first professional race win. “ª#”Žiknowtomogorman
You can watch the live timing from this weekend here.
Read the entire story about Tom’s win here: Rivera, Bickers and O’Gorman Win in TC, TCA, TCB Round 7 at Road America
Last Chance Raffle
Monday, June 27 at noon Mountain Time, the SCCA Foundation will conduct a raffle where the grand prize will be a 2016 Formula One US Grand Prix ticket package that includes two (2) VIP hospitality passes at Circuit of the Americas, and $5,000 cash for travel expenses. Raffle tickets are only $20 and can be purchased online at http://www.sccaraffleem.org. All proceeds go to support the SCCA Foundation’s programs: Tire Rack Street Survival®, Formula SAE®, and Historical Preservation.
Pikes Peak (International Raceway) or Bust!
The 2016 Tire Rack Colorado Championship Tour is only 5 weeks away. Whether you are pursuing strong competition or an escape from the daily grind, Pikes Peak International Raceway, located in Fountain Colorado, is the place to be on July 29, to July 31, 2016.
Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR.com), a facility that once hosted NASCAR, IRL, Global Rally Cross and World Challenge races, is now Colorado’s premiere autocross site. The 12-acre “Autocross lot”, which is completely free of light poles and curbs, offers plenty of grippy asphalt and elevation changes. Additionally, the facility delivers limited covered parking (under the grandstands), indoor bathrooms and showers, compressed air and an air conditioned classroom to escape the mild Colorado weather. Overnight camping will be allowed, but plan to pay a fee if you use electricity. The grandstands will offer an unparalleled view of the entire Chris Mayfield designed course, from above.
Fountain Colorado, the home of PPIR, is only 6 hours from Farmington, and a day’s drive from Topeka, Lincoln, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Billings and Phoenix. For those that prefer to arrive and drive, PPIR is just an hour and a half south of Denver International Airport.
Colorado is home to over two hundred breweries, including Oskar Blues, New Belgium, Odell Brewing, Coors and Left Hand Brewing. For you high rollers, you will find plenty of casinos in Cripple Creek and Central City. However, if you prefer the outdoor variety of entertainment, Colorado has plenty of options for hiking, camping, rock climbing and whitewater rafting as well. Other outdoor attractions include the Royal Gorge Bridge, Mesa Verde National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Estes Park, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Seven Falls and Garden of the Gods.
Colorado has over fifty “Fourteener” (elevation of 14,000 feet or more) mountains, including Pikes Peak, home of the famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. If you plan to spend an extra day or two in the southern Colorado area, make sure you take a drive, or the cog railway, to the summit of Pikes Peak. There is no better way to fully appreciate the beauty of Colorado and the accomplishments and courage of the hill climbers, but watch out for Big Foot!
With an average of 300 days of sunshine a year, you could spend all summer in Colorado and never run out of things to do. However, if you are coming to Colorado in July, The 2016 Tire Rack Colorado Championship Tour will be the highlight of your visit. Every season is tourist season in Colorado, so secure a hotel room in south Colorado Springs or north Pueblo, now. Rocky Mountain Solo (RMSolo) will provide the fun, games and more than a few championship winning drivers.
