SCCA Rallycross News

TOPEKA, Kan. (April 16, 2013) – Sports Car Club of America and Mazda North American Operations have announced a multi-year partnership that names Mazda the Official Car of SCCA through 2015.

Mazda Director of Motorsports John Doonan and SCCA Vice President, Marketing and Communications Eric Prill made the announcement on Tuesday morning during the Mazda Motorsports pre-season media day at the company’s headquarters in Irvine.

Mazda will be utilized as the official pace car at key SCCA events, including the SCCA National Championship Runoffs®, through the 2015 season. The annual SCCA Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Banquet will now be “presented by Mazda.”

“In the minds of many, Mazda and the SCCA were already partners,” Doonan said. “At the SCCA Runoffs, the Mazda contingent has been the largest of any car company. We love that our small organization is more popular on the race track than the combined efforts of many of our much larger competitors. We look forward to working with the SCCA to grow the sport for the next generation.”

“Mazda has been a long-time supporter of the SCCA and our competitors, so formalizing our relationship was a natural next step,” SCCA President/CEO Jeff Dahnert said. “On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas being raced than any other marque. We’re looking forward to expanding our relationship with Mazda and the new opportunities that come with it.”

About Sports Car Club of America
Founded in 1944, Sports Car Club of America, Inc. is a 45,000-member motorsports organization that incorporates all facets of autocross, rally and road racing at both club and professional levels. It annually sanctions over 2,000 events through its 115 regions and professional subsidiary. Landmark events and series for the Club include the SafeRacer SCCA National Racing Series, which includes the BFGoodrich Tires SCCA Super Tour and the U.S. Majors Tour; the Club Racing National Championship Runoffs® at Road America; and The Tire Rack® SCCA Solo National Championships and ProSolo Championship at Lincoln, Neb. For more information, please visit www.scca.com, like SCCA on Facebook at facebook.com/sccaofficial, or follow the club on Twitter @SCCAOfficial.

About Mazda, Mazda Motorsports, and MAZDASPEED
Mazda is the number-one brand for road-racers across North America. Thousands of Mazda powered grassroots racers compete in various classes with the SCCA highlighted by Spec Miata, the world's largest spec class with over 2,500 cars built. In 2006 Mazda Motorsports established the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development Ladder to assist racers in moving up through the ranks. In 2010 this was expanded to include the Mazda Road to Indy. Key to Mazda's success is strategic partnerships with the Skip Barber Racing School and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

MAZDASPEED Motorsports is managed by Mazda North American Operations (MNAO). MNAO is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers. Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.

Consumer information can be found at www.mazdausa.com with press information at www.mazdausamedia.com racers and fans can follow the action on facebook (Mazdaspeed Motorsports).
 

TOPEKA, Kan. (April 9, 2013) – SCCA Pro Racing is pleased to announce that Kurt Spitzner has been named Rally Programs Director.

The new position will serve as a liaison between SCCA Pro Racing and the Global Rallycross Championship. The GRC, which will be sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, holds several rallycross events worldwide, with the majority held in the United States.

Another key responsibility of the position is to create increased synergy between the club-level rallycross programs and the professional level series. This includes organizing local volunteers to support GRC events as well as exploring the possibility of staging joint events with SCCA RallyCross® participants.

"Performance rallying is experiencing a significant upswing in both spectator and participant interest here in the United States,” Spitzner said. “What I find to be most interesting is the recent emergence of the Global Rallycross Championship here in this country, which I believe has the capability of transforming the worldwide perception and appeal of the sport in a very positive way. The SCCA's broad membership base and operational expertise will provide valuable support to help the growth of the sport."

Spitzner brings plenty to the post, with more than three decades of experience in the motorsports industry. His experience includes a prior stint with the SCCA in much the same position, however, on the club side of the organization as Director of Performance Rally from 1998-2003.

"We are very pleased to be able to bring a professional rally-based program back to SCCA,” Tom Campbell, president of SCCA Pro Racing, said. “The Global Rallycross Championship management team is doing a great job of getting this series going and they have excellent growth plans. We are especially fortunate to be able to bring Kurt Spitzner back. His experience in motorsports management, especially in rally-related programs, makes him the ideal person to lead the Pro Racing effort in Global Rallycross. As time permits, he will also be looking for other rally-based program opportunities."

In Spitzner’s initial time with SCCA, he was responsible for much of the development and growth of the SCCA ProRally® program. His diverse involvement included oversight of everything from operations to partnership and marketing initiatives.

About SCCA Pro Racing
A wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., SCCA Pro Racing Inc. is a leading sanctioning body for professional motorsports events in the United States. A member of the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS), SCCA Pro Racing sanctions and provides a variety of operational services for the Pirelli World Challenge Championships, the Trans Am Series, the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup, the Formula 1600 and 2000 Championship Series and the Global Rallycross Championship. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.  

TOPEKA, Kan. (April 2, 2013) – As the heart of the 2013 RallyCross® National Challenge approaches, auto manufacturers have finalized their season-long contingency programs for participants.

