Biggest Race Group Ever at RA?

[Tom Valet]

Entries for the CFF-Regional race are now at 101 cars. I cant imagine what that will look like coming down the straight for the start. Something you wont see very often and for FF probably never will be seen again.

I am wondering if that many cars have ever started a race at Road America before? What is largest race group ever to start a race at the track?

[trout roberts]

Doesn't SCCA have a maximum number of cars that it will allow on track based on some number of cars per mile of track length?

[TimW]

Doesn't SCCA have a maximum number of cars that it will allow on track based on some number of cars per mile of track length?

25 cars per mile. Or 100 cars for Elkhart. But, Road America is nominally 4 miles. It's actually a bit longer so depending on who's measurement you use it could be one or two more.

[cooleyjb]

Entries for the CFF-Regional race are now at 101 cars. I cant imagine what that will look like coming down the straight for the start. Something you wont see very often and for FF probably never will be seen again.

I am wondering if that many cars have ever started a race at Road America before? What is largest race group ever to start a race at the track?

I've been told stories of SRF groups at the sprints of over 100. I do remember almost 90 taking the flag last year.

[Steve B]

The maximum number of starters per the GCR is 25 per mile plus 10% at the discretion of the chief steward. That puts us at a maximum of 110 starters at Road America. I know this because it was discussed at tonight's FF40th conference call...

Steve Beeler, de facto commissioner + FF40th co-chairman
Lola T-540 HU44
home: (734)416-8865 sbeeler@wowway.com
office: (313)441-4460 x1141 sbeeler@pmcorp.com

[Bill Bonow]

I am wondering if that many cars have ever started a race at Road America before? What is largest race group ever to start a race at the track?

At the FV 20th Birthday Party in 1983, they broke the 25 per mile plus 10% rule and started 112 FV's for the feature race. For the start, cars were crossing the start/finish line while the tail end of the field was still coming into Canada corner (T-12).

My bet is that the 40th will be the same deal.

[Ian Lenhart]

Don't forget the split start. Is it even a question if there is a need to split this group into two (cff and regional FF)?

Ian

[Chuck Hovonick]

The biggest FF field I encountered at Road America was at the 1981 June Sprints. There were an even 100 cars preregistered, and I believe a couple of others came in late. Saturday morning practice was generally a zoo, with many yellows. One of the most interesting "races" of the day was the contest to see who could get out early for qualifying Sat. afternoon just to try to get in a clean lap - drove the paddock marshalls & grid crew nuts! FF being what it was then, when all was said and done I remember about 95 or so cars actually took the green flag Sunday. Surprisingly, the race itself was relatively clean. I saw only one off-track excursion in the front group of ten, and yellows for other incidents didn't particularly affect the finishing order of that group.

Chuck Hovonick

[PRS56]

I posted this same question to Steve privately, but since it has come up ln the forum about the total number of cars allowed on track, what about the test day?
We were given our own run group C for 2 sessions and then a combined final session with the FVs & 500's.
If only 3/4's of the cars choose to do the test day thats still 150 cars on Thursday.
Any thoughts on this matter?

[mblanc]

We were given our own run group C for 2 sessions and then a combined final session with the FVs & 500's.

Where did that info come from,? I thought the track was just saying 'test schedule to be determined'
So that would be three sessions? one more than the June Sprints test day. I would think the few FV and F5's that are testing, might want to skip that combined third session.

75% doing the test day would be high I think, and remember to do the math against the number of cars, not the number entries.

60% (which might still be high) x 150 cars is (only?) 90


My first trip to RA in the late 70's saw the FF field count in the upper 80's. Had a program around here somewhere...............

[Tom Valet]

Marc, the test day schedule is now up on the RA site:

http://www.roadamerica.com/userfiles...%207-23-09.pdf

Start End
8:15 8:45 Group A‐ FA, FM, FE, FB, FC, CSR, DSR, S2
8:50 9:20 Group B‐ EP, FP, HP, GTL, GT1, GT2, GT3, ST, T1, STO, STU
9:30 10:00 Group C ‐ FF all including FF70
10:05 10:35 Group D ‐ FV, F500
10:45 11:15 Group E ‐ AS, T2, T3, SSB, SSC, SM
11:20 11:50 Group F ‐ SRF
12:00 12:30 Grp A
12:30 13:15 lunch
13:15 13:45 Grp B
13:50 14:20 Grp C
14:30 15:00 Grp D
15:05 15:35 Grp E
15:45 16:15 Grp F
16:20 16:50 Grp C and D combined bonus session
16:55 17:25 Grp A and F combined bonus session
13:30 18:00 Grp B and E combined bonus session

[PRS56]

I don't have the form in front of me, but I pulled it off the Road America web site.
Advance registration before the 16th is $300.00 and afterwards $350.00. They don't seem to have an option for online registration. I guess you could call their office.
The schedule is printed as part of the form and they list us as group c with two sessions Then they list a "group c bonus combined session" with the FV's and 500's.
You are right about doing the math. I forgot that that the number of entries does not equate with the number of actual cars. What is the real number?

[Mike Allison]

I signed up by calling the office last week. They handled it with a CCard over the phone. I got my receipt on Tuesday.
Mike