Panic Attacks by Panic Motorsports, Inc.

We still need F&C volunteers for the weekend, ESPECIALLY FOR FRIDAY.  The
car counts are building and it should be a fun weekend.

The Atlanta Region March Double National is coming up on us quickly and we need additional
F&C volunteers to help this event be a success for our club.  Please come
out and join us for the event.

This is our first event of the 2012 Season.  Links to the weekend information
and registration on MortorsporReg.com (MSR) are available at www.AtlantaSCCA.org.

The Atlanta Region March Double National is coming up on us quickly and we need additional F&C volunteers to help this event be a success for our club.  Please come out and join us for the event.

ALMS: Petit Le Mans Capped To 53 Starters

60 entries to qualify for 53 starting positions in Intercontinental Le Mans Cup/American Le Mans Series enduro…

John Dagys | Posted August 29, 2011 Chicago, IL

The 14th annual Petit Le Mans will feature a grid of 53 starters, with 60 cars vying for those positions in the run up to the 1,000-mile/10-hour enduro. (Photo: John Dagys) With series around the globe facing dwindling car counts, many would love to be in the position of the American Le Mans Series, which sees an oversubscribed field for the 14th annual Petit Le Mans.

The 1,000-mile/10-hour endurance classic at Road Atlanta, which also doubles as the penultimate round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, will feature only 53 starters due to track and pit lane limitations. Close to 70 cars are believed to have submitted entries but only 60 will be given a shot to qualify for the Oct. 1 race.

As Scot Elkins, Chief Operating Officer of the ALMS and IMSA, explains to SPEED.com, the process in narrowing the entry list down was fairly straight forward, with only full-season entrants in the ALMS and ILMC having been selected. But turning teams away is something the series has never done before.

“There are people who have called and asked to enter the race but we’ve had to turn them down because they weren’t full-season entries,” Elkins said. “This is not necessarily something we’re happy about. But it’s something we have to do because of the restraints of the track.”

All full-season LMP1, LMP2, GT/GTE-Pro and GTE-Am teams have been provisionally locked into the starting field as long as each car meets the minimum qualifying and drive time requirements during race week. Forty-five cars on the entry list fall into this category.

The remaining eight positions will be filled by full-season LMPC and GTC teams according to their qualifying speeds. Elkins said they’ll likely take the top-four in each class for inclusion, with the remaining seven going on an alternate list should any of the confirmed qualifiers not make the race start.

Unlike NASCAR, where provisionals secure the top-ranked teams and past champions to be in the show, only the four quickest cars in each class will make the race, something that hasn’t been seen in the sportscar racing world for over a decade.

It will prove to be crucial 15-minute qualifying sessions for Challenge competitors, especially those in the midst of a title fight on the championship-deciding weekend.

“Having talked to the LMPC and GTC guys, I thought they would have been upset [at the situation]. But most of them are pretty interested in the fact that they have to qualify to get a position in the race,” Elkins said. “It’s one of the biggest races in the world and they like the fact that they have to… qualify for this big event.”

It’s expected that eight LMPC and seven GTC cars will be battling for starting positions, roughly giving a 50/50 chance of those not making the race, should all of the other class cars meet the qualifying requirements.

While some teams such as Oryx Dyson Racing, Level 5 Motorsports and Robertson Racing have not competed in every ALMS race this season to date, all three are classified as full-season entrants and are thus essentially locked into the field.

Elkins said the full entry list of 60 cars that will be allowed to take part in testing, practice and qualifying should be released in the next few days.

From Carolina Cup Pro Series… 

From Ted…  More info on SWCCCR site here.

Hope to see you at our SCCA meeting this Thursday July 14^th

… and don’t worry about polishing your car up for the car show. Just bring it as is and park it in our VIP parking area to the right of the front of QS & L building. We have a wide of array of cars that have promised to show up so come enjoy the show and the meeting.  Come on out and have some fun with car people! And BRING A FRIEND!

Ted

P.S. If you would like a picture of you taken at the car show with your car and a car model in your lap, [I will be joined by the following model]:

The Subaru Showdown is a two day autocross championship and Subaru owner’s appreciation event jointly hosted by Central Carolinas Region SCCA and South Carolina Region SCCA, consisting of the following events on July 16-17, 2011, at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC:

• Autocross – a 2-day event for ALL CARS with two separate courses on the Carolina Motorsports Park West Course.
• Car Show – Two separate 1-day events for Subarus only.
• PDX – “Performance Driving Experience” – a 2-day HPDE/track day event on the Carolina Motorsports Park East Course for Subarus only.
• Time Trial – a 2-day event for Subarus only, held under SCCA Club Trials rules.

