Fans watching Drift Atlanta
Photo by: DigitalSportsNow.com

Qualifying itself was as entertaining as any motorsport event.  Good stuff but just a teaser for the activity that comes once the competition begins in earnest Saturday night.  Drift qualifying is a single car affair with each car going out on a solo run. 

When I arrived at the track I found a place to park along the back straightaway. The back straight happens to be where all the teams grid and where the start line is.  A short walk over to the fence and I was able to watch as teams prepped cars for the runs and the competitors do doughnuts to put heat in the tires (I assume) before they head out on their qualifying runs.

One thing I observed during all this activity was the skill level of all the drives and the faith their crew members have in those skills.  Keep in mind the back straightaway is a relatively small space and as the drivers worked to warm their tires their crews all stood in close proximity, taking half steps back when cars got a little too close. 

Shortly there after I watched as the cars hurdled down the hill one by one on their qualifying runs.  I was immediately impressed by the speed they carried down the hill and the apparent violence in which they threw their car into the first turn (Turn 10a).  The drivers would approach the turn as far to the outside as they could, almost touching the curbing as they set-up for the corner.  A flick of the wheel and some throttle and the rear wheels break loose as billows of white smoke pour out from the rear of the car.  From there the drivers navigate through the course.  Controlling the angle of the drift and their speed though steering inputs, throttle management and braking.  One thing I particularly liked was the light bars across the top of the windscreen that would allow spectators to see when the drivers were braking even when the car was facing you, when viewing of the taillights would otherwise be impossible.

Photo by: DigitalSportsNow.com

The other thing that I noticed right away was the sound.  Unlike the whisper quite diesel powered Audis and Peugeots that have competed at Petit Le Mans in years past, these cars made some fantastic sounds.  From normally aspirated V8s to Mazda rotaries to turbocharged V6 and I4 engines with their corresponding sound of the wastegate dump, the variance of the noise emanating from the track is spectacular.

Onto race day – Unfortunately prior commitments meant I wasn’t able to get to Road Atlanta until around 5:00 PM.  So I missed the top 32 competition but was ready and excited for the top 16 battle.  Rain had been threating all day but had yet to arrive and the hope was it would hold off until after the competition.  However that was not to be, just as the 90-minute pre-final break started and right about the time my family and I worked our way into the stands, the sky opened.  Not a deluge, but certainly not what the fans were wanting.  Thankfully a group of fans that had been at Road Atlanta all day were kind enough to invite us to join them under their canopies to avoid the elements.  This gave me an opportunity to soak in the atmosphere and chat with some of the fans.  I was really impressed with the crowd on hand.  Everyone that I met was polite, enthusiastic and just out to have a good time. A perfect environment for me to have my family involved in.  

As the final 16 competition approached the rains slowed, and although there were periods of drizzle off and on throughout the competition, it was mostly more of an annoyance rather than an evening spoiler.  I’m not sure the same can be said for some of the competitors, several runs ended early with a driver spinning off the course in the damp conditions or just getting it wrong and losing drift.

However, the conditions didn’t prevent some great battles on the track.  The highlight of the night for me was the battle between Fredric Aasbo in his Scion tC and Vaughn Gittin in his Ford Mustang.  The run started off well enough with Aasbo as the lead driver and Gittin in the chase position – if you don’t know what I am talking about, go back and see my earlier blog on Drift Atlanta.  As they came down the hill it appeared that Gitten made a slight miscalculation and made heavy contact with the Scion, with Gitten’s Mustang lifting up and essentially running over the front bumper of Aasbo.  Heavily damaged, Aasbo fell into position behind Gitten and miraculously both drivers finished the run.  After taking some time to repair the Scion’s damage, both drivers came back out to complete their runs with Gitten just edging out Aasbo for the win.

The rest of the night was filled with other great battles and while I will admit to not always understanding how the judges were evaluating certain aspects, I certainly understood enough to truly enjoy the event. 

So I guess I can officially state that this traditional motorsport fan is now a convert and I will definitely be back in 2014 to watch Drift Atlanta in person. 

By Dean Richardson 

In 1970 the recently opened Road Atlanta circuit hosted the SCCA Runoffs, the prestigious National Championship event for the amateur organization. Called the “American Road Race of Champions” with the slogan “The Olympics of Auto Racing” on the first poster promoting the event, the Runoffs were to stay at Road Atlanta until 1993.

