Run Offs

[Brian Graham]

Just wanted to stir the pot and see if we are going to have any more participants at the Run Offs. I went quite regularly as a driver, my first one was at the final year at Road Atlanta. I did several at Mid Ohio before it become to difficult for me as a prep shop to drive myself but supported a few efforts before a long absence. 2023 was my first year back running SCCA in a very long time and we went to the show with one car and a very quick William Ferguson. We were right there but as things sometimes go, it went sideways on the final lap. However, what it did do was renew my enthusiasm for the Run Offs and the perhaps "over the top week or so" event which we thoroughly enjoyed. I saw friends from years past, and made new friends as well. This year we set out with the hope to go back and bring more drivers along. We compete here in Ontario in the Toyo Tires F1600 Championship but we made a big effort to get our drivers qualified for the Road America Fall event. To that end we are going with 4 drivers and are very excited to enjoy everything the Run Offs is about. It is to me, more of an event than just a race, there is so much to do during the week including watching the best amateur drivers in so many different classes of race cars. Each and every race group is fantastic to watch and every driver has a story of why they are there. I am surprised to see the entry stalled out at 14 cars, I hope we will grab at least a few more in the next several weeks. If you are on the fence, jump on the side of going, it is a great time. If you go go, we are going to be in the upper paddock, UP17, come by and say hi, we may have some adult beverages on hand.

Cheers and see you at RA!


Brian.

[Lotus7]

hey Brian, we'll be just at the bottom of the hill from you, on the left before the concessions; see ya there.

[Messenger Racing]

Brian,

Super thankful for your participation - And echo your comments - we need and welcome more entrants - if you are on the fence but need a hand at the track we are glad to help.

Nathan Down DB6 and I in my Daytona runoffs winning VD will be at the very top of the hill immediately on the right. We look forward to making new FF friends. We carry a lot of spares and are glad to assist others in the class.

Jay Messenger

[Mschumi101]

I count 28 FF's officially qualified for the runoffs, so we're at about 50% participation for who all is qualified. Was hoping to see closer to the 21 we had at the June Sprints. But echoing that it is great to see you out, Brian, especially bringing a few fast cars! The runoffs truly is a special event and being in the paddock and feeling the energy is unlike any other race! I was really bummed to miss it last year due to work, would have been my first dry runoffs!

I'll be in the main/west paddock right behind parker johns, and I'm always happy to help anyone out with setup/coaching or just talk racing, come say hi!

[alangbaker]

Well, I'm not qualified this year, but I do hope that in the next couple of years, I can join you all...

...wherever they might be held.

But I'm still hoping for a west coast Runoffs again!

[Jonathan Lee]

The runoffs looks like it's going to be fun this year.

kudos to Brian for bringing 4 BGR pipers!
William challenged for the lead last year until the last lap.
This year will be interesting with 4 driver's under 1 tent who can work together throughout the event.

It looks like Pelfrey is bringing Mateo, who just won the FRP championship this year (congratulations to Mateo, Geoff, Ian, and Kotyk), he has also been tackling a busy race schedule for the last 2 years, between FRP and HST events.
Kotyk will also be trying to win another title for Pelfrey.

Privateers like Trevor Russell, Teddy Burns, and Calvin Kautz will be giving the professionally run teams a hard time!

Trevor is in the new Ray with a very good package from Quicksilver.

Theodore drives a very fast Piper, he is also a very good driver and this is his home track.

Calvin is new to FF driving, but has been around racing forever. He is in a heavily modified piper (yes the one with the halo), I've looked at the trap speeds from a couple of events, and that car absolutely just checks out in the straights!

Others like Nathan Down and Jay Messenger have a chance to be in the lead pack in the race.
A handful of other drivers are signed up, although I do not know anything about them...

This is going to be a great event,
FF Racing + Road America = a huge draft battle

Best of luck to all involved, we will be watching!

[Eric Cruz]

I need to call Sandy and see if he can get me a “very good package” too!

Sorry…just couldn’t help myself…

Best regards,
Eric

[andyllc]

If it is still the same one, Trevor's motor broke my heart at Indy in '17 but yes is a very good motor.

[Brian Graham]

Well one of my drivers who is now back in school has just had to withdraw from the Run Offs. He is as gutted as we are but his school would not yeild on adjusting his week. The week before or after would have been fine but not the Run Off week. So, before I cancel his car and tire order and crew for the week, I would like to offer the seat to someone who may be qualified but may not have a car capable of running up front. This is the car that lead last years race with a shot to win. If anyone is interested please reach out, it is not a freebee but the chance to go to one of the great events that SCCA offers with a competitive car and team. Time is critical as I don't want to do any last minute stuff, not fair to folks who need to firm up their run off schedules for working. Best option if you have questions is to give me a call or email me directly.

