Two months ago, SCCA® hosted its first webinar discussing a proposal that would bring significant changes to the SCCA Road Racing program. The proposal was aimed at improving the experience at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs®, improving the experience and competition at U.S. Majors Tour events (which includes the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour), and supporting class evolution. Based on discussions with the Club Racing Board (CRB), SCCA’s National Board of Directors, and member feedback, a second webinar — held on Aug. 15, 2024 — unveiled the next steps in the proposal.

A detailed recap and video presentation from the proposal made during the June webinar can be viewed here, but the long and short of it is that starting in 2025, the Runoffs would decrease from nine days (which includes three optional test days, three qualifying days, and three race days) to seven (three optional test days, two days of qualifying, and two days of racing). The result is that not all currently eligible Runoffs classes would be invited in the future, and to accomplish this, active class management would be key.

On behalf of the Club Racing Board, SCCA’s National Board of Directors, and SCCA Staff, Vice President of Road Racing Eric Prill led the Aug. 15 webinar that detailed how these changes would take effect.

SCCA Runoffs in 2025

The bulk of the Aug. 15 webinar focused on the classes that will be invited to the 2025 Runoffs.

In 2024, 26 run groups will take place at the Runoffs, with each class having its own run group. At the 2025 Runoffs, there will be 23 classes competing in 18 run groups, with classes being evaluated based on the combination of their current participation levels, growth potential, and diversity of offering for the program. That said, all classes that meet the current GCR 4.0 rule will automatically receive an invitation to the 2025 Runoffs — although that rule will change moving forward.

“With the number of available run groups shrinking by a third going forward, this rule will increase from 4.0 to 5.0 beginning in 2025,” Prill said. “Classes not meeting a minimum of 5.0 may still be invited to the 2026 Runoffs, as has been the case in recent years. This rule is in place to guarantee a spot for the more popular classes.”

Of the 18 run groups, 12 classes will run a single-class race, with no consolidation. Those are:

That leaves six run groups, which will consist of a merged class, three instances of class consolidation, and two combined race groups.

Class Merger

“Prototype 1 and Prototype 2 cars will be adjusted to create a single Prototype class for all races in 2025,” Prill explained. “The performance delta between the current P1 and P2 cars will be closed by adjustments to slow the P1 cars, with many of the restrictions placed on P2 cars when that class was created being removed to increase their performance to a level similar to the former D Sports Racing class.”

For P2, that means the removal of intake restrictors and aerodynamic limitations, as well as additional engine allowances in line with those permitted in P1. For P1, carbon-carbon and carbon-ceramic brake rotors will be prohibited, automotive-based 2.0L, 2.3L, and 2.5L engines will run 1 mm smaller single inlet restrictors and automotive-based 1.6L Formula Atlantic-based engines will run 1 mm smaller chokes.

The new Prototype class will have a National Championship race at the 2025 Runoffs in a combined race with Formula Atlantic.

Class Consolidations

GT-Lite and F Production

GT-Lite will not be a Runoffs class in 2025, but GT-Lite cars will be eligible to compete in F Production with a new “GTL” addition to the FP spec lines. These classes already run similar lap times, but in a slightly different fashion.

To be eligible to compete in F Production, current GT-L cars will remove the rear wing and change the sequential transmission weight penalty from 1.25% to 2.5%.

“These adjustments are designed to balance the performance of the cars both in corners and on the straightaways,” said Prill.

Moving forward, GT-Lite will become a Regional-only class beginning in January 2025, with the F Production spec line becoming available at the same time.

Super Touring Under and GT-3

In 2025, STU and GT-3 will continue to run as two separate classes, with STU absorbing GT-3 in 2026.

“These classes have qualified together at the Runoffs recently and have similar performance characteristics that can be balanced, not unlike what was done with GT-2 and STO years ago,” Prill added. “Adjustments will be made to both classes in 2025 to evaluate parity, with both classes crowning Champions, but running together.”

Beginning in 2025, STU will see weight reductions for all vehicles of 4% after all other modifiers. Also, the 9-inch wheel minimum weight will reduce to 2,850 lbs, and GT-3 legal TCR cars will be included with a maximum DOT-approved tire width of 245 mm.

Meanwhile, all GT-3 cars will move to DOT-approved race tires with a maximum width of 245 mm, and cars running 15×7-inch wheels limited to 225 mm maximum width may reduce their weight by 25 lbs. All non-TCR cars will add 150 lbs after all other modifiers.

With 2025 being a transition year for GT-3, there will be two classes during the season: GT-3, which will run at U.S. Majors Tour events and the Runoffs with balance of performance adjustments in preparation for the move to STU in 2026, and Regional GT-3 (R-GT3) based on the 2024 rules that can participate in SCCA Regional-sanctioned events. The Regional GT-3 class will continue into 2026.

