General registration for the 2022 RallyCross National Championship at Pikes Peak International Raceway on Sept. 23-25 will be open before you know it, and with a 100-vehicle event entry cap, it’s more important than ever to set your alarm for Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. CDT so you don’t miss the fun. But hold up, because a recent decision has made it even more important to set your alarm thanks to a newly instituted per-class entry cap for the title event in Fountain, CO.
While the 2022 RallyCross National Championship’s total entry cap is 100, the RallyCross Board recently approved capping each class at 27 entries. This decision has been largely brought about due to the popularity of the Modified All Wheel Drive class, which quickly exceeded 20 entries once Tier 1 and Tier 2 registrations opened in July. Being that MA-class competition vehicles are some of the heaviest and most powerful, riding on the most aggressive tires, the RallyCross Board and event organizers are looking to minimize site degradation caused by any one particular class, as well as the logistical challenges of developing a balanced run/work order.
What Else Do I Need To know?
While Tier 3 (general) registration opens on Aug. 3 and 6 p.m. CDT, that isn’t the only important date. Here’s a quick rundown:
Sept. 12: the last registration day that qualifies you for a refund should you cancel by Sept. 21. Sept. 19: online registration closes at 6 p.m. CDT. Sept. 21: the final day to cancel if you registered by Sept. 12.
The entry fee for the 2022 RallyCross National Championship is $185, with refunds being subject to a $50 cancellation fee.
More information, including a preliminary schedule for the Sept. 23-25 championship weekend, Event Supplemental Regulations, and hotel information, can be found by clicking the link below.
New for 2022, the RallyCross Nationals Committee will be using the Sportity app as a virtual notice board at this year’s championship event. This replaces the now-retired SCCA RallyCross app, which had been used in the past. The best experience will be to download the Sportity app to your phone/tablet, as that will send push alerts when new messages and documents are posted. Both Apple and Android apps are available for free in their respective app stores. The channel’s password that you will use to add it to your app once installed is: SCCARX. There is also a public web address for the channel, available here.
SCCA’s Shop Manual Presented by Hoosier is back to make your motorsports life easier. Today’s topic is something that we might be aware of, but how-to books hardly do justice: the track walk. Jon Krolewicz, SCCA’s Senior Manager of Regional Track Program Development as well as driver and coach, made a lap of Sebring International Raceway during a Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour Powered by Hagerty event to examine what can be learned when you’re on foot rather than at speed.
In the walk, Krolewicz offers five items that will translate to any racetrack walk, focusing on the environment (the grass, or lack thereof, beside the track); curbing; brake markers; what you may see in the background; and various bumps and track surface changes.
For example, early on in the video, Krolewicz points to an area just off the track that’s largely dirt.
“What you want to pay attention to when you’re looking at where to put your car is, a lot of times, where there’s no grass growing,” he points out. “If there’s grass right up to the edge of the track, you know that most drivers just aren’t putting their car there. But where there is dirt, you know this is where you’re going to be close.”
As the walk progresses, he stops at Sebring’s famous final corner to get a closer look at the bumps in the concrete.
“Look where the dark spots appear on the track,” he says. “That’s because as the car goes through here, the tire is bouncing up and down and it’s got alternating pressure on the track. Now you can see what your suspension is doing…and what you need to compensate. You can read what the cars have written on the track by looking at the surface.”
For some, this may be a review or simply a chance to put what they’re already doing into words. But for many — especially those new to track driving — it’s an important opportunity to get faster.
We’ll give you some reasons in just a minute, but let’s cut to the chase: You should register for the Tire Rack SCCA Oscoda ProSolo at the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport in Oscoda, MI, Aug. 5-7, or if you’ve got a CAM-classed car, for the CAM Challenge celebration at Grissom Aeroplex in Peru, IN. Go ahead — go do it. We’ll wait….
Ok, welcome back! Now that you’ve done the important part, let’s tell you why it was so urgent.
First, both events are limited. The Oscoda ProSolo has a cap of 235 competitors while the CAM Challenge tops out at 210. You don’t want to be left out in the cold, especially once you have the details.
The Details
Let’s start with Oscoda. It’s the last ProSolo before the Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Championship Finale in Lincoln, NE, on Sept. 2-4, 2022. That means it’s the last chance to earn points in the final standings, and it’s the last chance to move from a Tier 3 participant to a Tier 1 or 2 — which can make a huge difference, potentially, in if you even get to participate in Lincoln.
Next, it’s the big hurrah for CAM Challenge in 2022. Though the CAM classes do (and will) run at the 2022 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships, this is the CAM party — and where better to represent Classic American Muscle than in the heart of the rust belt that developed, built, and popularized that muscle over the years?
Most importantly, the ProSolo Finale and Solo National Championships are just around the corner. This is an excellent opportunity to get some National-level autocross competition in, knock off the cobwebs, and enjoy a weekend of #funwithcars.
Remind us again what you’re waiting for? This is your second chance: Get registered today and utilize the concrete surface at the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport for ProSolo points, or come talk American iron at the CAM Challenge.
