Register for the Heavy Metal Showdown!
Ladies and gentlemen, we are nearing the 2016 Tire Rack Heavy Metal Showdown Match Tour at the Pittsburgh International Race Complex! As with all match tours, you can arrive expecting a fun atmosphere, high run count and competitive weekend of national level autocross!
The Heavy Metal Showdown (not to be confused with the Iron City tours in Alabama) is the Eastern most Match Tour on the 2016 calendar. The event will be hosted by the Steel Cities Region of the SCCA, about forty minutes north of the great city of Pittsburgh in a town called Wampum. Within this small town, lies the grounds of the Pittsburgh International Race Complex, normally referred to as PittRace. Here you'll find all of the motorsports amenities you'll ever need, including an onsite petrol station!
Now, there are two groups of individuals that can benefit from this event, and I’m here to tell you about both.
First, those that have never been to a national level Solo event, (or maybe never been to a Match Tour) these events have many welcoming aspects to make them great for your first national event. Match Tours are laid out to offer more runs, allowing you plenty of seat time to get familiar to national solo competition. Saturday holds the first two heats and the best time from each is summed to give the class rankings. That night, we're already partying! Awards will be distributed to the leaders after the action ceases that evening. Sunday morning is the third heat of the event, in which qualifying occurs for the fourth heat. Go fast in heat three to seal a spot in the fourth heat challenges! There's also a bonus competition, Lucky Dog and an Under Dog competition, so there's a bracket for everyone. This event format gives the new-to-national-solo driver a taste of Championship Tours and the qualifying/bracket challenges found in ProSolo events.
The second group of individuals that can benefit from this event are those tenured, experienced soloists. While July is already to be a busy month with back-to-back Wilmington Champ/Pro tours, PittRace's proximity to Ohio makes it easier to justify the third weekend away from home in July for additional seat time. There is also an opportunity to meet the aforementioned new-to-national-solo drivers and share all of your wisdom and knowledge with them!
Hotels are right around the corner from the site, and according to the Steel Cities Region, a delicious Deli named Al's Corner rests just down the street from PittRace too.
We're currently sitting around sixty drivers, so as many of us get behind the wheel for the drive out to the Toledo Pro (or have already arrived), contemplate registering for the Heavy Metal Showdown, and then go register using your hotel's Wi-Fi. The password is likely guest.