Prior to 1970, the Runoffs were held at Riverside and Daytona in an alternating east/west format from 1964-69. Road Atlanta was a compromise of sorts. Although certainly not geographically in the middle of the USA, competitors fell in love with the challenging circuit.

The 1970 Runoffs were successful, despite some minor problems resulting from the newness of the circuit. Of course, Road Atlanta was somewhat in the “middle of nowhere” 43 years ago, as Atlanta has since grown northward.

Here’s a look at the winners of the first SCCA Runoffs in 1970:

C Sedan – Ed Spreen, Mini Cooper S

D Sedan – Craig Fisher, Fiat Abarth Corsa

G Production – William Koch, MG Midget

FV – Harry Ingle, Zink

H Production – Dennis Daly, Austin-Healey Sprite

E Production – Don Charles, Triumph GT-6

Formula B – Skip Barber, Tenco

Formula C – Michael Rand, Brabham BT-21

F Production – John Kelly, Triumph Spitfire

C Sports – Dan Carmichael, Lotus 23B

D Sports – Marvin Thompson, Bobsy

Formula A – Dave Heinz, Lola T-172

D Production – Jim Fitzgerald, Datsun SRL-311

A Sedan – Roy Woods, AMC Javelin

B Sedan – Vic Provenzano, Alfa Romeo GTA

Formula F – Skip Barber, Tenco

Formula Super Vee – Tom Davey, Zeitler

C Production – John Morton, BRE-Datsun

A Production – John Greenwood, Corvette

B Production – Allan Barker, Corvette Sting Ray

A Sports – Oscar Koveleski – McLaren M8B

B Sports – Milt Minter, Porsche 906

The A and C Production races probably had the most names Road Atlanta fans remember today: Bob Sharp, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, Peter Gregg, Jim Fitzgerald, John Paul Sr., Bob Tullius, Tony DeLorenzo, Dick Barbour, Pete Harrison and John Morton.

In the D Sedan race, future Road Atlanta official John Burns took a fifth place finish! Gordon Smiley raced in G Production. Sadly he would perish in the most horrific accident in Indianapolis Speed history during practice for the 1982 Indy 500.

Other entrants included Dave Helmick (1973 Sebring winner), Bruce McCaw (now a famed Seattle businessman and car collector), IMSA Camel GT racer Jeff Kline, Sebring regular Bill McDill, and rally racer Jon Woodner. Of course, there are many others who would go on to leave their mark in SCCA history, and others who were just having a good time. That’s what the Runoffs are all about.

Written by: Ken Breslauer

There are many, many reasons I love visiting Road Atlanta – a beautiful circuit in a fantastic location – but here I have identified 5 reasons to share with you:

1)       First impressions.  When you come zipping down Hwy 53 and you turn into the main gate area, the first impression is phenomenal.  Looking up at that bridge with the track rolling down the hill to turn 12 – very, very impressive.  If you are lucky enough to drive in when there are cars on the track – even more spectacular.  First impressions are big and Road Atlanta does not disappoint.

2)      Accessibility.  Is there anywhere else you can get THIS close?  When you cross that bridge at the Start / Finish Line and make your way over to the paddock / pit area – YOU are right there.  You even have to look over your shoulder to make sure that a Flying Lizard Porsche isn’t going to run into you as it heads out for a final practice.  Totally sweet.  Talk to drivers and crew members as well as media personalities – everything is just THAT close.  Another reason to bring the camera.

3)      Mobility.  You don’t buy a ticket to sit in a seat.  Oh no.  You can watch a few laps as cars make that hard right in turn 1, you can spend some time watching cars scream thru the esses, take the camera over to turn 6 and get some awesome shots as they slow down for that hard right-hander, the opportunities are endless.  Feel free to cruise around the entire facility!  Awesome.

4)      The Racing.  Whatever your pleasure – Road Atlanta delivers.  Whether it’s NASA, SCCA, Grand Am, Drifting, The Mitty, Bikes, or Petit Le Mans – the racing is fabulous.  With the high speeds, the turns and twists, and the elevation changes you can be sure that the competition is always fierce.  Nothing like watching a couple of LMP cars zoom down into turn 10A side by side in the cover of darkness.  The racing at Road Atlanta gets better every year – and with the inaugural season of the new United Sports Car Racing Series next year we can only expect even better racing here in the Georgia mountains.

