May 2021
SFR Regionals 5&6 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca was our first
race of the season at the iconic track. It had two different weather days
and a forecast designed to scare off some drivers and cast a damper
on the two-day weekend, pun intended. Saturday was bright and
sunny once the early morning overcast lifted. The chilly breeze kept
the jackets on. Sunday was overcast, damp at times and downright wet
at others. The forecast of possible rain could have been a factor in a
lower entry than anticipated – 150+. And as the weekend progressed,
so did the early exodus of race cars. Another contributing factor to
the car count could have been the dearth of special groups which
run our races with their series – a race within a race. So no World
Speed Formula Car Series, no Miata Festival, no Pac Northwest drivers
making a road trip, etc. Despite the morning overcasts, the schedule
started on time, both days. Sunday noon Chief Steward Paul Helberg
declared a rain race, which gave drivers option to run slicks or wets/
intermediates, but some drivers chose another option – leave.
Read all about in the May 2021 issue of The Wheel!
SFR Regionals 5&6 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca was our first race of the season at the iconic track. It had two different weather days and a forecast designed to scare off some drivers and cast a damper on the two-day weekend, pun intended. Saturday was bright and sunny once the early morning overcast lifted. […]
April 2021
SFR held its only Majors for the season at Thunderhill Raceway. The weather was sunny and dry all weekend, albeit chilly in the mornings, especially Friday, and breezy on Sunday. The turnout was nice, with more than 250 entries for the eight groups – seven Majors and one restricted regional race open to Novices. There were many out-of-region Drivers. It was Spring in full bloom on the way to the track and all fresh after Thursday’s rain – which dampened the test day, but not the spirits of the 100 Drivers who got pre-registered, making Friday morning’s Registration a veritable breeze.
There were nearly 20 Novices entered at the beginning of the weekend…
Read more about it in the April 2021 issue of The Wheel!
SFR held its only Majors for the season at Thunderhill Raceway. The weather was sunny and dry all weekend, albeit chilly in the mornings, especially Friday, and breezy on Sunday. The turnout was nice, with more than 250 entries for the eight groups – seven Majors and one restricted regional race open to Novices. There […]
March 2021
On the morning of Sunday February 21st, the Fresno Chapter started the 2021 season with 79 eager drivers. All drivers were divided into three groups with five runs each. Before the competition started, an award ceremony was held and trophies were given out to the 2020 winners. Many novice and hopeful competitors got a glance at what the future holds for them. Run Group 1 started off with morning temperatures in the mid40’s. As the temperatures got warmer throughout the day, the times got quicker.
Read more about it in the March 2021 issue of The Wheel!
On the morning of Sunday February 21st, the Fresno Chapter started the 2021 season with 79 eager drivers. All drivers were divided into three groups with five runs each. Before the competition started, an award ceremony was held and trophies were given out to the 2020 winners. Many novice and hopeful competitors got a glance […]
February 2021
One of the great things about both the sport of autocross and rallycross is the extremely low barrier to entry. To compete in either sport, you don’t need a racing license or a caged racing car. All that is required to compete is possession of almost any basic road-going vehicle, a helmet, forty bucks, and the willingness to go have some fun with cars. It is this simple inexpensive formula that has made both autocross and rallycross extremely popular. Driving a car as fast as you can around a timed, coned race course spikes adrenaline and it allows people to find the limits of their car in a safe and legal space. Both sports are immensely safe for drivers, and the wear and tear on cars is very minimal. For autocross you might find that the tires you thought you were going to get 20,000 miles out of may only last 15,000 miles after some aggressive driving at events. For rallycross you are going to find dirt in places on your car you never thought possible. Good news: dirt washes right off. In both sports cones line the track, so if you lose control the worst thing that can happen to your car is you hit a floppy cone. There will be no damage to your car; of course, the cone may not fare as well. The Sports Car Club of America doesn’t care, they have thousands of cones. They won’t even charge you if you destroy one.
Read more about it in the February 2021 issue of The Wheel!
