Race Two Great Tracks in the Next Two Weeks

Next weekend's SVRA Spring Vintage Festival at Road America is followed by HSR's Barber Historics at Barber Motorsports Park. Both locations are great tracks that are very different in character, but both are exhilarating to drive. In most years these events have been on the same weekend, so this is a rare chance to race them on sequential weekends. You could think if it as a way to start recovering from 2020.

Last year the SVRA event was one of the first to be held after cancellation of all racing activity in March. That event was well attended so I expect this year will be even better. In addition to the usual range of SVRA classes and groups US F4 and the Formula Regional Americas Championship will be racing on the same weekend. In fact, to minimize the impact on SVRA's regular groups, F4 and FR will continue their racing on Monday, while the regular SVRA racing concludes Sunday night. Both of these groups are full of drivers striving to make it in professional racing. If you get a chance to follow their activity you may see a talent that makes it to IndyCar or even F1 later in their career.

As was our norm last year there will be no Monoposto party at Road America.

Since the Monoposto events that follow in June and early July are both in Canada and the border crossing is closed from the US you should consider making a 10-day holiday of it and getting to Barber Motorsports Park for the following weekend of HSR racing. Barber won't let you stretch the legs of your car like Road America, but it is challenging and fun track. It has lots of elevation change and some really challenging turn sequences. In addition, for the less race inclined, the outstanding Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum is open to visitors again.

There will also be no Monoposto party at Barber, but the 2020 Monoposto trophies will be available. If you've earned one make your way to the GMT Paddock and Marc Giroux will present it to you.

Travis Engen

President, Monoposto Racing

Finally, a New Racing Season Begins!

This week brings the first event of the 2021 Monoposto Season: HSR's The Mitty at Road Atlanta. For a number of years this event has only featured one open wheel run group so Monoposto has only included it in the championship series for Indy Lights. This year, however, HSR has separated the open wheel classes. This means that all 11 Monoposto classes from formula Vee to Indy Lights will be included, a fitting beginning for all of our championship competitions. Unfortunately, it seems that given The Mitty's long history of one combined open wheel run group it will take time for drivers to understand that Classic cars will be able to compete as a separate group and for the participation of Classic cars to increase.

Road Atlanta is a racer's track with awesome features from the esses to the braking zone at the end of the back straight and the section out of turn 10b leading down the hill to start/finish. Over the years I've enjoyed many challenging races at Road Atlanta in classes from formula Ford to Indy Lights. Particularly in lower-powered cars drafting down the back straight offers opportunities for overtakes under braking going into turn 10a. Similarly, if you are quicker down the hill, the run to turn 1 is a great opportunity.

As was our practice in 2020 there will be no Monoposto party. (One can only hope that as 2021 progresses we will again be able to party together.)

Travis Engen

President Monoposto Racing

2021 Monoposto Schedule

Last year brought us the explosion of the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic devastation that it drove, major disruptions to everything and the full shutdown of our favorite sport. Thankfully as the year progressed solutions were found so that racing began to resume and ended the year as it was originally scheduled. Although the pandemic is still driving ahead at much greater levels, vaccines are being deployed. And while it would be a mistake to think we are ahead of the curve one thing that my years of racing has made me aware of is that racers are a self-selected group of optimists. Thus, I'm sure each of us is looking ahead to a 2021 with solutions to the pandemic, economic recovery and lots of racing opportunities.

It's clear that the event organizers are at least as optimistic as we are since each of them has given us full schedules to select from for our Championship events. With this in mind we have set a schedule that is basically a copy of our original plans for 2020 updated for some date changes. The details are:

HSR Mitty at Road Atlanta - 4/21/21 to 4/25/21

SVRA at Road America - 5/13/21 to 5/16/21

HSR Barber Historics at Barber Motorsports Park - 5/21/21 to 5/23/21

VARAC Vintage Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park - 6/17/21 to 6/20/21

(Classic and F70 only)

HMSA Sommet Des Légendes at Circuit Mont Tremblant - 7/8/21 to 7/11/21

WeatherTech International Challenge at Road America - 7/15/21 to 7/18/21

VSCDA Vintage Grand Prix Au Grattan at Grattan Raceway - 8/13/21 to 8/15/21

(Classic and F70 only)

SVRA U. S. Vintage Grand Prix at Watkins Glen - 9/9/21 to 9/12/21

VSCDA Elkhart Lake Vintage Festival at Road America - 9/17/21 to 9/19/21

(Classic and F70 only)

SVRA Heathcock Classic Gold Cup at VIRginia International Raceway - 9/23/21 to

9/26/21

SVRA U. S. Vintage National Championship at Circuit of the Americas - 11/4/21 to

11/17/21

Monoposto Championships will be awarded based on a competitor’s best ten races - typically five events - so you have many choices to set your path to a championship. (See the Monoposto rules at https://www.monoposto.com/rules.)

Finally, if you haven't done all the work on your car and equipment already you have three months until our first event at Road Atlanta. Check your seat belts and HANS devices for their certification periods as well as checking your Snell Foundation helmet certification milestone so you are prepared with these important safety equipment items when you go to your first event.

Travis Engen

President, Monoposto Racing