Event information and online registration: www.subarushowdown.com

Sponsored By

Fairway Subaru – Greenville, SC

Folger Subaru – Charlotte, NC

Subaru of Charleston – Charleston, SC

Questions? Contact membership (at) scsportscar.com or call South Carolina Region at 803-386-7727.

We love the smell of race fuel in the morning

…er, bacon! Yeah, that’s it! Bacon! 

Another reason for you to come out and join us for this event. TEAM WEIRD will be providing breakfast for the corner workers on Saturday July 16th. Instead of the top of the hill by turn 11 we will have our F&C meeting at the corner behind Turn 3 at the pavilion. Please thank Team Weird for their support and enjoy their breakfast.

ATLANTA REGION DOUBLE SARRC, ECR AND PRO-IT JULY 16 AND 17, 2011

Registration is open. My thanks to those who have already registered. There is a full weekend of fun and racing for the July 16th and 17th Double SARRC, ProIT and PDX. Registration is open. Use the link at Atlanta Region web site. Select the link to MotorsportReg.com by clicking on Registration and register for the weekend. We have the annual weekend of festivities of the Susan G. Komen fund raiser and the All Girl Turn. All the ladies, come on out, wear your pink and help out on the All Girls Turn(s). The social on Saturday evening after racing will include a cookout and the Atlanta Region Membership meeting. Details of the event and the schedule can be found on the Atlanta Region web site just click on Schedule. I will provide further details here as we get closer to the event.

Play Safe, Have Fun,

Bob

Flag Chief, Atlanta Region SCCA

atlflagchief (at) hotmail.com

From our friend, Ted Theodore:

Bring your best guess to the meeting!

________________________________________________________

SPECIAL MEETING? What’s special about this one?

Glad you asked! I’ve got THREE reasons!

The SouthWest Chapter of Central Carolinas Region will hold it’s next meeting on Thursday, July 14th at Quaker Steak & Lube on Chrome Drive (just off Woodreuff Road next to Harley Davidson Dealer).

Reason #1. For this meeting we will start in the parking lot from 6 to 6:45 for the FIRST ANNUAL SWCCCR CAR SHOW! THIS is not a concours… we don’t care if you have the original manual and lug nuts nor will your buffing skills win you a trophy! Bring your Daily Driver, vintage car, race car, whatever you have as it is and park in our SWCCCR VIP parking area for judging. Some unusual prizes will be awarded at the end of the meeting… some of these MAY include :
1. Least likely to make it home without road side repairs.
2. Best target for birds with appropriate evidence.
3. Worst Gas Mileage (the “CARBON FOOTPRINT” award).
4. Street Legal car with the Least Tire Tread.
5. The coveted “LCPL” award – Loudest Car in the Parking Lot.

Reason #2. Our speaker for this evening will be talking about a topic many of our attendees requested. Ron Wilcox will be making a presentation on Fiberglass Fabrication and Repairs. Ron has a good deal of experience working with glass from fender flares to entire car bodies from molds. HE did a GREAT job on my Jedi getting it ready for the Dragon Hillclimb. TJ, Ron and I met at Ron’s shop last week and laid up a number of types of fiberglass cloth for hand out samples for this SWCCCR meeting. The pictures I took will be shown on the screen, step by step, and Ron will talk us through the process at our meeting. You will be amazed how easy it is and Ron does a great job of explaining detail, materials and process. He will also have handouts on sources, steps and tips.

Reason #3? Well, that’s easy. YOU will be there!

We look forward to some fun, looking at each other’s cars and learning some skills with a great bunch of car people! I will be advertising this event in Greenville News and other publications. I do ask one favor… take a moment to invite a friend or pass the meeting info on to other car club forums in the area. Seeing new faces and more people joining makes this worthwhile for all of us.

There’s a WHOLE lot of sports car people in Western NC and the Upstate of SC that have no idea we even exist. LET’S CHANGE THAT … and this meeting is a GREAT place to start them off !

THANKS for your part in making SWCCCR fun!
Ted and Scott