The rally
program is running nine events this year and all the events start at J.G.
Cooks in Pitman. Most of the rallies are on Sundays. Teams are made up of
a driver and a navigator. One can even drive along with a minor as long as
parental signatures are obtained.
Each team
at the rally is given a set of route instructions. While doing the rally,
one follows the instructions at a certain speed. Somewhere along the
route, there are eight checkpoints.
In the
end, the closest to the perfect time is the winner.
Trophies
are presented as part of the celebration. Each time one finishes first,
one gets ten points. Second and third place finishes earn eight and six
points, respectively.
During the
season, one adds up one’s points for individual rallies and awards are
also given at the end of the season for the year end championships.
In order to compete
in a rally you don’t have to be a member. If you want to join the SCCA,
you have to join though the national site.
If you want to
compete in the local events, you simply pay the registration fee and show
up. You do not have to be a member to participate in the local fun.
Rallies usually last
three to four hours. It’s a great day of entertainment and great day of
fun.
This will be a great
year because with the new Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) scoring
procedures for both the national championship and the Northeast divisional
championship, it will be a great benefit for the competitors. All of the
rallies will count toward national points and divisional competitors
receive a bonus for running rallies outside their home region and area.
The SCCA
is a club and sanctioning body supporting
road racing,
rally,
and
autocross
in the
United States
and was formed in
1944. It
runs many different programs for both amateur and professional racers.
According to Wakemen,
there are three divisions to the SCCA, club racing, autocross and road
rallying.
Club Racing
The club racing program is the
road racing
division where drivers race wheel-to-wheel on either dedicated race tracks
or on temporary street circuits. To compete in the club racing, one needs
a regional or national racing license.
Both
modified production cars (ranging from lightly-modified cars with only
extra safety equipment to heavily-modified cars that retain only the basic
shape of the original vehicle) and designed-from-scratch "formula" and
"sports racer" cars can be used in club racing.
Most of
the participants in the Club Racing program are unpaid amateurs, but some
go on to professional racing careers. The club also is the source for
race workers
in all specialties, without whom racing organization and operation would
not be possible.
The annual
National Championship for Club Racing is called the "Runoffs" and has been
historically held at
Riverside
International Raceway (1964, 1966, 1968),
Daytona
International Speedway (1965, 1967, 1969),
Road Atlanta
(1970-1993), and
Mid-Ohio Sports Car
Course (1994-2005).
In 2006,
the "Runoffs" moved to
Heartland Park,
Topeka. The current SCCA record holder is Jerry Hansen with 27
titles. He is the father of TLC and Spike TV television personality and
author
Courtney Hansen.
Autocross
The Solo program is the
autocross
program, where one car at a time runs a course laid out with traffic cones
on a large paved surface, such as a parking lot or airport runway.
Competitions are held at the Regional, Divisional, and National levels.
Each Division typically crowns a Divisional Champion in each class,
awarded by winning a single event.
Similarly,
a National Champion in each class is awarded by winning the class at the
National Championship (usually referred to as "Nationals") held in
September.
Last year
ushered in a new site for The Solo National Championship, replacing
Forbes Field
with the newly renovated
Heartland Park
Topeka in
Topeka,
Kansas.
Individual National-level events, called "National Tours", are held
throughout the racing season.
The
professional autocross series, called
ProSolo,
runs two cars at a time on mirror-image courses and features a
drag racing
style "christmas tree" start, complete with reaction times and 60' times.
Class winners and other qualifiers (based on time differential against the
class winner) then compete in a handicapped elimination round called the
"Challenge".
Points are
awarded both in class competition and in Challenge competition, and an
annual champion is crowned each September at the Pro Finale event in
Topeka,
Kansas.
Below is the 2007
schedule for rallies. I encourage everyone to go out and join in the fun
for at least one of these events.
2007 Schedule
May 6 - Get the
Dust Off
Get the Dust Off, Sponsored by
MG’s of Baltimore
and
Washington DC
region SCCA
June 10 -
Mason-Dixon Trials
Mason-Dixon Trials, Sponsored by
Washington DC
Region SCCA
July 15 - Follow
the Yellow Brick Road
Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Sponsored by
South Jersey Region
SCCA
August 26 - Mini
Monte
Mini Monte, Sponsored by
Northern NJ SCCA
and
Raritan Valley
Sports Car Club
October 14 - Oldies
but Goodies
Oldies but Goodies, Sponsored by
South Jersey Region
SCCA
November 17 - Pine
Barrens Express
Pine Barrens Express, Sponsored by
Northern NJ SCCA
and
Raritan Valley
Sports Car Club
TBD - Rally in the
Dark
Rally in the Dark, Sponsored by
Philadelphia Region
SCCA
Here are some web
sites you can enjoy for more information:
www.midatlanticrallyseries.com
www.sjr-scca.org
www.scca.com
“It’s a great hobby
and a wonderful way to meet people,” said Wakemen. “It’s like taking a
Sunday drive to the max,” Wakemen adds. So, if you like to get out and
drive around, this may be your new hobby!
For additional
questions and more information, feel free to contact Jim Wakemen directly
at 856-228-9249.