5)      The History.  Since 1970 Road Atlanta has been making history.  From Can Am, IMSA, Camel GT, Formula 500, NASCAR Busch series, and of course Petit Le Mans – just about everything that could happen HAS happened!  It’s hard to name a famous driver who has not driven or competed here at Road Atlanta – all the way from back in the day with drivers like Mark Donahue and Paul Newman to the modern day of Patrick Dempsey, Patrick Long, Johnny O’Connell, and Dale Earnhardt.  The history of this place is fascinating!

So.  No doubt that I love Road Atlanta.  We just had Grand Am and then The Mitty – two awesome events!  Get your tickets now to the next event and start your own list as to why YOU love Road Atlanta!

Dennis Lynn

At the time I knew very little about drifting.  I had heard of it, and certainly understood the basic premise of sliding a car on the edge of control, but I didn’t know anything about how an event was structured.  Since that time…  well not much has changed.  Not until I started researching for this blog post did I begin to understand the scoring system of how a Formula Drift meet is held.

Drift Atlanta 2012. Photo: Stan Hester Photography

So this blog is for folks like me, the uninitiated.  If you are already a fan of the sport it is unlikely you will learn anything new, however, if you have never been to a Formula Drift event at Road Atlanta this may be of some use.

One of the first things to understand about Drifting at Road Atlanta is that the entire racetrack is not used.  The only part of the track that is in use during Drift Atlanta is the downhill section off the back straight and the turn 10 complex where the stadium seating is.  (Note – F2000, F1600 & Global Time Attack, which is also part of the race weekend, will be utilizing the entire circuit for their event).

Qualifying

The basic breakdown of the weekend is pretty simple.  On Friday there is qualifying.  Drift competitors head out on to the circuit one at a time and are judged based on four key criteria: Speed, Angle, Line and Style/Impact.  To better understand what these judging criteria are, the Formula Drift Web site has an entire section on judging. You can find that at  http://www.formulad.com/info/judging-info.php.  Drivers are awarded points for qualifying.  These points are added to their championship totals but are also used to set the head-to-head brackets for the tandem rounds on Saturday.

Tandem Elimination Rounds

On Saturday, single elimination brackets are setup with the 32 highest scoring drivers from qualifying taking part. The winning driver of each of these heats moves up the bracket and closer to the Championship “Final Battle”.  

Unlike qualifying, the tandem elimination rounds have two drivers take to the circuit at the same time – a “Lead” car and a “Chase” car.  Each tandem round consists of a minimum of two runs.  In the first run the driver that qualified the highest will lead with the driver that qualified lower in what is termed the “chase” position.  After the first run is complete the second run takes place with the Lead and Chase roles reversed.  After both runs are complete the judges score both drivers and determine a winner.  In some cases where the judges feel it is too close to declare a clear winner they will grant a “one more time” which will constitute another two run head-to-head competition.  It is possible to have multiple “one more time” runs.  Once a winner is decided, that driver moves on in the bracket and the losing driver is eliminated from the competition. The last car eliminated wins the competition for the weekend.

When watching from the stands there are a few basics to keep an eye on during the tandem eliminations rounds.

Lead Car – The lead driver’s basic goal is to drift the car according to the course laid out by judges and, like in qualifying, the driver is concentrating on speed, angle, line, and style.  

Chase Car – The chase driver’s responsibility is to follow the lead driver’s car as close as possible {referred to as ‘proximity’ by judges} without hitting the opponent’s car.  Some contact is tolerated {rubbing} but if the contact results in a loss of drift or damage to the other car, the chase driver is typically ruled at fault.  A successful chase car run will have the chase car in close proximity to the lead car, maintaining a similar speed, and an equal or greater drift angle.  Again, refer to the Formula Drift Web page for more detailed explanations.

This is a very high level look at what goes into a Formula Drift meet. Hopefully, it will be enough information for a first timer to understand the basics of what is happening on the track.  Look for my next blog after the Drift Atlanta meet and I’ll share my impressions of the experience.  Until then hopefully you will consider joining me at Road Atlanta on May 10-11.

By: Dean Richardson

Over the past dozen or so years drifting, a sport that originated in Japan, has gained more and more traction in the United States while attracting a younger audience than more traditional motorsports. As is often the case when new trends emerge, the traditional motorsports fan scoffed at this new form of competition. Many didn’t like the fact that the winners are determined based on a judging criteria rather than being the first across a finish line, or that driving technique is more important than out-and-out speed.

