SCCA Des Moines Valley Region’s Bracket Challenge is a new team-based road racing format that does not require a full competition racing license. It is built around teams of two drivers sharing a single car and provides the experience of both sprint and endurance racing. If you’re familiar with the endurance racing experience offered by other organizations, Bracket Challenge will be a refreshing change of pace and more conducive to improving your driving and car setup. You and your teammate will be on the track multiple times with breaks in-between giving you a chance to compare laps, driving technique, and fine tuning the car. It’s like the co-driving experience in Solo, except now you and your co-driver are competing together instead of against each other.
Each team will have two practice sessions, two sprint races, and a single 3-hour endurance race. The two practice sessions are open as to which driver is in the car. The team could event pit and change drivers during the session if they choose. Each driver runs their own sprint race. The endurance race is run by both drivers with a required pit stop for fuel and driver change. Final scoring is based on the team’s finishing position in two sprints and one endurance race.
Scoring and classing are a blend of straight-up speed and SCCA’s unique Bracket Enduro system. It’s pretty simple for the drivers though. Take a look at the CRE web page and the Bracket Enduro web page. In the “Challenge” the fastest lap from the second practice session is used to set both your bracket class and starting position for the sprint races. The sprint races are scored on who crosses the finish line first in their class regardless of lap time. The “bracket” and “banked time” rules are only applied to the endurance race. Points are awarded to the team for each race to determine the class winner.
Depending on the weekend schedule, a Bracket Challenge may be run in one day or across multiple days.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Is our car legal?
- If your car passes a basic SCCA safety tech and does not break out of the basic performance limit, it is legal. The safety requirements of race organizations don’t vary that much, so something prepared for another series should be easily adaptable to SCCA. There are two sections in the General Competition Rules that apply for safety: 9.3 and 9.4. These sections are really not any longer than the safety rules for any other organization so don’t be afraid of the “big rule book.” There is also an upper limit on the performance of the cars allowed. The target upper end of performance are the SCCA classes Improved Touring R, E Production, GT3, T3, and Spec Racer Fords. (This will get you up into the lesser 911’s, Boxsters, 944S2’s, 3-Series BMW’s, Honda S2000’s etc. unless they have extensive engine mods.) This does NOT mean you must follow the rules for those classes, just that they’re used as a lap-time guideline.
- What about performance modifications and tires?
- Run whatever you like. As long as it’s safe, it’s legal. Since the classing is either “open” or in a class based on lap time, it does not matter if you got to that level via horse power, handling, grip, or driver skill. If it’s a reliability modification you’re looking at, go for it! We want to see you on the track at the finish!
- How is a competition license not required?
- The Bracket Challenge is sanctioned and operated under SCCA’s “Club Race Experience” rules. Those rules differ from normal club racing rules in that on-track behavior falls under a 13/13 rule. There’s no contact allowed and spins/offs will earn you a visit with the Chief Steward.
- Should I have some track driving experience first?
- It is a very good idea and highly recommended! Fortunately, we can help you with that too! We have a Performance Driving Experience designed as an entry point to driving fast on a race track in either a street or race car. DMVR runs PDX at Iowa Speedway as either stand-alone events or in conjunction with Club Race or Bracket Challenge events.
- Will we be randomly circulating the course to start the endurance race? What about the sprints?
- We use a two-car wide side by side rolling start for all races.
- How much does it cost? Where do I register?
- The entry fee is found in the supplemental regulations for each event. A typical entry fee will be about $300 per driver or $600 for the team. Registration is via motorsportsreg.com.