500 racers are set to battle it out on on the hills of Sonoma Raceway and the 2.52-mile road course on the landform known as Sears Point in the southern Sonoma Mountains in California. The road course features 12 turns on a hilly course with 160 feet of total elevation change.
At the end of racing action this week, 28 of those drivers will stake their claim as the 2018 SCCA National Champion.
Check in daily here on Pit Talk for updates and highlights of all the qualifying and racing, as well as feedback on how our New England Region members are faring at one of the greatest amateur road racing events in the country.
Live YouTube Camera Coverage of Qualifying and Racing
Qualifying: Audio-Only Coverage
Audio-only coverage of Runoffs qualifying will start at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Tuesday, Oct. 16 and Wednesday, Oct. 17 at SCCA.com/live. Providing the commentary are longtime Runoffs pit reporter Heyward Wagner, Tom O’Gorman (pro driver), Gregg Ginsburg (Super Tour Radio), Andy Hollis and Larry MacLeod (SCCA Solo Nationals announcers) along with occasional special guests. Audio coverage of the final day of qualifying, where Tire Rack Pole Award winners are decided, will continue at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, Oct. 18 with commentary provided by the Super Tour Radio presented by Hoosier Racing Tire broadcast team consisting of Mike Wolfe, Bob Steele and Ginsburg. Along with the audio feed, SCCA.com/live will have live timing and scoring for each qualifying group.
Races: Online Video Coverage
Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, will occur Friday, Oct. 19 through Sunday, Oct. 21 at SCCA.com/live with Greg Creamer again anchoring the broadcast joined by Ryan Myrehn (SportsCar365 writer), O’Gorman, Hollis and MacLeod while Wagner provides coverage from pit lane. For the tenth year in a row, video coverage will be handled by Apex Broadcast. An audio race call will also be supplied by the Super Tour Radio broadcast team all three days. Live timing and scoring will also be available at SCCA.com/live for each National Championship race.
NER Competitor Updates
Motor Trouble in FA
After starting 2nd on the grid in FA, Spencer Brockman #34, appeared to have engine trouble that derailed his Runoffs race, ending his run at Lap 5.
Tough End to Runoffs for Tora Bonnier in SRF3
Unfortunately for Tora, she was caught up in a Lap 1 incident (not uncommon in SRF3 races) that finished her race just as it began.
Race Recap: Russell Claims Spec Racer Ford Gen3 and Super Sweep Title
STL: NER in Victory Circle
Craig McHaffle #68 took 2nd place. Joe Schubert #49 did amazing himself, starting 14th and finished 13th.
Race Recap: Steyn Reigns atop Super Touring Lite Field
Top 10 for William Hendrix
After starting 14th on the grid, William Hendrix #101 finished 10th in T3, earning him the Sunoco Hard Charger award!
Race recap: Mast Keeps on Truckin’ to Touring 3 Runoffs Win
Nick Leverone – Top 5
Once again… provisional results are still pending for last night’s T4 race, but Nick Leverone #86 started 3rd on the grid, dropped down to 7th and then fought back to finish 5th
Here’s the race recap: Touring 4 Win Gives “Heinrocket” 15th Runoffs Victory
Spec Miata – 50-car class
Spec Miata provisional results from today are still not available, but according to RaceMonitor, Nick Leverone #89 started and finished 13th, and Joe Shubert #49 started 37th and finished 32nd.
Full race recap can be found here: Drennan Walks Away with Win in Spec Miata at Runoffs
Disappointment in T1
Hugh Steward, #23, started 7th on the grid, then made his way up and was battling for 4th! Unfortunately, it then all went sideways and he was unable to finish the race. So sorry Hugh!
Joe Wolf finishes 8th overall in GT2!
After starting 14th on the grid, Joe drove clean and finished Top 10 at the Runoffs!
Full recap of the GT2 race: Trenery Gets GT-2 Victory for Birthday at Runoffs
Congrats to Stephanie Funk #62 on her 10th place HP finish!
Stephanie made the biggest gains in the race, starting 16th and finishing 10th overall. Way to go Stephanie.
