October 2019
SCCA San Francisco Region Regionals 11 & 12
This year’s Labor Day race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, was a two-day weekend, with a track-promoted test day on Friday. It had better driver and worker turnout than last year, and better weather – not much fog on Saturday and none on Sunday. The weather was warm, without last year’s debilitating heat. More of the new and refurbished corner stations were in use, most with welcome roofs and shades.
There were seven SFR race groups with 200 entries, better than the Majors. Even better was a nice Worker turnout, especially for a holiday weekend. Having more two-day weekends seems to have been a well-received decision, as has been the special Worker hotel rate for Monterey races. Both were BoD decisions based on member input.
Read More in the October Edition of The Wheel —->
SCCA San Francisco Region Regionals 11 & 12 This year’s Labor Day race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, was a two-day weekend, with a track-promoted test day on Friday. It had better driver and worker turnout than last year, and better weather – not much fog on Saturday and none on Sunday. The weather was […]
September 2019
Solo II SFR Round 10
Round 10 was the last chance for competitors to practice for SCCA Nationals in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was held at Marina Airport on August 25, 2019, with the event co-chaired by Carole Zepeda and Alex K. The course was designed by Ben Martinez.
Mark Lindle, in a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, took the top spot in S1. Peter McMillan took second place in a 2001 Porsche 996, while Jaylyn Hagen took third in a ’18 Camaro ZL1.
S2 was led by Justin Moore in a ’06 Porsche Cayman S. In second place was Glenn Austin in a ’05 Nissan 350Z, with Rishi Kirby taking the last podium spot in a ’18 Honda Civic Type R. The rest of S3 included Youmna Zalzal, Eric Martin, Howard Yang, Gary Fazekas, Jonathan Domagala, Chris Guzman, John Gamble, Wade Spurlock, Ryan Herbst, Tj Kloby, Fangzhou Jiao, Aaron McCollum, Amon Pereira, Thomas Flewell, Robert Hudspeth and Brian Berry.
Read more in the September issue –>
Hoosier Super Tour WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Solo II SFR Round 9 & 10, Wheelworks – Majors My Take, NFTA – The Ermini
August 2019
2019 SFR Road Racing Championship – Regional Races 9 & 10
The Double Regional 9-10 Races at Sonoma Raceway the first weekend in July had serious hot weather. It was a two-day event, with the largest Regional field this season – about 215 cars. The Friday test day was well-subscribed with more than 100 drivers. At Sonoma, the db limit was 103 all day, yet the morning session had more than a few drivers stretching or exceeding limits. Maybe it was the cloud cover, which did dissipate. It was nice to see drivers earning DRAFT Card credits toward a test day or regional entry, working on corners and in Timing & Scoring.
A group of SRF drivers, under the leadership of Joe Briggs and his Healdsburg Distillers group sponsored four Worker of the Day awards during the weekend. The number of race shops and drivers in thisventure include more than half the 32-car eld in Group Six for SRF3/SRF. Each of the four were selected by a driver, and received a $150 check. The lucky recipients were Curt Storek from St. Louis/F&C; Jennifer Bickett/T&S; Jess Ann Link/Course Marshals; and Michael Joseph/Pit Fire Marshal.
Read more in the August issue –>
Regional Races 9 & 10, Solo II SFR Round 7 & 8, Sacramento Round 7 & 9, Wheelworks – Racing Cars Can Be Dangerous, NFTA – Stovebolt Special
July 2019
SCCA Sacramento Round 5
Early was dry late was Wet
The weatherman predicted rain and for once he was right. The morning run groups got through 90% of their runs before the rain started to fall. I for one didn’t have windshield wipers on my car, so a careful placed rag had to suffice. There is an old saying that a bad day at the track is still better than a great day at the office. Everybody that showed up to race had a great time and left with a smile.
Read more in the July issue –>
Regional Races 7 & 8, Solo II SFR Round 5 & 6, Sacramento Round 5, Wheelworks – Too Many Classes!!! Not Enough Advocates!!! NFTA – Sonoma Raceway 50th Anniversary Book
June 2019
Wheelworks – Why do they do it?
