SCCA racing at its best in SRF Gen3 at the June Sprints

The Spec Racer Ford, a tube frame, sports racing chassis built by SCCA Enterprises, has produced spectacular racing since its inception in 1984. Over time, the chassis has been powered by a 1.7L Renault motor and then a 1.9L Ford motor; in recent years, SRF has undergone another engine swap, this time to the 1.6L Ford Sigma motor. Like the 1.9L Ford engine, the Sigma is a four-cylinder, eight-valve, fuel-injected engine; unlike the 1.9L, the 1.6L is modern, meaning it's lightweight and powerful. The new engine produces about 135hp compared to the older engine's 105hp. Put that in a car weighing 1,560 pounds with the driver (the previous model weighed 1,670 pounds with driver), and you end up with a very fast, very fun racecar – arguably more fun than the previous model.

This past weekend was the 2017 SCCA June Sprints at Road America, where a field of 59 third generation SRFs took the green flag. Led to the green by Brian Schofield, Bobby Sak sat in P2 for the start of Saturday's race. Sak's in-car video shows that he grabs the lead a few laps in, but at about the eight-minute mark, the real racing begins. The last-lap dash with Sak's spectacular run through the Kink can be found at the 24-minute mark.

If you've never taken notice of Spec Racer Ford before. Watch this video. The class might be more than 30 years old, but since the latest engine swap, SRF racing has taken on a new life.

And there's more to the SRF story. SportsCar magazine, SCCA's official member magazine, produced an extensive feature on the Spec Racer Ford's history and move to the Ford Sigma motor. That feature can be found in the digital version of SportsCar's March 2017 issue.