“Stephanie Funk drove her No. 62 Brookside Animal Hospital Honda CRX to a six-position improvement and the Sunoco Hard Charger Award, finishing 10th.”
Full recap of the HP race: Isley Wins Back to Back H Production Titles at the Runoffs
Congrats to Chris Kopley #03 on his 4th place GTL finish!
Full recap of GTL race: Ermish Sets the Pace in GTL Victory in Runoffs at Sonoma
NER Driver Final Grid Positions
Qualifying is over. Here is where our NER drivers will start when the green flag drops on the 55th Runoffs! (Links to official grids will be posted as grids are finalized.)
SRF3: Tora Bonnier, #0 –
FA: Spencer Brockman, #34 –
HP: Stephanie Funk, #62 – 16th
T3: William Hendrix, #101 –
GTL: Chris Kopley, #3 – 10th
T4: Nick Leverone, #86 –
SM: Nick Leverone, #91 –
STL: Craig McHaffie, #68 – 2nd
STL: Joe Schubert, #49 – 17th
SM: Joe Schubert, #49 –
T1: Hugh Stewart, #23 –
GT2: Joseph Wolf, #82 –
Volunteer workers Steve Introne, Dave Hottle and Paul Krysiak preparing for the final day of qualifying at the #SCCARunoffs at Sonoma Raceway.
Extreme Heights
The general consensus among workers is that pictures and video do not adequately portray the extreme elevation changes at the track. “From turn one to the apex of turn two, racers climb 104 feet. Drivers feel like Superman by the time they exit turn two having climbed the height of a 10-story building in 1,000 feet of track. Once they get to turn three they will have climbed 158 feet – enough to clear the height of the statue of liberty from feet to torch.” SCCA provided this quick chart to highlight just how significant the elevation changes are in comparison to other tracks around the country.
Tuesday Qualifying Results: NER Driver Standings
At the end of the first day of Qualifying for the 2018 Runoffs, NER drivers have started off with a bang. Spencer Brockman sits on the pole in Formula Atlantic, Nick Leverone is sitting 2nd in T4, Craig McHaffie is 3rd in STL, and Hugh Stewart is 4th in T1.
A quick snapshot of NER performance after Q1 is below:
SRF3: Tora Bonnier, #0 – 26th
FA: Spencer Brockman, #34 – 1st
HP: Stephanie Funk, #62 – DNS
T3: William Hendrix, #101 – DNS
GTL: Chris Kopley, #3 – 6th
T4: Nick Leverone, #86 – 2nd
SM: Nick Leverone, #91 – 6th
STL: Craig McHaffie, #68 – 3rd
STL: Joe Schubert, #49 – 13th
SM: Joe Schubert, #49 – 40th
T1: Hugh Stewart, #23 – 4th
GT2: Joseph Wolf, #82 – 13th
19 NER Drivers and Workers Head to SCCA Runoffs
NER has 10 drivers and 9 workers representing the region at this year’s Runoffs.
Runoffs News
Results from Final Day of 2018 SCCA Runoffs at Sonoma Raceway
Day Two Results from 2018 SCCA Runoffs at Sonoma Raceway
The day’s highlights included multi-time National Champion John Heinricy adding two more wins to his legacy, the largest Runoffs field of 2018 taking to the track, and Joe Huffaker’s MG Midget becoming one of the most winningest cars in Runoffs history.
2018 SCCA Runoffs Day One Results
The first nine of 28 National Champions were crowned Friday at Sonoma Raceway during the 55th SCCA® National Championship Runoffs®. The day’s highlights included an incredible Formula Continental® race, exciting battles in both GT-Lite and H Production, and Flinn Lazier who upheld a family tradition of winning Runoffs National Championships.
2018 Runoffs Tire Rack Pole Award Winners
As such, there are now 28 Tire Rack Pole Award winners who will lead their respective classes to the green flag over the next three days as nearly 500 competitors do their very best to earn a win on the 12-turn, 2.52-mile circuit.