By Blake Tatum
Ever since I was a kid I was jealous of the men and women who worked at the SCCA events. I think my jealousy came from the eyes of a ve year-old kid at the race track. When you are ve years old, your attention span is short as well as your stature. Back then, SCCA races were at places that were converted into race tracks, such as the port of Stockton. There were no grandstands; and the ability to see the action on the racetrack was determined either by height or status. Since I did not have status, I had to rely on height, which I did not have. Naturally, the fencing at these converted race tracks was wooden snow fencing (how did that ever y). When you are less than four feet tall, your view of the race track was the total sum of ashes of light that would pass between the slats of the snow fencing. I remember seeing Corvettes, Cobras, and Porsche’s ash by, only to disappear to an area unknown. I would wait and the ashes of the cars would come by again. The time between the cars ashing by was painful; and the idea that the people holding the ags knew where they were going was even more painful. When the races were over, I would just stare at the people wearing the SCCA of cial clothing. I would wonder how I could be one of those guys.
Read more in the June issue –>
Regional Races 5 & 6, Fresno Chapter Mid-Season Recap, Tire Rack SCCA Crows Landing ProSolo, Wheelworks – Why do they do it?
May 2019
Wheel Works – Good Bye Sherry
By Blake Tatum
Every organization has that one go to person that knows the ins and outs of the operation. We have all seen it, the person that knows the history behind every change. The person that knows who caused a certain policy implementation. The person that could tell you what the organization did last year as well as what they did five years ago. They can tell you who got things done and who caused more work than they were worth. This person is usually not the boss or the face of the organization but is usually one layer down from the top. When everyone is stumped on what to do they go to this person for the answer. It is the person the boss or owner sends everyone to answer the hard questions. The San Francisco Region of the SCCA has such a person. This person is the regional manager Sherry Grantz.
Read more in the May issue –>
Regional Races 3 & 4, SFR Solo II Round 2 & 3, Wheelworks – Sherry Grantz, Notes From the Archive – Bart Martin
April 2019
Worker of the Weekend
Alan Mertens – F&C. Selected by the Stewards Group.
“Alan Mertens was staffing Turn Two box covering Flag & Comm positions. Seven cars came through on the second lap of the Miata Race. Several cars spun and several had body contact. The situation was chaotic, at best. Alan provided accurate and valuable information as the incident unfolded. After the situation settled down, Alan provide a concise and detailed report, that allowed Race Control and responding workers the ability to make quick and safe decisions that allowed the incident to be cleaned up and racing to resume. Through it all, Alan maintained a calm and informative demeanor that was reflective of his many years of track service. Well done!”
Read more in the April issue –>
Regional Races 1 & 2, WoW, DoW, Sacramento Solo News, Teen Driving Clinic, People in the News, Notes From the Archive – Bob Cole
March 2019
The SFR Driver’s School had a new name for 2019 – Competition Licensing School , better reflective of its goals and purpose
It was held February 15-17, 2019 at Thunderhill Raceway Park. While the weather was mostly dry, save for the freaky hit-and-run hail storm Sunday afternoon, it was miserably cold and windy. Seeing all the snow on the distant peaks added to the chill. The Thursday before school, the rain was so bad it closed portions of I-5, stranding and/or detouring arriving students, instructors and volunteer race officials and workers. Those traveling Friday were greeted by clear roads, bright sunshine, flowering orchards and electric green hills and vales.
This years class was nearly as large as last year, with 54 students divided into the traditional three groups – Closed Wheel I, for the less experienced students; Closed Wheel II for those with more experience and/or ‘refreshers’; and Open Wheel students. The students, as always, mostly came from SFR, but this year’s class also included students from Colorado, Nevada, San Diego, Texas, and Washington.
Read the full story in the March issue –>
Five Teen Driving Schools at Thunderhill, Trip across America 1993 version; Magic Light Box, Competition Licensing School, Solo Banquet
February 2019
SEASON OPENER MARCH 16-17, AT THUNDERHILL WILL START FIGHT FOR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN 2019
The quest for the top spot in each class Championship will begin in earnest in March on the 16th and 17th at Thunderhill Park. The two-day race weekend will follow a test day on Friday for all comers on the three-mile, fifteen-turn course.
