2008 SCCA Runoffs

I know the Runoffs happened two months ago, but this has been a very busy semester so please forgive the tardiness of this post. The 2008 SCCA Runoffs were held for the third, and last, time at Heartland Park Topeka on October 10th through the 12th. Tab and I were able to attend on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday and wow what an event! First of all, HPT is a fantastic facility, and very different than what we're used to. We've only been to speedways, IMS, and Mid-Ohio. HPT was far more informal, relaxed, and open than the big facilities we'd been to before. A big plus for taking pictures was the lack of a gigantic catch fence! YAY! Next year, the Runoffs will leave HPT and be held at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI. If you're anywhere close to Road America, I highly encourage you to go out and see the Runoffs. The weekend was a total blast.

The SCCA Runoffs are a series of national championship races for the wide variety of classes of amateur racing sanctioned by the SCCA. Because there are so many different classes, the races happen from morning to late afternoon over three days. Each race is 18 laps and last approximately 40-50 minutes. This means that over the day, spectators get to see a kaleidoscope of race cars roar by, changing class every hour. Some of the wealthier participants are able to rent garages for the week, but most competitors show up with their beat up trailers hauling their well used and well loved old racers. Their "garage" is the tarmac next to their trailer, or even just in the grass. There were extremely few fancy motorcoaches with matching haulers. Typically there were pickups with 100k+ miles pulling dented and scratched fifth-wheel trailers with a tent pitched along the side of where they parked. It really seemed like racing in its elemental form. It was also very interesting watching the drivers after a hard fought race. In most top-end series, if there's a little bump during a battle, the drivers afterwards are often "Why that so-n-so! #$@%! *stomp stomp stomp*" After a couple of hard battles at the Runoffs, the two competing drivers would get out, run to each other, and instead of shake fists and exchange expletives, they'd be "Wow! That was awesome!" all the while jumping up and down like schoolboys. It was very refreshing. At any rate, here's some pics Tab and I took over the weekend.


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