(Words By Jim McIlvaine, Photos by Kaleb Kelley) Glaciers left behind the rolling hills of the Kettle Moraine region of Wisconsin. That only means one thing for racing enthusiasts- elevation changes. The area around Elkhart Lake certainly offered that and the Chicago region of the SCCA took note and created a road race in the area in 1950. Even though the governor at the time (who happened to own a vacation home on Elkhart Lake) supported the races, the state legislature eventually decided racing on public roads was a bad idea and banned the activity statewide.

Undeterred, Clif Tufte organized a group to buy 525 acres of land outside the village of Elkhart Lake, where he laid out a 4.048-mile road course. Tufte didn’t do it with the help of a world-renowned track designer, he with a tractor and his knowledge as a highway engineer. The end result remains one of the world’s most popular and challenging road courses and it is definitely a favorite among competitors in OPTIMA’s Search for the Ultimate Street Car, presented by Advance Auto Parts.

Not only is the road course a blast to run in the Falken Tire road course time trial, but the QA1 Autocross takes place on the CTECH Manufacturing Motorplex course, where elevation changes and an unusual layout are a welcome change from typical parking lot designs. Competitors were given a preview of that course at the conclusion of the Lucas Oil Road Rally, when Schwartz Performance hosted a one-hour team go-kart enduro. These aren’t your typical Wisconsin Dells slugs either, these karts move and helmets were required.

A change in the schedule forced the two-day event to move to a Thursday/Friday schedule, instead of Friday/Saturday. That prevented some competitors from making the trip, but those who attended were definitely glad they did. Two more regular season stops remain, before the series wraps up at the OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational. There’s still time for you to get involved in your street car. Check out the gallery of photos from this event and if this is something you want to be a part of, head over to www.DriveOPTIMA.com to learn more about it.



GT Class (post-1989, 3,200+ pounds, 2wd sedans, 4-seater coupes, trucks, etc…)
1. Tony Scalici, 2018 Chevrolet Camaro
2. Mark Golovin, 2001 Chevrolet Camaro
3. Tony Grace, 2017 Chevrolet Camaro

Classic Car Liquidators GTV Class (pre-1990, 3200+ pounds)
1. CB Ramey, 1987 Chevrolet Corvette
2. Chris Smith, 1970 Chevrolet Camaro
3. Bret Voelkel, 1967 Chevrolet Camaro

GTS Class (post-1989, 3200+ pounds, two-seaters & awd vehicles)
1. Steve Kepler, 2013 Nissan GT-R
2. Bob Sobey, 2013 Nissan GT-R
3. Clay Shearer, 2015 Porsche 911 Turbo S

Holley EFI GTL Class (non-compacts under 3200 pounds)
1. Garry Walsh, 2004 Chevrolet Corvette
2. Jacob Fisher, 1985 Porsche 944
3. Todd Litton, 2001 Chevrolet Corvette

GTC Class (two-wheel drive compacts, 107-inch wheelbase or less)
1. Brian Johns, 1993 Mazda RX-7
2. Jeff Schwartz, 2015 Scion FR-S
3. Thomas Litton, 1997 Mazda Miata

GTE Class (electric vehicles, no hybrids)
1. John Laughlin, 2019 Tesla Model 3

Outlaw Class (relaxed aero rules, pro drivers allowed)
1. Chris King, 2002 Chevrolet Corvette
2. Josh Stahl, 1969 Mercedes-Benz SEL

Spirit of the Event Award:
Jacob Fisher, 1985 Porsche 944

2020 OPTIMA Search for the Ultimate Street Car Schedule
Las Vegas Motor Speedway March 14-15
Willow Springs International Raceway May 29-30
Pike’s Peak International Raceway July 11-12
Atlanta Motorsports Park July 25-26
Road America August 13-14
NOLA Motorsports Park September 19-20
NCM Motorsports Park October 10-11
OPTIMA Ultimate Street Car Invitational TBD