Sometimes things align just right to produce a wonderful, airy experience. The surroundings, the people, the weather, the competition; it all came together just right April 5-6, 2025, during a two-day Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour weekend hosted by SCCA’s North Carolina Region at VIRginia International Raceway along the border with North Carolina.
Part of the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program, Sunday’s action opened with 15-minute qualifying sessions for each of the seven run groups around a 3.27-mile circuit that has hosted SCCA’s Runoffs® several times before. On-track action then shifted to 14-lap or 35-minute races to see who would claim trophies and commemorative bottles of Mazza Vineyards sparkling wine.
Sunday’s weather was similar to the previous day, with temperatures topping out in the mid 80-degree range under mostly cloudy skies. The wind was a bit stronger Sunday, which added an additional challenge for drivers in some classes. But storms slid north of the circuit and allowed for a full day of unabated action.
The Wanderer
Jim Ricketts, he’s the type of guy that likes to roam around. He’s never in one place and roams from town to town. He’s a wanderer, yeah the wanderer, in the No. 191 Barrel O’ Monkeys Adventure Co. SCCA Enterprises Spec Racer® Ford Gen3 (SRF3) car.
A member of SCCA’s Oregon Region, Ricketts left his home in Washington back in January and hit the road for a unique experience that will go through November. The 51-year-old who has been racing with the Club for four years is towing his race car around the country, competing at any event that crosses his path. He’s also been volunteering as an instructor at SCCA Drivers Schools along the way, too. He did the same in 2024, traveling around for nine months from March to November.
“I am checking off all the bucket list tracks,” Ricketts stated. “I haul and do most of the maintenance and prep myself with occasional assistance from Flat Out Racing in Vancouver, Washington, and Comprent Motor Sports in Athens, Georgia.”
Before jumping into motorsports, Ricketts’ prior hobby was flying and maintaining vintage aircraft. Planes he has flown include the B-25 Mitchell, B-24, PV-2, T6, DC4 and Vans RV8. There has also been seat time in helicopters as well.
“I don’t consider myself a thrill seeker, I just really enjoy the challenge of operating and maintaining interesting machines,” Ricketts continued. “I was a robotics engineer for 20 years before quitting my job and pursuing my commercial flying career where I now fly the Boeing 737, and the De Havilland Dash 8 before that.”
Brian Schofield, in the No. 61 PM Racing machine, won both hotly contested SRF3 races at VIR. Ricketts finished further back on the lead lap each day, but you could argue he’s having as much fun as anyone else. If you want to follow Ricketts’ journey, check out his YouTube page.
A Yaris Returns
Steve Sargis, in the No. 18 Carbotech Triumph Spitfire, swept H Production (HP) victories over the weekend at VIR. That’s not astonishing as Sargis has plenty of HST wins under his belt, along with nine Runoffs Championships. An item of note, however, was Sargis’ fresh driver’s suit that resulted in the veteran SCCA racer looking both dashing and dazzling.
The real scuttlebutt within HP’s paddock and community this weekend actually centered on a Toyota Yaris that finished in the runner-up spot both days at VIR. Driven by Tom Broring for his very first time, the No. 5 Blue Crab Racing Toyota Yaris is a very recent purchase that comes with some history.
To make this specific HP racecar a reality, Toyota asked SportsCar magazine to convert a Yaris five-door liftback into a racecar. Why? Who cares, but SportsCar magazine accepted the challenge and began the project by shedding nearly 400 pounds off the vehicle’s curb weight.
Without diving down a rabbit hole of background info, this particular Yaris was driven by former SportsCar staffer Jason Isley to two Runoffs National Championships in the HP class. Now, it’s maiden reappearance has been made at the hands of Broring.
“This is a car that has had limited use for several years,” Broring said Sunday while standing on the victory podium. “I’m going to make it fit me a little better and handle the way I like. But I’m starting with a good platform.”
Rumor has it Isley already reached out to the new owner with an offer to lend insight. So, let’s see what happens next with Broring and his former Championship winning Yaris.
Jump Right In
After only a dozen or so high performance driving experience outings, 56-year-old Bruce Griffin came to the conclusion he wanted wheel-to-wheel racing thrills in his life. A member of SCCA’s Central Florida Region, Griffin has now jumped right in to Touring 2 (T2) competition after joining the Club in 2022.
