SCCA Enterprises 25th Anniverary Celebration

[kgrammer]

On behalf SCCA Enterprises, it is our pleasure to invite you to the official 25th Anniversary Event celebrating the Spec Racer. Please block this weekend on your calendar now. We do expect a very large turnout and as the event planning progresses we will be announcing details on additional activities and VIP guests as they commit to the event.

The Celebration will take place April 10-11, 2010 at Road Atlanta!

On-track activities include double races for the following groups:

Group 1 – Pro Spec Racer Ford
Group 2 – Pro Formula Enterprises
Group 3 – Spec Racer Ford
Group 4 – All other Enterprises cars (i.e., Renault, Sports Racers, Shelby, re-engined Spec Racers, etc.)

Many of you are already planning your 2010 season schedule so we wanted to get the date and location of the 25th Anniversary event in your hands ASAP.

We have been selected by SCCA Enterprises to market and manage this very special celebration weekend. Event information is available at www.srf25.com.

Needless to say, we are really looking forward to hosting an exciting celebration for the best group of drivers and the best spec race car supplier in America!

[cooleyjb]

On behalf of USERA and SCCA Enterprises, it is our pleasure to invite you to the official 25th Anniversary Event celebrating the Spec Racer. Please block this weekend on your calendar now. We do expect a very large turnout and as the event planning progresses we will be announcing details on additional activities and VIP guests as they commit to the event.

The Celebration will take place April 10-11, 2010 at Road Atlanta!

On-track activities include double races for the following groups:

Group 1 – Pro Spec Racer Ford
Group 2 – Pro Formula Enterprises
Group 3 – Spec Racer Ford
Group 4 – All other Enterprises cars (i.e., Renault, Sports Racers, Shelby, re-engined Spec Racers, etc.)

Many of you are already planning your 2010 season schedule so we wanted to get the date and location of the 25th Anniversary event in your hands ASAP.

USERA has been selected by SCCA Enterprises to market and manage this very special celebration weekend and event information is available at www.usenduro.com.

Needless to say, we are really looking forward to hosting an exciting celebration for the best group of drivers and the best spec race car supplier in America!

Sweet.

[Paul Schneider]

I'm in !! I've been waiting for an FE pro series for a while . Who else will run the whole series??

[Matthew Inge]

Hmmm interesting....

[Stan Clayton]

Congrats to Enterprises and to the owners of the more than ONE THOUSAND cars Enterprises has built and delivered.

I hope you get a huge turnout.

I also hope we can find a way to fold the remaining Sports Renaults back into the SCCA fold.

[iamuwere]

Is this part of another event weekend?
How ironic if the SCCA anniversary is celebrated at a non-scca event!

[rickjohnson356]

there is no event listed on theSEDIV race schedule for Apr 10-11, 2010 at this time.

There was a SARRC/SARRC (double Sarrc) event scheduled for PBIR (FL), but it is crossed out. Maybe the SEDIV web site schedule is not current enough to include this event?

Maybe Butch Kummer, ATL region race director, can help us out with the answer??

The middle of April often has had the Mitty event, sometimes it is in May.

[cooleyjb]

No reason it would be on the SEDIV calendar. This isn't a club level event but a pro level event.

[Mark_Silverberg]

I believe the agreement with Ford for the conversion from SR to SRF required that after a 3 year phase in period that SCCA could not accept a Renault engine SR in any sanctioned event (I believe this even extends to Solo II). Consequently if Enterprises wanted to include the not converted SR they had to use a different sanctioning body.

[cooleyjb]

From the Spec Racer site

This is a standalone event. Not sharing the track with anyone. Schedule will be out very soon. LOTS of track time.

[Stan Clayton]

I believe the agreement with Ford for the conversion from SR to SRF required that after a 3 year phase in period that SCCA could not accept a Renault engine SR in any sanctioned event (I believe this even extends to Solo II). Consequently if Enterprises wanted to include the not converted SR they had to use a different sanctioning body.

