Eight races of the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour season have now been run, following a cool but sunny day at Road Atlanta on Sunday. Each of the eight race groups ran 19 laps or 45-minute races at the 2.54-mile track just northeast of Atlanta.
Here are some of the things we saw on Sunday:
From GT-1 to TA2
The blue and green Chad Bacon Racing cars have been in the SCCA paddock for a long time, with Chad landing on the Runoffs podium on three separate occasions at three different tracks, once in GT-Lite and twice in GT-3. But these days, that livery has transferred to an entirely different car, with a different Bacon behind the wheel.
The torch has passed to son Caleb, who is now a regular in both the SCCA and Trans Am paddocks. This weekend at the Hoosier Super Tour, Caleb is driving his TA2 class Ford Mustang in the GT-1 class. This weekend’s event is a chance to win, while doubling as preparation for the upcoming Trans Am race at the same track.
The younger Bacon got his first taste of the Trans Am championship a season ago, where he finished 14th overall and sixth in the rookie of the year effort – a very respectable finish in an incredibly deep field.
“It was a big step going from a sports car to these TA2 cars,” Bacon said. “It’s just a big learning curve going from a big wheel and small tire to a small wheel and a big tire, and four speed h-pattern, just pure car.”
This year, he’s bringing along a teammate in defending SCCA GT-2 National Champion, Jared Odrick. Odrick, of course, has displayed a lot of talent in his short driving career, but the TA2 machines are very different than the Porsche 911 he had previously raced.
Odrick’s run has undoubtedly been helped by the discipline he brought from his previous career in professional sports. Bacon, who grew up at the race track and in the race shop, has learned to use Odrick’s knowledge just as often as he passes back his racing acumen.
“He’s very good at describing things in a very articulate manner,” Bacon said of Odrick. “He’s a very smart guy, to say the least. I’d say the biggest thing that he brings over from what he did before is aggression and intensity. Especially outside of the car. But there’s a lot of life knowledge I can learn from him, he’s got more than I do. It kind of goes both ways, and then I’ll teach him some things inside the car. It goes back and forth, but he’s been really great as a teammate. He’s going to do really well in the Am championship this whole year.”
We’ll be rooting for both of them.
Using the Trophy The Way It Was Intended
East Street Racing’s Mike Hern was awarded the 2023 Mechanic of the Year award during January’s SCCA Convention, but he had the trophy delivered to him this weekend at Road Atlanta.
Described as “Mr. Automatic,” Hern is committed to knowing his cars inside and out, taking time to ensure everything is set the way it’s supposed to be – that shows on the track, as the East Street Miatas are always ones to watch. Jim Drago, Todd Buras, Nick Bruni and Preston Pardus are just a handful of the National Champions in Spec Miata under Hern’s watch.
The Mechanic of the Year trophy is a traditional cup-shaped award, and Hern got his hands on it prior to the start of the weekend. Its use each evening has been reported, but unconfirmed by SCCA.com.
Sunday in the South
For those who have not been to Road Atlanta, Sundays at the track always feature a schedule unique to the rest of the circuit. Under local ordinance, racing is not allowed between 10 a.m. and Noon, in order to keep the sound levels down. This is why IMSA’s annual Petit Le Mans is always a Saturday endurance race – to avoid working around that schedule.
For SCCA races, it changes up the cadence from what we may be accustomed to. The first two races of the day happened early, cutting in under the break. The lunch break is more like brunch, with the additional six races coming in rapid fire succession after lunch.
Trophy Hunters
An additional 27 winner’s trophies were awarded on Sunday at Road Atlanta for the eighth race of the Hoosier Super Tour. Those provisional class winners, with name and car, are below (an asterisks (*) indicates a weekend sweep of both races):
B-Spec: Josh Schmidt, Chevrolet Sonic
*E Production: Peter Norton, Caterham Seven
F Production: Ken Kannard, Acura Integra
*H Production: Vesa Silegren, Honda CRX
Formula 600: Clint McMahan, Scorpian FDS 007
Formula Atlantic: Bruce Hamilton, Swift 014/Mazda
Formula Continental: Tim Minor, Citation F2000
Formula Enterprises 2: Russell Turner, Formula Enterprises/Mazda
*Formula F: Sebastian Mateo Naranjo, Mygale SJ014/Honda
*Formula Vee: Andrew Whitston, Protoform P2/Volkswagen
*Formula X: Brad Yake, Star Formula Mazda
*GT-1: Michael McAleenan, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo
GT-2: Barry Boes, Ford Mustang
*GT-3: Andrew Lott, Pontiac Sunbird
GT-Lite: Chris Bovis, Honda CRX
*GT-X: Raiden Nicol, Radical SR10 XXR
Prototype 1: John McAleer, Elan DP02
*Prototype 2: Sherman Chao, Stohr WF1
*Spec Miata: Charles Mactutus, Mazda Miata
Spec MX-5: Michael Tinis, Mazda MX-5
*Spec Racer Ford Gen 3: Bobby Sak, Spec Racer Ford
*Super Touring Lite: Danny Steyn, Mazda MX-5
Super Touring Under: David Fiorelli, Ford Mustang
*Touring 1: Hugh Stewart, BMW M3
*Touring 2: Michael Kamalian, Ford Mustang GT
*Touring 3: Richard Baldwin, Nissan 350Z
Touring 4: Sergio Zlobin, Mazda MX-5