Driving the No. 125 Planet Fry/Apex Wheels/KNS Brakes Chevrolet Corvette Z06, Griffin opted to focus in 2025 on the Hoosier Super Tour. His season started out strong at Sebring International Raceway with a runner-up finish Saturday in his first-ever HST start. He followed that up with a performance on Sunday that netted him his first HST victory.
According to Griffin, he has implemented a strategy that also yielded success in business. Specifically, that means surrounding himself with the right people. He retained the services of a professional driving coach to get him up to speed, and works with set up specialists and a great pair of techs to make the car fast.
Illness kept him out of March’s HST event at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, but he was back strong at VIR with an impressive victory Saturday in a field that included John Heinricy, who is a 16-time SCCA Runoffs® National Champion and reigning HST Nationwide Points Champion in the T2 class. On Sunday, however, Heinricy – affectionately nicknamed ‘Heinrocket’ – turned on the talent and drove his No. 135 Hoosier/Hawk/Mobil Cadillac CT4 Blackwing to victory, with Griffin earning a respectable runner-up finish.
Sunday Race Winners
Below are provisional race winners from Sunday’s Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour at VIRginia International Raceway. Each entry includes Car Class: Driver Name, SCCA Region, and Car. An asterisk (*) denotes drivers with a weekend sweep in the class.
*American Sedan®: Gregory Eaton, Washington DC Region, Ford Mustang
*B-Spec: Adam Benaway, North Carolina Region, Honda Fit
*E Production: Peter Norton, North Carolina Region, Caterham Seven
F Production: Chris Kopley, New England Region, Toyota Paseo
*H Production: Steve Sargis, Blackhawk Valley Region, Triumph Spitfire
Formula Atlantic®: Jay Shuler, Chicago Region, Star Pro Formula Mazda
Formula Continental®: Rick Silver, Washington DC Region, Van Diemen RF98
Formula Enterprises® 2: Paul Schneider, Central Carolinas Region, SCCA Enterprises FE2 Mazda
GT-1: Tony Ave, Central Carolinas Region, Chevrolet Camaro
*GT-2: Austin Jurs, Chicago Region, Chevrolet Camaro TA2
GT3U: Peter Tonelli II, New England Region, Mazda Miata
*GT-X: Jacek Mucha, Florida Region, Cadillac Dallara P217/DPi
Spec Miata: Charles Mactutus, South Carolina Region, Mazda Miata
Spec MX-5: Skyler Cottrell, Atlanta Region, Mazda MX-5
*Spec Racer® Ford Gen3: Brian Schofield, Central Florida Region, SCCA Enterprises SRF3
*Prototype: Todd Vanacore, Central Florida Region, Elan DP02
*Super Touring® Lite: Jon Sewell, Florida Region, Acura Integra Type R
*Super Touring® Under: Richard Astacio, New England Region, Lotus Exige
*Touring 1: James Candelaria, Central Florida Region, Chevrolet Corvette
Touring 2: John Heinricy, Detroit Region, Cadillac CT4 Blackwing
*Touring 3: Rob Hines, Washington DC Region, Nissan 350Z
Touring 4: Ayden Rose, Florida Region, Mazda Miata
Hallett, Here We Come
HST’s Bravo Trailer now carries the series to the rolling Osage Hills of Northeastern Oklahoma for an April 26-27, 2025, rendezvous with Hallett Motor Racing Circuit (HMRC). Hosted by SCCA’s Ark Valley Race Group, volunteer and driver registration is currently open for that two-day gathering in Jennings, OK.
The upcoming confab officially begins the back half of HST’s 10-event calendar for 2025. While HMRC may only be 1.8 miles in length, its 10 turns often supply more than enough challenge and euphoria for drivers. Plus, HMRC visits are well known for just being an absolutely fantastic gathering for the SCCA family.
On-track action from HMRC will be presented live, online and for free thanks to the popular HST video broadcast produced by DriversEye Live. Before then, the HST weekend from VIR can be revisited with on-demand video playback at the SCCA YouTube channel. Also find Sunday victory podium celebration videos at the SCCA Road Racing Facebook page.
Photo: Steve Sargis on his victory lap after winning the H Production contest at VIR Sunday during the Hoosier Super Tour.
Photo by Jeff Loewe
