Cambered Corner

Kevin Dunn is an engineer, fabricator, and long-time autocrosser. Getting back in touch with our roots, we talk with Kevin about the rise, decline, and reemergence of the American muscle car and it’s role in the sport of autocross. Kevin obtained his 1967 Firebird in 1982, and it was in rather rough shape. Riddled with rust and sporting a straight six with a two-speed automatic, it wasn’t the pinnacle of pony car power and performance. Kevin had the rare opportunity to utilize a first-class General Motors body shop to carve out the car cancer and repaint the mostly green machine to its current bright orange. Yes, that’s the original paint from the mid-80s. Kevin also upgraded the powerplant and the transmission before heading out to the Lincoln Air Park to compete in his local autocross event against the various Corvettes, Sunbeam Tigers, and Ford Panteras that dominated at the time.

Eventually, life got in the way and Kevin drifted away from the sport. Fortunately for us, and I dare say for Kevin, his work colleagues recently convinced him to return to competition. In 2015, Kevin competed in the C-Prepared class of SCCA Solo in the Kansas City Region. During his few outings, he was convinced to prepare his car for the new Classic American Muscle (CAM) class and follow fellow CAM competitor Lance Hamilton in entering a couple of rounds of the Ultimate Street Car Challenge. Muscle cars are making a comeback, although if you ask Kevin, they never really left us.

Continuing the conversation from our previous on the new SCCA Pro Racing US Formula 4 Championship, tonight we speak with Jonathan Scarallo, Team Manager of Group A Racing, about their Formula Lites and new Formula 4 program.  Jonathan has literally grown up at the race track and in the junior formula racing scene, and although he’s currently a team manager, he’s also been a driver in a variety of SCCA formula series as well as the Mazda Road to Indy. Jonathan gives us insight not only into the attraction of the new Formula 4 and Formula Lites programs as a driver, but also into why he and Group A Racing have chosen them as their prefered platform.

Early last fall, the Sports Car Club of America announced a new entry-level pro formula car program, Formula 4. When most people think of junior formula programs in the US, the Mazda Road to Indy is the first to come to mind. While the combination of USF2000, Pro Mazda and Indy Lights makes for an excellent program for those seeking a career in IndyCar, it’s lack of inclusion in the Super License program makes it a challenging path for those seeking a career in Formula 1.

“Along with the FIA, SCCA Pro Racing sees the cost of racing equipment and operations as significant limiting factors in open-wheel racing participation,” said Robert Clarke, President of SCCA Pro Racing. “The model for F4, based on a simple, yet contemporary vehicle, with strict price controls, is designed to entice new young drivers from karting into cars. We are excited about bringing this opportunity to the United States and the aspiring young racer.”

Paul gives us the complete details on the origins of the Formula 4 program, how it fits into the SCCA Pro Racing program, and into the larger American junior formula car racing landscape.

This week at the Cambered Corner we have the pleasure of speaking with the driver of the #22 Andretti Autosport Pro Mazda machine, the mercurial Malaysian, Weiron Tan. Weiron talks with us about his late start in motor racing, his journey through kart racing in Asia, formula car racing in Europe, and his arrival in the Mazda Road to Indy in the Pro Mazda Championship this year. He currently sits in fourth place in the Pro Mazda Championship standings, but is coming off of a win at his first ever oval race at the Lucas Oil Raceway, marking three victories for the season. You can follow Weiron and learn more about his motor racing exploits on his website http://www.weirontan.com/, on Facebook, and on Twitter at @WeironTan.

 

For many of us, when we think of autocross, the cars that come to mind are roadster sports cars and hot hatches. The SCCA is changing that and has created a new class for classic American muscle and pony cars called CAM, and it’s bringing new people out to SCCA events in droves. In this episode of The Cambered Corner, we speak with Raleigh Boreen, the Regional Solo Development Manager for the SCCA, about the new CAM class, how it got started, how it’s doing at local and national events, and what the future holds for the class.

The 2015 Speedway SCCA CAM Challenge mentioned in this episode will be held at Grissom Aeroplex in Peru, IN on August 7-9. You can register and see the event schedule at MotorsportsReg.com, or if you’re in the area, just show up and enjoy all the cool cars and the glorious sound of a big American V8 engine at full song.

In this episode of The Cambered Corner, I spoke to Director of the Mazda Road to Indy program, Jason Penix, about the changes seen in the program over the last couple of seasons, and how those changes are affecting the interest level and participation rates for the 2015 season.

We talk about the philosophy behind and the future of the Winterfest program, and the draw that program has for European drivers. Lastly, we wrap up the show discussing the new Indy Lights chassis and engine package, the trepidation some teams had about the new equipment, the draw the promise of new machines have for European formula teams such as Carlin, and the potential for future growth after this introductory season for the IL-15 and Mazda MZR-R engine.

Gabby Chaves comes from a family with a rich racing heritage, including his mother who raced in his native home of Columbia. Chaves, who was a USTA top-ten ranked tennis player for his age group at the time, took up the family tradition of motor racing and quickly began accumulating karting titles. After three years of karting, he earned seven titles! His success continued as he moved to formula car racing at the ripe old age of thirteen. After winning championships in Skip Barber and Formula BMW America, he went on to compete in Formula 3 Italy and GP3. He returned to the US in 2012 and joined the Mazda Road to Indy program at the Star Mazda level, taking 2nd place in that year’s championship. He would achieve another 2nd place championship finish in the Indy Lights series in 2013. In 2014, he won the Freedom 100 which eluded him by 0.026 sec in 2013 and took the championship title over Jack Harvey, earning a scholarship to begin his career as an IndyCar driver. Racing in Indy Lights wasn’t Gabby’s only job in 2014. He also raced the unique Delta Wing racing machine in the TUDOR United Sportscar Championship, and has committed to racing the Delta Wing in 2015.

Peter Portante has spent the last two seasons in the Mazda Road to Indy’s USF2000 National Championship Series and is looking to move up to the Pro Mazda Championship. Peter got his start, like so many other formula drivers, racing karts, but his style of kart racing was like no other!

We kick off our new interview series, Cambered Corner, with one of the most diverse drivers you’re going to meet in grassroots motorsports, Brianne Corn. Brianne holds a world land speed record on a 500cc bike, she’s done the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in both a rally car and a motorcycle, has won championships in stage rally, SCCA Solo, and RallyCross, and has competed in the Pirelli World Challenge’s Touring Car class. She talks with us about racing on a budget and how you don’t need cubic meters of cash to go out and enjoy competing in motorsport, and the upcoming SCCA RallyCross National Championship.