Brian
705 718 3182
brian.bgr@xplronet.com

[Mschumi101]

Well one of my drivers who is now back in school has just had to withdraw from the Run Offs. He is as gutted as we are but his school would not yeild on adjusting his week. The week before or after would have been fine but not the Run Off week. So, before I cancel his car and tire order and crew for the week, I would like to offer the seat to someone who may be qualified but may not have a car capable of running up front. This is the car that lead last years race with a shot to win. If anyone is interested please reach out, it is not a freebee but the chance to go to one of the great events that SCCA offers with a competitive car and team. Time is critical as I don't want to do any last minute stuff, not fair to folks who need to firm up their run off schedules for working. Best option if you have questions is to give me a call or email me directly.

Brian
705 718 3182
brian.bgr@xplronet.com

That's a real bummer to hear, Brian. I guess your short list of qualified, but not registered drivers is:
Alex Barron
Bill Kephart
Brandon Lavender
Charles Foster
Christopher Smith
Denny Renfrow
Edward Erlandson
James M Morgan
John David Conder
John M Schimenti
John Robinson II
Keith L Hall
Robert J Dietz
Russell J Ruedisueli
Stephen S Meyer
*Nolan Allaer (returning champ, auto-entry)

Maybe try reaching out to some of the west coast guys who might not want to make the drive themselves? There are a few on this list who raced at the June Sprints or CAT Majors at Road America already this year. Good luck in your search!

[Jonathan Lee]

Well one of my drivers who is now back in school has just had to withdraw from the Run Offs. He is as gutted as we are but his school would not yeild on adjusting his week. The week before or after would have been fine but not the Run Off week. So, before I cancel his car and tire order and crew for the week, I would like to offer the seat to someone who may be qualified but may not have a car capable of running up front. This is the car that lead last years race with a shot to win. If anyone is interested please reach out, it is not a freebee but the chance to go to one of the great events that SCCA offers with a competitive car and team. Time is critical as I don't want to do any last minute stuff, not fair to folks who need to firm up their run off schedules for working. Best option if you have questions is to give me a call or email me directly.

Brian
705 718 3182
brian.bgr@xplronet.com

Although this will come off as completely biased
I would strongly argue that running with a winning team is significantly cheaper than trying to do it yourself, if you are trying to get the best results possible...
I would also argue running with a team, is always cheaper than trying to do it yourself, regardless of results, in the case that your salary is larger than what a team is charging per day for their labor...

At the club level, if your busy, want to enjoy racing, have all the fun and non of the hassle, then running with a team like BGR is the way to go!

[alangbaker]

Well one of my drivers who is now back in school has just had to withdraw from the Run Offs. He is as gutted as we are but his school would not yeild on adjusting his week. The week before or after would have been fine but not the Run Off week. So, before I cancel his car and tire order and crew for the week, I would like to offer the seat to someone who may be qualified but may not have a car capable of running up front. This is the car that lead last years race with a shot to win. If anyone is interested please reach out, it is not a freebee but the chance to go to one of the great events that SCCA offers with a competitive car and team. Time is critical as I don't want to do any last minute stuff, not fair to folks who need to firm up their run off schedules for working. Best option if you have questions is to give me a call or email me directly.

Brian
705 718 3182
brian.bgr@xplronet.com

Now I wish I'd qualified...

[bassracer]

After having this event in my scope for 2 years I made a very difficult decision to pass. Unfortunately with a Friday race my family can't attend and my young kids fall break is the following week so I decided to direct the resources and energy to a week with them. I love the runoffs but prioritizing racing didn't feel right this time.

[cliff]

Man’s got his priorities straight.
Good for you!
when talking about favorites….how about a dark horse.
Tazio Stefanelli should not be overlooked. Taz has been running up front all year and he is very good at R.A.
Good luck all, wish I was competing. Greg Rice will be missed…RIP buddy!

[cliff]

Told you!

[E1pix]

Total Class of Varacins to mention Greg Rice.

[LTDMotorsports]

Total Class of Varacins to mention Greg Rice.

Actually it was Rob Allaer that mentioned Greg in his post race interview on the live stream. We did miss him this year and it's not the same without him. Big congrats to Mike Varacins!

[E1pix]

Oh Geez, you’re right. Sorry about that.