Touring 2 and American Sedan

Touring 2 and American Sedan will continue to crown separate race winners through 2025, but the classes will race together, with the intention of having American Sedan cars be T2-eligible in 2026 after evaluating the following adjustments to AS-spec cars:

Like GT-3, there will be two American Sedan classes in 2025, one for Regional competition based on the 2024 regulations and one for Majors and Runoffs competition with the adjustments in preparation for joining Touring 2. The Regional American Sedan class will continue in 2026.

Combined Race Groups

The following will be combined into a race group, but compete for separate Championships. These classes are not part of a consolidation plan at this time:

All multi-class races at the Runoffs will have a split-start procedure.

Not Invited to the 2025 Runoffs

The following 2024 classes will not be a part of the 2025 National Championship Runoffs:

2025 Runoffs: The Bottom Line

The class breakdown for the 18 Runoffs race groups for 2025 will be (listed alphabetically):

Next Steps

A third webinar, covering the U.S. Majors Tour and Hoosier Super Tour, is planned to occur before the 2024 Runoffs.

Prill concluded the webinar by thanking those in the Club Racing Board and Board of Directors who have volunteered their time to develop the forward-looking road racing plan.

“These fellow members have donated their time because of their love for this sport and this Club,” he said. “What they are doing is difficult, and often uncomfortable. As of this month, we have roughly 52,000 members, which means there are about 52,000 ideas of how the organization should operate. We will again hear feedback that ranges from ‘spot on’ to ‘you’re out of your minds.’ And the Club, as always, welcomes thoughtful feedback and dialogue. The formal way to submit feedback is through http://www.crbscca.com.

A detailed summary document of these changes is now available here. Also, the changes presented in the webinar will appear in an upcoming Fastrack.

The entire webinar can be viewed on-demand below:

Way back in May when we announced the opening of registration for the Aug. 24-25, 2024, Tire Rack SCCA® Time Trials National Tour at Pitt Race Powered by Hagerty, we talked about what a thrill ride the Pitt Race circuit is. That part is true.

We also talked about Pittsburgh natives George Ferris and Jeff Goldblum — both of which, we can now confirm, will not be attending the Time Trials despite earlier rumors to the contrary (note — those rumors were never true).

But what we can confirm is there will be some celebrities there. Who, you might ask? How about Devan Keeling, who holds the Time Trials National Tour (TTNT) track record at Pitt Race in his Unlimited 1 Ford Mustang? He set that time way back in the Jurassic days of 2022. Or Daniel Dobalo, who is the quickest person at Pitt Race in the Tuner 1 class — a record he set last year in his Corvette.

The ghost we’re chasing, though, is that of Tom O’Gorman. O’Gorman ripped around back in 2019 with a lap of 1:48.907 in a Camaro … classed for Tuner 2! It’s an incredible benchmark of a time, and a target for even Unlimited and Max class drivers. The only person to go quicker, so far, was the aforementioned Keeling. So who’s up for the challenge this time around?

Where My Goals At?

Let’s face facts: Not all of us are chasing Keeling or O’Gorman. The best part of the Time Trials National Tour is that the most fun is chasing ourselves, trying to better our times from previous visits.

While we don’t (yet!) have the technology to create a ghost car on track, we can track everyone’s career bests. Here’s a direct link to the records and personal bests pages on the website that can serve as a target for you in your adventure.

At quick glance, though, keep an eye on some of the tops in class for your benchmarks:

– Unlimited 1: Devan Keeling, 1996 Ford Mustang, 1:48.769
– Tuner 2: Tom O’Gorman, 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, 1:48.907
– Max 1: Michael Laffey, 2007 Chevrolet Corvette, 1:48.984
– Sport 1: Dan Ireland, 2017 Chevrolet Corvette, 1:55.111
– Sport 3: Thomas Phillips, 2018 Honda Civic, 2:02.997

It’s All in the Details

The most important detail is this: This year’s TTNT at Pitt Race is Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 24-25. That’s a good baseline of when you should plan to be there.

Friday is registration and tech from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., though we’re about to hit you with a “but.”

Ready for it?

BUT — Friday is also a Track Night in America® Driven by Tire Rack event. Because Track Nights offer no lap timing and a more relaxed vibe, this is a great opportunity to get a street car on course. Even if you don’t register for the event, the Touring Laps are open to anyone — so it might also be a great opportunity to see the track before you do it at speed for the TTNT.

Saturday begins the competition. We’ll run a practice on the South Track in the morning, followed by two Time Attack sessions that count for part of your score. Once you’ve completed that, forget it — because it’s time for the Full Track.

Saturday afternoon is practice on the Full Track to figure out how to approach the corners you didn’t learn in the morning. We’ll break that evening for the Hagerty Social Party, then come back with a vengeance on Sunday morning.

Sunday’s full-course Time Attack sessions are sandwiched around road racing groups, which is a nice bonus portion of SCCA activity.

