California boasts some of the premier racing organizations and events for competitive road racing enthusiasts, from weekend warriors to experienced racers alike! There is something here for every level – there’s sure to be an event or series perfect for you!
If you are just getting into racing, attending events is a great way to witness all of the action and gain first-hand insight into what it takes to become a successful racer.
Touring Cars
Touring cars are an integral component of competitive road racing in California. These large open vehicles, with seating for four or more individuals and a folding roof, often take their inspiration from family or hatchback cars.
Touring car racing stands apart from stock car racing by being heavily modified for speed and race conditions, including alteration to engine, brakes, wheels and tyres.
Some touring car series offer short “sprint” races while others involve endurance events that last from three to 24 hours and provide an opportunity to test both reliability and pit crew performance as much as speed of car driver.
The World Touring Car Championship is an international motorsport competition comprised of heavily modified road-going cars. Although not as fast as Formula One, fans enjoy watching this series because its cars resemble each other as well as those owned by themselves and other fans, making it a widely supported racing competition.
GTs
Grand Touring (GT) road racing in California has quickly become one of the most acclaimed categories, featuring vehicles that mimic high-performance sports cars such as Lamborghinis Huracans, Ferrari 488s, Porsche 911s, Chevrolet Corvettes and Nissan GT-Rs.
GT racing provides an ideal way to enter competitive road racing without investing in an ultra-expensive supercar. The rules for GT classes are relatively straightforward and allow vehicles with various makes and models to participate.
Some manufacturers even provide “one-make” series that allow drivers to compete against one another using cars made by them in factory-sponsored competition, similar to how NASCAR and IndyCar run their respective series. Usually used by exotic car brands but sometimes open to both amateurs and professional drivers alike.
GMG Racing will enter three Audi R8 LMS GT4s into the Pirelli World Challenge GTS division for a full racing season in 2016. George Kurtz will pilot one of them – No. 04 CrowdStrike Audi with Colin Braun as co-drivers in Pro-Am category racing.
Trans Am Super GT
Trans Am Super GT racing in California has long been one of the premier classes of competitive road racing. This class often serves as the pinnacle of its series, boasting some of the most notable cars from American racing history.
This series was established in 1966 and sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America. It competes on various types of track throughout the US – from road courses to street circuits – in an array of events held throughout each season.
Trans Am has transitioned from being strictly production-based series, into including tube frame chassis with silhouette bodies. Although drivers have become accustomed to this approach, its roots are in more traditional race car form; today their competition remains highly exciting.
TA1 and TA2 classes of Trans Am are extremely popular among drivers, offering drivers access to powerful 850 horsepower machines known as “fire-breathing” cars with decades of history behind them.