VOL. 58 | MARCH 2017 The official publication of the San Francisco Region of the Sports Car Club Of America HALL OF FAME p. 7 FIRST SOLO OF THE SEASON p. 10 DRIVERS SCHOOL p. 18 MARCH 2017 THE WHEEL 1 SpecRacer - Sales - Rentals - Arrive & Drive Now Available! Driver Coaching By Perry Richardson Services • SRF Rentals • SRF Arrive & Drive • Cars and Parts Sales • Trackside Support March 2017 • Maintenance & Repairs • Driver coasching Cover Photo by GotBlueMilk.com Above: SFR Solo, Curt Thill takes third in his Blazer in CAM, Photo by Paul Tibbals Phone (669) 232-4844 Perry’s Coaching Website 6 Wheelworks 14 Racing in the Rain 26 Driver of the Weekend FEATURES Worker of the Weekend www.AccelRaceTek.com www.perryrichardson.com 7 Hall of Fame 16 Notes from the Archive 27 2017 SFR Road Racing 10 First Solo of the Season 18 2017 SFR Drivers School Official Photographer 12 Thunderhill Park Revs Up for 2017 24 Full Body Contact 28 Thunderhill Report 13 Spring Classic May 19-21 at Mazda 25 Letters to the Editor Raceway Laguna Seca Rentals om IN EVERY ISSUE 4 Calendar 4 Travel Tech 29 Race Car Rentals 30 The Garage: Classified Ads Builds .c The views expressed in The Wheel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of San Francisco Region or the SCCA. SAN FRANCISCO REGION SCCA REGION OFFICE BOARD OF DIRECTORS RENT A RACE CAR! MAILING ADDRESS GARY PITTS Regional Executive Mazda Raceway, Sonoma, Thunderhill, & Buttonwillow PO Box 308, Willows, CA 95988 [email protected] SCCA, NASA, Corporate / Private Events or Track Days. LOCATION ROD SIMMONS Treasurer – Director PUBLISHER: THE WHEEL PUBLICATIONS 5250 Hwy 162, Willows, CA 95988 Arrive and Drive, Track Support, Indoor Storage, Competition Director 530 934 4455 Editor BLAKE TATUM [email protected] Coaching, Fabrication, Builds & Repairs, [email protected] 530 934 7275 fax Parts & Upgrades [email protected] Art Direction & Design JULIE LEFRANCOIS BLAKE TATUM Secretary julielefrancois.com The Wheel is the Official publication of the San Francisco region of the [email protected] Office: (831) 240-5347 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Blake Tatum, Sports Car Club of America located at 5250 Hwy 162, Willows, California Lynne Huntting, Gary Horstkorta, David Vodden, Fax: (831) 422-0500 95988. It is published monthly by Wheel Publications, 6185 Riverbank DAN BURGOON Director LesherMotorSports.com Circle, Stockton, California 95219. Opinions expressed herein are those of James Chartres, Bruce Richardson, Bruce Brunner, the author and not necessarily those of the San Francisco Region, Wheel [email protected] Ryan Panlilio MiataRental.com Publications, The Wheel, it’s staff or advertisers. Material submitted to The Wheel that is slanderous, libelous, profane, pure inflamatory criti- CLINT DEWITT Director CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS & ARTISTS [email protected] cism offering no constructive alternatives, sexually explicit or material Dito Milian Gotbluemilk.com, Lynne Huntting, as directed by The Board, such as competitive series schedules, ads, etc. [email protected] James Chartres, Paul Tibbals shall not be published. Permisssion to reprint materials from The Wheel is hereby granted to all R.J. GORDY Director POSTMASTER, Please send address changes to: SCCA regional publications with the agreement that full credit be given [email protected] to the author and The Wheel. The Wheel The Wheel • ISSN 0888-1103 • USPS 0625-160 • is published monthly BARBARA MCCLELLAN Director for $15 per year for the San Francisco Region of the Sports Car Club of P.O. Box 308 America, 5250 Hwy 162, Willows, California 95988. Periodicals Postage [email protected] Willows, CA 95988 paid at Willows, CA and at additional mailing offices. MARCH 2017 THE WHEEL 3 2017 CALENDAR 2017 SFR ROAD RACING SCHEDULE FRESNO CHAPTER BAY AREA AUTOCROSS SCHOOL Any changes will be shown on www.sfrscca.org 2017 CALENDAR SOLO CALENDAR SCHEDULED FOR MARCH JUNE SEPTEMBER Driving School - March 18 Event 2 - March 19 2017 MARCH 17 REGIONAL 1&2 TEST DAY REGIONAL 11 & 12 Event 3 - April 22 Round 2: Marina Airport, March 12th The Tire Rack SCCA Starting Line school is March 11-12 | Thunderhill & REGIONAL 5 & 6 September 1-3 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Event 4 - April 23 a partnership between the Sports Car Club of SCCA Starting Line School/Test and Tune, SPEC RACER FESTIVAL Event 5 - June 10 America and Tire Rack to give automotive en- Crows Landing: March 18th June 1-4 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Event 6 - June 11 thusiasts a professional, all-inclusive entry into More information: https://www.scca. APRIL Event 7 - July 8 the world of performance driving. In addition to IMSA com/pages/starting-line Event 8 - July 29 a full day of instruction, participants will receive REGIONAL 7 & 8 SPEC PRO SUPPORT Event 9 - August 12 an SCCA membership, entries for future events, MAJOR MIATA FESTIVAL