When it comes to streaming races in the motorsports world, the Sports Car Club of America was a pioneer. While it’s the norm now, the SCCA National Championship Runoffs was ahead of the curve – streaming live since 2009 through long-time partner Apex Broadcast.
If you dive into the Runoffs video archive (every one of those races are available, free of charge, here), you’ll notice that there’s been continuous improvement as technology developed. The second thing you may notice is that, no matter the year, the SCCA Runoffs features some of the most well-known names in road racing on the call, providing insight and entertainment to fans who were unable to make it to the event (as well as those fans at the track watching on their phones).
That’s no different this year for the 2022 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, held Sept. 24-Oct. 2 at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR). Each of the 26 races during Hagerty Race Days, taking place Friday, Sept. 30, through Sunday, Oct. 2, will be broadcast live on SCCA.com and through SCCA’s official social media channels, including YouTube and Facebook. In the booth, fans will hear the voices of Greg Creamer, John Fippin, Larry “Lefty” MacLeod, and Tom O’Gorman, with Heyward Wagner wandering pit lane and capturing the emotion of triumphs and near misses.
Each member of the broadcast team, as well as Clark Cambern’s Apex Broadcast behind the scenes, has extensive SCCA and Runoffs experience.
All long-time SCCA members themselves, each has ties to the event. Creamer’s Runoffs broadcasting experience dates back to the SPEED Channel days, and he often spends time during Runoffs qualifying utilizing his Flagging and Communications license to volunteer trackside in white. Fippin’s Runoffs experience dates back to the 1990s public address calls at Mid-Ohio, and his SCCA work continues with SCCA Pro Racing.
O’Gorman and MacLeod are SCCA competitors, with eight autocross National Championships between them (both winning at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships in 2021) and a host of both real-world and virtual road racing experience. O’Gorman is a race winner in IMSA and a champion in Pirelli World Challenge in addition to his SCCA road racing experience at both the Regional and National level.
During race days, those at the 2022 Runoffs at VIR will be able to hear the voices of SCCA’s Hoosier Super Tour events, led by Bob Steele and his Performance Motorsport Network team of Mike Wolfe, Chris Stiffler, Tim Groft, Andy DeLay, Taylor Burris, and Wayne Owens, over the public address system.
MacLeod and O’Gorman will be joined by Gregg Ginsberg on VIR’s public address system and on SCCA.com/live for the three qualifying days, which includes Tire Rack Pole Day on Thursday when the race grids are finalized
Qualifying from VIR begins at 8 a.m. each day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, Sept. 27-29, with each class getting a 20-minute session per day. The 26 Runoffs races on the 3.27-mile VIR course are scheduled for 15 laps or 40 minutes, whichever elapses first, and take place over the Sept. 30-Oct. 2 weekend.
Broadcast The Race From Inside Your Car
This year’s race broadcasts will feature in-car videos live during the race through the team at Apex Broadcast.
A new feature for the Runoffs, the in-car is a popular feature utilized through other motorsports productions. Slots are limited and available for a fee, providing additional exposure to team partners during the race. Those interested should submit their application via this online request form.
