The motorsports community has not been immune to the great Coronavirous pandemic of 2020, with many events across the racing spectrum postponed or canceled, including the 2020 Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals.  Fortunately, the 2020 DirtFish SCCA RallyCross National Championship (RXNC) is still on track as scheduled, albeit at a different venue than originally planned.  The RXNC, with its relatively small participant footprint and ability to facilitate social distancing, will take place this weekend at Heartland Motorsports Park (HMP) in Topeka, Kansas.  At this time, there are 109 entries, which is below last year’s record of 130 entries, but not bad given the unique circumstances of 2020.

Here are some important things to note about this year’s RXNC:

  1. A SITE CHANGE AND A BIG THANK YOU!

The 2020 RXNC was originally scheduled to take place at historic Road America near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.  However, to deliver the event participant experience operationally, it was determined that the Road America site would require modifications that are not feasible in 2020 given SCCA’s available resources and time constraints. The RallyCross Board (RXB), with support from the SCCA National Staff and SCCA Board of Directors (BoD), made the difficult decision to relocate the event to another venue and, fortunately, Heartland Motorsports Park (HMP), the site of the 2017 RXNC, was available.

This is the first (and hopefully only!) time the RXNC site has been moved mid-season and it presented significant planning challenges to change the location on such short notice.  A huge shout out to the Kansas and Kansas City Region R-X members for jumping in at the last minute to help ensure a smooth transition to HMP, including Brian Tefft, Mark Macoubrie, Ryan Redenbaugh, and Reuben Samuels.  And a special shout out to Brianne Corn who drove from Texas to Topeka to help lay out the courses last week so we could coordinate site preparation work.  Also, thanks to our Road America crew of Dan Kelly, Robin Johnson and David Capesius who invested a great amount of time in planning and preparation work for the original venue in Wisconsin. 

  1. COVID COMPLIANCE

If you are coming to the event you are expected to comply with the restrictions per state, local and SCCA regulations.  In a nutshell, here are the COVID-19 rules for event:

  • Masks are required in Grid, Timing trailer, and during class inspection, drivers’ meetings, the awards ceremony, and any other group gathering during the event.
  • While on course working or walking, wear a mask any time you are unable to maintain six-feet social distancing.
  • No need to wear a mask while you are in your vehicle.
  • If you are unable to wear a mask due to medical reasons, you must wear a face shield or full-face helmet.
  • Hand sanitizer and hand-washing stations will be provided at the event.

We understand that maintaining social distancing can be difficult, however, our ability to adhere to these COVID restrictions will ensure that we are able to hold this event.  Your compliance during the event is greatly appreciated!

  1. FORMS

To help promote social distancing and reduce personal contact, all forms are available on the event website.  Please print and complete your Tech Form and Class Disclosure Form in advance so we do not have to give you a form at the event.  Here are the links to each form:

Tech Form

Stock Class Disclosure Form

Prepared Class Disclosure Form

Modified Class Disclosure Form

Also, complete your event waiver in advance using the SpeedWaiver link below (link only works on your mobile phone).  You will still need to sign the Heartland Motorsports Park specific waiver when you enter.

SpeedWaiver

 

  1. TECH & CLASS INSPECTION

To facilitate social distancing, we will be using a self-Tech process this year.  Print and complete your Tech Form and drive to the Tech line.  Give your form the Tech person and complete the check-in process.

Class inspection will take place as normal in Grid.  Place your class inspection on the windshield of your competition vehicle.  Please remember to wear a mask and maintain social distancing during class inspection.

Speaking of Grid the Saturday morning Grid assignments will be available early this year thanks to our Chief of Grid Josh Armantrout. Look for a separate email with Grid positions or keep checking the event page on scca.com (https://www.scca.com/events/1995858-2020-dirtfish-scca-rallycross-nationals). Please park your vehicle in the assigned Grid spot for Saturday morning runs.

  1. RUN GROUPS & RUN ORDER

Last year we have used four run groups and it worked well….before the rain.  Since we have fewer entries this year, we will be using three run groups.  Here is the group order:

Group 1:  SR, SA, MR (Run, Work, Off)

Group 2:  SF, MF, MA (Off, Run, Work)

Group 3:  PF, PR, PA (Work, Off, Run)

We will need to take time between run groups to appropriately sanitize equipment and make any necessary course adjustments, but please do your best to be ready to run or work as soon as possible.  Less transition delays means more run time!

  1. NEW THIS YEAR: GREEN CONES!

To help make course adjustments more obvious, we are adopting a great idea from one of our Regions: when course adjustments are made, we will use green cones (instead of orange cones) to identify the cones that have been moved.

  1. THE PROTEST PROCESS

We always hope that our events are trouble-free but understand that questions and conflicts sometimes arise.  If you have a question about a competition-related topic, such as class compliance of another competitor’s vehicle or whether an assessed time penalty was correct, the first step is to submit an Inquiry – you simply submit a written question on the subject to the Chief of Protest (Warren Elliott) or the Event Chief Steward (Ed Trudeau) and you will receive a response.  If you are not happy with the answer, you can submit a formal Protest.  Contact Warren or Ed for assistance with the Protest process.  

  1. Food Truck
    Last week we mentioned that a food truck would be available only from 10 am to 3 pm on Saturday and Sunday. HMP found a different food truck that will be available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 7 am to 2 pm. We are working on getting a menu to post up for members to be prepared of what is available. Please look for a separate email with that information once it becomes available.
  2. HAVE FUN!

Without a doubt, 2020 has been a crazy, tumultuous year!  Even though this year’s RXNC will have some additional restrictions and a few less bells and whistles compared to prior years, we are thankful that we are still able to proceed with the event.  And we are optimistic the weather will be magnificent this year, with no rain in the forecast.  Thanks for participating this year and let’s get dirty!