While I’ve been to the SCCA RunOffs before, I had never attended a solo event until this past Sunday. Wow! Simply, wow! I’m not sure exactly what I had expected from my first solo event (aka autocross), but I wasn’t expecting something as interesting, fun, and exciting as what I saw this past Sunday. In many respects, it reminded me of the vibe and feel of a rally. There was a mix of highly-prepped, purpose-built racing machines brought on trailers with support vehicles, parts, and personnel, and machines that were…
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SCCA – My First Day as a Racecar Driver
INDEPENDENCE, MO (April 15, 2012), by Tim Steger — First off, as an Aerospace engineer, I don’t do thing without planning. I have had my racecar, a bone stock 93 base Miata, for about 25 days. I recruited a co-driver, who had won a trophy in the past in his own car. I figured he would help me get the car ready, then potentially help improve my driving skills. And yet, after the weeks of planning and wrench time, I realized I had more fun today than I thought possible…
Read MoreUSF2000 – SCCA Formula Enterprise Permitted to Run in National Class
Good news from the Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Champiomnship Powered by Mazda! The National Class will be opened up to the very popular SCCA Formula Enterprise chassis. The FE class was introduced in the SCCA in 2008 as a way to create a cost-effective entry-point for drivers and teams interested in competing in either open-wheel or prototype sports car competition. The Formula Enterprise uses a 2.3L I4 Mazda engine similar in output to the MRZ 2.0L used for the USF2000 Van Diemen chassis for the Championship Class. Unlike…
Read MoreThe Mid-Ohio Weekend in Photos
One of the magnificent things about a road course event, and the ALMS/INDYCAR weekend at Mid-Ohio especially, is that there is NEVER a quiet moment on the track. There’s always something buzzing around the circuit. This year was no exception as we has the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Championship, the SCCA Pro World Challenge, the American LeMans Series, the US F2000 National Championship, and the IZOD IndyCar Series taking to the circuit from 0800 to as late as 1900! That also means that is photog was one busy dude! I…
Read MoreUS F2000 – New Incentives Offered to SCCA, FF, and F2000 Drivers
The Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda is positioning itself to be the premier F2000 series in North America by reaching out to various amateur and semi-pro formula series throughout the country by offering scholarships to various SCCA, Formula Ford, and F2000 competitors to step up to the US F2000 National Championship. I understand that there’s some bitterness in the F2000 community about US F2000, but it is the first step on the Mazda Road to Indy program and the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder. That’s not…
Read MoreIndyCar – I Love the Smell of Speculation in the Morning!
It smells like… PROGRESS! If you’re a fan of IndyCar, then you likely have already heard about Peter De Lorenzo’s article on his blog, The Autoextremist, where he claims that General Motors will make a return to the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2012 along with an increase in motorsports across the board. You also likely are already aware that SpeedTV’s Marshall Pruitt and the Indianapolis Star’s Curt Cavin are both claiming extreme skepticism of the announcement. So where does this leave us fans? It leaves us in a whirlwind of…
Read MoreTV – Weekend Racing Schedule for August 27, 28, and 29th
FORMULA 1 RETURNS! MOTOGP RETURNS! INDYCAR OVAL RACING RETURNS! Its a great weekend to be a racing fan with access to cable TV. At long last, the Formula 1 returns from holiday to compete at one of the most epic racing circuits on the planet: Spa-Francorchamps! Spa is always a good show, especially if the rains come as forecasted. The shorter MotoGP break is also over and the riders return to Indianapolis. Sadly, I will be watching on TV this year, rather than being at the track. I’m gutted about…
Read MoreOpEd – Lessons Learned: Attending a Race at Mid-Ohio
This year was my third year attending the ALMS and IndyCar races at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and for the third year in a row I had a blast. Each year, I’ve picked up a little bit more insight about how to attend, what to avoid and what to enjoy. This year, it was a little different for me in that in addition to a spectator ticket I also had a photo badge which gave me great access to the track and the pits, but it also limited my…
Read MoreIndyCar – Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach: Introduction and a Little History
Introduction: The Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach is the fourth event of the season for the IZOD IndyCar Series and the third for the Firestone Indy Lights Series. Joining the the Indy Cars and Lights Cars this weekend will be the SCCA World Challenge, American Le Mans Series, and for the first time on real city streets the Formula Drift Series. Formula D actually held their competition portion of their event on April 9th and 10th. This coming weekend, the crowds will be treated to a demonstration of what…
Read MoreOp-Ed – Making a Case for the World Engine
The recent concept from Lola of using the same tub for both the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Firestone Indy Lights series got me thinking. Why stop there? One of the most often used reasons for why multiple chassis and engine manufacturers are impractical for the IZOD IndyCar Series is that the loss of the economy of scale would drive up the costs too much for participation to be either attractive or profitable. Its a powerful and very well founded argument. If a manufacturer can spread the costs of development…
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