Yes, that is my recollection, too, Mark. The only question in my mind is whether the contract with Ford (Roush) is long-expired. AFAIK, all SFR work is "in-house" now days, and that Ford/Roush have nothing to do with it. I could be wrong, tho...so maybe Erik will weigh in with the real scoop.

[kgrammer]

I prefer to let Erik offer an official statement with regard to his selecting USERA to manage the Anniversary event, but I can say that both Joe and Mark are right on target. The need to conduct a pro-level event coupled with the need to include all current, past and "franken-spec" cars were key considerations.

On a related note, I just posted a DRAFT version of the schedule. It is likely to be adjusted some since we are pretty early in the VIP/Ceremony planning stage, but it will provide you a decent feel of the amount of track time you will get on the weekend.

http://www.srf25.com/forms/schedule.pdf

Rick, the event won't be listed on the SEDIV schedule because it is not a SEDIV event.

[Mark_Silverberg]

Yes, that is my recollection, too, Mark. The only question in my mind is whether the contract with Ford (Roush) is long-expired. AFAIK, all SFR work is "in-house" now days, and that Ford/Roush have nothing to do with it. I could be wrong, tho...so maybe Erik will weigh in with the real scoop.

Even though Ford may no longer be supplying engines the agreements made when the engine supply contract was initially signed may not have a time limit. Whether Ford would choose to enforce them or could enforce them are another issue entirely. As I recall Roush did all the installation work and engineering for the associated parts but I believe they were a Tier II supplier in the program.

The SRF engine program ended up being very problematic for Ford. Their assumption was that most competitors would switch over quickly. The 1.9L CVH engine went out of production before the 3 year phase in was completed and Ford failed to stockpile any of the old configuration engines. The last 200 to 300 of the engines Ford made for SCCA Enterprises ended up being built on a low production / prototype engine line at Dearborn Engine plant. I am sure they were excellent engines but they cost Ford a ton of money to make.

[Erik Skirmants]

Sorry folks, I took a month off of websites to do some exciting things for 2010...particularly for the FE...this and the other 4 SCCA Pro run FE Pro Series races about to be announced are the top of that list of course.

I chose, due to the complete lack of time for my staff or I to do it, the most capable single person I knew to run this event. I am a fan of "the buck stops here", not management by committee...that is how Enterprises is run (I have a great BOD who knows what a Board is SUPPOSED to do) and Ken is that kind of guy too. So I chose Ken...sorry to everyone else...Ken needed to run the event for me under some business name...he has an organization that COULD be viewed as a competitor...USERA... but it is also a business that has a structure, has credit card accounts etc already set up. It might have been smarter (Ken even warned me questions would be asked) to make up a new entity...but this is business...and this project is all about Enterprises customer and having a high value event. Value in track time, value in "once in a lifetime", value in being different. So damn the torpedoes, we ARE working with our sister and parent companies where it makes sense for us, and for them, and as an interesting aside....what better proof of SCCA Enterprises being a separate entity than by us having IMSA Lites L3, and an occasional race with another sanctioning body, or an occasional rules rejection by the CRB (seriously that is the way it always should have been). ON a more personal note, my first trip to Road Atlanta was for the 1973 Runoffs and I have been to them all since...I bleed red SCCA letters if you cut me...and this is no indication otherwise.

Regarding ancient history...what didn't kill Enterprises made it stronger and TODAY we are the strongest we have ever been. We are in Denver 500 miles from "SCCA" and we send our monthly check to them, that is our only regular connection until we report our year end results for the consolidated financials....the debt is now under $500,000 and we make up 12 -15% of ALL SCCA entries...what maybe shouldn't have been IS and IS successful now. So again...DAMN THE TORPEDOES!!!

This event WILL be memorable...If I were on the fence I would start looking for a car...used ones in the low $30's are about to be a thing of the past!

[iamuwere]

I certainly have no problem of working through another business. Works for me. I just was mostly wondering about track time.

