Doug Pace: Region’s top road racers ready for Northwest Grand Prix
Road racing’s top performers from across the region descend on Spokane County Raceway this weekend for the running of the Northwest Grand Prix.
Under the guidance of the Northwest Motorsports Road Racing Club, open-wheel and sport car racing in the region dates back to 1954. Their first championship was held in 1959 at the famed Deer Park circuit.
As the group continued holding events, its home at SCR became an attraction of speed and driver challenges for the various talents that make up the Northwest Grand Prix. From BMW sedans to true Indy Car-like open wheel racers, the race is a test of machine and man against the course.
The weekend offers 23-checkered flags in over 40 classes. The International Conference of Sports Car Clubs sanctions the event. Enduro racing, classes for novice drivers and the professional-style classes make up the three-day schedule.
For those looking to support a local charity while getting a taste of the road course at full speed, Grand Prix organizers and the Spokane Valley Lions Club have teamed up to offer ride alongs at various times over the weekend. With a donation to the Lions Club, race fans can ride passenger-style in race-trim cars in a high-speed tour of SCR’s two-mile course.
The experience is unique, according to Lions Club member Clayton Whitaker.
“Rides are approximately two laps around the road course,” Whitaker said. “The car I rode in last year was a modified Porsche Cayman that was approaching 160 mph. As we started our second lap, the driver, Dr. Jon Lee, hit the throttle and even though we were doing over a 100 mph at the time it still snapped my head back.
“Riding in a truly fast car driven by an experienced race car driver on an unrestricted track is a thrill that beats any roller coaster.”
For more information regarding this weekend’s Northwest Grand Prix log onto northwestmotorsports.org.
Ed Sneva Memorial at Stateline Speedway
Stateline Speedway hosts the third running of the Ed Sneva Memorial race this weekend with the stars of open-wheel racing descending on the Post Falls quarter-mile for a celebration of the iconic racing legend.
Featuring the WESCO Sprint Car Series, Washington Midget Racing Association, the Northwest Early Stocks and the Vintage Racing Tour, Stateline’s open-wheel extravaganza is one of its biggest events of the year.
Many of Sneva’s family members, including son Blaine, take part in the racing program. The memorial race also draws drivers to an event that packs the grandstands while offering a solid payout.
Count Spokane’s Tony Berry as one drawn to be part of the big show.
The Gonzaga graduate, successful in wing and non-winged Sprint Cars, Late Models, karting and just about anything else with wheels and a fast motor, has taken some time off in recent years to focus on a professional career in business and raising a family.
The Sneva show puts an old-school feature of racing back into the driver’s hands. With no spotters to guide a driver in traffic, Berry – and the stars of the WESCO Sprint Car Series – race in tight packs with little room for error. This technical facet is one of many reasons Berry keeps coming back to big open wheel shows.
“The biggest thing with open wheel cars is that race craft is paramount,” Berry said. “You don’t have a spotter, you don’t have mirrors – you’re relying strictly on sound and your field of vision.
“It means that when you’re overtaking a car you really have to establish yourself next to them whereas in a stock car if you’re to their bumper or tire you’re often times considered ‘there’ which wouldn’t be enough in an open wheel car.”
Taming a Sprint Car requires a skill set that differs from a late model or other type of race car, Berry explained.
“Winged sprint cars can certainly be challenging because of the speed, but at the same time the wing can mask a lot as you can really move around to overcome handling issues. In many ways I think a non-wing car can be harder because of less aero grip.
Saturday’s Sneva Memorial Open Wheel Show at Stateline Speedway gets underway at 6 p.m. For more information log onto raceidaho.com.