September 21-24 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Round 3: Crows Landing, March 19th Event 10 - October 8 - Buttonwillow Kart Track subscriptions to SportsCar and Grassroots Mo- April 1&2 | Thunderhill June 30-July 2 | Sonoma Raceway Event 11 - November 11 Pro Solo: Crows Landing: April 22-23 torsports Magazines. Event 12 Enduro - November 12 National Tour: The Starting Line School is scheduled for March MAY JULY OCTOBER All events held at Fresno Fairgrounds, except Crows Landing: April 29-30 17 at Crows Landing in Patterson. Registration Event 10, which is at Buttonwillow Raceway. should open in January. REGIONAL 3&4 REGIONAL 9 & 10 PIRELLI WORLD The full day school will introduce key concepts May 6-7 | Regional 3 & 4 @ Thunderhill July 28-30 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca CHALLENGE applicable to all forms of motorsports and allow PRO SUPPORT you to develop these skills while working with October 12-15 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca professional performance driving instructors AUGUST FERRARI CHALLENGE certified by the Evolution Performance Driving PRO SUPPORT REGIONAL 13 & 14 School. Additionally, every Starting Line student May 11-14 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca PRE-REUNION SEASON FINALE SACRAMENTO SOLO will have their experience captured by a Garmin PRO SUPPORT October 27-29 | Thunderhill VIRB® XE and will recieve a microSD card with August 12-13 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca SPRING CLASSIC 2017 SCHEDULE this video at the end of their school. May 19-21 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca IT’S BACK!! All events at San Joaquin Fairgrounds, Stockton If you are looking for motorsports competition REUNION RDC FOUR-HOUR ENDURO or just a great way to enjoy the capabilities of PRO SUPPORT October 29 | Thunderhill March 18 Round 1 your car, the Tire Rack SCCA Starting Line is August 17-20 | Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca March 19 Round 2 your complete motorsports starter kit. April 29 Round 3 April 30 Round 4 For complete information: June 24 Round 5 https://www.scca.com/pages/starting-line June 25 Round 6 July 22 Round 7 Morris Hamm TELEPHONE HOURS RATES July 23 Round 8 Marin/ Sonoma/ Napa/ ARE: 1 car/$10.00 + mileage August 26 Round 9 TRAVEL TECH Infineon 6 pm–9 pm, Monday through 2 cars/$9.00 each + 1/2 Travel Tech is a volunteer, in shop/at 707-738-8860 Friday mileage August 27 Round 10 home tech inspection service for pre-race Phil Munoz 10 am to 6 pm, 3 cars/$8.00 each + 1/3 September 23 Round 11 Saturday/Sunday mileage Santa Cruz Area, September 24 Round 12 and purchase inspection of race cars, 831-297-2457 Logbook for new car or re-issuing a October 14 Enduro Practice including newly built cars. Travel Tech Tom Turner Logbook is $30 plus San Ramon Area, October 15 Enduro mileage. Scrutineers are: 925-389-6181 4 SFRSCCA.ORG MARCH 2017 MARCH 2017 THE WHEEL 5 RANDOM THOUGHTS THE SAN FRANCISCO REGION OF THE SPORTS CAR WHEELWORKS BY BLAKE TATUM CLUB OF AMERICA INDUCTS THREE MEMBERS INTO The road to Indy has already begun. Cal Club hosted a super majors event, our own Chuck Horn domi- 2016 THE HALL OF FAME FOR 2016. nated Formula F (formally Ford) in his Honda Powered Swift. Help wanted sign is out in bold type at the San Francisco Region Race events: SAN FRANCISCO REGION Chuck Tatum Current openings: Timing and Scoring Chief, Announce Chief, Social Chief SCCA David Vodden Mary Lou Robson Fortunately the course Marshals Crew has been is not exactly new to our region. He was posting members place a value on the magazine. solidified. Nothing happens until the course pictures on Facebook while he was on the Board. Don’t recognize the voice on the other end of the Marshalls show up. They are: The problem lies with the succession plan. Who Regional office phone? Nan Mendes, has been carries on the work once the creator is gone? Don Landers working part time for the region for a year-and- Christopher Likous Runoffs at Sonoma in 2018. Do you think we can a-half now. Jerry Fox get the Board to at least have a three day Major’s Sherry Grantz is still in the office, working part- Yongzhe Wen event?! time now, too. Jon Cronk Good thing about all of this rain, the background Gary Pitts promises us this is his last year as the Thank you to the entire crew, the club appreci- for pictures should be nice and green well into Regional Executive ( we will miss him), former CHUCK TATUM ates the work you do! May. Board members start thinking about your ac- Changes at the WHEEL, new race reporter As I type this Marcy Crawford has stepped up to ceptance speech!! BY BRUCE BRUNNER none other then the PressSnoop herself Lynne be Timing and Scoring Chief!!! Marcy Rocks!!! Drivers School is done and social was handled Huntting, Thank you Steve Jaroch, the past race With so many track days it makes it hard to make by the crew at Thunderhill.