The race weekend should be fun and fierce as the new season allows drivers to shake-off a winter of planning and thinking about what the first race of the season would be like. Top classes, including Spec Racer Fords and Spec Miatas expect full fields as do the Spec Mustang and IT classes. “This is real racing,” noted veteran driver David Vodden. “Not many people get to do this stuff and even fewer find victory lane and earn the #1 ranking at year end.”
The two-day format is expected to generate more entries as teams save time and money with the more efficient race schedules. The weekend offers Regional Races # 1 and 2. There are 15 total regional races that offer championship points ending with double points for the last three included in the three-day season championship final set for October 25th through the 27th. Thirteen of the fifteen regional sanctioned races count towards the title point accumulation. Drivers can drop two races if they contend in all fifteen.
Sonoma Majors 2019, Runoffs Special SRF Edition, Wheelworks – Remembering Bob Corbitt, Thunderhill Report
January 2019
Wheelworks – Looking forward to 2019
by Blake Tatum
2019 will bring some changes to the San Francisco Region. First off, Reno Region is going to work with us a put on the very first time trail event. It will be part of the 2019 Tire Rack Time Trials National Tour and will be held April 13/14 at Thunderhill Raceway Park. Tony Rodriguez has been appointed the chief of time trails with the region. Tony has been the guy spearheading the time trials cause. He has been the man most responsible for getting the board to approve the event. For those of you that do not know what a time trails event is, think AutoCross on a race track. For more information on a Time Trial event go to https://timetrials.scca.com.
Another change is we will have a Majors event at Sonoma and our first Super Tour Event. This is a good news bad news situation. The good news is we will have two events at Sonoma Raceway, which is a very popular track amongst our members. Also the good news is we will have our first Super Tour event. For those that have not been to a Super Tour they offer a professional announce crew, sector timing, and a high level of competition. This will be a three day event with a test day associated with it. The bad news is the Sonoma event will be very unique and will feature a Sunday/Monday schedule which obviously presents challenges for staffing and attendance. The bad news component is that we will not have our highly successful Thunderhill Majors event which after several trying years has been one of our best events each year.
2019 will also see a Pro Formula USA Winter Series run at the Sonoma Majors Race. Read about this and more in the January issue –>
Runoffs Report Special SFR Edition; People of the Runoffs; Notes from the Archive – Ferrari; SFR Solo Round 15
December 2018
2018 Fresno Solo Finale
With summer heat over, and the Big Fresno Fair in the past, Fresno SCCA returned to take over the asphalt at the fairgrounds one last time to close out the 2018 season. The weekend of November 10 and 11 saw autocrossers from across the valley (and beyond!) battle between the cones for a last chance to grab championship points.
In what’s become an annual tradition, Fresno SCCA opened its final weekend with a standard autocross Saturday, and closed with the popular enduro format, a multi-lap run autocross, on Sunday. Unfortunately for team Fresno, it’s becoming another tradition to see out-of-towners show them up on their home turf.
Read all about the event in the December issue of The Wheel –>
SFR Edition of Runoffs Results; Solo Rounds 15 & 16; Fresno Solo Season Finale; Pro Spec Racer Ford Race at COTA
November 2018
Season Ending Regionals 13 & 14
by Lynne Huntting
The SFR Season Finale was a three-day three race weekend and celebration at Thunderhill Raceway Park over the Labor Day holidays. It was SFR’s Double Regional 13 & 14 with double points on the 3-mile track, and the Spec Miata Festival and a fun race on the 5-mile course.
Saturday night was the dinner and Party for all honoring Tom McCarthy and celebrating the 25th Thunderhill Anniversary and the 70th SFR Anniversary. All that packed into just three days.
The Saturday night celebratory festivities were enjoyed by a large crowd in the Roger Eandi Club House. Dinner filled the room and the patio, with an ongoing slide show put together by the McCarthy family showing many photos of Tom, his family and Thunderhill. Son Terry McCarthy and RE Barbara McClellan emceed the program, which including celebrating the two anniversaries and Tom McCarthy.
Read the race recaps in the November issue –>
Regionals 13 & 14; SFR Solo II piggy backs on AAS race for Round 12; SFR Pre-Season Maintenance; Sacramento Solo Enduro; SFR at Sacramento Auto Show