For me personally, my exposure to Drifting is extremely limited. At first I held the same opinion as the rest of my more traditional racing counterparts. Then in spring of 2007 as part of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, I was able to catch part of the Formula Drift event. Standing on the outside of the famous hairpin turn, myself and a couple of buddies watched with moderate interest… at first. By the time it was over we looked at each other and agreed it was pretty cool and certainly different than what we were used to. Other than that, I have been to a couple of non-professional drifting events in Atlanta and occasionally catching an event on TV.

One thing that has impressed me about the drifting competitions is the audience it’s attracting: young, excited, automobile enthusiasts. This is important to me. I love cars. I have since I got my first Hot Wheels as a child. When I turned 16 I couldn’t get to the DMV fast enough to get my license.

That was 25 years ago, the current reality is that an increasing number of teenagers in the U.S. have become more interested in the latest smart phone than the newest automotive offering. I have been surprised at the number of young people that don’t get there licenses until they are 18, 19 or 20 years of age. The current issue of Road and Track magazine did a story on this exact phenomenon. In the article they referenced a 2011 study that showed in 1978, 46% of 16 year olds had their driver’s licenses and that by 2008 that number had dropped to only 31%. This represents such a significant drop that many auto manufacturers have taken notice and are looking into alternative forms of motorsport like Drifting and Rallycross, in an attempt to reach a younger audience.

Formula Drift’s own demographics state that 87% of their fans are between the ages of 18-34 years old. These are encouraging numbers to those of us that don’t want to live in a future where cars drive themselves and we are all regulated to nothing more than passengers.

Looking at the entry list one can understand why Drifting is popular among this demographic. In sportscar racing we talk about the Porsches, Ferraris and Vipers that compete as “aspirational” cars. However, when you are 18 a Ferrari might as well be a jet fighter. Take a quick look at some of the cars that will be drifting at Road Atlanta: Late 80’s and 90’s Mazda RX7s, Nissan 240sx/Silvas, and 370zs, Toyota Supra’s and Corollas/Truenos, Scion TCs and FR-S, as well as Chevy Camaros, and Ford Mustangs. For the Formula Drift fan these are cars that are accessible rather than aspirational.

These cars aren’t slouches either. With horsepower ratings from the mid-500s to over a 1000 bhp they produce more output than most of the cars that run at Petit Le Mans. But horsepower is secondary in drifting. Suspension tuning, tires, and brake upgrades are the backbone of a strong drift car build. That along with driver skill and technique is what allows turbocharged 4/6-cylinder vehicles to compete head-to-head with V-8 cars regardless of Horsepower numbers.

So to me drifting is an important way to engage more people in the car culture. I am looking forward to attending this years Drift Atlanta event to witness firsthand what this sport is all about and what the atmosphere is like. My next blog will touch on how a drifting competition works.

By: Dean Richardson

I’ll be the first to admit that I am a diehard fan of ALMS racing.  However, I also know that at this stage, a combined Series is the best thing for the sport I love.  It’s going to help it grow and allow more people to see what is so great about sportscar racing.  So, I went into the Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix of Atlanta more than a little suspect. But, in the end, I came out of the weekend seeing just how well this could all work.

Michael Shank Racing Team

Friday

I got to the track mid-Friday morning after finishing up some work for the day job before disappearing off the grid.  When I arrived at the track, practice was finishing up and there were a few DPs circulating on the track.   I drove around the infield to get the lay of the land and kill some time before getting on a conference call (so hard to get completely away from the office anymore).  I found a spot high on the hill overlooking turns 10a and 10b where I could have my call and still watch any on track action.

Just as my conference call was wrapping up I noticed that the interior of my car had gotten significantly darker over the past minute or so.  Looking over my right shoulder I could see why… the storms that had been threatening all day had arrived.  Within seconds the sky opened up, and it began to pour from the heavens.  After fighting off flashbacks to 2009’s “Petit Monsoon” (the only ALMS race ever shortened by weather), I decided to stay put until the rain subsided. 

After a little over an hour the rain slowed and since it was clear that no cars would be running for a while I decided to head down to the paddock and check out the cars and teams. 

