Panic Attacks by Panic Motorsports, Inc.

We’ve already posted this poor guy’s photo, but it’s a favorite.  They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, so prove it! Come up with a caption… Post a comment here or leave it on our Facebook page.

The Atlanta Region March Double National is coming up on us quickly and we need additional F&C volunteers to help this event be a success for our club.  Please come out and join us for the event.

We’ll start posting all the neat vintage racing photos we find in a new category called “vintage tracks”.  Watch for more!

…on our blog that is. At the racetrack, we’re at the front!

The 2012 racing season is kicking in to high gear. We just shook down some of the track cars at Roebling Road this past weekend. We’re headed there again this coming weekend to put a couple of the racecars to test at OPM’s “World Famous Track Day.”  Then, back down to Roebling again next week for the Double Drivers’ School, then VIR, and well, you get the idea.

Gotta love the South:  There’s never an off season!

We offer AMAZING trackside support: Spec Miata builds and maintenance, crew and pit work, etc.  Let us build your car and meet you at the track with it. All you have to do is arrive and drive!  We’ve spent several years working to optimize engine performance and car handling to develop the best set up for Spec Miata competition.  Our knowledge and experience is backed up by the professionals at Race Engineering Performance Engines, Carbotech Brakes, and others, whom we are grateful to have as a part of our team!  Combined, you only get the best, race-proven Spec Miatas from Panic Motorsports.

Have questions?  Give Steve a call at 803.261.7629

In addition to the trackside support and Spec Miata builds, we continue to offer high-quality, tested, salvage and aftermarket parts, streetcar service, tires and mounting, and more for Mazda Miatas and RX-7′s…the occasional GT1 car, Porsche, Acura, and Volvo wind up at our shop as well.

We recently added C&R Performance Radiators, D-Force Wheels, and Replay XD cameras to our web store offerings, and Panic has some other exciting things lined up in the wings. We hope you’ll stick around to see what we come up with next…and help us spread the word!

We thank you for your business and friendship in 2011, and we look forward to a continued, mutually-beneficial relationship with you in the months and years to come.  If you have any suggestions for us, don’t hesitate to call.

Shop on-line now or through Ebay.

ALMS: Petit Le Mans Capped To 53 Starters

60 entries to qualify for 53 starting positions in Intercontinental Le Mans Cup/American Le Mans Series enduro…

John Dagys | Posted August 29, 2011 Chicago, IL

The 14th annual Petit Le Mans will feature a grid of 53 starters, with 60 cars vying for those positions in the run up to the 1,000-mile/10-hour enduro. (Photo: John Dagys) With series around the globe facing dwindling car counts, many would love to be in the position of the American Le Mans Series, which sees an oversubscribed field for the 14th annual Petit Le Mans.

The 1,000-mile/10-hour endurance classic at Road Atlanta, which also doubles as the penultimate round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, will feature only 53 starters due to track and pit lane limitations. Close to 70 cars are believed to have submitted entries but only 60 will be given a shot to qualify for the Oct. 1 race.

As Scot Elkins, Chief Operating Officer of the ALMS and IMSA, explains to SPEED.com, the process in narrowing the entry list down was fairly straight forward, with only full-season entrants in the ALMS and ILMC having been selected. But turning teams away is something the series has never done before.

“There are people who have called and asked to enter the race but we’ve had to turn them down because they weren’t full-season entries,” Elkins said. “This is not necessarily something we’re happy about. But it’s something we have to do because of the restraints of the track.”

All full-season LMP1, LMP2, GT/GTE-Pro and GTE-Am teams have been provisionally locked into the starting field as long as each car meets the minimum qualifying and drive time requirements during race week. Forty-five cars on the entry list fall into this category.

The remaining eight positions will be filled by full-season LMPC and GTC teams according to their qualifying speeds. Elkins said they’ll likely take the top-four in each class for inclusion, with the remaining seven going on an alternate list should any of the confirmed qualifiers not make the race start.

Unlike NASCAR, where provisionals secure the top-ranked teams and past champions to be in the show, only the four quickest cars in each class will make the race, something that hasn’t been seen in the sportscar racing world for over a decade.

It will prove to be crucial 15-minute qualifying sessions for Challenge competitors, especially those in the midst of a title fight on the championship-deciding weekend.

“Having talked to the LMPC and GTC guys, I thought they would have been upset [at the situation]. But most of them are pretty interested in the fact that they have to qualify to get a position in the race,” Elkins said. “It’s one of the biggest races in the world and they like the fact that they have to… qualify for this big event.”

It’s expected that eight LMPC and seven GTC cars will be battling for starting positions, roughly giving a 50/50 chance of those not making the race, should all of the other class cars meet the qualifying requirements.

While some teams such as Oryx Dyson Racing, Level 5 Motorsports and Robertson Racing have not competed in every ALMS race this season to date, all three are classified as full-season entrants and are thus essentially locked into the field.

Elkins said the full entry list of 60 cars that will be allowed to take part in testing, practice and qualifying should be released in the next few days.

From Carolina Cup Pro Series… 

From Ted…  More info on SWCCCR site here.

Hope to see you at our SCCA meeting this Thursday July 14^th

… and don’t worry about polishing your car up for the car show. Just bring it as is and park it in our VIP parking area to the right of the front of QS & L building. We have a wide of array of cars that have promised to show up so come enjoy the show and the meeting.  Come on out and have some fun with car people! And BRING A FRIEND!

Ted

P.S. If you would like a picture of you taken at the car show with your car and a car model in your lap, [I will be joined by the following model]:

The Subaru Showdown is a two day autocross championship and Subaru owner’s appreciation event jointly hosted by Central Carolinas Region SCCA and South Carolina Region SCCA, consisting of the following events on July 16-17, 2011, at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC:

• Autocross – a 2-day event for ALL CARS with two separate courses on the Carolina Motorsports Park West Course.
• Car Show – Two separate 1-day events for Subarus only.
• PDX – “Performance Driving Experience” – a 2-day HPDE/track day event on the Carolina Motorsports Park East Course for Subarus only.
• Time Trial – a 2-day event for Subarus only, held under SCCA Club Trials rules.

Event information and online registration: www.subarushowdown.com

Sponsored By

Fairway Subaru – Greenville, SC

Folger Subaru – Charlotte, NC

Subaru of Charleston – Charleston, SC

Questions? Contact membership (at) scsportscar.com or call South Carolina Region at 803-386-7727.