Volkswagen of America, will continue to support the National Challenge paying $300 for a win, $200 for a second place finish, and $100 for third. Any driver scoring a National Championship behind the wheel of a Volkswagen will take home $1,250, with a $750 prize for a runner-up and $500 for third.

Honda Performance Development will match its support from the last two seasons, providing $150 for eligible winners, with $100 and $50 payments to podium finishers. At the National Championship event, those prizes increase to $500, $300 and $100 for finishing in the top-three.

Once again, Mazda North American Operations will reward drivers all season long for top finishes with $200 for a win and $100 for second place. At the National Championship event, drivers can earn $750, $500 and $250 for placing in the top-three of their class.

Subaru of America has expanded its support to include each of the rear- and all-wheel drive classes in 2013. Payouts will be offered to top-three finishers with $300 awarded for a win, $200 for a runner-up and $100 for third. Subaru will give all eligible National Champions in those classes a $1,250 prize at the end of the season, with $750 going to the second place finisher and $500 going to those finishing third.

The next event in the 2013 RallyCross National Challenge is May 18-19 in the Northeast Division at Central New York Raceway Park. The season culminates with the 2013 SCCA RallyCross National Championship at Tulsa Raceway Park, October 5-6, in Tulsa, Ok.

Registration information and full program details are available at www.scca.com/rallycross by selecting “Contingencies” from the left-side menu. Drivers are encouraged to review program requirements carefully to ensure full compliance. To be eligible for contingency prizes, drivers must register for each program prior to their first event. More programs will be posted as they become available.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (March 27, 2013) – The Tire Rack SCCA Solo® Championship Tour and the RallyCross® National Challenge opened last weekend just miles apart, with at least one driver – Brianne Corn, of San Marcos, Texas – taking wins in both events.

Corn split time between the Solo site at Texas A&M and the RallyCross site at Texas World Speedway, bouncing back and forth to get in her required runs at both locations. The effort paid off, with Corn taking the B Modified win in Solo in her Janco/Hoosier Le Grand Dragon as well as the Modified All Wheel Drive class win her Brianne Corn Racing/Rally Ready Driving School Subaru Brighton.

More than just wins, Corn also turned the fastest overall times at both events – a 111.278 combined time of her two best runs on the Solo pavement, and a weekend best 770.505 aggregate of all 12 runs on the RallyCross dirt.

Corn’s performance wasn’t the only notable one of a weekend that featured 157 drivers on the Solo course.

In C Stock, Kenneth Baker ran the best class time of the final day to close the first-day hole in his Autcross.com Mazda MX-5, but fell just 0.030-second shy of Daniel McCelvey’s JFA Racing/TrackTime Performance Nissan 370Z.

Like McCelvey, Mark Madarash opened up a lead in his class, then fought to keep it through Sunday’s runs. Madarash was the quickest E Street Prepared machine on Saturday, then posted a time in his Pontiac Trans-Am on Sunday that left him just 0.116-second ahead of Sunday’s quickest-in-class car, the Goodyear Eagle RS/Strano Parts Chevrolet Camaro Z28 of Dave Ogburn.

It was, however, possible to take a victory from behind on Sunday. Andy Hollis led the opening day of Street Touring R, behind the wheel of the Thanks Kyung and Michael Mazda Miata. With a prophetic team name, Jason Minehart erased that deficit in the Team Underdog Racing Mazda MX-5 to just sneak out a 0.095-second victory in the 14-car class.

On the RallyCross dirt, all 12 runs are combined for the final time. That makes the 2.963-second margin of victory of Kevin Corn’s Brianne Corn Racing/TexasRallySport.com Subaru Impreza in the Prepared All Wheel Drive class agonizingly close. Corn had consistently completed the course faster than runner-up Yohanan Harvey’s Norman’s Tire Service Subaru Impreza, but had 14 seconds in cone penalties – compared to just two for Harvey – to narrow that gap and nearly cost him the win.

The Tire Rack Championship Tour – running the traditional National Tour format – moves immediately to this weekend’s Pacific Southwest Championship at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego. More information on the Tire Rack SCCA Solo Program is available at www.scca.com/Solo. More information, including results, from the Tire Rack College Station Championship Tour event is available at http://www.scca.com/events/index.cfm?eid=5453.

Information on the RallyCross National Challenge program is available at www.scca.com/RallyCross. Details on the SouthWest Division National Challenge at Texas World Speedway, including final results, can be found at http://www.scca.com/events/index.cfm?eid=5599.

Follow SCCA on Twitter @SCCAOfficial, or like the Club on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SCCAOfficial.
 

TOPEKA, Kan. (February 26, 2013 ) – On Feb. 26, 1944, 69 years ago, a group of sports car enthusiasts met at the Boston, Mass. home of Chapin Wallour to form a club dedicated to the preservation of sports cars. Today, the Sports Car Club of America annually boasts 60,000 members and hosts motorsports events around the country.

