We got an email from Dave Dusterberg who is an SCCA Regional Executive working in the Indiana region and a guy who was one of the driving forces in the creation of the SCCA Classic American Muscle category that is being contested at autocross events across the country. Hell, our own Dave Nutting has been mercilessly pounding the hell out of his daily driver Monte Carlo on a near weekly basis at autocross events in the CAM division. He’s a true believer and he is not alone.
Since this is a brandy new category and still growing in many parts of the country, the SCCA has come up with a neat way to showcase the class with an invitational challenge. Officially called the Speedway Motors Classic American Muscle Invitational Challenge. According to the SCCA’s press release, some of the best Classic American Muscle competitors from around the nation will be called to action at the end of August in Nebraska. The cool thing is that you can actually give the SCCA a nudge if you feel as though your skills and your car are worthy of a spot in the challenge and the email address to handle that is included below. We hope someone out there in readerland takes advantage. We know that there are more than a few of you in the BangShift universe hammering the corners every weekend.
Lastly, kudos to the SCCA for taking this opportunity to give this class a platform at the nationals. Rather than just let the thing grow by the most organic means, the SCCA has stepped up and done something cool and creative to show people who CAM is all about. There are several racing sanctioning bodies that could take a lesson from this type of thinking on both a promotional and long term level. The CAM class has the potential to be huge and we’re glad SCCA feels the same way we do!
SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE FULL RELEASE FROM SCCA AND PAY ATTENTION TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS YOU CAN CONTACT TO REQUEST AN INVITE – C’AMON BANGSHIFTERS, JUMP IN THE RING AND SHOW ‘EM THE WAY HOME!
SCCA TO INVITE MUSCLE CARS TO COMPETE AT TIRE RACK PRO SOLO FINALE
TOPEKA, Kan. (July 17, 2014) – Sports Car Club of America and Speedway Motors, Inc., of Lincoln, Nebraska are teaming up to present The Speedway Motors Classic American Muscle Invitational Challenge. The Invitational will bring the best muscle cars, across all platforms, and drivers to the Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Finale, Aug. 30-31, at the Lincoln Airpark in Lincoln, Nebraska.
The ProSolo format combines elements of autocross and drag racing. Competitors, staged side-by-side, will face a drag racing-style Christmas tree start before entering mirror image autocross courses. This provides the unique opportunity to put autocross, drag racing and hot rods on the same stage at the same time.
The invite list will be a who’s who of hot rod Soloists from across the country, battling for prizes from Speedway Motors. The competition will take place Sunday afternoon between the class competition and Challenge rounds of the ProSolo event. After familiarization runs on the course, drivers will be placed into a bracket and compete through elimination rounds until only one remains as the Top Eliminator.
“When I first began to autocross part of the excitement for me was seeing not only the classic British sports cars, but also the great muscle cars of the day battling it out on the same course,” Howard Duncan, SCCA VP, Rally/Solo, said. “The Speedway Motors Classic American Muscle Class Invitational Challenge, along with the running of the CAM class at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships, will once again bring back that excitement as the improved versions of these traditional muscle cars show their capabilities on the same courses used by the current crop of sports cars and sport coupes. It should be a great show!”
In addition, these drivers will be invited to participate in the inaugural running of the CAM class at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship event, held later in the week at the same location. CAM class runs will come on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 2-3. The event is the world’s largest motorsports competition, featuring more than 1,100 drivers in competition over four days.
SCCA CAM class rules will be utilized for each event. Invitations will be sent to drivers that have shown the potential for high-level competition through a variety of events across the country. The invitations and RSVPs will be organized by SCCA’s Raleigh Boreen and are expected to be sent in early August.
For more information or to request an invite, contact Raleigh at [email protected].
More information on the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships and ProSolo Finale can be found at SCCA.com/Solo.
and then the rule revisions for next year will go into effect.
I’ve only done 2 Goodguys autocross’ so I m FAR from being involved but after looking at the SCCA CAM rules I can see the word “OPEN” being replaced with “Limited To” in many sections of the rules.
I know slow guy wining , the fast guys and gals earn their place at the top , but if the SCCA gets my membership this year and I get beat every week by the same guy ,or worse ,the same brand of car why do I come back next year?.
I know an FE Mustang is not the first choice for anybody when it comes to making a car turn and even limiting tire size is not going to vault me to the podium but a 3200lb car on 355 FRONT tires is going to have a HUGE advantage over the same car on a 235.
If the classes survives (and I know it will ) the founders and newbs in a few years will long for the days when the class was so wide open, not ruined with all these rules.
Cyclone,
Don’t look for the rules to get any tighter for some time. The intent of the class is to give folks who have Pro-Touring cars and / or attend Goodguys Autocrosses another place to play when they can’t get to a Goodguys or other events. Our rules are essentially their rules and for the foreseeable future that’s the way it will stay.
Why?
Because when SCCA created CAM they consulted competitors, organizers, and others involved in the Pro Touring world. SCCA learned that the people involved in the scene are happy with the very open rules. How responsive has SCCA been? The minimum weight the SCCA rules state are there because of feedback.
You pointed to a limited tire size for your car as a handicap. Really, it’s not. First, in autocross a driver’s ability is 70-80 % of the equation, car is the rest. Second, the rules don’t prevent you from modifying your car to accept wider front tires. Isn’t that what hot rodding is all about? CAM is a hot rodder’s class. If you don’t want to cut up your car that’s fine, but you can. CAM is a Regional Only class so the chances of you running up against someone of the talent level of a Danny Popp in an over the top prepped car is remote. Truth is that most cars entering the class are in mildly modified cars. In my own Region I’ve won 2 of the 3 points events we’ve run so far in a Mustang on 245/45R18 RE-11’s on the front. There are several cars in the class with more rubber but it doesn’t make much difference. There’s more than one way to go fast in autocross.
Over time we expect competitors to become tougher, show up in better prepared cars, that’s the whole point. It’s the same with Goodguy’s , USCA, Optima, any organization who’s hosting events.