2018 Workers of the Year Celebrated at Runoffs
SCCA road racing events are made possible thanks to the tremendous effort of SCCA workers. And each year a handful of workers are recognized for their enormous contribution. Those individuals are bestowed with Worker of the Year honors, presented by Mazda.
Runoffs Report: Thursday Midday
It’s the third and final day of qualifying for the 2018 SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® at Sonoma Raceway in Northern California. Each of the 28 different car classes has one, final qualifying sessions today to decide who becomes Tire Rack Pole Award winners. There was a power outage in the region around the track this morning, which delayed on-track activities. Because of the delay, qualifying sessions today have been shortened to 15 minutes.
Runoffs Report – Wednesday Evening
Sure, it’s great to see the Runoffs at Sonoma Raceway — which is easily one of the finest spectator tracks in North America. But those who take the time to look around will find plenty of other #funwithcars being had.
Runoffs Report: Wednesday Midday
A topic of conversation coming up a lot in the paddock at the 2018 Runoffs in California centers on “getting high.” Of course, we’re talking about track elevation changes at Sonoma Raceway located in the hills just north of San Francisco.
How serious is the elevation change? Well, there is 178 feet of difference between the lowest and highest points at Sonoma Raceway, and most of the climb is in the first three corners.
Runoffs Report – Tuesday Evening
On track, many of the 2018 SCCA Runoffs drivers are experiencing Sonoma Raceway for the first time and learning with video, data and getting as many laps as they can.
Runoffs Report: Tuesday Midday
After three days of testing, qualifying officially began Tuesday morning. Each of the 28 car classes has 20-minute qualifying sessions Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to decide Tire Rack Pole Award winners.
Runoffs Action Broadcast Live at SCCA.com
Again this year, fans of motorsport can follow all the action live, for free, online at SCCA.com/live.
55th Annual SCCA Runoffs Race Schedule
Friday, Oct. 19
8:30 a.m.: GT-1 (GT1)
9:35 a.m.: Formula Continental® (FC)
10:40 a.m.: GT-Lite (GTL)
11:45 a.m.: Formula Vee® (FV)
1:30 p.m.: H Production (HP)
2:35 p.m.: Formula Mazda (FM)
3:40 p.m.: American Sedan® (AS)
4:45 p.m.: Formula Enterprises (FE) & Formula Enterprises 2 (FE2)
Saturday, Oct. 20
8:30 a.m.: Super Touring® Under (STU)
9:35 a.m.: Prototype 2 (P2)
10:40 a.m.: GT-2 (GT2)
11:45 a.m.: Formula F (FF) & Formula 500 (F5)
1:30 p.m.: Spec Miata (SM)
2:35 p.m.: Touring 1 (T1)
3:40 p.m.: F Production (FP)
4:45 p.m.: Touring 4 (T4) & B-Spec (BS)
Sunday, Oct. 21
8:30 a.m.: Touring 3 (T3)
9:35 a.m.: E Production (EP)
10:40 a.m.: Prototype 1 (P1)
11:45 a.m.: Super Touring® Lite (STL)
1:30 p.m.: Spec Racer Ford Gen3 (SRF3)
2:35 p.m.: Touring 2 (T2)
3:40 p.m.: GT-3 (GT3)
4:45 p.m.: Formula Atlantic® (FA) & Formula 1000 (FB)
*Bold races have NER drivers competing
NER Drivers
Tora Bonnier, #0, SRF3
Spencer Brockman, #34, FA
Stephanie Funk, #62, HP
William Hendrix, #101, T3
Chris Kopley, #3, GTL
Nick Leverone, #86, T4
Nick Leverone, #91, SM
Craig McHaffie, #68, STL
Joe Schubert, #49, STL
Joe Schubert, #49, SM
Hugh Stewart, #23, T1
Joseph Wolf, #82, GT2
NER Workers
Dave Hottle, F&C
Richard (Dick) Patullo, Pace Car
Laurie Sheppard, Court of Appeals
Peter Roberts, Start Judge
David Faita, Steward – Safety
Steve Introne, F&C
Kathleen Barnes, Driver Info/Hospitality
Paul Krysiak, Starter
Terry Roberts, Registration
