SCCA approves 15 yr olds

since my two drivers each won in tier repsective class and did donuts on the asphault in the chicane it probably wasn;t in 2005 they didn't run there in 06 your are probably thinking star mazda with alms formula tr never ran with champcar and the huge car in the air wreck that took out most of the field was star mazda at montreal. the difference is open wheels and closed wheels. closed wheel cars can touch and continue with some minor paint and body repairs your ready to go for the next race when open wheel cars touch bad things happen
 
Formula TR ran with ALMS July 21-23, 2006 at PIR.

Star Mazda generally had most of their trouble in calamity corner A or B. Depending on what the Steward decided to do on lap 1 each year, shortcut or not.

Bonnie had the flying formula car at T10. I believe Bonnie's injured driver even emailed her, or posted somewhere about his experiences. Am I smoking crack here, Bonnie?
 
Last edited:
since my two drivers each won in tier repsective class and did donuts on the asphault in the chicane it probably wasn;t in 2005 they didn't run there in 06 your are probably thinking star mazda with alms formula tr never ran with champcar and the huge car in the air wreck that took out most of the field was star mazda at montreal.
You can deny all you like, but Formula TR did run at a Portland ICSCC week-end as a special race. It might've only been the 2000 guys. I was sitting in the stands at the chicane after watching the Novice race on Saturday. Two of the drivers involved came up and sat in the stands after the incident, one of whom sat right next to me and discussed the class, the incident, and the race as it went on.

the difference is open wheels and closed wheels. closed wheel cars can touch and continue with some minor paint and body repairs your ready to go for the next race when open wheel cars touch bad things happen
Uh, do you really think you needed to point that out to a bunch of drivers and corner workers?
 
I don't know about any crashes but are you people talking about the Formula Renault series? Original title Formula Fran. Am. It did run at Portland in conjunction with the ALMS races a couple of years with the last being 2006 (I think).

It was designed as a feeder series to the upper levels of open wheel racing. The 'arrive and drive' types were paying around $170,000 a season for car rental (not including crash damage), engineering and hospitality trackside (did not include travel or living expense). Although it seemed to be doing well here and in Latin America, it didn't have strength to really grow as it did in Europe.

IF the 'series' ever ran alone with ICSCC it must have been the 'west coast' version rather then the 'real' championship series based on the east coast. This was a HIGH bucks series requiring some major sponsorship for involvment and 'good' spectator events. Running with ALMS was not the best show case for aspiring open wheel drivers.

This series was also a direct challenge to Formula Atlantic which is (still) the dominant feeder class to the upper levels of open wheel racing in the U.S.A.

There are quite a few Fran Am cars in the U.S.A. and Bob Gelles (his cars/drivers sponsored by Western Union) put a major effort in to having them Homologated for SCCA racing. But he ran afoul of the 'roll bar' rules of North America versus the FIA standards for open wheel cars. I don't think the cars were ever accepted in unmodified form

We Northwesterners should remember this series well. Our very own Carl Skerlong was the most dominant driver to ever race in Fomula Renault (TR)! He won the 1.6 Liter chamionship in 2005 then, won the 2.0 Liter (big series) in 2006. His record was winning 75% of the races during his involvement!
 
Last edited:
Yeah, the Renaults (tr) in some fashion did run with us in maybe 2006?
I had a friend who drove one, and his family and mine hung out.
They pitted on the other side of the track, so all you'd see of 'em was the
cars on track...

t
 
Toby,

BOTH StarMazda and Formula TR (Fran-Am cars) ran in conjunction with the ALMS event at Portland in 2006. That was the only weekend the PRO Formula TR cars visited Portland in 2006. And very sadly, the last ALMS event at the track :mad:

Did ICSCC provide some support class's for that event??

P.S.
I think Skerlong was 17 or 18 when he was doing Fran-Am's.
 
Last edited:
Hi gang - I'm swamped, but the quick answer is ...

OH YEAH HOLLY, I REMEMBER!!! At the time, I said it was like a scene from the [really bad] movie "Driven". A car totally perpendicular in the air nose down WAAAAAAAAY high up above what looked like the entire field!!! Then when he slid across the grass, I think he was upside down? And the finishing touch ... a whole bunch of his fellow drivers stopped to help him, thereby compounding the already massive problem!!!

And it was definitely Champ Car - or "CART" as I think it was then. Lots of memories from that corner from that particular weekend. Can't remember the exact year though.

It was epic! And no, youngsters should not be driving these wheel to wheel cars ... at least not when I'm working a corner!!!
 
Then the family decides to support the young ones efforts to become a race car driver, have a LARGE amount of money in your checking account :rolleyes:

Gelles Racing vs. Ferris:

Contract - Race Car Lease - Unpaid Rent - Crash Damage

"The court finds defendant materially breached the contract by not paying the $35,000 due under the agreement on June 1, 2007, and non-reimbursement for damage caused to the car by his son's crash.

The rental agreement provided, Owner leases to Renter, and Renter hires from Owner that certain race car, identified as the 2007 Pro Formula BMW USA Championship Series. John Ferris contracted to pay Gelles Racing $218,000, payable in monthly installments of $35,000 March through August 2007, with the final payment of $8,000 due on Sept. 1, 2007. John Ferris also remitted a damage security deposit of $15,000.

The agreement further provided that Gelles Racing make the race car available to Ferris for 14 races and 10 official tests as scheduled in the 2007 Formula BMW USA Series Professional Championship. Plaintiff asks for damages of $85,668.88 for the breach, which includes all the unpaid rent as well as the damage caused by the collision, less mitigation."

Gelles was awarded the claim. I know Bob. He's a really nice easy going guy. But he doesn't give away money.
 
Last edited:
I retract what I said about not having an incident in the chicane there was a thre car incedent in the 2 liter class 1 car continued with out a rear wing and 2 were disabledit is actually all a mute point though as randy pointed out that for legallity reasons and for insurance reasons it really isn't possible or should I say wise for conference to put minors on the track as conference would be assuming all liabilities for said minors.
 
I remember that race Steve, and if I remember correctly Marco Andretti was driving one of those cars, and a year later he was driving an Indy Car. I did a test and tune that weekend and the "special race" open wheel cars were out on the track with us, funny thing is they were really well behaved and I remember thinking, "Wow, considering their age these guys drive like veterans". They didn't seem so well behaved watching the start from the chicane!! Jon Holt CSM/ITA #10
 
Back
Top