Storylines/Things to Watch:
Majors Fun Quadrupled – For the first time ever this weekend, four SCCA U.S. Majors Tour events will take place at the same time. The Northeast Conference will be in action at Summit Point Raceway, the Western Conference competing at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Mid-States Conference on track at MSR-Houston, and the Northern Conference starting its season at Blackhawk Farms Raceway. Keep track of all the action live throughout the weekend at www.scca.com/live.
Massive Showing of Machinery – Nearly 500 race cars are expected to take the track this weekend during SCCA U.S. Majors Tour events. That’s a lot of carefully-tuned Mazdas, Chevrolets, Hondas, Porsches, Fords, Dodges, Fiats and more for people to come out and watch during two days of racing at each of the four Majors events. One race to keep an eye on is the Spec Miata event over at Blackhawk Farms Raceway. There, more than 30 competitors are slated to do battle with the hope of opening up an early championship lead in the Northern Conference.
MSR-Houston Just Fine – The Houston area has had a rough go of it recently when it comes to weather. According to reports, Mother Nature has dumped nearly 9 trillion gallons of water on Texas in the past couple weeks. But MSR-Houston track officials say everything is OK and the venue is ready to host its SCCA U.S. Majors Tour event. But be safe out there if you’re heading to the track. Don’t risk driving through flooded roads as it only takes as little as a foot of moving water to wash some vehicles away.
A 300-Person Party – Nearly 300 volunteers have cleared their schedules to be part of the fun and next to all the racing action this weekend. That’s a lot of friends that get to socialize with one another while lending a hand at these events. With a busy weekend such as this for the SCCA, worker volunteers are absolutely essential. These helpful souls can be found organizing, registering, scoring, officiating and flagging during race weekends. Without them, none of these events would be happening.
Northeast Conference SCCA U.S. Majors Tour, April 29-May 1, 2016: Summit Point Raceway; Summit Point, West Virginia
Western Conference SCCA U.S. Majors Tour, April 29-May 1, 2016: Buttonwillow Raceway Park; Buttonwillow, California
Mid-States Conference SCCA U.S. Majors Tour, April 29-May 1, 2016: MSR-Houston; Angleton, Texas
Northern Conference SCCA U.S. Majors Tour, April 30-May 1, 2016: Blackhawk Farms Raceway; S. Beloit, Illinois
Events/Circuits:
-- U.S. Majors Tour Northeast Conference – Rounds Three and Four of 12
Summit Point Raceway; 10-turn, 2-mile circuit
-- U.S. Majors Tour Western Conference – Rounds Seven and Eight of 12
Buttonwillow Raceway Park; Course configuration #25, counterclockwise, 2.9-mile layout
-- U.S. Majors Tour Mid-States Conference – Rounds Five and Six of 12
MSR-Houston; 17-turn, 2.38-mile, counterclockwise course
-- U.S. Majors Tour Northern Conference – Rounds One and Two of 12
Blackhawk Farms Raceway; 7 turn, 1.95-mile track
Practice:
-- Summit Point Raceway
Seven Majors Groups
Friday: 20-min. morning practice sessions
-- Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Seven Groups
Friday: 25-min. morning practice sessions
-- MSR-Houston
Six Majors Groups
Friday: 25-min. morning and afternoon practice sessions; Saturday: 15-min. morning practice sessions
-- Blackhawk Farms Raceway
Seven Groups
Saturday: 20-min. or 30-min. morning practice sessions
Qualifying:
-- Summit Point Raceway
Seven Majors Groups
Friday: 25-min. afternoon qualifying sessions; Saturday: 15-min. morning qualifying sessions
-- Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Seven Groups
Friday: 25-min. afternoon qualifying sessions; Saturday: 15-min. morning qualifying sessions
-- MSR-Houston
Six Majors Groups
Saturday: 20-min. morning and early afternoon qualifying sessions; Sunday: 20-min. morning qualifying sessions
-- Blackhawk Farms Raceway
Seven Groups
Saturday: 20-min. morning and afternoon qualifying sessions; Sunday: 30-min. or 45-min. morning qualifying sessions
Races:
-- Summit Point Raceway
Seven Majors Groups
Saturday: 25-min. late morning/afternoon races; Sunday: 25-lap or 35-min morning and afternoon races
-- Buttonwillow Raceway Park
Seven Groups
Saturday: 25-min. morning and afternoon races; Sunday: 17-lap or 35-min. morning and afternoon races
-- MSR-Houston
Six Majors Groups
Saturday: 25-min. afternoon races; Sunday: 21-lap or 35-min. morning and afternoon races
-- Blackhawk Farms Raceway
Seven Groups
Saturday: 20-min. afternoon races; Sunday: 26-lap or 35-min. morning and afternoon races
Live Timing and Notes:
Live Timing & Scoring, lap notes and more via the SCCA® Pit Board are available for all sessions through www.scca.com/live.
Entry lists, full event schedules and more information available at www.sccamajors.com.
Photo: Racers navigate Summit Point Raceway, which is one of four locations this weekend for SCCA U.S. Majors Tour events.
Photo Credit: Bill Stoler