As a result of my first blog leading up to the GRAND-AM event at Road Atlanta, I was extended an invite to get a behind the scenes tour of Michael Shank Racing’s (www.michaelshankracing.com) operation by their PR Rep, Matt Cleary.  While I was down in the paddock I took the opportunity to meet up with Matt who gave me an up close look at the cars and the transporter.  The team is running two cars for the 2013 season and was in the middle of prepping them while I was there.  The transporter that the team is using is brand new, complete with a modern lounge up front for driver debriefings and team management meetings.  The work space in the rest of the transporter is surprisingly well lit and full of sparkling white cabinets that store everything from tools, to spare suspension, engine and brake parts.

After the tour I was given the opportunity to meet and chat with team principle Mike Shank.  Shank shared his thoughts on the upcoming merger between the GRAND-AM and the American Le Mans Series.  I was impressed by Mike’s candor and passion for the sport that he has built his business around since switching from open wheel to endurance racing in 2004.  He has strong opinions on the best way to equalize the Daytona Prototypes and ALMS P2 class.  His opinions are based both on what he believes will make for the best racing and financial considerations that will effect teams from both sides of the new unified series.

Mike was kind enough to talk with me for over a half an hour which is impressive for any team owner on a race weekend.

Shortly after my time with MSR it was announced that GRAND-AM was canceling the days qualifying sessions due to the wet conditions.  After spending some time strolling through the paddock I decided it was a good time to head home and get some rest before the race on Saturday.

Saturday – Race day

Fan Walk for all fans before the drop of the green flag!

On race morning I arrived at the track around 10:30 AM with my 9 year old daughter in tow for her first professional motor racing event.  We headed immediately to the Turn 10 complex to watch the start of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race. 

The first thing I noticed as we found a place to park was the larger number of people in attendance for the race than I expected.  The crowd was smaller than the Petit Le Mans crowd, which has become as much of an event as a race,  but the crowd was easily on par with crowds that attended the Spring race that the ALMS would occasionally do in the early and mid-2000s. 

Shortly after getting settled in our seats, the Conti Challenge race started and it did not disappoint.  The sheer mix of cars on the track made for some exciting viewing.  It was interesting to see how the different cars in both classes managed bumps on the track surface differently.  Some very composed while other looked like they were going to shoot off in a completely different direction exiting a turn.  Either way it provided some close and exciting racing.

In between the Conti race and the GRAND-AM event there was a break that allowed us to walk down to the paddock and watch as the teams prepared for the race. Similar to the ALMS’ “Grid Walk” GRAND-AM has a pit walk that allows you to view all the cars on pit lane, talk to drivers and team members.

After the pit walk, it was time to head up the hill to watch the 2 hour and 45 min main event.  The race itself was pretty good.  The Ganassi Telmex team was dominant from the drop of the green flag leading all but 26 laps to take the win.  Although there seemed little doubt who the winner would be, the racing behind them was often very close. 

This was my first time to see the DPs racers in person since 2004.  At that time the Daytona Prototypes were often criticized as being ungainly with huge greenhouses that made the cars look out of proportion.  A year and half ago GRAND-AM switched to new cars that are aesthetically a big improvement over the previous generations.  With a little more speed from the DPs combined with the ALMS’ current P2 class, I’m hopeful as to what the next few years hold.

Likewise, I am looking forward to seeing the GT classes from both the ALMS and GRAND-AM sharing the track.  In the ALMS, the GTE class has some of the best racing in the world.  I’m glad that the GT classes will stay mostly intact with the combined series.  The GRAND-AM GT race provided some close racing on Saturday, but disappointingly the Audi R8s were not present.  Also, the announcement that Road Atlanta was the last race of the season for sportscar racing stalwarts Brumos Racing was sad to hear.

At the end of the day, the racing witnessed at Road Atlanta this weekend was fun to watch.  My daughter had a good time and only spent the last hour or so getting fidgety.  Even still, we had a great time together and I look forward to the day when she is ready to spend a whole weekend at the track. 

There are many challenges ahead for the new combined United SportsCar series, not the least of which are balancing performance, defining combined rules, and merging schedules.  I don’t envy the individuals tasked with these responsibilities, but I’m optimistic that they will come up with a compromise that will take the best of what both have to offer.

In the meantime, I plan on being present for the final ALMS Petit Le Mans in October, and will return in 2014 to see the new series as it battles on the twists and turns of the Road Atlanta circuit for 10 hours/1000 miles.

By Dean Richardson