I just don't love cleaning red clay out of the car, so I have to stay on track once in a while I guess.

Thanks for the effort, Eric.

Appreciated as always!

Jim

[rickjohnson356]

Another ereason to have it under a different sanctioning body is to expose the cars and close racing etc to people who are not familiar with the capability of buying one of these cars (srf/fe) and be able to learn and get up to speed in amatuer events (SCCA) before jumping to the pro ranks/events if the driver is not ready.

May bring more OW/SR cars into SCCA--- which is good.

[kgrammer]

Thanks for the insider's view and kind words Erik.

By the way, I know that if you live west of the Mississippi, you are working your budget to see how to fit the Celebration event into your 2010 plans. It may help to know that on the weekend following the 25th Anniversary Celebration event, North Carolina Region is hosting a DOUBLE NATIONAL at VIR!

We are doing our part to help by offering multiple race opportunities on the Celebration weekend. I hope that being able to include the Double National at VIR will make it possible for us to encourage a large turnout from west of the Mississippi.

And as we all know, a double set of DOUBLE races at Road Atlanta and VIR would surely make Enzo bark twice!

[Zambo]

Fantastic news!

Looks like its time for another trip to the A-T-L. Now, let's get started on another kart challenge as well. :-)
My only problem is the week in between races.

Steve

[Tifosi]

Let's see now... we got a busted FE, an outdated SRF and an SR with a bad head. You got any special parts price programs Erik?

[Erik Skirmants]

Is this part of another event weekend?
How ironic if the SCCA anniversary is celebrated at a non-scca event!

Since I am amongst friends let me admit I need to stay the heck out of race operations...thus the reason I hired Ken! I just spoke to Bob Wildberger, SCCA Pro President and CEO, and they can sanction the event. I keep using that word when Ken Grammer keeps correcting me that he / USERA were hired for marketing and event operations...SCCA sanction is preferred. SO "non-scca" will be an incorrect statement.

This is a one of a kind event and it fits no mold.

[Erik Skirmants]

Dear Tofosi:

I have on occasion had an "its really broke" special (FE), outdated SRF's can run in the catch all group or of course there is time to update it...and I never give head, especially French ones??!

Erik

[TrackBrat]

This event sounds cool. Then my brain catches up to me and then I become terrified. An anniversary type event for Spec Racers.....I so want to work that event...but I must be crazy cause SRF can be terrifying!


sounds like a great idea.

[kgrammer]

We have a dedicated event web site now. www.srf25.com!

As always, let me know if you have any questions.

[kgrammer]

Mark Weber, SCCA Pro Racing's official event photographer, has been confirmed as the Official Photographer for the 25th Anniversary Spec Racer Ford Celebration. Each entrant in all groups will receive an official photo collection CD from Weber commemorating the event as part of their event entry package. The Commemorative photo package will contain photos of each entrant's car on track, photos from the celebration party and other human interest shots throughout the course of the event weekend.

[Franklin Futrelle]

Futrelle III and Futrelle IV will be there

[kgrammer]

SCCA Pro Racing announced a new pro series for both Spec Racer Ford and Formula Enterprises cars today at the Performance Racing Industry trade show here in Orlando, Florida:

http://scca.com/newsarticle.aspx?hub=4&news=3835

The significant part of the announcement is really old news for us, but it was officially confirmed in the release that SCCA Pro will be including the Pro Spec Racer and Pro Formula Enterprises races that are being conducted during the 25th Anniversary Spec Racer Ford Celebration event as points rounds 1 and 2 for their new 2010 pro series.

[kgrammer]

Well, unless they find someone more interesting to interview tomorrow, I am scheduled to be a quest on the GoRacingTV.com live broadcast tomorrow at 11:45 eastern time. Our topic will be the 25th Anniversary of the Spec Racer Ford, and our plans for the celebration weekend.

I believe the live feed is available on their main page at www.goracingtv.com.