SCCA: U.S. Majors Tour opens this weekend at Homestead

ABOVE: Danny Steyn had a difficult opening weekend at Homestead last season, as his car was found to be out of compliance to the rules, but will look for a better start to this season's campaign. Credit: Mark Weber

In September 2012, the Sports Car Club of America rolled out the U.S. Majors Tour as the top level of amateur racing in this country. The Majors Tour replaced what was previously called "National" SCCA racing, split into a season-long championship in five geographic Conferences.

For the third consecutive year, Florida plays host to the opening two weekends of SCCA Club Racing U.S. Majors Tour action. The two-stop state tour begins at Homestead-Miami Speedway and wraps up at historic Sebring International Raceway, in the middle of the state. Say goodbye to Old Man Winter and hello to short-sleeved shirts as temperatures are forecasted to be just below 80 degrees.

Spec Miata Leads the Way: Spec Miata racers up and down the East Coast are ready to forget about winter and get the racing season heated up. With 55 entries, the group is the largest single class of cars to hit the track. In addition, Spec Miata will lead both days of competition. In a class that is well known for its competitive fields and close finishes, it will be a great way to commence the 2016 season.

Defending Southeast Conference Champion Danny Steyn will be in attendance, however hot shoes such as Jim Drago, Selin Rollan, Blake Clements, Alex Bolanos, Todd Buras and Nick Leverone will be gunning for the top position.

DOT Spectacular: The small-bore DOT tire race group is the second most populated of the seven race groups. This group includes the Super Touring Lite, Super Touring Under, Touring 2, Touring 3 and Touring 4. Among the notable drivers in this race group are defending T2 champion Tim Kezman, Danny Steyn (STL), Nick Leverone (STL), Don Knowles (T4), Preston Calvert (T2) and Michael Flynn (STU).

The large number of cars should produce some entertaining racing everywhere on the track. An added challenge for drivers, and a point of interest for spectators, will be the speed differential between some of the classes. As this race group features a variety of cars, strategic and clean passes will be at a premium.

Qualifying:Seven Race GroupsA pair of 25-minute qualifying sessions on Friday, one in the morning and in the afternoon, followed by a single 20-minute session on Saturday morning.U.S. Majors Tour Races:Seven Group RacesSaturday, Jan. 9: 25 minutes, beginning at 11:30 a.m. (EST)Sunday, Jan. 10: 22 laps or 40 minutes, whichever comes first, beginning at 9:00 a.m. (EST)Live Timing and Audio:Live Timing & Scoring, lap notes and more via the SCCA® Pit Board are available for all sessions through www.scca.com/live.Entry lists, full event schedules, and more information is available at www.sccamajors.com.