Are You Prepared For Round 1 Of The NorPac Divisional Series Hosted By The Sacramento Chapter?

by Ken Mitchell

Round 1 of the NorPac Divisional Series is on the horizon and will be here before you know it. Please note the date is June 27 & 28, 1998. This event will also count as the regular SFR Series Championship rounds. However, you must enter for the entire divisional event even if you only intend to run one day.

This may not seem fair or be cost effective for you but this is the only way to minimize any potential registration and timing & scoring problems for the Divisional. All entrants must be pre-registered and pre-paid. There will be no registration or money collected at the event. Registration for the event is only open Friday evening 5:00PM – 8:00PM and Saturday Morning 7:00AM – 8:00AM. So you will need to sign in and have your car tech during one of the two registration periods. There will be no exceptions.

Also, you must have your car and helmet teched during the same hours. You should first register and than take your car to the tech inspection area. Yes, even the helmet will need to be teched and receive a sticker. The tech inspection is really painless providing you have read Solo II rule section 3.3 and your vehicle is compliant. All safety related items listed in section 3.3 will be inspected. All batteries must be secured to the car. This includes batteries that have been relocated from the OEM position. If the battery is just sitting in the plastic container without a bracket securing the battery to the car, this will not pass the inspection. Also, all relocated batteries from the OEM position must be in a plastic container.

The fuel cap will be checked for leaks. All lug nut & lug bolt engagements will be checked. If the tech inspector suspects that the lug nut or bolt is not properly engaged for your particular vehicle, he/she will ask you to remove one or several lug nuts or bolts in order to inspect for thread engagement. If your lug nuts or bolts appear like they might not be fully engaged you should be prepared with wrench in hand to remove them as directed. If you are prepared to do this, you will help yourself, other drivers, and us to speed up the tech inspection process. If you have after-market wheels and/or using wheel spacers, you might as well count on having to remove your lug nut(s) or bolt(s) unless you have an open-end nut and it is obvious that the nut is fully engaged.

Car numbers and the required stickers will be inspected at the Tech Inspection. The car numbers will have to placed on the body panel and not on the glass. Only your Divisional event assigned car number and class must be shown during competition. If Timing & Scoring reports a problem with reading your number and class, you will need to correct it before the car competes again. This is very important to minimize the timing & scoring problems and delays.

Your permanent SFR number will not prevail for the Divisional. The number assignments are on a first come first serve basis. You will not be able to run a three (3) digit number unless your are the second driver and the number is 100+ of the first driver. If for some reason that you are unable to use your permanent number and your vehicle has the number on permanently, you will be required to cover up the number not in use. Only the appropriate assigned number for the competitor that is driving the car must be displayed. If you enter the course with the wrong number and it delays the timing & scoring process, timing & scoring has the right to disqualify your run and you will be required to correct the problem before you compete again.

All entrants must have the new "SCCA Solo 2" events sticker on both sides of their vehicle. This is a mandatory sticker and it is the competitor's responsibility to acquire the stickers prior to the event. The stickers may be purchased from the SCCA National Merchandise office in Denver (Englewood). You can call (303) 779-6622 and ask for the merchandise section, to purchase the stickers at $1.00 ea. Some stickers may be available at registration for sale. In any event, if registration does not have the stickers available for sale, this alone will not relieve you from the responsibility for having the stickers on the vehicle. The vehicle must be ready in race trim at the time of inspection.

Please read the Solo II rulebook and the supplemental rules. The rulebook and the supplemental rules have all the information and procedures about how the event is going to be conducted. If you do read the rules you will be prepared for the event.

Please visit the SFR Divisional web page. The URL is: http://www.sfrscca.com/solo2/Results/1998/Divisional/sfrdiv.html

The web page has the supplementals rules and an entry form. You can complete the entry form with your browser and print it out and mail it in. Please do not e-mail your entry. You will have to include your check with the form. Also, the web page has information on the motels in the area and other information to help you prepare for the event. Take a look at it. It is a "Kool" web page developed by our very own and talented Jerry Mouton.

Also, if you have a second driver or a ladies driver, each driver in the same vehicle must submit a separate and complete entry form. If the same vehicle has two drivers in the same class, don't forget that the first driver must have a number lower than 40 and the second driver must use a number 100+ than the first driver. This rule does not apply to a single driver in the open class and a single driver in the ladies class in the same vehicle, This rule only applies to two drivers in the same class (Open or Ladies).

The entry fee is $55.00 (US) and this will include both competition days and the Saturday night social provide by Jesus Villarreal. I'm not sure what is on the menu, most likely something along the line of steak or chicken fajitas and the usual trimmings. Beverages both soft drinks and beer will be included. You may use the entry form on the web page or the generic SCCA form. Please include all the information listed in item #6, Registration Procedures, of the Supplemental Rules.

The Saturday night social will be held near the site at the Church. The church is approximately a quarter mile from the event site and there is plenty of parking. In the previous years we had a volleyball tournament after dinner. In the past, the teams were made up of drivers from classes within the Stock, Street Prepared, Prepared, and Modified categories. I think there may have been some Chevrolet & Ford teams going at it for the honors. In anycase, fun was had by all. You might want to start arranging your killer teams now.

You need to be aware that there is a deadline for mailing your entry in. The deadline is June 17, 1998. All entries postmarked after June 17, 1998 will be assessed 50% of the entry fee as a penalty. If your entry is postmarked after the June 17, 1998 cutoff and does not include the late penalty fee, your registration will be incomplete and you will need to complete the process prior to the event. This can be taken care of Friday evening or Saturday morning when you sign in but we prefer that you take care of this prior to the event. This will help everybody if this is taken care of before you arrive. Any entry postmarked after June 23, 1998 will not be accepted.

The course will be ready Friday evening for you to walk the course. Saturday morning the course is open to 8:25AM. A mandatory driver's meeting will be held at 8:30AM.

An information desk will be setup for event information. A course map will be posted, the official times will be posted along with the audit information. If you need to contact an event official and unable to locate him/her, please visit the information desk. The information staff will make every attempt to contact the appropriate official and/or assist you to make the event very pleasurable for you.

Don't forget that there will be an impound inspection after each run group. So you will need to return to your home grid spot after you complete your last run of the day. You will be escorted to the impound inspection area as a group.

Rookies – Late Breaking News! You will have your own class at the divisional just as if it was a local regional event. The last article about the divisional, stated that the Rookie classes were to be combined with their respective open class. The Steering Committee asked that the rookie classes be separate from the open class. So, your class will be run separate and trophies will be awarded accordingly. Come on out and enjoy the event and get the feel of a National formated event. You never know you might want to go back to Kansas some day and this may be your start on the road to the national winner's circle to collect your jacket.

These rules may seem unusual for you and different than a normal regional event. This event is not too different than a normal event other than that the timing & scoring process is a little more intense and there is an impound inspection after each run group. The rules are the same rules as outlined in the Solo II rulebook and what you will expect at a National Tour or the Solo II Nationals.

We hope that you will take the time out and read the rulebook and the supplemental rules in order for you to be prepared for the event. If you are prepared you will know what to expect and all you have to do is concentrate on your driving and having fun the entire weekend.

If you have any questions regarding a particular subject, please feel free to ask one of the Event Officials. We are all here to help you and all you have to do is ask.