Another season of road racing gets underway this weekend at Mission Raceway Park (MRP).
The local track will see racers from all over the region and the United States clamouring for points in the Sports Car Club of B.C. (SCCBC) opening races, held April 16-17.
“This is some of the cheapest fun you can have as a spectator,” said club president Kevin Skinner. Admission is rarely more than $8 per adult, and that includes a full day of racing, with several different classes competing, and allows attendees to walk the paddocks and interact with drivers. As well, all Mission residents get free admission.
SCCBC has been hosting events at MRP for several years, and previous to that, used the now-defunct Westwood Motorsport Park in Coquitlam as its home course.
But Mission is a great place to race, said Skinner.
“[Spectators] can see nearly three-quarters of the whole track and it’s very fast. You can get a lot of speed going down the straight.”
While SCCBC is an amateur club, there have been some big names in the racing world who have come out to turn laps, including Gilles Villeneuve, Bobby Rahal and Michael Andretti.
This weekend features the first race of the season for both the Confederation of Autosport Car Clubs and the Westcoast Sportscar Championship, and there are four classes that compete under the SCCBC banner.
For those interested in getting into racing, SCCBC also offers courses to help get you behind the wheel.
For more information on the race series or driving training, visit www.sccbc.net or call Kevin at 604-856-8957.
The race classes are
defined as follows:
• Production
These cars are allowed limited performance improvements, and this is the entry level for most racers.
• GT
This class is the top tier of performance for production-derived cars. Class determination is based on car weight and engine size.
• Formula
Formula cars are pure race machines and fans will see formula Fords and Vees, running 1,600 and 1,200cc engines.
• Sports racing
The cars are also pure competition units and are generally classed on engine size. This class hosts many endurance cars.