It’s February and much of the country is still determining sportscar racing and winter weather go together. The 2022 Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour, however, is already heading into its third of 10 competition weekends. This next one, taking place February 18-20 at Buttonwillow Raceway Park in California’s Central Valley, is the first of two visits the series will make to the West Coast this year.
Lookin’ at the Layout
Buttonwillow Raceway Park actually has more than 40 different race and test configurations purposely designed to emulate street and road racing courses throughout North America. For Hoosier Super Tour’s visit this year, the 2.92-mile No. 25 layout will be run in a clockwise direction. That means competitors will traverse corners such as the “Off Ramp,” “Phil Hill” and “Star Mazda.”
Official Hoosier Super Tour on-track activities start Friday morning with 25-minute practice sessions for each of the seven run groups. Friday afternoon will then see the first round of qualifying with 20-minute sessions. Saturday opens with a second round of 20-minute qualifying sessions, followed by 25-minute races beginning at 12:15 p.m. Pacific Time. The day will then conclude with a BBQ for volunteers, drivers, crew … everyone!
A second round of racing will take place Sunday starting at 8:40 a.m. Pacific Time. Sunday’s events will be either 17 laps or 35 minutes in length, whichever comes first.
What to Watch
Formula Continental Hoosier Super Tour events at Buttonwillow have a history of generating some action, so be sure to watch that class contained within the sixth run group. Also in Group 6, keep an eye on Formula Enterprises 2 and Whitney Strickland. He had two strong showings during Hoosier Super Tour’s last stop at Circuit of the Americas in Texas, but victory escaped him. He’ll certainly be looking to rectify that at Buttonwillow.
Defending Prototype 2 Runoffs National Champion Tim Day Jr. will be on hand at Buttonwillow, as well as defending Prototype 1 Hoosier Super Tour Nationwide Points Champion Chip Romer. And it’s always fun to watch top drivers in any class perform out on course.
Speaking of reigning Hoosier Super Tour Nationwide Points Champions, John Black is on the Spec Racer Ford Gen3 entry list for Buttonwillow. At last year’s event, Black battled with TJ Acker and Caleb Shrader to put on one exciting show for spectators.
2022 GT-3 Challenge Opener
The GT-3 Challenge presented by MPI championship for 2022 begins at Buttonwillow as part of the Hoosier Super Tour weekend. Supported by Mazda, Max Papis Innovations, Hoosier Racing Tire, Goodyear Tire and AiM Sports, the GT-3 Challenge is in its fourth year and continues to bolster participation in the GT-3 class.
The GT-3 field for Buttonwillow looks stout. Runoffs champions such as Troy Ermish and Collin Jackson are on the entry list, as well as 2021 GT-3 Challenge presented by MPI champion Michael Lewis. The class will almost certainly be one to watch Saturday and Sunday at Buttonwillow.
Reminder: Contingency Now Online!
Yes, a great many of you already know the information that follows. But for folks out west about to dive into their first Hoosier Super Tour event of the year, we’re going to repeat ourselves.
As a reminder, the process for submitting contingency claims has changed this year. In 2022 all gold and silver contingency claims will be processed online. That means no more tracking down tech inspectors to sign contingency forms. But remember, bronze-level programs (like Hoosier) still require paper forms returned to the partner.
Don’t miss out on thousands of dollars of cash and merchandise available through SCCA’s various contingency partners. As usual, it’s crucial to follow all instructions. That includes registering in advance and taking appropriate photos of your car at the event. The good news, it’s all spelled out at the webpage linked below. Spend a moment and take a look so you don’t miss any opportunities!
In-Person Buttonwillow Action, Or Follow Online
Hoosier Super Tour’s stop at Buttonwillow Raceway Park is open to the general public and entry is FREE for spectators who want to come out and watch. Stand trackside and enjoy some beautiful cars, fantastic racing, great comradery, and learn more about SCCA Road Racing.
Can’t be at Buttonwillow? Super Tour Radio presented by Hoosier Racing Tire has you covered with live play-by-play and insight all weekend supplied by the Performance Motorsports Network team. That live broadcast will be available online through SCCA.com. Enhanced timing and scoring, as well as a few static video feeds, will also be available through SCCA.com.
More information on the 2022 Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour from Buttonwillow Raceway Park can be found on the event page link below.
Buttonwillow Hoosier Super Tour
Photo by Baer
