SCCA 2000 ProRally schedule & FIA class eligibility
29 October 1999
Denver, CO: The revitalized SCCA ProRally Championship, completing
one of its most successful seasons ever, announced today its 2000
schedule, plus a new championship program for globally recognized FIA
Group A and Group N cars.
The 2000 schedule includes eight championship events, plus a new
mid-year FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship event. The schedule
includes a broad array of terrain, including eastern and western
forests, high desert, winter, and mountainous settings. The season
kicks off with a winter rally in late January, takes a brief hiatus
for February and March, then resumes in April, with one event each
month through October.
The Championship features well-established SCCA events, many with
histories of more than 20 years of operation, including the popular
Susquehannock Trail event in Pennsylvania, and the season culminating
Lake Superior (nee: Press-On Regardless) rally in the upper peninsula
of Michigan. Said Dennis Dean, Vice President of SCCA Club Racing and
Rally/Solo; "the 2000 program combines virtually every type of rally
surface and climate found on the world circuit, all here within our
borders, in a professionally presented package."
Refinements to the schedule ease the transport-funding problem that is
a challenge in the United States, allowing teams to keep their
equipment on various sides of the country for two events at a time,
eliminating some of the 'criss-crossing' that they faced in prior
seasons.
New for 2000 is the start of a rules 'blending' process that will
ultimately result in the US Championship following FIA vehicle
preparation and event presentation standards. "We fully appreciate
that performance rally is a global sport, and that our existing rules
structure makes it exceedingly difficult for global manufacturers to
come here to the US" said Kurt Spitzner, SCCA Rally/Solo Marketing
Manager. "However, clearly we are not in a position to obsolete the
large field of US-Spec cars, some of which are manufacturer supported,
overnight. Starting in 2000, FIA and SCCA ProRally cars will compete
in parallel championships, with a weaning off of the SCCA exclusive
Pro classes over a period."
"Any Group A or Group N car is welcome in the US Championship,
effective immediately. Scoring and scrutineering of the respective
championships will follow FIA guidelines, and the SCCA Classes will
continue to follow the SCCA guidelines" remarked SCCA ProRally
Championship Series Steward John McArthur. "With the addition of the
FIA listed RallyUSA in Denver, the time is right for the US rally
community to begin this process."
All eight events are full points Manufacturers Championship events,
for participating automakers. Seven of the events will count full
points towards the US Drivers Championship, with the remaining event,
due to a shorter stage mile configuration, counting for 60% points.
The complete schedule:
28-29 January: Sno*Drift - Michigan
14-15 April: Oregon Trail - Oregon
5-6 May: Rim of the World - California
2-3 June: Susquehannock Trail - Pennsylvania
28-29 July: Maine Forest - Maine
25-26 August - Ojibwe Forests - Minnesota
29-30 September: Prescott Forest - Arizona
20-21 October: Lake Superior - Michigan
RallyUSA - FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship: 23-25 June - Colorado
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