One of the great things about both the sport of autocross and rallycross is the extremely low barrier to entry. To compete in either sport, you don’t need a racing license or a caged racing car. All that is required to compete is possession of almost any basic road-going vehicle, a helmet, forty bucks, and […]
January 2021
It is that time of the year again. The 2021 San Francisco Region Competition Licensing School will be held on February 12th – 14th. Each year this event provides driving enthusiasts the opportunity to develop their skills and become a full-fledged club racer. The San Francisco Region school is the only club run school in California that features three full days of track time with three race events to conclude the school. There are many good driver schools; however, the SFR school sets itself apart from the rest by teaching its students not just how to drive fast, but real racecraft.
Read more about it in the January 2021 issue of The Wheel!
It is that time of the year again. The 2021 San Francisco Region Competition Licensing School will be held on February 12th – 14th. Each year this event provides driving enthusiasts the opportunity to develop their skills and become a full-fledged club racer. The San Francisco Region school is the only club run school in […]
December 2020
I have said it more times than I can remember the best way to make autocrossing more fun is by making it longer. Every year SCCA Sacramento hosts its annual Enduro autocross. The format for the weekend consists of Saturday being a practice day. Each driver gets three tries at a two lap course. Clocks are running, but scores are not tallied. Sunday every driver gets to run the same course, but it’s one shot, five lap winner take all run . If you DNF, hit a cone, get lost, etc well enjoy the rest of your laps because you’re done. Trophies are awarded to the first place winners only. Every year Doug Hubbard has his normal autocross speech about cones and safety, but at the enduro he always reminds drivers that you have to remember to breathe. You won’t be able to hold your breath for the five laps. It has to be one of the funnest autocrosses all year. Car count was healthy at 93 drivers for the event. The event was held at Thunderhill Park.
Read more in the December 2020 issue of the Wheel
I have said it more times than I can remember the best way to make autocrossing more fun is by making it longer. Every year SCCA Sacramento hosts its annual Enduro autocross. The format for the weekend consists of Saturday being a practice day. Each driver gets three tries at a two lap course. Clocks […]
November 2020
The last race of the 2020 season was the McCarthy Memorial Races at Thunderhill Raceway, a three-day, three-race weekend. Two races were slated for the three-mile course and the Sunday races were scheduled for the five-mile course. Weather was a concern for the weekend, with forecast heat and wind. It was an ambitious schedule, made all the more challenging due to the lean volunteer Worker crews and the strict pandemic protocols. All the Workers were able to come in for a grab and go lunch, with plenty of places to spread out to eat outdoors.
Read more in the November 2020 issue of the Wheel!
The last race of the 2020 season was the McCarthy Memorial Races at Thunderhill Raceway, a three-day, three-race weekend. Two races were slated for the three-mile course and the Sunday races were scheduled for the five-mile course. Weather was a concern for the weekend, with forecast heat and wind. It was an ambitious schedule, made […]
October 2020
Thirteen Workers and 31 Drivers from Northern California went to the 2020 SCCA National Runoffs at Road America in Wisconsin. The weather was mostly chilly but sunny fall weather, which led to stunning displays of fall foliage. There was one rainy, messy test day on Saturday, after which it was dry weather throughout the event.
Road America is a 640- acre facility in Wisconsin farm country, with a 14-turn, 4.048-mile circuit. This year marks the fifth time the Runoffs have been held at this track.
There were three days of testing, each day with more cars at a cheaper fee.
Read more in the October 2020 issue of the Wheel!
Thirteen Workers and 31 Drivers from Northern California went to the 2020 SCCA National Runoffs at Road America in Wisconsin. The weather was mostly chilly but sunny fall weather, which led to stunning displays of fall foliage. There was one rainy, messy test day on Saturday, after which it was dry weather throughout the event. […]
September 2020
Sac Solo Round 11
Well the car count just keeps getting bigger and bigger at the SCCA Sacramento autocross events hosted at Thunderhill. I guess you just can’t beat a good site, good courses and friendly executive board. There were 90 drivers that showed up to race, which is a great turn out. All covid-19 safety measures were in place to make sure we have a safe place to race.
It is really amazing to see the Street classes running, so deep. The
average of all the Street Classes was five drivers. The smallest was E-Street with one driver and the most was Super Street with ten drivers. It is also pretty cool to see new life breathed into H-Street with the likes of Honda Fits, Fiats and Mini Coopers battling it out on the pavement.