As always, we’ll cap the day with a KONI Podium Celebration to cheer for the weekend’s stars!

Register for TTNT Register for Track Night

Help Me, Oprah!

The full course at Pitt Race is a lot of fun, as this in-car footage from Keeling’s record-setting lap shows:

Here’s another “but” …

BUT — it can be a handful to squeeze those last few tenths out of it. If you need a hand maximizing your potential, we can’t recommend the team at Blayze more.

With Blayze, you’ll get connected with a dedicated full-time coach for less than $1/day. Hop on an intro call with them, easily upload your video (and data if you have it) for in-depth personal coaching sessions, chat message with them, and join Blayze+ Live calls twice a month.

It’s truly the most economical way to get high-end, personalized coaching — and way better than using your paddock neighbor to guess why you can’t go any quicker.

Way back in May when we announced the opening of registration for the Aug. 23, 2024, Track Night in America® Driven by Tire Rack and Aug. 24-25, 2024, Tire Rack SCCA® Time Trials National Tour at Pitt Race Powered by Hagerty, we talked about what a thrill ride the Pitt Race circuit is. That part is true.

We also talked about Pittsburgh natives George Ferris and Jeff Goldblum – both of which, we can now confirm, will not be attending the Time Trials despite earlier rumors to the contrary (note – those rumors were never true).

But what we can confirm is there will be some celebrities there. Who, you might ask? How about Devan Keeling, who holds the Time Trials National Tour (TTNT) track record at Pitt Race in his Unlimited 1 Ford Mustang? He set that time way back in the Jurassic days of 2022. Or Daniel Dobalo, who is the quickest person at Pitt Race in the Tuner 1 class – a record he set last year in his Corvette.

The ghost we’re chasing, though, is that of Tom O’Gorman. O’Gorman ripped around back in 2019 with a lap of 1:48.907 in a Camaro … classed for Tuner 2! It’s an incredible benchmark of a time, and a target for even Unlimited and Max class drivers. The only person to go quicker, so far, was the aforementioned Keeling. So who’s up for the challenge this time around?

Where My Goals At?

Let’s face facts: Not all of us are chasing Keeling or O’Gorman. The best part of Track Night and the Time Trials National Tour is that the most fun is chasing ourselves, trying to better our times from previous visits.

While we don’t (yet!) have the technology to create a ghost car on track, we can track everyone’s career bests. Here’s a direct link to the TTNT records and personal bests pages on the website that can serve as a target for you in your adventure.

At quick glance, though, keep an eye on some of the tops in class for your benchmarks:

– Unlimited 1: Devan Keeling, 1996 Ford Mustang, 1:48.769
– Tuner 2: Tom O’Gorman, 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, 1:48.907
– Max 1: Michael Laffey, 2007 Chevrolet Corvette, 1:48.984
– Sport 1: Dan Ireland, 2017 Chevrolet Corvette, 1:55.111
– Sport 3: Thomas Phillips, 2018 Honda Civic, 2:02.997

It’s All in the Details

The most important detail is this: TTNT at Pitt Race is Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 24-25. That’s a good baseline of when you should plan to be there.

Friday is registration and tech from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., though we’re about to hit you with a “but.”

Ready for it?

BUT – Friday is also a Track Night in America Driven by Tire Rack event. Because Track Nights offer no lap timing and a more relaxed vibe, this is a great opportunity to get a street car on course. Even if you don’t register for the event, the Touring Laps are open to anyone – so it might also be a great opportunity to see the track before you do it at speed for the TTNT.

Saturday begins the TTNT competition. We’ll run a practice on the South Track in the morning, followed by two Time Attack sessions that count for part of your score. Once you’ve completed that, forget it – because it’s time for the Full Track.

Saturday afternoon is TTNT practice on the Full Track to figure out how to approach the corners you didn’t learn in the morning. We’ll break that evening for the Hagerty Social Party, then come back with a vengeance on Sunday morning.

Sunday’s full-course Time Attack sessions are sandwiched around road racing groups, which is a nice bonus portion of SCCA activity.

As always, we’ll cap the day with a KONI Podium Celebration for TTNT to cheer for the weekend’s stars!

Register for TTNT Register for Track Night

Help Me, Oprah!

The full course at Pitt Race is a lot of fun, as this in-car footage from Keeling’s record-setting lap shows:

Here’s another “but” …

BUT – it can be a handful to squeeze those last few tenths out of it. If you need a hand maximizing your potential, we can’t recommend the team at Blayze more.

With Blayze, you’ll get connected with a dedicated full-time coach for less than $1/day. Hop on an intro call with them, easily upload your video (and data if you have it) for in-depth personal coaching sessions, chat message with them, and join Blayze+ Live calls twice a month.

It’s truly the most economical way to get high-end, personalized coaching – and way better than using your paddock neighbor to guess why you can’t go any quicker.