While the vintage market was covered by existing car clubs focused on the “preservation of veteran motor cars, a worthy objective,” the seven founding members gathered that night with an eye on the then-current generation of sports cars. It was specifically identified in the minutes from that first meeting – the SCCA was to concentrate on cars made after 1914.

First, though, the question arose – what was the definition of sports car? It was decided that evening to include “any quality car which was built primarily for sports motoring as opposed to mere transportation. In other words, any car which rates higher than average in construction and engineering, and which, preferably, has open body work.”

The first meeting of the SCCA was a bit more exclusive than today’s members would recognize. The list of cars owned by founding members Everett Dickinson, John Duby, Arnold Engborg, Theodore Robertson, George Schulz, Robert Townsend, and Chapin Wallour sound like museum pieces today: a Duesenberg “J” double cowl Phaeton, a Lancia Lambda 5th Series Roadster, a Kissel Speedster, Stutz DV 32 Sports Tourer, Mercer series 4 Raceabout, Isotte Fraschini type 8A Castagna Convertible Coupe, a Rolls Royce Phantom I Ascot Phaeton, and on. Not a single BMW, Ford or Mazda in the bunch!

This wasn’t by coincidence. The constitution drawn up by Ted Robertson stated that membership in the Club shall be restricted to owners of sports cars, sponsored by one current member, seconded by another, and elected by unanimous vote of the officers. Then, that new member must pay the yearly dues within 30 days – three dollars.

These gentlemen took the “sports car” in Sports Car Club of America very seriously. Of the 592 words in the first constitution, more than one-third dealt with dismissal from the club! Some of the apparently treasonous actions included selling a sports car without first advertising the car for sale with the Club, or buying a sports car that another member, essentially, called “dibs” on first. Being “obviously at fault” in an accident involving another member was grounds for dismissal, as was voluntarily disposing of your last remaining sports car. Of course it was bad if you broke up your own sports car – but equally as punishable was permitting someone else to destroy a sports car, or even having knowledge of someone just possibly breaking up a sports car without telling an officer.

The founding members were true fanatics when it came to their cars.

Clearly, a lot has changed in the 69 years of the SCCA. The founders wouldn’t have recognized our thousands of female members – and the notion of Lisa Noble as the Chairman of the Board of Directors would have most certainly blown the mind of original President Robertson. Today, SCCA accepts all members, regardless of whether or not they own a sports car.

Not everything has changed, of course. The passion shines through in each member today, as it did 69 years ago. The care that SCCA members take for each other remains. The pride that today’s members have in the Club lives on.

From the humble origins of seven enthusiasts gathered on a cold Boston evening to today’s international contingent who feel the same, the original spirit of the club continues.

Happy Birthday, Sports Car Club of America – here’s to the next 69 years!

And, happy birthday to SCCA’s current President Jeff Dahnert. Coincidence?
 

 LOS ANGELES (February 19, 2013) - Global Rallycross Championship (GRC) is pleased to announce the signing of a sanctioning agreement with SCCA Pro Racing.

SCCA Pro Racing, a subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., will provide sanctioning for all nine rounds of the 2013 GRC Championship, working in conjunction with local sporting authorities for three international rounds planned in Brazil, Spain and Germany.

“SCCA was a logical choice for us and we look forward to working together with them as we expand our series,” Colin Dyne, CEO of GRC said. “Through our relationship with SCCA Pro Racing, GRC will now be an FIA recognized series which is an important step for international growth.”

SCCA is a member of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States (ACCUS), the National Sporting Authority for the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) in the USA.

“SCCA Pro Racing is very pleased to work with Global Rallycross on this exciting project,” SCCA Pro Racing President & CEO Tom Campbell said. “We will be able to provide them with excellent sanction and support services, and assist in the growth of the series and the rallycross sport in the U.S. and internationally.”

"This is a logical partnership given both GRC's and SCCA's interest in the growing sport of rallycross on both professional and amateur levels, and we're excited about the potential this has for our members," SCCA, Inc. President and CEO Jeff Dahnert said.

SCCA Pro Racing will license all GRC drivers and also provide FIA licenses for drivers competing in international events. SCCA Pro will further provide, via ACCUS, listing of all GRC events on the FIA International Calendar.

About GRC
The Global Rallycross Championship combines the best aspects of circuit racing, off-road racing and rally competition to deliver intense action in a variety of fan-friendly environments. Action sport stars including Travis Pastrana and Brian Deegan have described the sport as “motocross – with a roll cage.”

About SCCA Pro
A wholly owned subsidiary of Sports Car Club of America, Inc., SCCA Pro Racing Inc. is a leading sanctioning body for motorsports events in the United States. A member of the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States (ACCUS), SCCA Pro Racing sanctions and provides a variety of operational services for the Pirelli World Challenge Championships, the Trans Am Series, the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup, the Formula 1600 and 2000 Championship Series and, now, Global Rallycross. For more information, please visit www.sccapro.com.

More information
To find out more, including ticket sales, competitor information and registration details, visit www.global-rallycross.com Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GlobalRallycross and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GlobalRallyX