Read more in the September Edition of The Wheel —->
Sac Solo Round 11 Well the car count just keeps getting bigger and bigger at the SCCA Sacramento autocross events hosted at Thunderhill. I guess you just can’t beat a good site, good courses and friendly executive board. There were 90 drivers that showed up to race, which is a great turn out. All covid-19 […]
August 2020
Road Racing Regionals 11 & 12
By Lynne Huntting and Blake Tatum
SFR’s Regionals 11 & 12 Driver Re-Education Event at WeatherTech Raceway was again conducted under the strict guidelines and protocols of Monterey County and the racetrack. We couldn’t call it a race and we were under a no-social media mandate. Such is life under Covid 19 and State Watch Lists. But we were able to have our weekend with more than 160 cars. It was nice to have a fuller F&C crew than seen of late, but we could have used more workers on other crews. However, everyone pitched in, crews cross-pollinated and we got the job done.
Two of our newer workers got Checkered Flags from race car drivers. Fred Lind/No.07 Ford Lightning truck gave his to Bud Tanner, who worked two days on Grid and filled in Sunday on Turn 7, when someone was ill. It was the first weekend for Jonathan Scher, who worked Emergency and he also received a Checkered Flag.
During the weekend, five new track records were set in Race One and three in Race Two. The drivers mentioned they missed having their families and friends there to watch, work and celebrate with them.
Read more in the August Edition of The Wheel —->
Road Racing Regionals 11 & 12 By Lynne Huntting and Blake Tatum SFR’s Regionals 11 & 12 Driver Re-Education Event at WeatherTech Raceway was again conducted under the strict guidelines and protocols of Monterey County and the racetrack. We couldn’t call it a race and we were under a no-social media mandate. Such is life […]
July 2020
Fresno Chapter Gives Back to the Community
By Yang Moua
On the weekend of June 13th and 14th, after more than three months of no autocross due to COVID-19, the Fresno Chapter was approved to continue the 2020 race season with events 4 & 5. The coronavirus guidelines were in place and each event was limited to 50 drivers but that did not stop the smiling faces underneath each driver’s mask. Everyone was happy to be racing again. The race weekend wasa special one, not only was it one of the first racing event approved tocontinue during the COVID period, the Fresno Chapter also donated over $4,000 to the Central California Food Bank. The CEO from the Central California Food Bank was on site Sunday morning to received the check. The donation will help provide over 28,000 meals for people in need.
Read more in the July Edition of The Wheel —->
Fresno Chapter Gives Back to the Community By Yang Moua On the weekend of June 13th and 14th, after more than three months of no autocross due to COVID-19, the Fresno Chapter was approved to continue the 2020 race season with events 4 & 5. The coronavirus guidelines were in place and each event was […]
June 2020
No Slowing for the Cone Zone The McKee Autocross Family
By Blake Tatum
If I could give you a roadmap that would lead you down a path where your teenage kids enjoy your company and look forward to spending weekends with you would you follow it? Of course you would, as parents there is nothing more precious than the time we spend with our kids. The McKee family has such a roadmap and it leads to an empty parking lot.
The McKee’s are a racing family. They consist of husband Andy, wife Teresa, and the two daughters Alana (13) and Erika (15). They spend about every other weekend 75% of the year traveling, pulling their trailer to Autocross events. Although the SCCA ProSolo is their favorite type of event, they attend local San Francisco Region events, National Events, and American Autocross Series events. Their vehicle of choice is a highly modified 1993 Mazda RX7 and a 2003 Emmick Kart. They have 14 national titles to their name (Andy 10, Teresa 4), and a podium finish for the oldest daughter at Nationals. In addition to the national titles they have a lifetime of memories that no amount of money can buy.
Read More in the June Edition of The Wheel —->
No Slowing for the Cone Zone The McKee Autocross Family By Blake Tatum If I could give you a roadmap that would lead you down a path where your teenage kids enjoy your company and look forward to spending weekends with you would you follow it? Of course you would, as parents there is nothing more […]