Regarded as the Pinnacle of American Motorsports, the 2008 SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by AT&T features a full week of action, capped by three days of racing Oct. 10-12 at Heartland Park Topeka. Now in its 45th year, nearly 700 drivers annually travel to the Runoffs to race against the best and fight for the honor of being crowned National Champion.
The National Championship Runoffs will bring the best competitors, the best volunteers, and major automotive manufacturing companies to Heartland Park Topeka, "Where the BEST Come to Play!".
SCCA Runoffs Test Week: September 29th- October 5th SCCA Runoffs Qualifying: October 6th-9th SCCA Runoffs Eliminations: October 10th-12th
IMPORTANT: Motorhome Parking Spaces with electricity for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs will open at 9:00am CDT on July 8, 2008. Drivers and volunteers will need their SCCA registration number in order to register with Heartland Park Topeka.
Garages are available for rent during the National Championship Runoffs. Garages feature electricity, compressed air, and a workbench. To download a garage rental form, click here. Please print and sign the garage rental agreement, click here, then fax, 785-862-2016, or mail the agreement to: Heartland Park Topeka Attn: Registration and Ticketing PO Box 19228 Topeka, KS 66619
Prior to the start of the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, Heartland Park Topeka will conduct test sessions for participants. To sign up for one or more test days, download the entry form here. (Adobe Acrobat Required)
There are 25 classes of cars eligible for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. Participants in these 25 classes compete in National races held by regions around the country. At the end of the season, the top ten cars in each class per division are invited to the Runoffs.
Classes can be grouped into five "categories" by car type. They are GT, Production, Showroom Stock, Formula and Sports Racer. Each category has several classes of various performance dividing lines from engine size, tire size, suspension types, etc. that all factor into the performance of the car.
GT CLASSES
The GT category is made up of four classes (GT1, GT2, GT3, GT-LITE). These are race cars from the ground to the roof, with only a passing resemblance to street cars. They are tube-chassis, very light, full race cars that are not street legal. The engines are full race spec, highly-stressed, and have a very limited life. GT1 (pictured) is the fastest of the GT classes, and features large V8 engines.
FORMULA CLASSES
The Formula category includes six classes (Formula Atlantic, Formula Continental, Formula Mazda, Formula Ford, Formula 500, Formula V). Formula cars are open-wheel race-only cars and are highly advanced race machines built almost exclusively by specialty manufacturers. Formula Atlantic cars have a resemblance to small Indy cars, and are the fastest car in SCCA Club Racing. Formula Mazda (pictured) uses a spec Mazda rotary engine, spec tire, spec wings, and spec suspension.
SPORTS RACER
The Sports Racing category includes four classes (C-Sports Racer, D-Sports Racer, Sports 2000, and Spec Racer Ford). Sports Racing cars are purpose-built racing machines. These cars have very small engines, but through low weight, aerodynamics, and excellent engineering are extremely fast. These are exotic cars built by major racing car manufacturers (like Indy Car constructor Lola) as well as small, home-built cars made by backyard engineers. C-Sports Racer (pictured) is the fastest of the Sports Racer cars and use various types of engines from motorcycle powerplants to Mazda rotary engines.
PRODUCTION
The Production category includes five classes (E Production, F Production, G Production, H Production, and American Sedan). Production racing differs from GT racing in that the original production car must still exist, although it may be hard to see through all the modifications. These cars are completely engineered for racing, and are highly-modified versions of street machines. American Sedan (pictured) is a stock version of GT1 race cars with stock bodies, race modifications and big engines. American Sedan is the fastest of the production class race cars.
SHOWROOM STOCK
The Showroom Stock category includes six classes (Showroom Stock B, Showroom Stock C, Touring 1, Touring 2, Touring 3, and Spec Miata). Aside from safety modifications, Showroom Stock and Touring cars are the same as the consumer can pick up that their local dealership, at least in theory. Every nut and bolt may be stock, but it's tightened and aligned to assist in performance. There are three touring classes (including T2, pictured) which allow for some slight modifications that make a competitive class among a wide variety of makes and models.
