From the SCCA Board of Directors: Addressing Super Tour, Bonus Majors Misinformation

From the SCCA Board of Directors: Addressing Super Tour, Bonus Majors Misinformation

We, the SCCA® Board of Directors (BoD), would like to address misinformation that is circulating regarding the planned shift of the Formula Vee®, Formula F, and Formula 600 (FV, FF, F600) classes out of some Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour events and into bonus U.S. Majors Tour® events beginning in the 2025 competition season.

We will begin by detailing what the shift in strategy entails, why the small formula run group is being affected, and then move to discuss the parties and reasoning that went into the decision-making process.

Finally, we will discuss comments surrounding this topic that recently took place on social media.

What Does This Shift Entail?
During 2024, eight of the 10 Super Tour events experienced substantial overcrowding in certain run groups, which significantly impacted the quality of many competitors’ experiences at these events. To alleviate this issue, it was decided that beginning in 2025, the classes within the small formula run group (FV, FF, and F600) would be removed from seven Super Tour events and provided additional Majors race opportunities within Regional events.

For five of these seven Super Tours, SCCA National Staff worked with hosting Regions to create “Bonus Majors” run groups for the impacted small formula classes within existing Regional race weekends. To emphasize, these Bonus Majors races will be hosted by the same Region and run at the same track as the Super Tour. Unfortunately for two of the Super Tours (Hallett and NOLA), no bonus Majors opportunities could be identified.

As of this writing, Chicago Region is still considering whether to adopt the Bonus Majors approach or to switch the June Sprints® from a two-race format to a single-race format to create space in the schedule to retain the small formula group. Should Chicago Region adopt the single-race format, the Club Racing Board (CRB) has already voted to approve double counting the single race finish to retain points/finish parity with two-race weekends within Majors point standings. A decision is expected from Chicago Region by the end of December regarding the June Sprints.

It should be noted that for some of the Regions hosting Super Tours, the outreach was a continuation of discussions of overcrowding in both the “DOT” (Touring/Super Touring®) and “wing” (open wheel and Prototype) run groups that were held in 2023.

It is also important to note that FV, FF, and F600 will continue to be Majors classes. In the Conferences with Bonus Majors opportunities, the three classes will have the same number of Majors race event weekends (and opportunities to earn Majors points/finishes) as the classes that will be invited to the Super Tour. They will race at the same tracks as the Super Tour. In addition, FV and FF are invited to the 2025 National Championship Runoffs®.

Why is the Small Formula Run Group Being Excluded From Some Super Tours?
Simply put, overcrowding of some of the larger run groups is the reason for the creation of Bonus Majors for the small formula cars.

Due to limited daylight hours, it is not possible to add an additional run group to event schedules without sacrificing flexibility to adapt to incidents. It is also not possible to alleviate overcrowding by shifting classes from crowded groups to under-subscribed groups because the under-subscribed group is comprised of smaller open-wheel classes that are incompatible with the other groups.

At the impacted Super Tours, the small formula group contained 13 fewer cars on average than any other group during the 2024 season. Reallocating the small formula group at Super Tours to other classes and providing alternative U.S. Majors Tour opportunities for small formula cars at Regional events relieves overcrowding at the Super Tours and provides an equivalent opportunity to race with their peers and boost participation at Regional events.

The Bonus Majors route was decided as the most preferable action, as the other potential approaches (such as explicitly limiting entries in growing classes or allowing overcrowded conditions to continue) would drive away entries by reducing the quality of the experience.

So Who Made This Decision?
This change in Super Tour run groups was not a unilateral decision by a single individual or group – it was part of a comprehensive plan to improve the entire Club Racing program, developed by the BoD, CRB, and SCCA National Staff during numerous meetings held over the course of the last two years. SCCA National Staff and BoD liaisons participated in all these meetings, with the final meeting producing a plan that all parties agreed to support.

The Bonus Majors plan explicitly included the shift of the small formula group out of some Super Tours as well as a timeline for presenting the plan to the membership and soliciting feedback. The BoD chairman was present and participated in the final three meetings. Final approval for this and all other elements of the plan was at the National BoD level.

Following an Aug. 12, 2024 call with several members of the CRB, BoD, and SCCA National Staff to review the Super Tour changes, the process of reaching out to the impacted Super Tour Regions began. National Staff spent roughly 30 hours in discussions that secured agreements from seven of the impacted Regions. The BoD chairman then met multiple times with Chicago Region during Competition Committee Meetings, a special meeting with the Region’s Board of Directors, and one-on-one meetings with Chicago Region leaders.

Also note that participation in the Super Tour is voluntary, and that each Region has, or will, make their decision based on the best interest of their members and event participants.

Voicing Your Concerns
We respect the right of members to express their opinions regarding Club actions, whether it be via the official letter-writing process at crbscca.com, in person, through e-mail, or on social media. However, there is no place for statements that attack the ethics or character of members or staff. If someone has proof of such an allegation, they should submit a member conduct report on the SCCA website – that accusation will be taken seriously, investigated, and, if found credible, reported to the BoD for action.

Anyone writing unfounded statements is not only in violation of the SCCA Code of Conduct, but this could also put the Club and/or its members in a position of legal risk.

The SCCA is unique in that it is a club, and it is governed by members who serve many hours in a purely voluntary role to make decisions that are in the best interest of the SCCA. These volunteers work with SCCA National Staff to make those decisions happen. Everybody involved contributes to the process to the best of their abilities.

The SCCA Board of Directors understands that changes such as the ones we are facing can create challenges for individual members or groups, and we encourage member feedback on the outcome or substance of those changes. All feedback, however, needs to be productive, factual, and respectful.