If the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour was in an SCCA Road Racing class, it would be GT-1 – because this season is thundering along. Though it’s only Mid-March, round four of the 10-race season is on tap for March 11–13 during the Atlanta Region-hosted event at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. The multi-purpose motorsports facility is situated on 750 acres in the rolling hills of Northeast Georgia only 35 miles north of Atlanta. The challenging 2.54-mile, 12-turn track was first raced on in 1970 and has hosted numerous amateur and professional races over the years.
About Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
This track holds a special, and at times infamous, place in the history of SCCA Road Racing. The home for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs from 1970 to 1993, it was a can’t-miss on the calendar. Fast, technical and hair raising at times, it’s a favorite layout no matter the horsepower or aerodynamic capabilities of a given car.
The 270-and-counting entries registered at publish time are proof of that. The schedule has 20-minute practices on Friday morning for each of the seven groups, followed by 25-minute qualifying sessions after lunch. A second 15-minute qualifying on Saturday morning is the last chance to set the grid before Saturday’s 25-minute timed races. Sunday is all racing, stretching to 35 minutes or 19 laps, whichever comes first.
Hot Wings
A Google search will tell you that Atlanta is known for lemon pepper chicken wings, but formula cars will fill the wing void at the Hoosier Super Tour.
Leading the way is an impressive 17 Formula Enterprises 2 cars, led by defending National Champion Scott Rettich. Another 10 Formula Continental cars are a part of the 43-car Group 6, with last year’s runner-up Tim Minor among the favorites in the class. The mixed-class racing — especially in the group that includes not only these two classes but Formula Atlantic, Prototype 1, Prototype 2, and Formula X — is among the fastest and, hopefully, the most exciting.
SCCA Got Me Started
The Sports Car Club of America and IMSA’s partnership includes a joint effort to tell the stories of motorsports, including those professional racers who got their start in SCCA’s road racing ranks. Some of them continue to race both.
Among them is one of the busiest drivers on the planet: 17-year-old Tyler Gonzalez. Gonzalez is on the Hoosier Super Tour entry list in Spec Miata, but has already had a busy start to his IMSA season. Gonzalez won in Mazda MX-5 Cup competition at Daytona in January, and added a fifth-place finish in the four-hour Michelin Pilot Challenge race in a Hyundai. Two weeks before Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta he led laps again on the streets of St. Petersburg in MX-5 Cup before bad luck ended both races shy of his goals. He’s stated before that Spec Miata is a “fun” activity for him, while also helping to improve race craft and add seat time.
At the other end of the spectrum is Tiger Tari, entered to drive a Mazda MX-5 in STU at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Tari’s motorsports career has been relatively brief, getting a start in SCCA competition in 2018. But the first-generation Turkish immigrant and businessman has already launched to IMSA as the owner of Star Spangled Racing, which competed with a Lamborghini in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January and will head to Sebring International Raceway just after the Hoosier Super Tour for the following week’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Follow Along Online
Hoosier Super Tour’s stop at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta is open to the public, with entry just $30 for the weekend (and $20 for one day) for spectators who want to come out and watch. SCCA members, and retired and active military (including family) will be admitted free of charge with appropriate identification. Stand trackside and enjoy some beautiful cars, fantastic racing, great comradery, and learn more about SCCA Road Racing.
Can’t be at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta? Super Tour Radio presented by Hoosier Racing Tire has you covered with live turn-by-turn commentary all weekend, supplied by the Performance Motorsports Network team. That live broadcast will be available — along with enhanced timing and scoring, and a few static video feeds — through SCCA.com.
More information on the 2022 Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta can be found on the event page.
Photo by Jeff Loewe
