The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) will offer competitors protection from losing their entry fees due to rain. The Entry Protection Program (EPP) will apply even if the races are conducted and the protected competitor does not withdraw — provided the official U.S. Weather Bureau-announced precipitation accumulation is at least one inch between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on either Saturday or Sunday.
“We decided to take this step to give owners and drivers a greater sense of control over their own destinies,” said SVRA President and CEO Tony Parella. “We understand a driver doesn’t get the same satisfaction from driving in the rain as he or she does in the dry. For a relatively small fee, the SVRA EPP protects them from losing their entry investment during a rainy weekend even if they do participate.”
Parella came up with idea following the rain-drenched SVRA weekend at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) September 25-27. That event saw persistent rain for three solid days, even creating standing water at some points of the course. Typical of road racing, the races were conducted despite the inclement weather but many drivers withdrew to protect the investment they have made in their vintage racers.
The EPP applies to 13 of the 16 race weekends on the SVRA’s 2016 calendar. The venues it applies to are: Sebring, Amelia Island, Auto Club Speedway, Sonoma, Road America, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), Mid-Ohio, Portland, Watkins Glen, Coronado, VIR, NOLA and the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The price for EPP coverage is $39 for ten events with a $49 fee for Watkins Glen and $59 for IMS and COTA.
[Source: SVRA; photo: David Ferguson]
Excellent program, maybe the SCCA should provide this option for it’s racers also. Many drivers cancelled their entries before the recent ARRC at Road Atlanta when it rained for the entire week & weekend.
This isn’t at all clear. $39 for 10 events total or $39 per each of those 10 events? At many of those events there is little or no chance of rain. And many drivers do get much satisfaction from running in the rain, despite what Parella says.