2016 SCCA Majors Schedule Published, Featuring Five Conference Championships

TOPEKA, Kan. (Oct. 20, 2015) – The first wave of events for the 2016 SCCA U.S. Majors Tour is set, as thoughts shift toward the upcoming race season. A total of 20 events are currently scheduled to be held across five conferences throughout the country, with more events to be announced soon.

The new race season is set to begin much like that in 2015, with back-to-back events at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Jan. 8-10) and Sebring International Raceway (Jan. 15-17) on the second and third weekends of January, respectively.

The Southeast Conference keeps rolling with a return trip to historic, and challenging, Road Atlanta, March 18-20. The current calendar closes with another two-conference event at VIRginia International Raceway, April 15-17, which also marks the start of competition for the Northeast Conference. At least one additional event is in the works, but will be announced at a later date.

Out west, the Majors Tour kicks things off with a three-day event at Auto Club Speedway, Jan. 29-31. The next stop for the Western Conference is Willow Springs International Raceway, Feb. 20-21. A return to Buttonwillow Raceway Park, April 29-May 1, precedes Pacific Raceways, May 28-30, as the season comes to a close at Portland International Raceway, July 2-3. An additional April event will be added to the schedule.

The Mid-States title hunt will again include Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, April 9-10. The Majors will return to Gateway Motorsports Park, May 14-15, after a two-year hiatus from the facility. The conference calendar will conclude with a Rocky Mountain swing that includes a pair of Colorado race weekends. The Mid-States Conference will make its yearly return to Pueblo Motorsports Park (May 28-29) with High Plains Raceway (July 2-3) currently slated as the final race. At least one additional race weekend will be added to the calendar, but details have yet to be finalized.

The Northeast Conference is the next to start its season. The conference begins its campaign at VIR, with the Southeast Conference. The title hunt then moves to Summit Point Motorsports Park, April 29-May 1.

Watkins Glen International moves off of Independence Day weekend to June 24-26 for 2016. The final stop for the Northeast Conference will be at Pocono Raceway, Aug. 13-14. This will be the first Majors event to be held at the Tricky Triangle, which takes is nickname from the three completely different turns on the circuit. Two additional events will be added to the Northeast schedule at a later date.

The Northern Conference opener takes place April 30-May 1 at Blackhawk Farms Raceway. Racers in the Northern Conference will then have a chance to take to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, June 3-5, which will host the 2016 SCCA Runoffs Presented by Garmin VIRB. Many teams will use the opportunity to perfect their setups for the winner-take-all National Championship race later in the year.

The next round of the conference schedule heads east to Michigan for GingerMan Raceway, July 9-10. The title hunt is set to end Aug. 13-14 at Grattan Raceway. The finalized schedule will have two additional races added at a later date.

“We’re very pleased with the events on the 2016 U.S. Majors Tour calendar,” Deanna Flanagan, Sr. Manager of Club Racing, said. “We’re excited to work with our returning events and welcome a couple new ones to the 2016 season.

“Based on feedback from our drivers, workers and host Regions, we continue to fine-tune event formats and elements to provide the best Championship-level program in amateur racing.”

Some events are still under consideration, but have not been finalized at this time. As details regarding those events become available, they will be announced.

For additional information on the SafeRacer SCCA National Club Racing program and the U.S. Majors Tour, visit SCCA.com.

Listed below is the schedule for the 2016 SCCA U.S. Majors Tour, part of the SafeRacer National Club Racing Program, as of now:

Mid-States Conference
April 9-10: Hallett Motor Racing Circuit (Jennings, Okla.)
May 14-15: Gateway Motorsports Park (Madison, Ill.)
May 28-29: Pueblo Motorsports Park (Pueblo, Colo.)
July 2-3: High Plains Raceway (Deer Trail, Colo.)
At least one event will be added at a later date

Northern Conference
April 30-May 1: Blackhawk Farms Raceway (South Beloit, Ill.)
June 3-5*: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (Lexington, Ohio)
July 9-10: GingerMan Raceway (South Haven, Mich.)
Aug. 13-14: Grattan Raceway (Belding, Mich.)
Two events will be added at a later date
* - Pending track confirmation

Northeast Conference
April 15-17: VIRginia International Raceway (Alton, Va.) – with Southeast Conference
April 29-May 1: Summit Point Motorsports Park (Summit Point, W. Va.)
June 24-26: Watkins Glen International (Watkins Glen, N.Y.)
Aug. 13-14: Pocono Raceway (Long Pond, Pa.)
Two events to be added at a later date

Southeast Conference
Jan. 8-10: Homestead-Miami Speedway (Homestead, Fla.)
Jan. 15-17: Sebring International Raceway (Sebring, Fla.)
March 18-20: Road Atlanta (Braselton, Ga.)
April 15-17: VIRginia International Raceway (Alton, Va.) – with Northeast Conference
At least one event will be added at a later date

Western Conference
Jan. 29-31: Auto Club Speedway (Fontana, Calif.)
Feb. 20-21: Willow Springs International Raceway (Rosamond, Calif.)
April: TBD
April 29-May 1: Buttonwillow Raceway Park (Buttonwillow, Calif.)
May 28-30: Pacific Raceways (Kent, Wash.)
July 2-3: Portland International Raceway (Portland, Ore.)

Image: Formula Vee produced close racing throughout the field at the 2015 Majors Tour opener, and should do the same this year.
Credit: Mark Weber